Foreign Policy News and Commentary Update January 31, 2008


Official: U.S. enemies 'eating our lunch' online - Charley Keyes (CNN, January 30): The man nominated to head public diplomacy at the State Department, James Glassman, said Wednesday that al Qaeda is doing a better job than the Bush administration in winning friends over the Internet. Glassman's comments Wednesday echoed a November speech by Defense Secretary Robert Gates in which he said the United States needs more speed, agility and cultural relevance in its communications.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/30/internet.pr.failure/

Is Bad PR Really the Problem? Charles Peña (antiwar.com, January 30): Sadly, more than four years later, it would seem that we haven't made much -- if any -- progress in how to wage the war of ideas. It's still more about style over substance.
http://www.antiwar.com/pena/?articleid=12282

Rumsfeld: "Can we talk?" Philip Carter (Intel Dump, January 26): http://www.intel-dump.com/posts/1201357073.shtml

Donald Rumsfeld's soft side: The former defence secretary isn't known for believing in public diplomacy. So why is he calling for a new US information agency? http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/john_b...ounced_a_w.html

Al-Qaeda's Propaganda Advantage and How to Counter It - Brigitte L. Nacos (Perspectives on Terrorism, issue 4, 2007; posted at International Military Forums, January 30): Washington has not found effective communication strategies to counter terrorist propaganda from al-Qaeda and like-minded groups and individuals. http://www.military-quotes.com/forum/al-qa...age-t52787.html

The War Against Jihadism: Why can't we call the enemy by its name? We're going to have to in order to win - George Weigel (Newsweek, January 26): http://www.newsweek.com/id/105583/output/print

Presentation of Final Report of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Transformational Diplomacy - (U.S. Department of State, January 29): Secretary Rice: http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2008/01/99822.htm

Better U.S. image abroad: how to attain it? Presidential candidates cite intent to improve US stature, but retooling policies is complicated - Howard LaFranchi (Christian Science Monitor, January 30): http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0130/p03s01-usfp.html

NATO can help in enhancing region's stability, says official Peninsula (January 30): "NATO can work closely with the nations of the [Middle East] region. It does not intend to impose anything but to develop knowledge, common training and being able to bring much more for peace and stability," NATO Assistant Secretary General, Public Diplomacy, Jean-Francois Bureau said.
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?'

American Democracy is Riveting ? Roger Cohen (International Herald Tribune, January 30): A reason why the world is addicted to this US campaign with nine months still to go is "Obamania," now in overdrive with the Kennedy endorsemen. .
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/30/opinion/edcohen.php

Vaudeville: Ten years after Monica, the Democratic presidential race is all about theatrics - Bernard-Henri Lévy (New Republic, January 29): http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=...38-e7d53d0a9013

The Man Who Learned Too Little: In his final State of the Union, Bush makes more empty promises - Fred Kaplan (Slate, January 28): "America is a force for hope in the world because we are a compassionate people," Bush said toward the end of his State of the Union address. We know this to be true, at least in principle. It will take another president to demonstrate it.
http://www.slate.com/id/2182951/

Out of Gas - Dan Froomkin (washingtonpost.com, January 29): In his final State of the Union address, nothing President Bush said will undo the damage he has done to American interests abroad.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...2901447_pf.html

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela - Amar C. Bakshi (washingtonpost.com, January 27): "Hanging off buildings are numerous photos of President Chavez in a red shirt inaugurating new bureaucracies to aid the poor. Despite much official signage and (un)official murals, I see no overt anti-American images."
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglo...ml?nav=rss_blog

Arming the Middle East Stephen Zunes (Foreign Policy in Focus, January 29; Common Dreams): The strongest anti-American sentiment that results may come as a consequence of U.S.-supplied weapons systems and ordinance that are never actually used in combat.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/01/29/6700/

When is a War Not a War? Defining & Achieving Victory in Iraq - Todd Keister (American Diplomacy, January 29): The author calls for ruthless neutralization of the enemy, after which hearts and minds can be more readily won.
http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/item/200...ter_whenis.html

One Million Iraqis Killed; Humanitarian Crisis of Vast Proportions; 6 Bombings in Baghdad Juan Cole (Informed Comment: Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion, January 31): A new professional poll carried out by a British firm in Iraq concludes that excess deaths from violence since March 19, 2003 through summer 2007 came to just over 1 million. Bush signed a law forbidding him from spending money to make permanent bases in Iraq but at the same time issued a signing statement making clear he had no intention of paying any attention to that or several other provisions in the legislation.
http://www.juancole.com/2008/01/one-millio...manitarian.html

Tomgram: Bombs Away Over Iraq; Looking Up: Normalizing Air War from Guernica to Arab Jabour - Tom Engelhardt (TomDispatch, January 29): Maybe, sooner or later, American mainstream journalists in Iraq (and editors back in the U.S.) will actually look up, notice those contrails in the skies, register those "precision" bombs and missiles landing, and consider whether it really is a ho-hum, no-news period when the U.S. Air Force looses 100,000 pounds of explosives on a farming district on the edge of Baghdad. http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/174887/bombs_away_over_iraq

Return to Fallujah, Part Two: "The Americans Bring Us Only Destruction" - Patrick Cockburn (CounterPunch, January 29)
http://www.counterpunch.org/patrick01292008.html
for part one, see
http://www.counterpunch.org/patrick01282008.html

Choices at the End of the Surge - William M. Arkin (washingtonpost.com, January 31): The surge is over -- congratulations -- but the war is not.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/earlywarnin..._come.html#more

The Next Iraq Phase - David Ignatius (Washington Post, January 30): The Iraqis want a restoration of full sovereignty, and they aren't likely to tolerate for much longer the American-run prisons or U.S. soldiers kicking down doors. Unless the planners take that political reality into account -- and reassure Iraqis and Americans alike that most U.S. troops will gradually be coming home -- they may be creating a new version of Mission Impossible.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...2902726_pf.html

A Report From Iraq: Nearly five years into the war, our correspondent, a former marine and assistant secretary of defense, surveys the battlefield and looks at what the year ahead has in store Bing West (atlantic.com, January 30): Petraeus called his campaign "the Anaconda Strategy," a reference to General Ulysses S. Grant's strategy in the closing stages of the Civil War. Similarly, Iraq will take years to sort out and settle down, requiring American steadfastness with progressively fewer American troops.
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200801u/iraq-update

Partisan Retreat: Our inevitable withdrawal from Iraq could poison American politics for a generation - Jonathan Rauch (Atlantic Monthly, January/February ): The crucial decision the next president will make is not whether to withdraw forces from Iraq -- that is baked in the cake -- but how.
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200801/partisan-retreat

Iraq: Making It Someone Else's Problem Editorial (Brattleboro Reformer, January 29; Common Dreams): Iraq remains a basket case. Committing our soldiers to stay in Iraq for decades to come will not change this picture.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/01/29/6710/'

More Neo-Con Military Advice (Lobelog.com, January 27): The pace of the Iraq drawdown would appear to be the next big battle between the hawks and the ?realists? over Iraq (and Iran), and the neo-cons are trying to get their licks in against the 'realists' as early as possible.
http://www.ips.org/blog/jimlobe/?p=99


Lebanon held hostage: Syria's efforts to block an assassination inquiry have produced a political stalemate Editorial (Los Angeles Times, January 30): Lebanon is in a state of full political paralysis, a stalemate engineered and enforced by its overlord, Syria. It has been without a president since Nov. 24. US, UN, French and now Arab League diplomats have failed to broker a solution.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-...0,6618053.story

Calls grow for shift in Afghan policy - David R. Sands (Washington Times, January 31): The Bush administration faces increasing pressure to make a major policy course correction on Afghanistan, shifting the focus from Iraq to fight a resurgent terrorist threat and build up the faltering government in Kabul.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.d...mplate=printart

Warning light on Kosovo - John Bolton, Lawrence Eagleburger, and Peter Rodman (Washington Times, January 31): An imposed settlement of the Kosovo question and seeking to partition Serbia's sovereign territory without its consent is not in the interest of the United States.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.d...mplate=printart

Kicking Democracy's Corpse in Russia - Editorial (New York Times, January 30): Very little remains of the democracy that struggled to be born in Russia after Communism's fall. The least Western democrats can do for their thwarted Russian counterparts is to frankly acknowledge this painful truth.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/opinion/...agewanted=print

Who Lost Ukraine? It's not too soon to start asking - Reuben F. Johnson (Weekly Standard, January 30): About this time next year people may very well be asking "who lost Ukraine," by which time the train will have left the station a long time back, so to speak. American and EU officials need to be spending time worrying about -- and acting on -- this issue now, rather than listening to the happy talk of the Russian delegation from Davos.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Publ...14/661ijuog.asp

Shattered Hopes: As Pakistan's parliamentary elections approach, the PPP's future is uncertain - Daveed Gartenstein-Ross & Nick Grace (Weekly Standard, January 30): Since the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is Pakistan's only secular opposition party with true national reach, its weakening is significant for U.S. strategic interests.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Publ...14/662vtwnq.asp

Terror threat hitting home in Pakistan: Attacks aren't just a US concern, more Pakistanis say - Mark Sappenfield (Christian Science Monitor, January 30)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0130/p01s04-wosc.html

Al Qaeda Loves Bush: Thanks for the Free Advertising - William M. Arkin (washingtonpost.com, January 29): By framing a bigger battle between healthy nations and a marginal terrorist organization, the president is mightily adding to the al Qaeda mystique. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/earlywarnin...s_for.html#more

The 'War on Terror' Licenses a New Stupidity in Geopolitics: The language loved by Bush and Musharraf has translated into a global disaster bringing death and misery to millions Simon Jenkins (Guardian, January 30; Common Dreams)
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/01/30/6732/'

9/11 defines my generation - Christopher D. Geisel (Jerusalem Post, January 30): According to a 2007 Zogby poll, the vast majority of Americans consider the 9/11 terrorist attacks to be the most significant historical event of their lifetimes.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid...icle%2FShowFull

Don't Even Think About It : The war against "homegrown terrorism" is on. Enter the thought police - James Ridgeway and Jean Casella (Mother Jones, January 23)
http://www.motherjones.com/cgi-bin/print_a...-terrorism.html

Bush's much-maligned climate talks could yet help global-warming treaty: At the meeting of the world's biggest polluters in Hawaii this week, host US has a chance to show it is serious about action on climate change - Peter N. Spotts (Christian Science Monitor, January 30)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0130/p02s01-wogi.html

Mission Seep in Afghanistan - London Times editorial
NATO's Afghan Failure - Wall Street Journal editorial
The NATO Emerging in Afghanistan - Victoria Nuland, Washington Post
Talibanization and Nukes - Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times
Basra Seared British Army's Soul - Allan Mallinson, London Daily Telegraph
Buried WMD Scoop - Wall Street Journal editorial
Pakistani P.R. - New York Times editorial
Pakistan: Drawn and Quartered - Selig Harrison, New York Times
State of Gaza Should Shame Us All - Barbara Stocking, London Daily Telegraph
Dumping Olmert May Not be Prudent - Uri Dromi, Miami Herald
Kenya and Kofi Annan - Washington Times editorial
Halting Kenya's Chaos - Austin Bay, Washington Times
Kenya Vows Tougher Crackdown - Crilly and Benequista, Christian Science Monitor
Free Trade with Colombia - Los Angeles Times editorial
Don't do Favor for Colombia's Guerrillas - Miami Herald editorial
Will Cuba's Military Support Reform? - Frank Calzon, Miami Herald
N. Korea: Process Over Progress - Michael Gerson, Washington Post
Panda Politics in Taiwan - Boston Globe editorial
Battle for Thailand's Democratic Soul - Farrelly and Walker, Canberra Times
Citizen Service - John Bridgeland, Washington Times
U.S. Energy Security - S. Rob Sobhani, Washington Times

2008: The Demise of Neoliberal Globalization by Immanuel Wallerstein
The global influence of 1980s neoliberal ideology is ending, after sustained political successes but no real economic success -- except for the top 10% on the planet. This year shows four new global policies away from neoliberalism -- and the dominance of the U.S. dollar.
more...

Clouds Gather Over Chinese New Year by Peter Kwong
Food prices continue to rise in China, distressing millions of shoppers preparing for holiday feasts for the lunar New Year. And food prices merely shadow deep structural economic problems 'isolated' China shares with its global business partners.
more...

Making a Great Arab City by Rami G. Khouri
What are the enduring characteristics that make a city meaningful, rather than only comfortable and efficient? What do Arab cities in the Gulf and elsewhere offer beyond rapid growth?
more...

Fallout from the Gaza Earthquake by Patrick Seale
The Palestinians' dramatic breakout of Gaza into Egypt in order to survive Israel's inhumane boycott, has profoundly changed the character of the Middle East crisis.
more...

The Tragic Politics of Fleeing by Rami G. Khouri
It is ironic but not unexpected that 3500 years after the Hebrews fled their dismal life in Egypt and escaped to freedom across the miraculously stilled Red Sea, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians should be fleeing the modern day descendants of the Hebrews.
more...

The Struggle for Lebanon by Patrick Seale
Syria has vital security issues with regard to Lebanon, and sees its lesser neighbour as an essential geo-political partner.
more...

Why the Surge Worked - Duffy and Kukis, Time
Iran's Education of Muqtada al-Sadr - Amir Taheri, New York Post
Has Iran Won? - The Economist editorial
Palestinian Priorities - London Times editorial
Kenya: New Chapter in Ethnic Cleansing - New York Times editorial
Burma's Most Wanted - Leslie Hook, Wall Street Journal
Don't Do Colombia's Guerrillas a Favor - Miami Herald editorial
Bolivia's Gov. Fueling Social Division - Víctor Hugo Cárdenas, Miami Herald
Secrets and Rights - New York Times editorial
It's Torture; It's Illegal - Los Angeles Times editorial
Mukasey's Confession - Tim Rutten, Los Angeles Times
The Anger Over an Online Essay - Deborah Howell, Washington Post

A Desperate Act of Terrorism in Iraq - Sydney Daily Telegraph editorial
Iraq Oil Rush Delivers $15B - Martin Fletcher, New York Post
...Why Aren't They Spending It? - Sharon Behn, New York Post
A Pair of Allies, Self-Destructing - Jim Hoagland, Washington Post
Khalilzad for Afghan President? - Gideon Rachman, Financial Times
Afghanistan a Nasty War We Can Never Win - Simon Jenkins, London Times
Way Open for Hope in Helmand - James Holland, London Daily Telegraph
Heart of the Afghan Struggle - The Independent editorial
Pakistan Kicked Me Out, Others Less Lucky - Nicholas Schmidle, Washington Post
Winograd: Wartime Failure, Political Survivor - Washington Times editorial
Help Wanted in Darfur - Washington Post editorial
Derailing Democracy in Colombia - Judd Gregg, Washington Times
Pulling the Plug on Pyongyang - James Hackett, Washington Times
Just Putin Being Putin - New York Post editorial
Putin Behind the Curtain - Oliver North, Washington Times
Losing Belgrade, Russia's Gain - Jason Epstein, National Review
A Tense Run-off in Serbia - Ian Bancroft, Guardian
Cuba: Controversial Relic of the Cold War - Don Bohning, Miami Herald
Downsizing our Dominance - Fred Kaplan, Los Angeles Times
General Nguyan Ngoc Loan: Hero or Villian? - Daniel Finkelstein, London Times
Tet +40 - James Robbins, National Review
Staying Sensible on 'Torture' - New York Post editorial
UK Government's Indifference to Troops' Hardships - Catherine Bennett, Guardian
'Stolen Valor' Revisited - James Zumwalt, Washington Times
Whiteside: Military Justice - Washington Post editorial
How Democracy Produced a Monster - Ian Kershaw, New York Times
To Resist Hitler and Survive - Susan Neiman, New York Times

A Diabolical AQ-I Tactic - The Australian editorial
AQ-I: Evil Wanton Blasphemy - Canberra Times editorial
Long-term Accord with Iraq - USA Today editorial
Both Nations Would Benefit from Accord - Brett McGurk, USA Today
Away from Extremism to Local Councils - Geoff Ziezulewicz, Stars and Stripes
The Chad Coup and Darfur - Scott Baldauf, Christian Science Monitor
With Beijing's Support, Bashir Continues Genocide - Nat Hentoff, Washington Times
Killing Kenya - Los Angeles Times editorial
Voices Missing from Gaza Debate - Yuval Rotem, Sydney Morning Herald
Target: Israel - Beres and McInerney, Washington Times
Balkans: No Time For NATO Cold Feet - Bruce Jackson, Washington Post
Forty Years of the Tet Offensive - David Warren, Real Clear Politics
UK, S. Africa Paper Barriers - London Times editorial
Terror Nukes: Issue Needs Airing - Robert Casey Jr., Philadelphia Inquirer
China's Empty Olympic Promises - New York Times editorial
Wind Power and National Security - London Times editorial
'Honour' Crimes in the UK - London Daily Telegraph editorial
Mukasey on Waterboarding - Philadelphia Inquirer editorial

Obama initiatives embody spirit of Gonzaga mission - Mark Ludeking (Gonzaga Bulletin, February 1): "In talking to many Jesuits over the past four years I have heard many say that they wish learning a foreign language was a requirement for graduation. Obama has an American Voice Initiative that would expand opportunities for fluent speakers to go to other countries and serve. This service will come in public diplomacy and include engineers, doctors and teachers. I mention this not only because many Gonzaga students are interested in spending time overseas helping other nations by doing what the world needs most, but because the last seven years have been devastating for our relations around the world."
http://media.www.gonzagabulletin.com/media...n-3181743.shtml
Now That Edwards, Kucinich, Richardson And Other Progressives Have Abandoned The Race, I Will Now Run For President - Alone (OpEDNews, February 2): Public diplomacy and lower cost products like shooting simple laser beams at satellites are cheaper than what the U.S. defense program has been trying to do -- i.e. try and outspend (militarily) all other competing countries around the planet year after year.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_al...edwards_2c_.htm

Public Diplomacy: Reinvigorating America's Strategic Communications Policy (Heritage Foundation; posted at James' DC Event Feed, February 1): This panel will address the efficacy of the current administration's strategy and give recommendations for the next administration, whether it is Democrat or Republican. Date: Wednesday, February 13, 2008. Time: 12:00 - 1:30 PM. Location: The Heritage Foundation's Allison Auditorium.
http://districteventfeed.blogspot.com/2008...vigorating.html

It's torture; it's illegal: The attorney general's evasions on waterboarding are repugnant, and set a dangerous global precedent Editorial (Los Angeles Times, February 2): The attorney general of the United States, Michael B. Mukasey, testified this week that he would consider waterboarding to be torture if it were done to him, but that he cannot say it's always illegal. Such repugnant equivocation will be mimicked and distorted in dark corners around the world, and will make it more likely that waterboarding and other forms of torture will be used against U.S. soldiers and civilians.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-...0,7921898.story
Tortured Testimony: Mr. Mukasey shows why Congress needs to intervene Editorial (Washington Post, February 1): The Bush administration's use of torture and continued use of extreme interrogation techniques have done untold damage to the moral standing of the United States. Having the attorney general state flatly that the technique is illegal could help the country begin to rehabilitate its image in the eyes of the world.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...2902723_pf.html
Mukasey's confession: Is waterboarding torture? It it's done to him, it is; if it's someone else, uh, he's not sure - Tim Rutten (Los Angeles Times, February 2): We have suffered terrible casualties in the war with the Islamic terrorists, but the only real victory they've achieved was the one the Bush administration handed them when it replaced law with vengeance and sanctioned torture.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-...0,6941133.story
Torture or Mystery? Waterboarding - William Loren Katz (CounterPunch, January 31): Isn't it time to come clean about torture -- and about the adherence to law and democracy we expect from our leaders?
http://www.counterpunch.org/katz01312008.html
126 Reporters Have Been Killed in Iraq Since the Start of the War: The Most Dangerous Country in the World for Journalists - Patrick Cockburn (CounterPunch, February 1)
http://www.counterpunch.org/patrick02012008.html
Fear of Looking Weak - Dan Froomkin (washingtonpost.com, February 1): How would it look to the world if we left Iraq now? President Bush and Vice President Cheney both expressed concern yesterday that it would make the United States look weak.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...0101486_pf.html
Why the Surge Worked - Michael Duffy (Times, January 31): One year and 937 U.S. fatalities later, the surge is a fragile and limited success, an operation that has helped stabilize the capital and its surroundings but has yet to spark the political gains that could set the stage for a larger American withdrawal.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/...1708843,00.html
The NATO Emerging in Afghanistan - Victoria Nuland (Washington Post, February 1): Despite some dire headlines, there were major successes in the past year for the Afghans and their 40 international security partners, including all members of NATO. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/31/AR2008013102545_pf.html
Talibanization and nukes - Arnaud de Borchgrave (Washington Times, February 1): NATO allies are already tiring of the Afghan campaign. NATO's future is now clearly at stake in the Pakistani-Afghan mess.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.d...mplate=printart
US Faces Unraveling Afghan Mission IslamOnline (February 2)
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satelli...-News/NWELayout
A Pair of Allies, Self-Destructing - Jim Hoagland (Washington Post, February 3): The United States still has a chance to save Karzai and Musharraf from the extremists. Washington has no chance, however, of saving them from themselves. That task belongs to them.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...0102665_pf.html
Pakistani P.R. - Editorial (New York Times, February 1): Successfully moving Pakistan from military rule to civilian-run democracy is essential to combating extremism. Mr. Musharraf has a major role in making this happen. The United States and its allies must keep reinforcing that message.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/01/opinion/...amp;oref=slogin
In North Korea, Process Over Progress - Michael Gerson (Washington Post, February 1): Having begun the path of negotiations, the State Department has consistently moved the goal posts closer to keep North Korea at the table.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...3102628_pf.html
Sarkozy and Kerviel chase a French-American dream - Paul Betts (Financial Times, February 1): For all the fear and loathing of capitalism in France and its criticisms of the US system, the country is not only becoming more American but has always embraced the American dream.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3406dc12-d0d2-11...00779fd2ac.html
Losing Belgrade: Russia's gain - Jason Epstein (National Review, February 2): Washington became a reckless cheerleader for Kosovo's independence. In the process, a resurgent and less than amiable Russia exploited Serbia's quest for diplomatic support to regain its sphere of influence in the Balkans. American foreign policy toward Serbia needs an adjustment.
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MTcxY...QyODM=&w=MA==
Rights Group Faults U.S. for Support of Autocrats - Nora Boustany (Washington Post, February 1): In its latest report, Human Rights Watch, a New York-based advocacy group, delivers a harsh critique of the Bush administration, suggesting that by accommodating autocratic allies in the fight against terrorism, it has failed to meet its declared goal of promoting democratic values.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/31/AR2008013103575_pf.html
New human-rights report: Around the world, "sham democracies" thrive ? Edward M. Gomez (World View, SF Gate, February 1)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate...;entry_id=23916
Athens or Rome: which will it be? Patricia H. Kushlis (Whirled View, February 1): Americans too forget that one size, or model, doesn't fit all and that 'Rome wasn't built in a day.' Neither are democracies. http://whirledview.typepad.com/whirledview...ns-or-rome.html
Francis Fukuyama and Michael McFaul, "Should Democracy be Promoted or Demoted?" The Washington Quarterly, Winter 2007-08, 23-43. Fukuyama (Johns Hopkins, SAIS) and McFaul (Stanford) review moves toward greater autocracy in many countries, increasing skepticism toward the democracy agenda in U.S. foreign policy, and deficiencies in the Bush administration's efforts to promote democracy. The authors systematically engage the central arguments against democracy promotion and call for a more sustainable strategy in achieving it. Key elements: restoring the U.S. example, improved public diplomacy, diplomatic engagement with autocracies, ambitious reorganization of U.S. programs (including a new cabinet level Department of International Development), a firewall between U.S. assistance to states and to NGOs, and enhanced international institutions.
http://www.twq.com/08winter/docs/08winter_fukuyama.pdf
Robert M. Gates. "Landon Lecture," Remarks of the Secretary of Defense, Manhattan, Kansas, November 26, 2007. Secretary Gates makes "the case for strengthening our capacity to use 'soft' power and for better integrating it with 'hard' power." His recommendations include: increased national capacity in economic development, institution building, rule of law, good governance, and strategic communication; greater use of expertise in America's universities; and "a dramatic increase in spending on the civilian instruments of national security -- diplomacy, strategic communications, foreign assistance, civic action, and economic reconstruction and development." The Secretary stated that the "way to institutionalize these capabilities is probably not to recreate or repopulate institutions of the past such as AID or USIA." The U.S. needs new thinking on how to integrate government capabilities with the private sector, universities, non-governmental organizations, and allies and friends.
http://www.defenselink.mil/speeches/speech...x?speechid=1199

What's Really in the U.S. Military Budget? - Fred Kaplan, Slate
The Kurdish Front - David Phillips, Wall Street Journal
Dissonance on Iraq - Tom Donnelly, Weekly Standard
Selling Defeat Not a Path to Victory - Fred Schwarz, National Review
No Retreat from Afghanistan - David Aaronovitch, London Times
NATO's Afghan Test - Financial Times editorial
Afghan Prison Blues - Yousafzai and Moreau, Newsweek
Jihad Turning Point? - Claude Salhani, Washington Times
Invest in Pakistan - Fred Gedrich, Washington Times
The Israeli Lesson - Wall Street Journal editorial
Security Teaching Moment - Frank Gaffney Jr., Washington Times
Sierra Leone President Q&A - Christopher Werth, Newsweek interview
Chávez's Anti-Semitism - Abraham Foxman, Washington Post
Belgrade and Brussels - London Times editorial
A Solution for the Serbs - London Daily Telegraph editorial
Serbia's Step Forward - Washington Post editorial
Kosovo Domino Theory - Wall Street Journal editorial
Why Kowtow to Russia? - Edward Lucas, London Times
The Cold War as Ancient History - Roger Cohen, International Herald Tribune
Russian Defense Sales to the PRC - Reuben Johnson, Weekly Standard
Beijing's Empty Promises - International Herald Tribune editorial
Suharto's Legacy in Perspective - The Australian editorial
A Less Flawed Terror Law - Toronto Star editorial
Toeing the Line on World Stage - H.D.S. Greenway, Boston Globe
Our Politicized Intelligence Services - John Bolton, Wall Street Journal
America in Decline? - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal

nother blow for 'headless' India-US deal
The abrupt departure of India's ambassador to the United States, Ronen Sen, is interpreted as a sign that the India-US nuclear deal will be further delayed. Whoever is picked as Sen's successor will go a long way to determining the pact's future. - Sudha Ramachandran (Feb 6, '08)

UN as India, Myanmar matchmaker
A nudge from the United Nations and a green light from Myanmar to allow India to develop the strategically-located port of Sittwe have emboldened New Delhi to gently press its case with the junta for further talks with harassed pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi. - Jyoti Malhotra (Feb 6, '08)

Rats! It could be a tough year
The Year of the Rat will bring mixed blessings to Hong Kong and China, especially when the crucial five elements - earth, wind, fire, water and metal - are factored into the astrological mix. But one significant rodent, Mickey Mouse, is really hoping for a boost in Hong Kong. - Kent Ewing (Feb 6, '08)

Pakistan taken to task over al-Qaeda
Politicians in the United States and soldiers on the ground have been saying it for ages - al-Qaeda has regenerated, primarily through its safe havens in Pakistan's border areas. Now the US Director of National Intelligence has confirmed the dangers posed by al-Qaeda in that region, saying they are the US's "biggest threat". - Jim Lobe (Feb 6, '08)

Yemen still close to al-Qaeda's heart
As the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden, Yemen has always been highly valued by al-Qaeda for the "strategic depth" it affords. Now, there's talk of an "arrangement" between al-Qaeda and the government that will preserve the country's importance for al-Qaeda - and maybe even serve as a refuge of last resort if bin Laden is forced to flee South Asia. - Michael Scheuer (Feb 6, '08)

A breach in North Korea's iron curtain

South Koreans are now allowed to visit the North Korean city of Kaesong. Although the historic area is located just 60 kilometers from Seoul, the journey is as if into a different world. North Korean guides - read secret police - do their best to keep the "locals" away from the curious southerners, who pay handsomely for their sightseeing. But ultimately, these cross-border exchanges will breach the information blockade that Pyongyang imposes on the hermit nation, and the results could be devastating. - Andrei Lankov (Feb

ntrigue takes Afghanistan to the brink
Uzbek leader General Rashid Dostum's high-profile standoff with hundreds of police in Kabul at the weekend is a sure sign that Afghanistan is facing one of its gravest political crises in recent years. Spearheaded by Britain, and its calculated plot to bypass President Hamid Karzai and provide military training for "good" Taliban, Karzai is being squeezed to either follow the Western line, or get out. But the canny president could yet return the pressure, and with interest. - M K Bhadrakumar (Feb 5, '08)
Prejudice, blame and the US way
In the brutally polarized combat that is public debate in America, no quarter is given. It is a world of preferences, prejudices and perceptions, a world blind to reality’s harsh dominion. A world that welcomes the likes of conservative economist and social commentator Ben Stein. - Julian Delasantellis (Feb 5, '08)

THE BEAR'S LAIR
The trillion-dollar deficit
The US government is heading for a $1 trillion budget deficit in the next economic trough. Two out of the three front-runners to succeed George W Bush might conjure up a solution to a mess that even minimally competent economic management could have avoided rather than worsen. - Martin Hutchinson (Feb 5, '08)

CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN
Reflation contemplation
As Wall Street celebrates the Fed's rapid-fire slashing to a 3% funds rate, it pays to recall the adage that there's no free lunch in finance, nor from inflation. Particularly, reflations have minimal impact on bubble markets recently gone bust but exert powerful effects on fledgling bubbles. (Feb 4 '08)

Doug Noland reviews the previous week's events each Monday.

Stephen Soldz
The Secret Rules of Engagement in Iraq: Did Rumsfeld Authorize War Crimes?

Chris Floyd
Strange Fruit: America's Gulag and the Good War

William S. Lind
Saddam's Secret War Strategy: Die and Win

New Concern Over Pakistan

By Paul Cruickshank


The Spanish daily El Pais on Sunday reported that European intelligence services now believe that Baitullah Mehsud, the head of the Pakistani Taliban, whom the CIA believe ordered the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, also orchestrated a plot last month to attack Barcelona and other European cities.

According to intelligence sources quoted by El Pais, this operation was to be Mehsud's "international baptism of fire."

On Monday, the Washington Post, citing a European intelligence source, reported that Abu Laith Al Libi, the senior Al Qaeda commander killed in a Predator strike last week, was on the way to see Baitullah Mehsud, when he was killed, a report that if confirmed, underscores Mehsud's close ties with Al Qaeda.

In recent years Mehsud, who dominates much of South Waziristan, has allowed Al Qaeda to establish small training camps for jihadists in area under his control. In an article just published in the Guardian, I explain just how important such camps are to Al Qaeda's efforts to launch operations in the West. Although the organization has thousands of supporters in European countries, the hands-on training and indoctrination that it can provide in its small camps in western Pakistan, is crucial to its attempts to turn the merely radicalized into capable terrorist operatives.

Soberingly, Director of National Intelligence Admiral Mike McConnell in congressional testimony today stated that an "influx of new Western recruits into the [Pakistani] tribal areas since mid-2006" has allowed Al Qaeda to continue to improve its ability to attack the U.S.


February 5, 2008 05:19 PM Link TrackBack (0) Print
Jihadists, Islamists, and "Extremists" - what's in a name?

By Jeffrey Imm


Another U.S. threat assessment has been issued that refuses to identify the enemy threatening us, and instead defines the enemy only as "extremists". Today's annual threat assessment from the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) fails to use the terms "Jihad", "Jihadist", "Islamism", or "Islamist" in identifying the enemy. The question must be asked how the U.S. can meaningfully assess threats, if it can't even identify the enemy. The term "radical Islamic" (used twice) and "militant Islamic" (used once) is the only term close to "Islamist", and such terms as "radical" and "militant" have very different meanings to different people. Predominantly, when describing the enemy, the DNI annual assessment today uses the term "extremist(s)" (used 18 times) or "extremism" (used twice). In effect, the DNI views that America is fighting a war against "extremism".


This follows last week's State of the Union message where the term "extremist" was the primary definition of the enemy, with the term extremism, extremist(s) used nine times in defining the enemy (see recent columns on this by Counterterrorism Blog's Andrew Cochran and by Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, the founder and Chairman of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy). Our national leadership continues to ignore political "Islamism" as defined in the 9/11 Commission report, and refuses to make the distinction, as per Dr. Jasser, between "personal spiritual Islam from political Islam", but instead addresses threats from ambiguously defined "extremists" as its primary concern.


Jihadists and Islamists are also concerned about "extremists", which illustrates the non-value of the term "extremist" in referencing the enemy. For example, Osama Bin Laden is concerned about "extremists" in Iraq. Bin Laden made this clear in his October 22, 2007 message calling for Jihadists in Iraq to unite. In that message, Bin Laden warns of the "ta'assub" (fanatics, extremists), who would sow dissension among Jihadist mujahideen. Islamists have the same concern about "extremists". For example, in the documentary Islam versus Islamists, Tempe Wahhabist Imam Ahmad Al Shqeirat views anti-terror Muslims like Dr. Zuhdi Jasser as an "extremist". Moreover, in the eyes of Islamists, those accused of "blasphemy", "apostasy", and any other challenge to the Islamist ideology are "extremists". When developing a United States threat assessment, is defining the enemy as "extremists" the best that the intelligence community has to offer?

"Radical Islam" is similarly imprecise. Competing Islamist groups view each other as representing "radical Islam", much in the same way that Indonesian Islamists viewed the now-banned Al Qiyadah Al Islamiyah group as "dangerous" because it practiced a different version of Islam. The definition of political "Islamism", as defined in the 9/11 Commission report, remains the keystone in addressing the ideology behind "Islamist terrorism" or "Jihad". Ambiguous terms only serve to facilitate vacillating on the difficult decisions that the United States must make in this war, and undermining our resolve to win it.


As George Weigel states in his recent commentary about the inability to name the enemy, "if the United States can't explain to the world why religious freedom, civility, tolerance and democratic persuasion are morally superior to coercion in religious and political matters, then America stands disarmed before those who believe it their duty to impose a starkly different view of the good society on us."

On February 4, the UK media also reported that both the terms "Jihad" and "Islamist" are no longer to be used by UK government individuals, according to a new handbook issued by the UK government to all departments. The new handbook states that UK government individuals should no longer refer to Islamist extremism or Jihadi fundamentalism, but view terrorists as "criminals" or "extremists".

When the United States begins treating the Jihadist threat like the United Kingdom does, we can be certain that we are losing the ideological war against the enemy. After all, we can't even state their name.


Read More »


Sources and Related Documents:

February 5, 2008 - Annual Threat Assessment of the Director of National Intelligence - for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (Adobe Acrobat PDF file)
U.S. Final Report of the 9/11 Commission - Notes, Part 12, Note 3: "Islamism" (page 562)
Adobe Acrobat PDF format
Islamism - Definition - Wikipedia
February 1, 2008 - Family Security Matters: In War against Islamism, We Must Listen to the Words of Our Enemies by M. Zuhdi Jasser
January 29, 2008 - So Now President Bush Won't Call It "Islamic" Terrorism or Extremism? - Andrew Cochran, Counterterrorism Blog
January 28, 2008 - President Bush Delivers State of the Union Address
February 4, 2008: Newsweek: The War Against Jihadism -- Why can't we call the enemy by its name? - George Weigel
July 18, 2007 - Family Security Matters: Preventing the West from Understanding Jihad - Dr. Walid Phares
Documentary "Islam Versus Islamists: Voices from the Muslim Center"
Defintion of "ta'assub" from "Dictionary of Islam"
October 31, 2007 - Indonesian Sect Comes Under Fire -- Kenneth Conboy, Counterterrorism Blog
Indonesia: Arrest of seven 'dangerous' Muslims - Leader of Al Qiyadah Al Islamiyah and 6 followers arrested
February 5, 2008 - Daily Telegraph: Islamist terrorists rebranded as 'criminals'
October 26, 2007 - Jihad, Islamism, and the Challenge of Anti-Freedom Ideologies - Jeffrey Imm, Counterterrorism Blog
October 22, 2007 - Osama Bin Laden Message Urges Jihadists to Unite in Iraq - Jeffrey Imm, Counterterrorism Blog
October 15, 2007 - The Dangerous Denial of Jihad's Threat - Jeffrey Imm, Counterterrorism Blog



« Close It

February 5, 2008 03:45 PM Link TrackBack (0) Print
Special Panel: The Evolution of U.S. Counterterrorism Policy

By Andrew Cochran


A week from today, on Tuesday, February 12 from 2:00 to 3:30 pm, I will moderate a special panel titled, "The Evolution of U.S. Counterterrorism Policy" in room S-115 of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington. Panelists will be Prof. Yonah Alexander and Contributing Experts Michael Kraft and Jonathan Winer. Prof. Alexander, one of the most respected voices in the CT community, is the Director of the Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies. Prof. Alexander has authored over 95 books on counterterrorism issues and has over 35 years of service as a professor and academic in counterterrorism studies. Michael Kraft co-edited the three-volume book, "The Evolution of U.S. Counterterrorism Policy," with Prof. Alexander, and was senior advisor for the State Department's Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Staff Director for the Senate Foreign Relations Middle East Subcommittee. Jonathan Winer, now a partner at Alston & Bird L.L.P. in Washington, served as the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Law Enforcement during the Clinton Administration. The Counterterrorism Foundation is very pleased to co-sponsor this special panel with the Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies, the International Center for Terrorism Studies at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, and the Inter-University Center for Legal Studies at the International Law Institute.

To RSVP for this event, contact Brett Wallace at icts@potomacinstitute.org or call 703-562-4522. We will post a summary of the event.

Other recent CT Blog panel discussions:

Status of Terrorism Litigation After the Boim Decision, January 28

The Holy Land Foundation & the Muslim Brotherhood, December 11

February 5, 2008 01:33 PM Link TrackBack (0) Print

Iraq: From the Jaws of Victory - Nadia Schadlow, Wall Street Journal
The Lost Art of War - Andrew Klavan, City Journal
Converts' Dangerous Pull Towards Extremism - Irfan Yusuf, Sydney Morning Herald
Time for NATO to Deliver Against Taliban - London Daily Telegraph editorial
Blame the Mission, Not the Alliance - Bronwen Maddox, London Times
Answering Pakistan's Peril - New York Post editorial
Pak Taliban Offers Truce, Army Demurs - Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor
Yes, It Is About Religion - George Weigel, City Journal
Iran: Shutting Down Zanan - New York Times editorial
Zanan: Silencing a Voice of Reason - Farideh Farhi, Boston Globe
Darfur's Chaos Spreads - Washington Post editorial
Venezuela's Charades - Thor Halvorssen, Washington Times
Bias Rises Under Chavez - Abraham Foxman, Miami Herald
Berkeley Goes to War - San Francisco Chronicle editorial
Berkeley Disrespects the Marines - Debra Saunders, Real Clear Politics
Berkeley vs. America, Again - Michelle Malkin, National Review
Intelligence Intercepts Should be Admissible - London Times editorial
The CIA's Criminal Admission - Boston Globe editorial
The Whys of Spies - Jacob Sullum, Washington Times

More 'Troops' for US Diplomacy - Christian Science Monitor editorial
After Iraq - Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic
Iraq's Re-Liberators - Rich Lowry, New York Post
NATO II - London Times editorial
Iranian Nuclear Rewrite - Wall Street Journal editorial
Taking Down the Iran NIE - Stanley Kurtz, National Review
NIE: A Page One Story that Wasn't - R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr., Washington Times
Lebanon's Fateful Showdown - Amir Taheri, New York Post
Turkey: Veiled Democracy? - Noah Feldman, New York Times
Libya: "America will Call Evil by its Name" - Claudia Rosett, Philadelphia Inquirer
Creating a Path To Peace in Kenya - Wangari Maathai, Washington Post
Chad's Troubles - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
War(s): Who Pays? - Cal Thomas, Washington Times
What About Our Military? - Joseph Callo, New York Post
The Decade of Appeasement - Joseph Loconte, Weekly Standard
Serbia: Did Europe Dodge a War? - Austin Bay, Washington Times
UK - US Special Relationship Without Bush - Con Coughlin, London Daily Telegraph
Eurofighter Meltdown - Reuben Johnson, Weekly Standard
A President Who Tortured - Washington Post editorial
CIA's Tortured Path - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
Interrogation Then and Now - Peter Weiss, Miami Herald
Arab Charity is Blooming - Ian Wilhelm, Christian Science Monitor
Labour, Tories and State Surveillance - John Kampfner, London Daily Telegraph
The Greatest Mistake in British History - London Times discussion

Army Buried Study Faulting Iraq Planning - Michael Gordon, New York Times
Secretary Gates is Absolutely Right - Washington Times editorial
NATO at Twilight - Andrew Bacevich, Los Angeles Times
Two Myths About Afghanistan - Ann Marlowe, Washington Post
U.S. Must Keep Distance in Pakistan - Daniel Simons, Newark Star-Ledger
Pakistan's Questionable Election - Boston Globe editorial
McCain and Petraeus - Tim Hames, London Times
Archbishop Said Something Stupid - Janet Daley, London Daily Telegraph
Sharia Incompatible with Western Tradition - The Australian editorial
Turkey: Head Scarves and Liberty - Wall Street Journal editorial
Nuclear Warfare Just Stepped Closer - Paul Dibb, Sydney Morning Herald
The Implausibility of Nuclear Terror - Steve Chapman, Baltimore Sun
Bush's Mideast U-Turn - Eid and Sharanski, Wall Street Journal
Bolstering Palestinian Moderates - Asali and al-Omari, Washington Times
Gen's Bashir's Genocide in Darfur - Nat Hentoff, Washington Times
Beacons of Hope for Darfuris - David Owen, London Times
Foreign Aid Sows Hope for Democracy - Charles Stith, Boston Globe
Life After Chávez - Jackson Diehl, Washington Post
Exxon Fights Chávez - Sara Miller Llana, Christian Science Monitor
Debate on EU Treaty a Scandal - Philip Johnston, London Daily Telegraph
A Depleted National Guard - Boston Globe editorial
Wiretap Showdown - Wall Street Journal editorial

The Surge, and a Pause - New York Post editorial
Iraq's Jihad Myths - Reuel Marc Gerecht, Washington Post
The Iraq Report - Philadelphia Inquirer editorial
Killing "Bubba" from the Skies - Mark Benjamin, Salon
Questions, Not Just on Iraq - New York Times editorial
McCain's Vulnerabilities Related to Iran, Iraq - George Will, Miami Herald
On the Trail of a War Hero - Greg Sheridan, The Australian
Afghanistan's Future Decided Outside Canada - Barbara Yaffe, Ottawa Citizen
Reading Bin Laden's Mind - Michael Scheuer, Washington Post
A Death in Damascus - Claude Salhani, Washington Times
Mughniyeh's True Legacy - Caroline Glick, Jerusalem Post
Pakistan's Fragile Hope - Toronto Star editorial
Islam Needs Democracy in Pakistan - Waleed Ziad, New York Times
Benazir's Vision is in Pakistani Hands - David Frost, London Daily Telegraph
No Telling Where Pakistan is Headed - Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star
Tamil Homeland Fantasy - Bernard Goonetilleke, Washington Times
NATO Should not Offer a Free Ride - London Daily Telegraph editorial
Time for an Independent Serbia - Michael Polt, Washington Times
Crude Chavez - San Francisco Chronicle editorial
As Fidel Fades From the Scene - Tom Miller, Washington Post
Castro's Writings Jabs at Raul? - Frances Robles, Miami Herald
West Africa's War on Women - Ann Jones, Los Angeles Times
Wobble over Taiwan - Therese Shaheen, Washington Times
Unforgivable Behavior, Inadmissible Evidence - Morris Davis, New York Times
Catch-all Terror Laws Killing British Justice - Simon Jenkins, London Times
Benefits of Hiring Young Veterans - Thomas Lynch, Washington Times
Star Wars First Test - Investor's Business Daily editorial

Measurable Improvements in Iraq - Washington Times editorial
Political Surge in Iraq - Los Angeles Times editorial
Iraq: Some Progress, But Not Enough - Miami Herald editorial
Europe's Newest Nation - London Times editorial
Kosovo's Long and Difficult Birth - London Daily Telegraph editorial
Independent Kosovo - Washington Post editorial
The Birth of Kosovo - Wall Street Journal editorial
Another Day, Another Country for Europe - Tim Hames, London Times
The Balkans' Moment of Truth - Joe Biden, San Francisco Chronicle
Death in Damascus - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
Hearts and Minds on the Durand Line - Ashley Bommer, Washington Post
Pakistan Election an Anti-democratic Exercise - Imran Khan, Miami Herald
The 'Infidel Retreat' - Amir Taheri, New York Post
China's Role not Key in Darfur - Jonathan Steele, Canberra Times
Pelosi's Shameful Pandering on Intelligence - Washington Times editorial
The Invasion of America - Andrew Napolitano, Los Angeles Times
Lawyers Fiddle, America Burns - New York Post editorial
Why Torts Trumped Terrorism - Robert Novak, Washington Post
Democrats Should Read Kipling - William Kristol, New York Times
An Intelligence Reform Reality Check - Jack Devine, Washington Post
Mukasey's Skillful Evasions on Torture - Nat Hentoff, Washington Times
Singapore's Mosaic - Boston Globe editorial

A 'Challenge' Worth Challenging - E. J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post
Diplomacy Fetish - Peter Huessy, Washington Times
Whose Politics of Fear? - Rich Lowry, National Review
Negotiated Path to Iraq's Future - Edward Kennedy, Boston Globe
Iraqis Reconcile as Al-Qaeda Retreats - Deroy Murdock, Human Events
The Revisionist Approach to Vietnam - H.D.S. Greenway, Boston Globe
‘Supporting’ the Troops - Thomas Sowell, National Review
UK: Know Your Enemy - London Times editorial
Leaderless Jihad - Joshua Sinai, Washington Times
Unintelligence on Iranian Nukes - Michael Rubin, Weekly Standard
Don't Forget Iran - Christopher Hitchens, Wall Street Journal
Kosovo: Mind the Gap - Christian Science Monitor editorial
Europe's New Jihadist Statelet? - Washington Times editorial
Kosovo Need More Than New Flag - Harry de Quetteville, London Daily Telegraph
Kosovo Was Then, This Is Now... - Victor Davis Hanson, National Review
The Consequences of Kosovo - Anne Applebaum, Washington Post
Kosovo, New Nation, Old Problems - Harry de Quetteville, Sydney Morning Herald
Birth of a Nation Depends on Luck - Michael Sexton, The Australian
Middle East Rocketing Toward War - Richard Cohen, Washington Post
Ballots and Bombs in Pakistan - The Economist editorial
Pakistan in Peril - The Austalian editorial
U.S.–Pakistan Relations - Lisa Curtis, Heritage Foundation
Ringing in the Asian Century - Kishore Mahbubani, Los Angeles Times
Watching Russian Democracy in Action - Christopher Marcisz, Boston Globe
Putin's Political Prisoners - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal
Much Ado About Head Scarves in Turkey - Boston Globe editorial
Justice at Guantanamo - Washington Post editorial
Pelosi's Wiretap Offensive - Wall Street Journal editorial
Ban on 'Enhanced' Interrogation - Los Angeles Times editorial
'Rule of Law' Vulnerability - Bruce Fein, Washington Times
Churchill Takes Charge - Williamson Murray, The History Net
The Military vs. Marriages - Laura Dempsey, Washington Post

Iraq: An Agreement Without Agreement - Ackerman and Hathaway, Washington Post
Iraq: Remember Those Benchmarks? - Fred Barnes, Weekly Standard
The Neocons and Iraq - Peter Berkowitz, Wall Street Journal
Strains in the Army - International Herald Tribune editorial
Government Must Properly Equip the Troops - London Times editorial
Timor Reveals Gap in Aussie Defence - Greg Sheridan, The Australian
Death by Car Bomb in Damascus - Thomas Joscelyn, Weekly Standard
Europe: The Weak that Was - Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times
Benazir's Legacy - Mark Siegel, Wall Steet Journal
No Grandstanding on China, Please - Mark Leonard, London Times
Too Late to Boycott Beijing Olympics - London Daily Telegraph editorial
Dark South Africa - Wall Street Journal editorial
When Islam and the C of E Unite - Christopher Howse, London Daily Telegraph
Slouching to Sharia - New York Post editorial
Canada's 'Hate Police' - Jacob Sollum, New York Post
KSM, the Victim - Wall Street Journal editorial
McCain Drops the Torture Ball - Derrick Jackson, Boston Globe
The Torture Myth - Jonah Goldberg, New York Post
Obama Now Faces the Terror Test - Gordon Barthos, Toronto Star
Taking Aim at a Disabled Satellite - New York Times editorial
Mayor Fink vs. the Marines - New York Post editorial

Uri Avnery
Blood and Champagne

Paul Craig Roberts
Paying Insurgents Not to Fight

Gary Leupp
The Independence of Kosovo

Fidel Castro
The Moment Has Come

Was Syria involved in Mugnieh's death?

By Olivier Guitta


I just wrote an article for the Middle East Times on Syria's possible involvement in Hezbolla's Imad Mugnieh's death.
You can read the full article here.

Here is an excerpt:

February 12 marked a point against radical Islam. The killing of Hezbollah's mastermind and legend, Imad Mughnieh, in Damascus should be considered a great victory. The death of one of the most sophisticated and bloody terror masters that had been in "business" for 25 years makes the world a much better place, commented a U.S. State Department spokesman. The question remains: who is ultimately responsible for this?

Increasingly, it seems that maybe Syria was behind the attack. Indeed, on Feb. 17, Mike McConnell, the director of National Intelligence, told Fox News: "There's some evidence that it may have been internal Hezbollah. It may have been Syria."

Let's review the chronology of what allegedly occurred on Feb. 12.

First, according to the well-informed Kuwaiti daily al-Seyassah, Mughnieh was reported to have attended a high-level meeting called by the head of Syrian security services and Syrian President Bashar Assad's brother-in-law, Assef Chawkat. The other participants to that meeting included top Syrian leaders, representatives from Hamas (including its top leader Khaled Meshaal), Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah. The purpose of that meeting was allegedly to select the potential targets to strike in Arab countries, if the latter refused to participate in the Arab summit set for the end of March in Damascus. It was purportedly during that meeting that Mughnieh's car was booby-trapped.

February 19, 2008 11:46 AM Link

Extremism's Deep Pockets

By Michael Jacobson


I wrote a piece for the Yale journal "The Politic" on the state of US and international efforts to crack down on terrorist financing. The United States and its allies have made considerable progress in tackling terrorist financing since 9/11, but serious challenges have emerged.

As governments have cracked down on terrorist financing, the growing number of terrorist cells and organizations have found new ways to raise, store, and move funds. Keeping pace with these rapid changes is an uphill struggle for government bureaucracies. International cooperation on these issues also continues to decrease as 9/11 grows more distant. Additionally, in spite of some positive steps taken by the Persian Gulf countries, the region remains a key source of terrorist funds, and European efforts in this area are still uneven. Addressing all of these issues will be essential for continued success in combating terrorist financing.

To read the entire piece, click here:


February 19, 2008 02:59 PM Link

Cuba, North Korea and the Terrorism List

By Michael Kraft



Fidel Castro’s announcement that he is formally giving up power will eventually revive proposals that the U.S. Government should remove Cuba from the list of countries that support international terrorism. Although the Castro government has not sought removal from the terrorism list, North Korea has been seeking removal for several years as part of the price for being more forthcoming in the nuclear disarmament negotiations talks which resumed today.

Formal designation by the Secretary of State as a state sponsor of international terrorism for “repeatedly supporting acts of international terrorism,” triggers a variety of economic sanctions, including bans of foreign assistance, denial of tax credits for American individuals and companies earning income in terrorism list countries. It also requires 30-day advance notification to Congress (and possible opposition in Congress) of export licenses for dual use goods and services that could enhance the designated country’s military capability or ability to support terrorism.

These sanctions date back to the Export Administration Act of 1979 and the provisions (Sec. 6 (j) Congress enacted after learning that Commerce and State Department officials issued export licenses for tank transporter trucks for Libya and C-130 cargo planes for Syria despite those two country’s threats to their neighbors.

In any discussion of removing Cuba or North Korea from the terrorism list it is worth pointing out that Congress enacted procedures nearly two decades ago requiring that it be notified in advance, allowing time for the lawmakers to try to block the proposed move if they disagreed.

These procedures were laid out under the Anti-Terrorism and Arms Export Amendments Act of 1989 (ATAEAA, Public Law 101-222). The law was a Congressional reaction to the Reagan Administration’s removal of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq from the terrorism list in 1982 without informing Congress, even informally, in advance.