Juan Cole

@jricole

Juan Cole, the Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan, is the author, most recently, of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam: A New Translation From the Persian.

Turkish Journalists Trial

Turkey’s Great Terror Turkey’s Great Terror

Recep Erdogan has turned his country into a gulag state, branding millions of citizens as terrorists.

Aug 11, 2017 / Juan Cole

US and YPG Military

ISIS’s Days in Syria Are Numbered, but Does Trump Have More Wars to Fight There? ISIS’s Days in Syria Are Numbered, but Does Trump Have More Wars to Fight There?

Both Damascus and Ankara are afraid Washington may establish a long-term military base in the Syrian Kurdish northeast.

Aug 3, 2017 / Juan Cole

yemen airstrike

Why Don’t Internationalists Care About Yemen? Why Don’t Internationalists Care About Yemen?

Saudi-led airstrikes are creating hundreds of Guernicas a month in northern Yemen.

Jul 25, 2017 / Juan Cole

Even as ISIL Fades, States of Emergency Are Becoming Permanent

Even as ISIL Fades, States of Emergency Are Becoming Permanent Even as ISIL Fades, States of Emergency Are Becoming Permanent

From Egypt to Turkey to France, governments are exploiting the fear of terrorism to seize power.

Jul 13, 2017 / Juan Cole

Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten

Can the Caribbean’s Tourism Economy Survive Climate Change? Can the Caribbean’s Tourism Economy Survive Climate Change?

Rising sea levels, ocean acidification, catastrophic storm surges—the threat is dire, and requires a rapid transition to renewable energy.

Jul 6, 2017 / Juan Cole

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

Is the Saudi Boycott of Qatar Driving It into the Arms of Iran? Is the Saudi Boycott of Qatar Driving It into the Arms of Iran?

Saudi overreaching just might destroy the Gulf Cooperation Council—and strengthen Iran’s regional power.

Jun 28, 2017 / Juan Cole

iran missile syria

The Iran-US Drone War in Syria Could Quickly Spin Out of Control The Iran-US Drone War in Syria Could Quickly Spin Out of Control

The US attempt to control the Syria-Iraq border will prolong the bloody Syrian civil war.

Jun 21, 2017 / Juan Cole

ISIL Terror Attacks Tehran

ISIL Hits Tehran; Trump Blames Victim, Iran Hard-Liners Blame Saudis ISIL Hits Tehran; Trump Blames Victim, Iran Hard-Liners Blame Saudis

ISIL uses terror to set people against one another, so by that standard, its attack on Iran may be more successful than the ones in Britain.

Jun 8, 2017 / Juan Cole

Ariana Grande Manchester bombing

Ariana Grande Understands Counterterrorism Better Than Jim Mattis Ariana Grande Understands Counterterrorism Better Than Jim Mattis

Inclusiveness, not polarization, is the right approach.

May 31, 2017 / Juan Cole

US Forces YPG Arms

US Arms Syrian Kurds—and Turkey’s Erdogan Cries ‘Terrorism’ Ahead of Trump Meeting US Arms Syrian Kurds—and Turkey’s Erdogan Cries ‘Terrorism’ Ahead of Trump Meeting

Ankara fears it will help the Kurds form a federal ethnic province in Syria, and thus give the Turkish Kurds ideas.

May 12, 2017 / Juan Cole

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