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Archives: March 2011
Asad’s Speech Falls Flat in Syria
Syrian President Bashar al-Asad gave a major speech to the nation before his parliament on Wednesday, which largely disappointed the hopes of reformers . He declined to lift the state of emergency…Answer to Glenn Greenwald
Answer for Glenn Greenwald, for whom I have enormous respect: Yes. Iraq was an illegal war, for no pressing national interest & with no UNSC authorization. The Libya intervention is legal and…Cole/ Van den Heuvel on Libya: Nation Podcast
My conversation with Katrina van den Heuvel, the editor of the Nation, "Do we belong in Libya?" is available at the Nation's web site. . They also kindly reprinted my open letter…
Qaddafi Forces Advance on All Fronts Despite Bombardment
Leaders of much of the world agreed that Qaddafi must go on Wednesday morning at a conference in Europe. Canadian jets pounded an ammunition dump on Wednesday morning near the beleaguered city…
Debate on Libya: Cole at Democracy Now!
My debate over intervention in Libya with my esteemed colleague Professor Vijay Prashad is available as a transcript and podcast at Amy Goodman's Democracy Now!. Here is the embedded video: And here…
Iran, Iraq Warn of Gulf Turmoil over Bahrain: Cole in Truthdig
My column at Truthdig is out, entitled "The Sleeping Giants of Tiny Bahrain." Excerpt: ' Risking the radicalization of Bahrain’s Shiite community may be a very bad idea. Worries on that score…Obama on Libya vs. Trump, Palin, Bachmann, Romney, Gingrich and Carrot Top
President Barack Obama in his Monday evening address to the nation on Libya outlined an effort of limitations. The US could not intervene everywhere, but it could intervene to good effect here.…
Women’s Rallies in Libya Protest Rape
CNN reports that Libyan women in Benghazi staged a demonstration on Sunday to protest the alleged rape of Iman al-Obeidi by Libyan government officials in Tripoli. Al-Obeidi made headlines on Saturday by…
Rebels take Back Oil Centers as Tripoli suffers Gasoline Crisis
Irregulars of the Libyan liberation movement rapidly advanced along the coastal road going West on Sunday, reestablishing control over Brega, Ra's Lanuf, Ben Jawad and, they say, going all the way to…An Open Letter to the Left on Libya
As I expected, now that Qaddafi's advantage in armor and heavy weapons is being neutralized by the UN allies' air campaign, the liberation movement is regaining lost territory. Liberators took back Ajdabiya…
All Hell Breaks Loose in the Middle East
Friday saw major protests in Syria, Jordan and Yemen, along with continued fighting in Libya. The Arab Spring has not breathed its last gasp, but rather seems to be getting a second…
Libyan Liberation Movement Strikes Back as NATO Comes to the Rescue
The leadership of the United Nations-authorized No-Fly Zone over Libya will pass from the US to the 28 nations of NATO, after an agreement was hammered out with skeptics such as Turkey…
Top Ten Accomplishments of the UN No-Fly Zone
1. The participation of the Muslim world in the United Nations no-fly zone over Libya has been underlined. The measure was called for by the Arab League, which has not in fact…
It’s the Popular Sovereignty, Stupid
The logic of the Arab spring is about popular sovereignty. The people power being displayed in the streets, on twitter and Facebook, is intended to sweep away impediments to the expression of…Top Ten Ways that Libya 2011 is Not Iraq 2003
Here are the differences between George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the current United Nations action in Libya: 1. The action in Libya was authorized by the United Nations…
The War for Libya’s West: More Qaddafi Massacres
The United Nations no-fly zone over Libya so far extends only over the rebel-held east, especially Benghazi. It seems to stop at Ajdabiya, where fierce fighting is reported. Mandy Clark of CBS…How the No Fly Zone Can Succeed
The United Nations no-fly zone over Libya is risky but it can have a good outcome under certain conditions. Above all, it should look more like Kosovo than like Iraq. [I should…
UN Allies Bombard Libya to protect Protesters
United Nations allies France, Britain and the United States took the lead Saturday evening in imposing a no-fly zone on Libya. French and British fighter jets flew dangerous missions, given that the…French Jets Defend Benghazi
Aljazeera English is reporting that French fighter jets have destroyed 4 tanks on the outskirts of Benghazi, the center of the provisional government opposing dictator Muammar Qaddafi. The tanks were involved in…
Qaddafi Bombards Rebel Cities, Defies UNO
The government of Muammar Qaddafi is making a wideranging attempt to dominate as much of the country as possible before Western powers begin patrolling Libya's skies with fighter jets, probably on Saturday…
Yemeni Troops Massacre 46, Wound Hundreds
Thousands of protesters in Yemen mounted a massive protest in the capital of Sanaa on Friday, but ran into a trap set by government forces, which fired on them from rooftops and…
Libya Threatens Mediterranean Planes, Ships if Attacked
Aljazeera English reports on the eruption of delight in Benghazi at the announcement Thursday evening New York time that the UN Security Council had authorized a no-fly zone over Libya and the…Eissenstat: Libya and Turkey
Howard Eissenstat writes in a guest column for Informed Comment: Libya and Turkey: Ankara's foreign policy goes off key For a while, at least, Turkey seemed to be riding high as a…The UN to the Rescue in Libya: Is it too Late?
The United Nations Security Council has just authorized a no-fly zone over Libya and implicitly allowed the United States, France and Britain to bomb military forces and facilities loyal to Muammar Qadddafi.…Stewart Skewers King on Islamophobia
Jon Stewart at the Daily Show lampoons Rep. Peter King (R-NY)'s witch hunt against Muslims in light of King's own long and virulent support for the Irish Republican Army. The Daily Show…
What if? and the Meltdown Threat
If the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant had been a bank of wind turbines, we wouldn't all be on hanging on every item about radiation release. The talk would just be about rebuilding…
Rebels Hold Key Libyan Towns as UN Considers Intervention
Forces loyal to Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi launched a two-pronged attack on Tuesday and Wednesday, on Misrata near Tripoli and on Ajdabiya in the east, with an eye to controlling all major…
Sunni-Shiite Tension Boils in Iraq, Gulf over Bahrain
Reuters Arabic reports that the Saudi invasion of Bahrain on Monday has inflamed sectarian passions in Iraq. Likewise it has angered Iran, which openly condemned the move. Sectarian tensions are boiling throughout…Qaddafi threatens to Join al-Qaeda as his Forces advance on Rebel Strongholds
As the world watches Japan, transfixed by the aftermath of a massive tsunami that has probably killed over 10,000 and left half a million homeless, attended by a crisis in a series…These are Not Bush’s Revolutions: Cole in Truthdig
My column is out in Truthdig, entitled "People Power vs. Washington". Excerpt: 'The claim that George W. Bush’s war of aggression against Iraq somehow opened up the Middle East to reform is…Anzalone: Building an Insurgent State in Somalia?
Christopher Anzalone writes in a guest column for Informed Comment: The Somali insurgent movement Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen (Movement of Warrior-Youth) has controlled nearly all of southern and central Somalia since 2009 and…
Bahrain Demonstrators Repressed
Bahrain police abruptly broke up a peaceful demonstration in downtown Manama on Sunday, deploying tear gas and rubber bullets at close range. Despite warnings by US Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates…
Qaddafi on a Roll, Rebellion Could Collapse
In Libya, forces loyal to dictator Muammar Qaddafi made rapid advances against the rebels on Saturday and Sunday, pushing them out of Ra's Lanuf, and then Uqaila, and finally claiming to take…
Japan Nuclear Threat, Libya Oil Crisis, Highlight Need for Renewable Energy
Fears over possible nuclear reactor meltdowns have complicated Japan's attempt to recover from the tsunami that hit northern prefectures on Friday. Japan, which has no oil or gas of its own, gets…
More on Arab League Call for a Libya No-Fly Zone
Aljazeera English reports on the Arab League's call for the UN Security Council to impose a no-fly zone on Libya. Most sources are calling the resolution unanimous, but Xinhua says that Algeria…Arab League Requests UNSC to Impose No-Fly Zone
The Arab League has indeed called for the United Nations Security Council to impose a no-fly zone over Libya. It is also moving to recognize the provisional government in Benghazi, and has…
Arab League May support No-Fly Zone, as Qaddafi Retakes Territory
On Saturday morning, wire services are reporting that the Arab League has decided to back a no-fly zone over Libya. Earlier reports indicated divisions in the Arab League, as Libyan protesters demonstrated…
Earthquake/Tsunami reminds us of Futility of War
Every once in a while, amidst our petty wars and squabbles with each other, Nature reminds us that the real threat to humankind comes from her, not from other human beings. Climate…
Rebels Hold out in Zawiya, Eastern Ra’s Lanuf as Libyan Civil War Unfolds
I just want to signal that some caution is in order about reading the military and political situation in Libya. Muammar Qaddafi's counter-attacks are creating the image in the media of the…King’s Nixonian Hearings against American Muslims
Rep. Peter T. King (R-NY)'s hearings on the alleged 'radicalization' of American Muslims are an affront to the brave Middle Eastern Muslims who have, during the past two months, thrown off American-backed…
Qaddafi’s Scorched Earth Policy, at Home and Abroad
Muammar Qaddafi is still trying to play the al-Qaeda card, arguing that his murderous regime is what stands between Europe and the emigration to it of thousands of Muslim extremists. He told…Pirio: Military Offensive against Al Shabaab in Somalia
Gregory Alonso Pirio writes in a guest column for Informed Comment: With the world’s eyes riveted to the unfolding civil conflict in Libya, little notice is being given to a major offensive…
It’s Official: Tunisia Now Freer than the U.S.
Tunisian Prime Minister Béji Caïd Essebsi announced on Monday the dissolution of the country's secret police arm. This step toward democracy is the most important taken by any Arab country for decades.…
Qaddafi Said to seek deal as Rebels Repel pro-Qaddafi Forces at Misrata, Ras Lanuf
The inability of pro-Qaddafi forces on Monday to retake Misrata and Ras Lanuf appears to have impelled Muammar Qaddafi to begin back-channel talks with the provisional government in Benghazi about circumstances under…
Top Ten Achievements of Mideast Democracy Protests this Weekend
10. In the Sunni-ruled monarchy of Bahrain, which has practiced employment discrimination against the Shiite majority of citizens, the Ministry of Interior has announced it will create 20,000 security-related jobs, apparently intended…
Rebels Take, Hold Key Oil Cities in Fierce Libyan Civil War
Libyan rebels advancing from the east along the Mediterranean coast, having taken the oil refinery city of Ras Lanuf on Saturday in fierce fighting, advanced further west and briefly took the small…
Ras Lanuf Falls to Rebels
In a major push west, rebel forces in Libya are said by Reuters to have taken the major petroleum and refining town of Ras Lanuf on the Mediterranean coast east of the…
Egypt’s Unfinished Revolution: PM Shafiq Ousted
The threat of further massive protests today at Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo forced the resignation of Egyptian prime minister Ahmad Shafiq, a close associate of deposed president Hosni Mubarak and, like…
Hatred against do-gooder American Muslims in Orange County
Despite the US first amendment, which guarantees freedom of religion, the US has a long history of religious bigotry. Native Americans were forbidden to practice their religions for long decades. Catholic churches…
The Battle of Brega: Qaddafi Compared to Netanyahu in Arab Press
Aljazeera English reported on the Battle of Brega just as it was concluding on Wednesday afternoon, describing relatively ineffectual bombing raids by Tripoli even as partisans of the liberation movement pushed pro-Qaddafi…Libya Skirmishes as Saudi Quivers and Iran, Iraq under Pressure
Aljazeera reports that by Wednesday morning pro-Qaddafi forces had retaken Gharyan and Sabratha in the northwest, and had tried and failed to take the oil town of Brega in the east. Qaddafi's…