Month

Archives: October 2007

Anti-Gay Church Fined by Court Can Robertson be far Behind?

A jury has found an independent "Baptist" church (which doesn't actually appear to have anything to do with the Baptist Church) in Topeka, KS, guilty of inflicting emotional distress on the bereaved…

Letters to the Editor

In my absence, my readers are making what seem to me especially substantial, informed and incisive comments, and several of those posted today seemed to me worthy of being put on the…

US Gives Turkey Intel on Kurds Militia Rule in Basra

The US is giving Turkey intelligence on the Kurdish Workers Party, according to Reuters. It seems to me that there is a contradiction between US calls for Turkish restraint and this attempt…

Iraq Cabinet Proposes lifting Immunity for Private Security Guards

The Iraqi cabinet has reported out draft legislation that will remove immunity from prosecution for private security guards such as those of Blackwater. The immunity was put into law by US viceroy…

Iraq’s Katrina? 3 US Soldiers Killed in Bombing Diyala Roiled by 28 Police Killed, 20 Headless Bodies

Iraq's Katrina? The Army Corps of Engineers is worried that a dam north of Mosul will collapse. CBS warns, ' A catastrophic failure, engineers believe, could unleash a 60-foot-high wall of water…

Breaking News: Turkish Gunships fire into Iraq

Indian NDTV is reporting Tuesday morning that Turkish Cobra helicopter gunships have fired into Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) positions inside northern Iraq. The action comes after following on an engagement in the…

Reconciliation Sheikhs Kidnapped; Kirkuk, Karbala Bombings

LA Times says that 11 members of The Salam (Peace) tribal council of Baquba, were kidnapped at gunpoint as they were driving back from the Green Zone toward Baquba, where they are…

Muqtada al-Sadr Says Freeze on Al-Mahdi Army’s Military Action Still in Effect

The USG Open Source Center summarizes and translates a recent statement of Shiite clerical leader Muqtada al-Sadr, issued two weeks ago, insisting that the suspension of military operations by his Mahdi Army…

Major US Anti-War Protests Karbala turned over to Iranian-backed Badr

Tens of thousands of Americans rallied against the war in major cities on Saturday.The US military is turning over security duties in Karbala to the Iraqi security forces (dominated in that city…

Turkish, Iranian Presidents Condemn Kurds

AFP reports that Prime Minister Rejep Tayyib Erdogan of Turkey said Saturday, of the Kurdish Workers Party guerrillas holed up in Iraq, "We will launch an operation when it will be necessary,…

Iraqi Sunni, Shiite Preachers Denounce al-Qaeda

The USG Open Source Center reports on Iraqi sermons on Friday.Round-up of Iraqi Friday Sermons 26 OctIraq -- OSC SummarySaturday, October 27, 2007 Al-Iraqiyah . . . "Shaykh Jalal-al-Din al-Saghir, [Shiite] imam…

Basra and a Mahdi Army Resurgence?

AP reports that Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani is concerned about a wave of assassinations and killings in the southern port city of Basra:' A spokesman for Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's top…

US Sanctions on Iran

The Bush administration announced wideranging new sanctions on Iran on Thursday, which target three Iranian banks, nine companies associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, and several individuals, as well as the…

Iraqi Delegation Pleads with Turkey not to Invade; Turkish Shelling of Iraqi Villages KRG: No PKK Offices in Iraq

The USG Open Source Center translates television news concerning the crisis between Turkey and Iraq over the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) guerrilla actions against Turks; the PKK fighters are given safe haven…

2 US GIs Killed, 8 Wounded; Turkish Air Strikes against Kurds; Bombs in Baghdad Kill 8; Basra Police Chief Escapes Attempt on his Life

Turkish war planes and helicopter gunships attacked Kurdish guerrillas in eastern Anatolia on Wednesday, making at least one raid into Iraq according to wire services. An Iraqi delegation is going to Ankara…

Cole on Amy Goodman’s "Democracy Now", Oct. 23

My appearance on Amy Goodman's 'Democracy Now' is now available online. I am also giving the YouTube links below, which are clickable. But do help support DN at their web site. I…

US Troop Deaths up over 2006 Air Strikes Rise Four Times Iraqi Cities under Curfew

At Salon.com, my column on the collapse of Bush's Middle East police, with the troubles on the Turkish/Iraq border and the huge bomb that greeted Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan.Edward Luce of FT…

US Pressures Turkey not to Attack Mahdi Army attacks Police in Karbala Rubin on Cheney’s Roll-out of Iran War

The Bush administration made a diplomatic 'full court press' with Turkish leaders to dissuade them from attacking the Kurdish Workers Party [PKK] guerrillas hiding out in Iraq after the killing of 17…

Morning News on Napoleon’s Egypt

From the Morning News Book section:'Napoleon’s Egypt: Invading the Middle East by Juan ColeBook Digest: As the bibliography of the disaster known as the Bush administration grows, a useful early distinction will…

US Air Strike kills 49 in Sadr City PKK Kills 17 Turkish Soldiers Turkey Shells Iraq

Ferit Demir reports (via The Scotsman):' Kurdish rebels [of the PKK/ Kurdish Workers Party] killed at least 17 Turkish soldiers, wounded 16 others and took several hostage in an ambush near the…

The Sadism of the Israeli Occupation

The Guardian reports on a building scandal in Israel over the extreme brutality of its occupation of the Palestinians in the West Bank. Excerpt:' According to Yishai Karin: 'At one point or…

Iraq/ Turkey Tensions in Streets, Halls of Parliament Turkish Economy Imperilled Istrabadi Resigns, Slams Iraqi Government

Iraqi president - slash - Kurdistan leader Jalal Talabani condemned Syria's president Bashar al-Asad for supporting the Turkish claim of the right to invade Iraq in search of Kurdish guerrillas [the Turks--and…

Dictating Islam to Muslims

At the Napoleon's Egypt blog, Jaubert's important letter critical of Napoleon Bonaparte's use of the naval forces. It also contains the crucial passage, "You will laugh outright, perhaps you witlings of Paris,…

Turkey: We are More than Serious [About an Invasion] Barzani: Iraqi Kurdsistan will Defend Itself

The leader of the Kurdistan Regional Authority in Iraq, Massoud Barzan, called Friday for talks with Turkey. The call was immediately rejected by Ankara, which accuses Barzani of deliberately harboring 3,000 to…

Gen. Abizaid: Iraq about Petroleum

Gen. John Abizaid at Stanford U.:' While [panelists] discussed green technology, the subject of America’s operations in Iraq was also a hotly debated topic. Abizaid, who was formerly the Commander of the…

Sneaky FCC Must be Stopped

Alexandra Russell writes:This morning, the New York Times revealed that FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is rushing through a plan to rewrite media ownership rules, letting the biggest media companies control even more…

Karachi and Waziristan

Barnett Rubin points in our Global Affairs group blog to the impact of the failures in Afghanistan, of the tribal turmoil in Waziristan, on the Karachi bombing at the center of Pakistani…

136 Dead in Pakistan Bombing Gilani: Neighboring Country Warned of Attack on Bhutto

Manan Ahmed at our Global Affairs Blog points out that Karachi has now joined New York, Madrid and London as a site of a major terrorist attack. Late reports say 136 are…

Turkish Parliament Authorizes Iraq Incursion Blackwater Leaving Iraq

The Turkish parliament authorized a Turkish incursion into Iraq in pursuit of guerrillas of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK).Syria threw its support behind Turkey on this issue. Syria has 2 million Kurds…

Putin & Ahmadinejad Pledge Cooperation

Farideh Farhi weighs in on the significance of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Iran, and the frustrations his olive branch to Tehran produced in Bush (who went a little crazy, talking…

Cole in Salon: "The Iran Hawks"

My column in Salon.com, "The War Hawks," is now online. Excerpt:' Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton think a tough line on Tehran will sell politically. They could be right.Future historians may conclude…

Oil Peak or Peak Oil?

The tensions between Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan contributed to jitteriness in the oil markets that drove the prices to as high as $88.20 at one point on Tuesday before falling back to…

Guest Op-Ed: PKK Terrorism Undermines US Policy in Middle East

An informed observer writes anonymously:'“With our understanding of the worries of the Turkish friends, we are ready to undertake urgent negotiations with senior Turkish officials to discuss all points of disagreement,” he…

Iran and Afghanistan

At the Global Affairs blog, Farideh Farhi weighs in on Iranian human rights activist Emadeddin Baghi. She suggests that "it also suggests a shift of approach by Ahmadinejad’s paranoid government from the…

Polish Base Attacked by Shiites Harthiya Bombing in Baghdad kills 4, wounds 25

Shiite militiamen rained mortar shells on the Polish base at Diwaniya on Monday, and the fighting that thus broke out left 4 civilians, 3 gunmen, and at least 5 Iraqi children dead,…

Close: Israeli Intelligence behind Syria Strike not Persuasive

The NYT has been pushing the story that the Israeli air strike on Syria on September 6 came in response to intelligence that Syria was building a nuclear reactor at the site…

Turkey Shells Iraqi Kurds; Pilgrims Bombed in Baghdad; Ammar Visits Sheikhs of al-Anbar; Muqtada Condemns Soft Partition;

The sectarian civil war in Iraq left dozens of persons dead and wounded on Sunday. One major bombing targeted Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad heading to the shrine of Kadhimiya, in the north…

Iraq Sermons this Week

The USG Open Source Center rounds up this week's sermons at major mosques, mostly Shiite, in Iraq. The comments focus on the peace agreement between Abdul Aziz al-Hakim and Muqtada al-Sadr, whose…

2 US Soldiers Killed Ammar Calls for ultimate US Withdrawal Sistani Aide Calls for Laws to Rein in contractor, US military lawlessnes

The killing of two US soldiers and the wounding of 5 more in a mortar attack were reported on Saturday.Sawt al-Iraq reports in Arabic that Abdul Aziz al-Hakim (leader of the Islamic…

Karbala’i: Parliament Must regulate Security Firms, US Military

The USG Open Source Center translates or paraphrases reports in the Iraqi press on the sermon of Abdul Mahdi al-Karbala'i, the representative in the holy city of Karbala of Grand Ayatollah Ali…

Sanchez Attacks Iraq War Sistani Condemns Security Firms, Occupation Forces

Retired Gen. Rick Sanchez lambasted the Bush administration's Iraq War in a speech on Friday, as "a nightmare with no end in sight". Sanchez implied that former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld…

Turkish Press reaction to Armenian Resolution

The USG Open Source Center translates and summarizes Turkish press reaction to the US congressional resolution concerning the Armenian genocide.'Turkey: Roundup of Press Reactions to House Resolution on Armenian GenocideHighlights of reports…

Who Lost Turkey?

Turkey has been the strongest ally that the United States has had in the Middle East since the end of WW II. The Marshall Plan started with Northern tier states like Turkey…

Father Dease President Of University Of

Father Dease, the president of the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, has reversed himself and invited Archbishop Desmond Tutu to speak at UST. Dease had been misled by a smear campaign…

Attacks Increase in Iraq Militants Recruit Displaced Young Men

The number of attacks in Iraq has increased in recent days, frustrating US military commanders who were hoping a corner had been turned and that violence would steadily be reduced. See below…

Iraqi Television responds to Senate Soft Partition Plan Call for Biden to be declared Persona non Grata

The USG Open Source Center translates Iraqi television reaction to the US Senate vote in favor of a soft partition of Iraq.'Roundup of Iraqi TV Channels Coverage of US Senate Resolution on…

57 Killed, 120 Wounded Turks Authorize Iraq Incursion

Guerrilla violence left at least 57 dead in Iraq on Tuesday, with 22 killed in two truck bombings in the northern refinery city of Baiji. The violence left nearly 120 wounded. (The…

KPFK: Threats to Academic Freedom

A podcast from KPFK on the threats to academic freedom emanating from the Israel lobby, including comments from Laurie Brand (chair of the Committee on Academic Freedom at the Middle East Studies…

British Troop Drawdown from Basra

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged on Monday to pull 3,000 British troops out of Basra by March of 2008, leaving only 2500, with those to be withdrawn by the end of…

University of St. Thomas Law School Protests Exclusion of Desmond Tutu

University of St. Thomas Law School faculty weighs in on the refusal of a speaking invitation to Archbishop Desmond Tutu (pacifist, anti-Apartheid activist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize), on grounds…

Al-Maliki: Blackwater Guards Murderers Obama Slams Private Security Firms PKK Kills 13 Turkish Troops

According to the NYT, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's office on Sunday accused the Blackwater security company of deliberately murdering civilians. Spokesman Ali Dabbagh said that the private guards should be tried for…

Forewarned Is Forearmed: Bush On Iran

Courtesy R. J. Eidelson at YouTube.

Fadlallah: Arab States Should not Allow US to use them Against Iran

The USG Open Source Center summarizes the statements of Lebanese Shiite leader Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah concerning what he sees as an American push to set Arab countries against Iran.Round-up of Middle East…

Al-Dhari Calls for Dialogue with al-Qaeda; al-Hakim/ Sadr Pact?

In an interview on Aljazeera on Friday, Shaikh Harith al-Dhari of the Association for Muslims Scholars called on Iraqi tribal fighters to cease attacking "al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia." He said that 90% of…

Iraq Sermons Call for Sunni-Shiite Unity Condemn Biden Plan

The USG Open Source Center translates passages from Friday sermons carried on Iraqi television:Round-up of Iraqi Friday Sermons 5 OctIraq -- OSC SummarySaturday, October 6, 2007 . . . Within its 1800…

Sadrists Accuse Badr of Assassinations US Airstrike Kills 25

Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that tensions have heated up in the Shiite South between the Sadr Movement and the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (which maintains the Badr Corps paramilitary). The Sadr…

Iraq: Shiite Bloc Distances Itself from Controversial Biden Resolution

The USG Open Source Center reports on the way that the United Iraqi Alliance, the largest Shiite bloc, led by Abdul Aziz al-Hakim of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, has attempted…

Iraq turns to China for Arms Shiite Bloc Denounces US arming of Sunnis

WaPo says that the Iraqi government has made a $100 mn. deal with China for the purchase of light weaponry, especially AK-47 assault rifles. Some observers are afraid that these arms will…

Ahmadinejad Calls for Saudi Cooperation

The USG Open Source Center has done a report on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's calls for Iran and Saudi Arabia to cooperate in filling the regional power vacuum. The Saudis do not…

Tutu Excluded Double Standard at the University of St. Thomas

Bishop Desmond Tutu has stood all his life for nonviolent peace-making and an end to racism. Obviously, he would be upset about the Israeli mistreatment of the Palestinians, and has said so.For…

Polish Ambassador Wounded; Maliki: Blackwater Must Go; PM Praises Saudi Fatwa

Guerrillas injured the Polish ambassador to Iraq on Wednesday with roadside bombs.Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki again insisted on Wednesday that the Blackwater security firm should leave Iraq. He accused its employees…

The Arab Dilemma in Hollywood

Ashraf Khalil at the LAT discusses the dilemma for actors of Arab extraction in Hollywood that they have to play terrorists or they just don't find work. Some Arab American actors only…

Iran’s Armed Forces

The USG Open Source Center translates an Iranian newspaper article on the combat capabilities of Iranian military forces.'Article Examines Combat Capabilities of Iranian Military ForcesArticle by Ali Ghafuri: "A Glance at the…

Kahl: 30,000 – 70,000 US Troops Likely to be in Iraq for Many Years

Colin Kahl of Georgetown University writes:'There will be 100-130K troops in Iraq when Bush leaves. The number will depend largely on who wins the factional infighting between the White House and MNF-I…

Brown: 1,000 British troops to be Withdrawn

British PM Gordon Brown, in Baghdad and Basra for consultations with PM Nuri al-Maliki, with British commanders, and with his US allies, announced that he would withdraw another 1,000 British troops from…

Blackwater Accused of Cover-ups Deaths Drop in September Iraqi Parliamentarians want to Debate US Senate on Partition

Iraqi authorities are not only accusing Blackwater guards of an unprovoked shooting of 11 persons at Nisur Square on Sept. 16, but also of engaging in an hour-long firefight with Iraqi police…

19 Killed in Mosul Wave of Violence Petraeus: Iran May be Helping

A wave of violence rolled over the northern city of Mosul (pop. 1.5 million, Iraq's second largest) on Sunday. A member of the Ninevah Provincial Council and his three body guards were…