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.

French Muslims and the elections

The Crucial Role of Islam in the French Election The Crucial Role of Islam in the French Election

A solid majority of French Muslims, about half of whom identify as secular, continued to support the left this year.

May 8, 2017 / Juan Cole

YPG and US military

Is Turkey’s War on Syrian Kurds Becoming a War on the United States? Is Turkey’s War on Syrian Kurds Becoming a War on the United States?

President Erdogan seems to believe he can bully Trump into abandoning his allies in the fight against ISIS.

Apr 28, 2017 / Juan Cole

Drought in Syria displaces millions

The Other Poison Gas Killing Syrians: Carbon Dioxide Emissions The Other Poison Gas Killing Syrians: Carbon Dioxide Emissions

If Trump and his cronies really cared about children killed by noxious gases, they wouldn’t be trying to spew ever more CO2 into the atmosphere.

Apr 18, 2017 / Juan Cole

Cruise-Missile Strikes against Syria

What Is It With US Presidents and Tomahawk Cruise-Missile Strikes? What Is It With US Presidents and Tomahawk Cruise-Missile Strikes?

Typically deployed symbolically by presidents facing domestic political troubles, they rarely have significant military effect.

Apr 7, 2017 / Juan Cole

Yemeni refugees

Trump’s Generals Are Considering a Wider War in Yemen Trump’s Generals Are Considering a Wider War in Yemen

A humanitarian crisis already threatens to starve millions. Deeper US involvement in the civil war will only make it far worse.

Apr 3, 2017 / Juan Cole

Iraqi army in Mosul

If Trump Wants to Defeat ISIS, He’d Better Stop Alienating Muslims If Trump Wants to Defeat ISIS, He’d Better Stop Alienating Muslims

From the Salafi Muslims who beat the terrorists in Libya to the Shiite militias of Iraq, they are crucial allies in this fight.

Feb 15, 2017 / Juan Cole

Mosul fight against ISIS

Trump’s Muslim Ban Hurts US Troops and Helps Islamist Extremists Trump’s Muslim Ban Hurts US Troops and Helps Islamist Extremists

The president has enraged Middle Eastern allies who are carrying the brunt of the fight against ISIS.

Jan 30, 2017 / Juan Cole

Rouhani

Iran, Angered Over Obama’s Renewal of Sanctions, Braces for Trump Iran, Angered Over Obama’s Renewal of Sanctions, Braces for Trump

Nothing would please Tehran’s hard-liners more than for the new US president to push Iran back into confrontational mode.

Dec 5, 2016 / Juan Cole

Donald Trump Iran

How Will Trump Reshape the Middle East? How Will Trump Reshape the Middle East?

If he follows through on his erratic statements, he could manage to alienate Russia, the Gulf monarchies, the EU, and Iran.

Nov 10, 2016 / Juan Cole

Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyat

Did Medieval Muslims Invent Modern Secularism? Did Medieval Muslims Invent Modern Secularism?

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam was embraced by many Western intellectuals as an aid to their own secularization.

Nov 7, 2016 / Juan Cole

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