Juan Cole

Iraqi Police fire on Kufa Demonstrators Peaceful, civilian Shiite demonstrators in Kufa heeding Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani’s call for a march on Najaf (which is just next door to Kufa) were fired on Wednesday afternoon, suffering two killed and five wounded. Apparently the firing came from the Iraqi police. The Australian Herald Sun reports: ‘ […]

Sistani Returns, Launches March Sadrist Ceasefire Announced Al-Hayat is reporting that Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani defied his physicians’ advice and insisted on returning to Iraq midday on Wednesday. He landed in Kuwait and went overland to Basra, where he is staying at the home of prominent Shiite Ali Abdul Hakim. Reuters says that Sistani’s aide […]

Metro Times Profile Curt Guyette’s profile of me at the Detroit Metro Times is now available on the internet.

Attempted Assassinations of Ministers Fail Iraqi Troops Move into Najaf: “We are in the Last Hours” Reuters and AFP report via Dawn that the assassination attempt on the Minister of Education, reported here yesterday, was followed by another such attempt against the Minister of the Environment, Mishkat Moumin. Dawn quotes her: ‘ “Serving the Iraqi […]

George H.W. Bush on Why Invading Iraq was a Bad Idea George Gedda of AP reminds us of the opposition to an American invasion of Iraq expressed after the Gulf War by George Bush senior and his secretary of state, James Baker. Bush wrote in his memoirs: ‘ Incalculable human and political costs” would have […]

The Fighting in Iraq Reuters is reporting that guerrillas detonated a car bomb early on Tuesday, killing 2 persons and wounding 3 others. They were trying to assassinate Education Minister Sami al-Mudhaffar, but he escaped unscathed. Knight Ridder’s Hannah Allam was trapped in the Imam Ali Shrine on Monday when fighting suddenly intensified, and she […]

Bush and Iraqi Soccer From Bush press conference on Tuesday ‘ QUESTION: You’re not going to Athens this week, are you? BUSH: Athens, Texas? (LAUGHTER) QUESTION: The Olympics in Greece. BUSH: Oh, the Olympics. No, I’m not. QUESTION: Have you been watching? BUSH: Yes. It’s been exciting. QUESTION: Did a particular moment stand out? BUSH: […]

5 US Soldiers Killed in 24 Hours, 1 Wounded Australian Broadcasting reports that guerrillas killed one US soldier in Mosul on Sunday with a roadside bomb. Guerrillas on Saturday killed three US Marines in separate attacks in al-Anbar province (the home of Fallujah and Ramadi). If George Will is right that the Baath is planning […]

Egyptian Mufti: Volcano of Anger over Najaf The claim by Mahdi Army fighters that US bombing damaged part of a wall of the Ali shrine complex could be explosive. Wire services report: Explosions and gunfire shook Najaf’s Old City in a fierce battle between US forces and Shiite militants, who remained in control of a […]