Juan Cole

Abdul Aziz al-Hakim Recognizes Justice of Reparations to Iran Reuters reports that Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the current president of the Interim Governing Council, has admitted that Iran has a just claim on Iraq for reparations for the Iraq-Iran War of 1980-1988, in which Saddam had ordered Iraqi armies to seize Iran’s oil-rich Khuzistan province but […]

Convalescence for the Iraqi Psyche Needed: Sunni-Shiite Clashes in Wake of Saddam Capture Maureen Fan of Knight-Ridder observes that the capture of Saddam by the Americans has exacerbated tensions between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq: “The day after Saddam’s capture was announced, Shiites from Kadhimiya crossed the bridge and started dancing in the street in […]

Several US Troops Wounded in Mosul and near Kirkuk; Assassination and a Bomb in Baghdad AFP reports that 3 US soldiers were wounded in separate rocket and mortar attacks in Mosul on Wednesday. Iraqi police reported that guerrillas fired rocket-propelled grenades at US troops and wounded 2. An eyewitness said the assailants got away on […]

The Trials of Trying Saddam Veteran Middle East journalist Helena Cobban reflects on a host of issues presented by the task of trying Saddam Hussein.

Economic Revival in Basra accompanied by Crime Wave Alisha Ryu argues in a report for the Voice of America that the southern city of Basra’s economic efflorescence, and the more laid-back style of community policing used by British troops, make it a better model for Iraq’s future than US-dominated Baghdad. She is forced to admit, […]

Is the Capture of Saddam Bad News for Bush? William Pfaff argues in the International Herald Tribune that there are lots of reasons that Saddam’s capture could be bad news for Bush. It has already enraged and humiliated a lot of Sunni Arabs. It may embolden the Shiite leaders, who no longer fear that Saddam […]

Student Chants in Mosul For those interested in crowd behavior, I note from al-Hayat the chants of student protesters in Mosul below. They are really quite ugly, like something out of the Chinese cultural revolution, but what is clear is the nationalistic undertone to the protests. By now Saddam is just a symbol of defiance […]

College Professors in Mosul Strike The professors at Mosul University announced a general strike on Tuesday, demanding an increase in pay. They were protesting that professors in Kurdish institutions of higher learning had been awarded higher pay and more benefits than was the case in the Arabic-speaking areas of Iraq. About 1,000 Mosul students who […]

3 US Soldiers Wounded, 1 Iraqi Policeman Killed and 1 Wounded; 7 Protesters Killed; Demonstrations and Counter-Demonstrations Throughout Iraq Guerrillas set off a roadside bomb in Tikrit, wounding three US soldiers on Tuesday. Some 250 students demonstrated in Tikrit in front of their school. Hundreds of US troops were sent into Tikrit, supported by tanks […]