Juan Cole

Iraqi Shia Fed Up: Sadr group leaves govt again; half-million take to streets

Professor Juan Cole explains the splits and similarities inside the Shi’ite political factions in Iraq, the recent Sadr-inspired protests, accusations that Sadr is the tool of Iran, how our government lies when they blame American deaths on Iran-backed militias, tensions between the governments of Kurdistan and Turkey and the ability of local powers to work out their own problems.

MP3 here. (28:28)

Juan R. I. Cole is Professor of Modern Middle East and South Asian History at the University of Michigan. He has written extensively about modern Islamic movements in Egypt, the Persian Gulf, and South Asia. His most recent book is Sacred Space and Holy War. His blog, Informed Comment, is a widely read source for Middle East news and commentary.

Author: Scott Horton

Scott Horton is editorial director of Antiwar.com, director of the Libertarian Institute, host of Antiwar Radio on Pacifica, 90.7 FM KPFK in Los Angeles, California and podcasts the Scott Horton Show from ScottHorton.org. He’s the author of the 2017 book, Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan and editor of The Great Ron Paul: The Scott Horton Show Interviews 2004–2019. He’s conducted more than 5,000 interviews since 2003. Scott lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, investigative reporter Larisa Alexandrovna Horton. He is a fan of, but no relation to the lawyer from Harper’s. Scott’s Twitter, YouTube, Patreon.