Anthony Shahid has an article in today’s Washington Post about the US role in Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East. He discusses how recent US policies in the region have weakened Iranian rivals and benefited Iran itself. Shahid also discusses how how much of the supposed natural tension between Sunni and Shia is actually [...]
Entries from January 2007
29 January 2007
What happened in Najaf?
All the major newspapers are reporting about the battle in Najaf over the weekend. The number of 250 dead Sunni militants keeps showing up, but how accurate is it. Most of the reports are based on official Iraqi government sources. Juan Cole has a post about the battle, and he looks at two other versions [...]
28 January 2007
Bush’s Baghdad Surge
I’m always impressed by the quality of Patrick Cockburn’s reporting. Over the Winter Break, I read his new book The Occupation: War and Resistance, and it was one of te best books about daily life for Iraqis since the U.S. occupied the country. This past week, he has had a few excellent articles about events [...]
10 January 2007
The CIA in Lebanon
Joshua Landis has a discussion about the CIA’s decision to take covert action against Hizbollah in Lebanon on his Syria Comment blog. The posting looks at a recent secret decision authorized by the White House and some Saudi Arabian officials to fund anti-Hizbollah activity. It’s not clear if this story is an [...]
