Juan Cole

* Pakistani sucurity forces believe the US is overestimating how many al-Qaeda members are in Pakistan’s tribal belt. They complain that in 90 percent of cases, information supplied by the CIA and Centcom about targets lead to nothing when the Pakistanis follow up on them. Pakistani officials think there are only 30 to 50 al-Qaeda […]

*There is not much good news these days, so the ruling of the Belgian supreme court that Ariel Sharon can be tried there for war crimes is most welcome. An Israeli commission already found Sharon at least partially responsible for the massacres at the Palestinian camps of Sabra and Shatila in Lebanon in 1982. Accusations […]

*Qazi Hussain Ahmad, leader of Pakistan’s fundamentalist Jama`at-i Islami, has warned that after Iraq, the US intends to take over Pakistan. This allegation is ridiculous, of course, but it will be widely believed. Qazi Hussain’s fundamentalist coalition now rules the Northwest Frontier Province, and has 20% of the seats in the national Parliament. He has […]

*Usama Bin Laden has resurfaced with a 20 minute tirade broadcast by al-Jazirah, calling on his followers to attack the United States and to carry out terrorism on its soil, and calling on Iraqi Muslims to resist the coming US invasion. I think there is in fact a danger that Bin Laden will have some […]

*Asharq al-Awsat has gotten hold of a confidential Iraqi memo that outlines Saddam’s plan for a diplomatic blitz in the Arab world after the end of the Muslim holy day, the Eid al-Adha. He will send personal representatives to various Arab countries to make the case that Iraq has complied with inspections. He will offer […]

Hosni Mubarak, the president of Egypt, was asked at a mini-summit of Arab governments (Syria, Libya, Egypt and the head of the Muslim League) whether their deliberations could avert the looming war in Iraq. “We would make ourselves a laughing stock if we thought we could postpone a war . . . “There is the […]

*Dawn (Karachi) reported that the Council of Saudi Ulema (clergy) issued a fatwa that prohibits attacks by Muslims on non-Muslims. The ruling says that one could not just arbitrarily term persons “infidels” and then make them targets. It specifically referred to the bombing of buildings, ships, and public and private facilities in such a way […]

According to Ali Nurizadeh in Asharq al-Awsat, the British government has given Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi an undertaking that in the aftermath of the Anglo-American attack on Iraq, Iran would not be subject to any military action. Iran has been nervous about British intentions since a recent invitation was issued to Reza Pahlavi, son […]

*Colin Powell did a good job at the UN Security Council in making the case that Iraq has tried to thwart the weapons inspectors and is actively not cooperating with Resolution 1441. The Bush administration has all along known that this would be the case, and crafted 1441 as a trap for Saddam, into which […]