Al-Hakim becomes President As AFP notes, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim has just become the president of the Interim Governing Council. Nine members are taking turns rotating […]

2 US Soldiers Killed Near Syria; Major Battle at Samarra’ leaves 46 Guerrillas Dead Guerrillas in the far west of Iraq, near the Syrian border, […]

IGC Fails to Agree on Election Formula Al-Sharq al-Awsat and al-Hayat reported completely differently on the 4-hour-long Interim Governing Council meeting on Sunday. Al-Sharq al-Awsat […]

Helen Thomas Blasts Rumsfeld for Closure of al-Arabiya Helen Thomas condemned the closure of al-Arabiya offices in Iraq: ‘The raid by the U.S.-appointed Iraqi officials […]

Japan Roiled by Attack on Diplomats Despite the tough rhetoric about standing his ground by Japanese PM Junichiro Koizumi, opposition parties and other observers are […]

Shadid on Shiite Politics in Iraq As usual, Anthony Shadid of the Washington Post (an Arabist) does some of the best in-depth reporting on Shiite […]

Baathists Poisoning Water in Mosul Al-Sharq al-Awsat claims today that pro-Saddam forces are attempting to spread panic and dissension in Mosul by dumping poison and […]

Massacre of Spanish Secret Agents Guerrillas ambushed two vehicles carrying Spanish intelligence operatives in Latifiya, a Sunni town just south of Baghdad on Saturday, killing […]

Sistani Position on New Elections The office of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani affirmed Saturday in Najaf that he had reservations about the Nov. 15 plan […]