Juan Cole

Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani continues to be concerned as to whether elections will be held in January in Iraq, and whether the outcome will reflect the Shi’ite majority in Iraq. He is worried that the system adopted, of nationwide party lists, favors a small set of parties, mainly expatriate. Since the six major parties listed … Continue reading “Iraq Elections a Disaster in the Making”

President Bush said Tuesday that the Iraqis are refuting the pessimists and implied that things are improving in that country. What would America look like if it were in Iraq’s current situation? The population of the U.S. is over 11 times that of Iraq, so a lot of statistics would have to be multiplied by … Continue reading “If America Were Iraq”

In order to evaluate the aftermath of Sept. 11, we first must understand that event. What did al-Qaeda intend to achieve? Only if we understand that can we gauge their success or failure. From the point of view of al-Qaeda, the Muslim world can and should be united into a single country. They believe that … Continue reading “Bin Laden’s Vision Becoming Reality”

Why was Dick Cheney so eager to invade Iraq? Why did he repeatedly link Saddam Hussein to al-Qaeda after Sept. 11, and why did he maintain that not only did Iraq have weapons of mass destruction but that he, Cheney, knew exactly where they were? Cheney clearly came into office wanting a war on Iraq, … Continue reading “Halliburton and Iraq: The Purloined Letter”

CBS is reporting that a Defense Intelligence Agency analyst detailed to Undersecretary of Defense for Planning Douglas Feith’s Office of Special Plans is under FBI investigation for spying for Israel. The person passed to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) confidential documents, including those detailing Bush administration policy toward Iran, and AIPAC then passed … Continue reading “AIPAC’s Overt and Covert Ops”

From Bush press conference on Tuesday: "QUESTION: You’re not going to Athens this week, are you? BUSH: Athens, Texas? (LAUGHTER) QUESTION: The Olympics in Greece. BUSH: Oh, the Olympics. No, I’m not. QUESTION: Have you been watching? BUSH: Yes. It’s been exciting. QUESTION: Did a particular moment stand out? BUSH: A particular moment? I liked … Continue reading “Bush’s Unwilling Poster Children”

Journalism is often defined as an attempt to "catch history on the run." We historians, when writing history, most often have at hand a range of documents on an issue, and the luxury of being able to weigh them against one another. In trying to track contemporary affairs, the facts are often murky and often … Continue reading “The Outing of Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan”

David Johnston of the New York Times tried to get further details of the Bush administration outing of Pakistani double agent Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan. But he was stonewalled when he called his Bush administration contacts: “American officials contacted on Saturday would not confirm that Mr. Khan was a mole or double agent and said … Continue reading “Bush Outing of Khan and the Faustian Bargain”

A sound bite from President Bush on Monday strikes me as emblematic of the country’s current crisis. He said, "It is a ridiculous notion to assert that, because the United States is on the offensive, more people want to hurt us," he said. "We’re on the offensive because people do want to hurt us." Let … Continue reading “They’re Offended by the Offensive”

Reuters reports that Dick Cheney was doing some counter-programming to the Democratic National Convention by speaking on the West Coast at Camp Pendleton. He said, “Terrorist attacks are not caused by the use of strength. They are invited by the perception of weakness.” This statement is half right and half wrong. Some terrorist attacks are … Continue reading “How Strong Do We Look Now?”