A suicide bomber detonated his payload outside a mosque in the largely Shiite town of Musayyib on Friday, killing 12 and wounding 23. Musayyib is in Babil province, and the US turned over security duties there to the Iraqi government last month. The Sadrists plamed the bombing on the security agreement and continued US presence […]
12 Killed in Mosque Bombing; Controversy Rages over Security Pact
A suicide bomber detonated his payload outside a mosque in the largely Shiite town of Musayyib on Friday, killing 12 and wounding 23. Musayyib is in Babil province, and the US turned over security duties there to the Iraqi government last month. The Sadrists plamed the bombing on the security agreement and continued US presence […]
Mumbai Attacks and Indian Economy
Aljazeera English reports on the potential economic impact of the Mumbai attacks. I don’t think there are long-term economic implications of the attack as long as Mumbai authorities put in basic security in key areas. In the Middle East, the big tourist hotels have metal detectors and security staff and concrete barriers that keep car […]
Mumbai Attacks and Indian Economy
Aljazeera English reports on the potential economic impact of the Mumbai attacks. I don’t think there are long-term economic implications of the attack as long as Mumbai authorities put in basic security in key areas. In the Middle East, the big tourist hotels have metal detectors and security staff and concrete barriers that keep car […]
Passage of Security Pact Strengthens al-Maliki; Provides Obama with Strong Partner in Withdrawal
Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that 149 MPs out of 198 in attendance voted for the security pact, including the three major blocs, the (Shiite) United Iraqi Alliance, the Kurdistan Alliance, and the (Sunni Arab) Iraqi Accord Front. The Iraqi Accord Front demanded as the price of its positive vote, and got, a commitment that the […]
Passage of Security Pact Strengthens al-Maliki; Provides Obama with Strong Partner in Withdrawal
Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that 149 MPs out of 198 in attendance voted for the security pact, including the three major blocs, the (Shiite) United Iraqi Alliance, the Kurdistan Alliance, and the (Sunni Arab) Iraqi Accord Front. The Iraqi Accord Front demanded as the price of its positive vote, and got, a commitment that the […]
Iranian Radio Says Referendum Will Arm Iraqi Officials Against US ‘Pressures’
The USG Open Source Center translates a radio broadcast from The Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran praising the passage of the Security Agreement between Iraq and the US by the Iraqi parliament. The celebratory style shows that official Iran has swung behind the agreement as a tool for getting the US military out […]
Iranian Radio Says Referendum Will Arm Iraqi Officials Against US ‘Pressures’
The USG Open Source Center translates a radio broadcast from The Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran praising the passage of the Security Agreement between Iraq and the US by the Iraqi parliament. The celebratory style shows that official Iran has swung behind the agreement as a tool for getting the US military out […]
Security Agreement is Passed by the Iraqi Parliament
Reuters reports that the Iraqi parliament passed the US-Iraqi security agreement, which stipulates that all US troops will be out of Iraq by 2011. of 275 members of parliament, 198 attended and 149 voted in favor. That means it barely passed from the point of view of an absolute majority, though it was a clear […]