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Archives: May 2007
Iraqi Kurdistan Officials Deny Us Bases
Iraqi Kurdistan Officials Deny US Bases to be Opened in Kurdistan RegionThe USG Open Source Center translates the following newspaper article from Kurdish:' Iraqi Kurdish Officials Deny US Bases To Be Opened…Guerrillas Ambush Kill 10 Us Gis As
Guerrillas Ambush, Kill 10 US GIs Over 100 Iraqis Killed or Found Dead Muqtada condemns Iran for Talking to USAs best I can piece it together, Sunni Arab guerrillas in Iraq ran…Cole On Heroes And Culture Wars My
Cole on "Heroes" and the Culture Wars My column at Salon.com this week is on the television phenomenon "Heroes". [Spoiler alert: for anyone who hasn't seen the season finale, its details are…First Formal Us Iran Talks Since 1980_29
First Formal US-Iran Talks since 1980 The US has dealt differently with Iran than with any other of its major enemies. Then President Ronald Reagan spoke directly with Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev…24 Killed90 Wounded Qadiriya Shrine
24 Killed,90 wounded; Qadiriya Shrine Damaged in Blast Reuters reports that 33 bodies were found in the streets of Baghdad on Monday. Karrada took mortar fire, which left 8 dead and 35…Embassy Memo Flap And Decline Of Right
Embassy Memo Flap and the Decline of the Right Blogosphere Glenn Greenwald and Iraqslogger on that memo about food shortages at the US embassy in Baghdad (which have ended for the moment).The…Memorial Day 2007 Couple Of Months Ago
Memorial Day, 2007A couple of months ago I was at Detroit Metro and two very young soldiers timidly approached me. They were changing planes there, but the airport deeply confused them. When…10 Us Gis Killed 44 Bodies In Baghdad
10 US GIs Killed 44 Bodies in Baghdad Al-Shamari Informs on Sadrists, Flees to US Iraq had another bloody Sunday yesterday, with the US military announcing the killing of 10 US GIs.…8 Us Gis Killed Us Bombs Sadr City Us
8 US GIs Killed US Bombs Sadr City The US military announced the killing of 8 US GIs on Saturday. The Iraqi prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, visited al-Anbar Province in the company…Logic Lesson On Iraq And Terror For
Logic Lessons on Iraq and Terror for Bush and McCainThe Palm Beach Post editorial on Bush's illogic does what newspapers are supposed to do. It questions the logicality of a politician's assertion.…Basra Battle Between Mahdi Army And
Basra Battle between Mahdi Army and BritishIn apparent retaliation for the killing of their commander, Mahdi Army militiamen launched a fierce 2 and a half-hour assault on a British base in the…6 Us Gis Killed Sunnis Reject Petroleum
6 US GIs Killed Sunnis Reject Petroleum Bill Reuters reports guerrilla violence on Friday. The killing of 6 US GIs was announced. Iraqi security forces in Basra supported by British troops tried…Us Public Skeptical Of Surge 72
US Public Skeptical of "Surge," 72% Disapprove of Bush's Handling of Iraq It isn't amazing that 61% of Americans think the US should never have invaded Iraq. [- Courtesy NYT/CBS.] What is…Cheney Conniving At Iran War Says Bush
Cheney Conniving at Iran War Says Bush Cannot be Trusted Shorter Steve Clemons:Cheney and his staff are colluding with the Neoconservatives at the American Enterprise Institute and with Israeli hawks to sideline…Muqtada Renews Call For Us Departure
Muqtada Renews call for US DepartureSayyid Muqtada al-Sadr, the young Shiite nationalist cleric, preached openly at Kufa before about 1,000 worshippers for the first time in many months on Friday, AFP reports…Democratic Party Divided On Iraq
Democratic Party Divided on Iraq Supplemental Although everyone is syaing that September is now the potential turning point in congressional support for the Iraq War, I don't see how things will change…Sadr And Shiite Politics Sawt Al Iraq
Sadr and Shiite Politics Sawt al-Iraq carries a report that Muqtada al-Sadr is back in Najaf after travels in Lebanon and Iran.The US military is cautiously reporting the same information, though with…Guerrillas Kill 9 Us Gis Over 100 Dead
Guerrillas Kill 9 US GIs Over 100 Dead in New Wave of Violence Sectarian Killings at forefront Again Sunni Arab guerrillas killed 9 US GIs in five separate attacks on Wednesday, bringing…Bushies Just Made It Up Saddam Al Qaeda
The Bushies Just Make it Up: Iraq & al-Qaeda Bush was out there again on Wednesday trying to link Iraq to al-Qaeda and maintaining that the US was mainly fighting it in…Starving Americans Out Someone In Green
Starving the Americans OutSomeone in the Green Zone leaked the following memo, which shows that US personnel are now actually facing difficulties in getting food by convoy up from Kuwait. They avoid…Dems Blink On Timetable New Iraq Plan
Dems Blink on Timetable; New Iraq Plan on the Ground The Democratic leadership in the House and Senate blinked on a troop withdrawal timetable today. The Warner plan, which substitutes 19 benchmarks…Effort To Amend Constitution Founders
Effort to Amend Constitution Founders Again Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that Iraqi parliamentarians proved unable to agree on key constitutional compromises. The sticking points included the establishment of further provincial confederacies, De-Baathification,…Usg Defends Haleh After Many Days Of
USG Defends Haleh After many days of silence, the US government finally spoke out on Tuesday against the absurd charges lodged by the Iranian government against imprisoned Iranian-American academic Haleh Esfandiari.Robin Wright…
Chart Of Enemy Attacks In Iraq Here Is
Chart of Enemy Attacks in IraqHere is a chart of guerrilla attacks in Iraq since 2003 through April 2007. It is from a GAO document on Iraq, "GAO-07-677 Iraq Electricity and Oil,"…Cole Interview Of Ali Allawi In
Cole interview of Ali Allawi in Chronicle My interview with Ali Allawi, author of The Occupation of Iraq: Winning the War, Losing the Peace is temporarily available at the Chronicle of Higher…Parliament Building Shelled Iraqi
Parliament Building Shelled Iraqi Military Makes Plans for If the US Suddenly Decamps Gulf States Fear Iraqi Violence Guerrilla mortar shells hit the Iraqi parliament building on Monday. The air in the…Esfandiari Charged With Serious Crime
Esfandiari charged with Serious Crime The Iranian government has now charged detained Iranian-American academic Haleh Esfandiari with trying to overthrow the current regime, according to the Washington Post's Robin Wright. This AP…Lebanon Crisis Veteran Reporter
Lebanon CrisisVeteran reporter Nicholas Blanford explains what is happening in Lebanon.1. Fath al-Islam is a splinter guerrilla group established last December that has links to the international Salafi Jihadi movement (which some…Incredible Vanishing Iraqi Political
The Incredible Vanishing Iraqi Political Leadership: Al-Hakim to Iran, Talabani to USAbdul Aziz al-Hakim has chosen to seek chemotherapy for his lung cancer in Iran rather than in the US. His condition…Al Qaeda As Anti Muslim Movement Al
Al-Qaeda as an Anti-Muslim Movement Still Dangerous to USAl-Qaeda, at least as a vague franchise, still exists, and remains a major threat to the US. That is, however, mostly because opportunistic forces…Haleh Watch Dont Forget Imprisoned
Haleh WatchDon't forget imprisoned scholar Haleh Esfandiari, in Iran. The link is to an article just out in the Chronicle of Higher Education.See also Andrew Sullivan.Amnesty International has a convenient form for…Beginning Of End Of Anglo American Iraq
The Beginning of the End of Anglo-American IraqIncoming British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will remove all British troops from Iraq within two years (before the next election) as a way of gaining…8 Us Gis Killed 16 Shiite Kurds
8 US GIs Killed 16 Shiite Kurds Massacred Suhail: Iraq has 3 million widows *8 US troops were announced killed in Iraq on Saturday.British forces on Saturday arrested Sheikh Aws al-Khafaji as…Wright Boycott Threat Puts Pressure On
Wright: Boycott Threat Puts Pressure on Iran Robin Wright at the Washington Post has a piece online today on the growing pressure among US academics to boycott conferences and intellectual contact with…Al Hakim In Us For Cancer Treatment
Al-Hakim in US for Cancer Treatment Sistani Aide: US not Serious on Terror Militia Rule in BasraRobin Wright reports that Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC),…Haleh In Prison I Copied Here Last
Haleh in PrisonI copied here last Saturday our MESA letter of protest about the Iranian government's imprisonment of Iranian-American scholar Haleh Esfandiari [also spelled Esfandiary].Everyone should be outraged about this story. Her…Annual Blogads Survey Many Thanks To
Annual Blogads SurveyMany thanks to readers willing to take the blogads survey. I'm told it isn't time-consuming. Although I would be blogging anyway, I think there is a lot of important web…Oil Sabotage Is As Bad As Ever
Oil Sabotage is "As Bad as Ever": Shahristani 60 Dead in violence In an interview with Patrick Cockburn of the Independent, Iraq's Oil Minister, Hussein Shahristani said that the sabotage of petroleum…Chatham House Study On Iraq
Chatham House Study on Iraq FragmentationGareth Stansfield of Exeter University has written a position paper for Chatham House in the UK, spelling out how dire the situation is in Iraq and making…World Bank Reaction To Wolfowitz
Ding, Dong, the Witz has Fled The reaction among World Bank employees at the news that Paul Wolfowitz, their president, will resign on June 30:' "Everyone ran into the hallways and were…Bush Admits To Destroying Blairs Career
Bush Admits to Destroying Blair's CareerI just caught some of the Bush/Blair news conference on the adult version of CNN at noon. At one point, a reporter asked Bush point blank if…Template I Give Up
TemplateI give up. The new templates I tried just weren't working for large numbers of readers. In particular, webtv and palm users complained. For those who liked the new settings, and there…200 Guerrillas Attack Mosul Police
200 Guerrillas Attack Mosul Police Truck Bombing Kills 45 (Chlorine?} Zebari rejects Pakistani Troops I don't know if it was all hell, but a good deal of hell, a generous dollop of…Brief History Of Islamic State Of Iraq
A Brief History of the Islamic State of IraqThe USG Open Source Center translates a history of the Islamic State of Iraq posted to a jihadi internet site.' Forum Participant Posts Analysis,…New Template Whenever I Have Changed My
New TemplateWhenever I have changed my template it has been traumatic for some readers, and I deeply apologize.Some are complaining about the font size being too small. I will try to fix…Mahdi Army Police Fight In Nasiriyah
Mahdi Army, Police Fight in Nasiriyah Fallon said to Oppose Iran Strike Serious fighting broke out Wednesday morning in the southern Shiite city of Nasiriyah, between local police and the miltiamen of…Wolfie Soprano Paul Wolfowitz Pleaded
Wolfie Soprano Paul Wolfowitz pleaded his case before the executive board of the World Bank on Tuesday.The Bush administration continued to try to keep him in office. Why? Why try so hard?…Jordanian Dailies On Cheney Visit
Jordanian Dailies on Cheney Visit Condemn Iran "Madness" The USG Open Source Center paraphrases the Jordanian newspapers on Cheney's visit to Amman and talks with King Abdullah II. Note the insistence that…Lawrence Wrights Play My Trip To Al
Lawrence Wright's Play "My Trip to Al-Qaeda" Don't Miss the Special Engagement of Pulitzer Prize-Winner Lawrence Wright's My Trip To Al-Qaeda -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- May 10, 2007 MY TRIP TO AL-QAEDA ENCORE Following a…Abdullah Ii To Cheney Israeli
Abdullah II to Cheney: Israeli-Palestinian Problem Linked to Iraq 5 US GIs Killed Massive Manhunt for 3 Captured GIs Sunni Arab guerrillas killed 5 US soldiers on Monday, and Shiite militiamen in…Cole On Laffaire Wolfowitz My Column
Cole on L'Affaire Wolfowitz My column, "Wolfowitz's Fatal Flaw," is available at Salon.com.Excerpt:' The small morality play unfolding at the World Bank tells us something significant about how the United States became…137 Killed By Guerrillas Us To Talk To
137 Killed by Guerrillas US to Talk to Iran In a tidal wave of violence, 137 persons were killed or found dead in Iraq on Sunday.Thousands of US troops searched south of…Sunni Arab Guerrillas Attacked Small Us
Cheney in Saudi Arabia 5 US Troops Killed, 3 Missing Iraqi Parliament Decries Walls Cheney is trying to convince King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia not to write off the al-Maliki government or…Jordanian Dailies On Cheneys Middle
Jordanian Dailies on Cheney's Middle East TripThe USG Open Source Center paraphrases reports in the Jordanian press on US Vice President Dick Cheney's current round of diplomacy in the Middle East.Jordanian Dailies…Sciri Adopts Sistani Emphasizes
SCIRI Adopts Sistani, emphasizes Iraqiness Bombings kill 26, wound 60 The Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq held its annual party convention on Thursday and Friday and, according to Mariam Karouny…Protest Over Detention Of Haleh
Protest over Detention of Haleh Esfandiari The Committee on Academic Freedom of the Middle East Studies Association helped craft MESA's letter protesting the detention by the Iranian government of prominent Iranian-American academic…Congress Passes Short Lease Bill For
Congress Passes Short-Leash Bill for Bush 9 Iraqi captives executedCongress passed an appropriations bill that only funded the Iraq War for about three months on Thursday. Bush has said that he will…Radical Poem On Sharm El Sheikh Usg
Radical Poem on Sharm el Sheikh The USG Open Source center has paraphrased an ironic poem by a Muslim militant about the Sharm el Sheikh conference on Iraq. The frankly racist remarks…Those Who Live In Glass Houses Is Mitt
Those who Live in Glass Houses Were Mitt Romney's Remarks Anti-Muslim Bigotry? Mitt Romney has attacked Al Sharpton's remark about his being defeated by those who 'really do believe in God' as…Cheney Greeted By Mortars
Cheney Greeted by Mortars, Demonstrations: Iraqi Parliament pleads for US withdrawal Al-Hayat writes in Arabic that US Vice President Dick Cheney was greeted, on his surprise visit to Baghdad, by a rain…Kurdish Offered At University Of
Kurdish Offered at the University of MichiganPardon the narrowcasting-- this is a message primarily for University of Michigan students, who should please share it with potentially interested friends. We have just enough…Ft
Ft. Dix Plot is Milosevic's Fault: Postcolonial Wars and Terror The small cell that plotted to attack Ft. Dix was made up of Albanians from Kosovo, along with a Turk and a…Decoding Iraq Violence Us Planes Take
Decoding Iraq Violence US Planes Take out Elementary School, Kill Children Kufa Blast Kills 16: US Blamed Irbil Bombing Kills 12 Violence in Iraq at first seems episodic and hard to decipher.…Sunnis Threaten To Pull Out Of Al
Sunnis Threaten to Pull out of al-Maliki Government, Demand a Unitary Iraq; 65 Killed in Civil War Violence In an interview with Nic Robertson of CNN, Iraq's Sunni Arab vice president, Tariq…Petroleum Law Not About Fair
Petroleum Law not About Fair Distribution of Revenues The Iraqi petroleum bill has run into heavy opposition in parliament from Kurds and other political forces. The Bush administration had made passing it…Can Sarkozy Uphold Values Of 1789
Can Sarkozy Uphold the Values of 1789? Rightwing nationalist Nicolas Sarkozy, is the next president of France. He campaigned on an anti-immigrant platform that veered uncomfortably close to that of Jean-Marie LePen,…8 Us Troops Killed Major Bombing At
8 US Troops Killed; Major bombing at Shiite Market killes 35; Boehner Favores Benchmarks Sunni Arab guerrillas killed nearly 100 persons in Iraq on Sunday in an orgy of civil war violence.The…Al Zawahiri Attacks Democratic Plan In
Al-Zawahiri attacks Democratic Plan in Iraq; 75 Killed in Civil War Violence; Police/Mahdi Army Truce in NajafAyman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's no. 2 leader complained in a videotape released Saturday about the Democrats' plan…3 Schools Of Islamic Resistance In Iraq
3 Schools of Islamic Resistance in IraqThe USG Open Source Center translates the remarks of a forum participant on the 3 distinct movements of Muslim fundamentalists in Iraq.Forum Participant Says Jihadist Arena…Neighbors Pledge To Halt Iraq Violence
Neighbors Pledge to Halt Iraq Violence Iranian FM Snubs Sec. Rice Four American GIs were announced killed on Friday. The US broke up a weapons smuggling ring in Sadr City. At the…Guest Comment Iraq Prognosis Canny
Guest Comment: Iraq Prognosis A canny Vietnam veteran wrote me the below but requested that it be posted without attribution. I thought it well worth sharing.As I see it, these are some…Sharm El Sheikh On Iraq T
Sharm el Sheikh on Iraq T.V. The USG Open Source Center translates or summarizes comments on Iraqi television about the second day of the Sharm el Sheikh Conference, which focused on security…Hillary And End Of Occupation And Of
Hillary and the End of Occupation and of the New Imperialism Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a surprise move, will introduce legislation with Sen. Robert Byrd to revoke the war powers granted to…Rice Meets Syrian Envoy Warren Strobel
Rice Meets Syrian Envoy Donors Cancel $30 Bn. in Iraq Debt Warren Strobel and Miret el Naggar report on US Secretary of State Condi Rice's meeting at Sharm El Sheikh with the…Sharm El Sheikh On Iraqi T
Sharm El Sheikh on Iraqi T.V. The USG Open Source Center has translated and summarized reports on Iraqi television about the conference being held at Sharm El Sheikh on Iraq:Al-Iraqiyah, Al-Sharqiyah Coverage…Murtha Urges Limited Funding Bombing
Murtha Urges Limited Funding Bombing Kills 10 in Shiite Sadr City Iraqi guerrillas killed 3 US troops and wounded 2 on Wednesday.Guerrilla violence killed some 85 persons in Iraq on Wednesday. Reuters…