Juan Cole

Osama Threatening Red States?

A complete English transcript of the bin Laden audiotape released last week has now been posted by al-Jazeera. The Arabic text, for those who can use it, has also been posted. A reinterpretation of the speech, put in motion by the neoconservative organ MEMRI, has been flying around the web, suggesting that bin Laden is … Continue reading “Osama Threatening Red States?”

Bush Is Making Us Safer?

The complete lack of interest of the Bush administration in actually securing dangerous materials connected to the old, abandoned Iraqi nuclear program has long belied Bush’s stated concern with Iraq’s alleged weapons as a pretext for the war. James Glanz, William J. Broad, and David E. Sanger with Khalid al-Ansary reveal in the New York … Continue reading “Bush Is Making Us Safer?”

Spinning Iraqi Opinion at Taxpayer Expense

I find the cover page at the International Republican Institute Web site concerning its recent polling in Iraq to be extremely disturbing. IRI is of course closely linked to the U.S. Republican Party and does the polling with U.S. tax dollars (i.e., you and I are paying for it). The Web site tries to spin … Continue reading “Spinning Iraqi Opinion at Taxpayer Expense”

Neo-Ba’athists vs. the Shi’ites

Brig. Gen. Muhammad Abdullah Shahwani, the head of the Iraqi secret police, has charged 27 employees in the Iranian embassy in Baghdad with espionage and sabotage. He blames them for the assassination of over a dozen members of the Iraqi secret police in the past month. He claims to have seized from “safehouses” Persian documents … Continue reading “Neo-Ba’athists vs. the Shi’ites”

WMD Myth Meant to Deter Iran

First, the CIA comes out and says it can’t find any convincing evidence that Saddam Hussein harbored Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Zarqawi’s presence at certain points in Iraq has long been argued as a proof of his links to terrorism and al-Qaeda (even though Zarqawi’s Monotheism and Jihad is a bitter rival of al-Qaeda rather than … Continue reading “WMD Myth Meant to Deter Iran”

Bush Aides Backtracking on Iraq

How to understand the sudden outbreak of candor among Bush administration officials (or former officials) about Iraq in the past couple of days? In the vice presidential debate on Tuesday evening, Dick Cheney said, "I have not suggested there’s a connection between Iraq and 9/11." Well, maybe not in so many words, but Cheney hinted … Continue reading “Bush Aides Backtracking on Iraq”

Justice Delayed by Politics?

Several high-profile FBI investigations, in which substantial progress has been made, may well have been put on hold by the Bush administration for political reasons. That is, it has been alleged to me that the White House may have leaned on the FBI – not to drop the investigations but to postpone some key arrests … Continue reading “Justice Delayed by Politics?”

Iraq Elections a Disaster in the Making

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”