Compilation by Kevin Homiak, MEMG Correspondent in the Middle East
Counterterrorism BLOG: Is Iraq the "Central Front" on the War On Terror?
When the Bush administration made the fateful decision in 2003 to open an active military frontline in Iraq, for many Al-Qaida supporters, the experience was not unlike witnessing the fulfillment of divine prophecy. Former White House counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke would later write in his memoirs, "It was as if Osama bin Laden, hidden in some high mountain redoubt, were engaging in long-range mind control of George Bush, chanting 'invade Iraq, you must invade Iraq.'" Given the opportunity to confront an aggressive American invasion of the Islamic world, Bin Laden would "become a hero in the minds of people," explained noted Saudi jihadi ideologue Dr. Saad al-Faqih to me over cups of sweet black tea shared at his suburban London flat. "It is a golden opportunity for them, for the American, for the infidel—the invading infidel—to be in his [military] uniform in a Muslim country, in an Arabic country even"... (Counterterrorism Blog).
Full Article: http://counterterrorismblog.
BLOG American Footprints: Gone Til November, January, March
Marc Lynch provides an update regarding the status of the provincial elections that were slated for October 1, but which have long seemed destined for a delay. According to various news outlets cited by the Aardvark, the elections will likely be pused back to December - or perhaps some time in 2009 - due to the fact that the Iraqi government has not even been able to pass the law governing those elections yet. No surprise here: the debate over the election law is, in many ways, a microcosm of the larger debate concerning Iraq's future, and each of the various factions' roles in it, and so the process is being contested pretty strenuously by various actors... (American Footprints).
Full Article: http://americanfootprints.com/
Small Wars Journal BLOG: Is Counterinsurgency the Graduate Level of War?
Is Counterinsurgency the Graduate Level of War? Some Random Thoughts on COIN Today I have to respectfully disagree with the assertion that "counterinsurgency is the graduate level of war." Despite being an avid believer in and advocate of COIN (and FID and UW) for most of my nearly 30 year career I still believe that that the graduate level of war has to be full spectrum and those that are practicing the graduate level of war are those that can shift between major combat operations and stability operations and when necessary assist a friend, partner, and ally in the conduct of COIN. Now that everyone is chasing the shiny (but not really) "new" thing (COIN) and calling it the graduate level of war I it think is disparaging to our great general purpose forces out there who are still going to be required to conduct major combat operations in some form or fashion and will have to be able to combine those operations with stability operations once the battle is won... (SWJ Blog).
Full Article: http://smallwarsjournal.com/
BLOG Jihadica: Scheuer and the Salafi Stew
In a new Jamestown article, Michael Scheuer has refined some of the arguments he made in May in response to the al-Qaeda-is-almost-defeated meme that has been going around since April. He and I had a brief exchange about it here (look in the comments), so I won't reprise all of it. But I do want to offer a counterpoint to his remarks on Saudi Arabia and Salafis.In his new article, Scheuer asserts that the Western press has bought the idea that al-Qaeda is near defeat. Journalists, he says, have bought it because some Islamist ideologues who previously supported al-Qaeda have criticized the organization. (Scheuer calls these criticisms "recantations," but only a few of the people he mentions have recanted)... (Jihadica).
Full Article: http://www.jihadica.com/
BLOG 3arabawy: "I felt like I had died" - Mohamed Maree's account of his detainment and torture
Mohamed Maree speaks to Sarah Carr about his ordeal…Mohamed Salah Marei is a 23-year-old student in his fourth year of veterinary science at Mansoura University who doesn't really want to be a vet."I wanted to study political science, but my father was determined that there should be at least one person in the family able to call himself doctor." Marei will be repeating the last university year in the coming academic year: In June, when he should have been taking his exams, he was being held in political detention in Alexandria's Borg El-Arab Prison.His crime was working as an interpreter for American journalist James Buck in Mahalla last April. On April 6 and 7, violent clashes broke out between demonstrators protesting increasing food prices and security bodies, who rights groups accuse of using heavy-handed policing methods... (3arabawy).
Full Article: http://arabist.net/arabawy/
BLOG American Footprints: Gary Sick: Bolton is Right
Former NSC member Gary Sick posted the following to a private professional list-serve, with permission to cite and duplicate. It seems of interest to American Footprints readers. As usual, John Bolton is absolutely right. His policy prescriptions may be reckless to the point of foolishness ("When in doubt, bomb!"), but his understanding of what is happening in Washington policy (as outlined in his op-ed in the Wall Street Journal yesterday) is unerringly accurate.While much of the world was hyper-ventilating over the possibility that the United States (and maybe Israel) were getting ready to launch a new war against Iran, Bolton was looking at the realities and concluding that far from bombing the US was preparing to do a deal with Iran. He had noticed that over the past two years the US had completely reversed its position opposing European talks with Iran... (American Footprints).
Full Article: http://americanfootprints.com/
Counterterrorism BLOG: Seven Years Later and Still Not Prepared?
A series of reports and hearings in Washington last week, reported in CQ Homeland Security, were discouraging indications of how unprepared the U.S. still is in so many areas, almost seven years after the 9-11 attacks:
1. The law passed in 2007 which codified the 9/11 commission's recommendations included two sections intended to protect the nation from natural or man-made biological threats by establishing a new office and setting deadlines by which to measure progess. But implementation of the new office, as well as improvements in detection technology to be used in a nationwide early-warning bio-terror program, are missing important deadlines... (Counterterrorism Blog).
Full Article: http://counterterrorismblog.
