Juan Cole, professor of history at the University of Michigan and proprietor of the blog Informed Comment and author of the new book Napoleon’s Egypt: Invading the Middle East, discusses the likelihood of war with Iran, Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt and the similarity to the policy of the neo-Jacobin George W. Bush, the abject failure of the “surge,” Ahmadinejad’s statement that he wished the Israeli government would fall one day, and the push in DC for an Allawi coup.
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.
The Other Scott Horton (no relation), international human rights lawyer, heroic crusader against the American government’s use of torture and author of the renowned No Comment blog at the Harper’s magazine Website, explains how the Bush/Cheney administration continues to fight for their right to torture people, the roles played by former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and likely replacement Michael Chertoff in crafting U.S. torture policy, the overall politicization of the Justice Department, the U.S. Attorney scandal and bogus prosecutions of political opponents, NSA/AT&T wiretaps and the “State’s Secrets Privilege,” the Stab in Maliki’s back in Iraq, preparations for war with the Iranians and the legal framework being set up in order for the government to torture them too.
Scott Horton is a contributing editor at Harper’s magazine and pens the blog No Comment. A New York attorney known for his work in emerging markets and international law, especially human rights law and the law of armed conflict, Horton lectures at Columbia Law School. A life-long human rights advocate, Scott served as counsel to Andrei Sakharov and Elena Bonner, among other activists in the former Soviet Union. He is a co-founder of the American University in Central Asia, and has been involved in some of the most significant foreign investment projects in the Central Eurasian region. Scott recently led a number of studies of abuse issues associated with the conduct of the war on terror for the New York City Bar Association, where he has chaired several committees, including, most recently, the Committee on International Law. He is also a member of the board of the National Institute of Military Justice, the Andrei Sakharov Foundation, the EurasiaGroup and the American Branch of the International Law Association.
