As Pakistan’s army and political elite focused on the catastrophic floods that have put a fifth of the country under water and displaced millions, militants in the mountainous northwest of the country struck on Monday with bombings that killed 32 persons and wounded 42. The violence targeted figures involved in mediation between local authorities and […]
Bombings Kill 32 in Pakistan NW;
Cole at CNN: Now the US Should Get out of Iraq’s Politics
My essay, “Now the US should get out of Iraq’s Poltics,” is now at the CNN web site. Excerpt: “Washington should stop trying to shoehorn its favorite into office, should stop showing favoritism to some ethnic groups over others, and should show some understanding of the necessity for good relations between Iraq and Iran (which […]
What would Martin Luther King Say? Mosques and the New Jim Crow in America
The demonstration held on Sunday against the Park 51 Muslim community center in lower Manhattan was an attempt by the right wing to strike at first amendment freedoms, but at the same time, it was simply a revival of urban policies of discrimination that were routine in the last century. That the demonstration had racist […]
From ’shock and awe’ to ‘advise and assist’ in Iraq
My appearance on the PBS current affairs show Need to Know this weekend with Alison Stewart is now available on the Web. I was discussing the present situation in Iraq. Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.
Dear Rev. Graham: Obama was not born a Muslim and neither is anyone else
Evangelist (and hateful bigot) Franklin Graham said this weekend that President Obama was ‘born a Muslim’ because, he said, Islam is transmitted through the father just as Judaism is transmitted through the mother. Presumably it is this sort of thinking that has led an increasing number of Americans to believe, incorrectly, that Obama is a […]
Sindh Cities inundated as Flooding continues;
Fears of advances by al-Qaeda
Frenetic efforts to repair a 20 foot breach in the barrage guarding the major Sindhi city of Shahdadkot succeeded in keeping the city from being washed away. As it is, 90% of the urban area that once housed 300,000 has now been affected by the rushing flood waters. Relief officials say that the period through […]
Taliban Ambush Kills 30 on Road Crew in Helmand;
60% of Americans Oppose Afghan War
Word is trickling out now about a Taliban attack on workers and security guards that killed some 30 persons and wounded 15 others, while yet others were taken captive. The victims had been working on a road in Sangin, Helmand Province. Roads allow easier government penetration of provincial areas, and this consideration may have led […]
Cole on PBS ‘Need to Know’
I’ll be interviewed by Alison Stewart on the PBS ‘Need to Know’ current affairs program on Friday evening in most markets, though the show may be on another day on your PBS channel and may be repeated over the weekend. I’m talking about the situation in Iraq as most US combat troops are withdrawn.
Iraqis differ in Reactions to US Combat Troops’ Departure
Aswat al-Iraq reports on reactions to the withdrawal of US combat brigades from Iraq in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. The head of the Basra Provincial governing council, Jabbar Amin, said that the American combat forces had withdrawn at dawn on Thursday, which would charge the Iraqi forces with their true mission, in strengthening […]
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