Ibid.

By Steve Schippert at 4:23 PM | Permalink | Feedback (1) | Referenced By (0)

Major John is among the astute observers noting interesting bits found within media reports that bring the ‘spontaneity’ of the riots into question.

One interesting note - the “protestors” seem to have a beef with the former King, of all people, as well as President Karzai.

Consider Bill Roggio’s first unofficial e-mail dispatch from Afghanistan, via Instapundit:

But there is plenty to do in Kabul, and I’ve already dug around a little bit about the violence in the city yesterday after a US vehicle killed 1 to 3 Afghans during a traffic accident. The consensus among the folks I spoke to is the protests after the accident were staged by groups waiting for such an event to happen. I made the comparison to the reaction by some Islamist groups in Afghanistan (and elsewhere) after the Muhammad Cartoon riots, where the “spontaneous protests” were anything but. there was agreement on this point. I will likely post about this tonight or tomorrow.

Has any of the media spoken to these people before filing their reports? If it is indeed a consensus, its absence from the reportage is curious, to say the least.

Consider that Afghanistan’s parliament now wants the U.S. troops prosecuted for the auto accident that is attributed to brake failure. If this is an orchestrated ‘riot’, it is having the desired effect.

This aspect must have both media and military investigative priority.

These men cannot be allowed to be prosecuted under an even bigger spectacle than the recent trial of the Afghani Christian convert. It was an accident.

The riot that ensued, however, was not. 20 dead, 160 wounded.

Who, precisely, is in trouble with the Afghan lawmakers?

By Steve Schippert at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Feedback (2) | Referenced By (0)

At MilBlogs, Capt. B offers two updates from Iraq, starting with “Patrols and Vigilance Keeping Insurgents at Bay in Gharmah”. Scroll down for “Darkhorse Marines Repel Attack, Maintain Vigilance”.

“Our guys on post saw a couple of the stores across the street shut down and a couple of cars dropped people off,” said Lance Cpl. Adam Wood, a grenadier. “That’s when the shooting started.”

The attack began with a rocket-propelled grenade to the second floor balcony of the Marine outpost. Every Marine in the house was alert and participating in the fight within moments of the first blast.

Capt. B is a good, frank writer who can also be found at his home, One Marine’s View.

By Steve Schippert at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

Seeing supply disruption on the horizon, Japan is seeking to diversify it’s oil supply away from Iran, according to an Iran Oil Gas Network report.

Imports from Iran tumbled 20 percent to 2.18 million kiloliters last month, bringing the decline to 14 percent for the four months ended April 30, according to Trade Ministry data. Japan brought in more oil from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the ministry said in a report released in Tokyo today.

Iran said it is pressing ahead with its uranium enrichment program in defiance of demands by the United Nations for a halt to the work. The U.S. said it suspects the research is a cover for building a nuclear weapon. Japan seeks to lessen the impact of any upset to supplies because it depends on imports for almost all the oil it needs to fuel the world’s second-largest economy.

“High dependency on Iran is a disadvantage” at the moment, Ken Koyama, senior research fellow at the Institute of Energy Economics Japan, said by phone. “Japan needs to think about ways to diversify its supply sources.”

Meanwhile, Japan has picked up the slack by increasing imports from Saudi Arabia and the UAE by 15% and 11% respectively. It is a long-term strategic move by Japan rather than a short term redress, as evidenced by a comment from a Mitsubishi executive.

“The tensions over Iran may ease a little but it won’t go away,” said Anthony Nunan, assistant general manager of international petroleum business at Mitsubishi Corp. in Tokyo.

By Steve Schippert at 9:55 AM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

From 1stLt Brian Donnelly, Multi-National Force-West Public Affairs Office:

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq – The bodies of two Marines missing as a result of a helicopter mishap in Al Anbar Province May 27 have been recovered.

The body of one Marine was recovered late on May 29 and the other was recovered today.

“Our thoughts are with the families of the Marines,” said Marine spokesperson Lt. Col. Bryan Salas.

The U.S. Marine Corps AH-1 Cobra helicopter from 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing went down May 27 with two Marines on board during a maintenance test flight.

The incident does not appear to be a result of enemy action.

The incident is under investigation.

By Steve Schippert at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

Be sure to check out this week’s The Advisor, which takes a look at the new Iraqi Government and more training for Iraqi forces, from leadership courses to SOS (Iraqi-style).

The Advisor is the weekly publication from the Multi-National Security Transition Command (Iraq) which takes a look at their ongoing efforts to help the Iraqi forces stand on their own. Lacking enough cordite, C-4 and IED’s to make the news of traditional media, The Advisor highlights the work performed day in and day out by American and Iraqi forces working together. It’s worth a look each week.

By Steve Schippert at 8:38 AM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

There is plenty of room for debate over precisely how to handle the diplomatic wrangling over the Iranian nuclear crisis. Yet, just as an IAEA without the teeth of the Security Council is feckless against such a determined actor, so too are diplomatic efforts with potential harsh consequences predisposed and discarded as unfiting options in any circumstance. It is one thing to not want war, which is a common sentiment among all who seriously understand the consequences thereof. It is entirely another to believe that this warfare as consequence is worse than any other option, which would likely include eventual warfare on the other’s terms and through their means. The removal of consequence reduces negotiations to gainful but meaningless employment for the actors involved. So it seems for Europe.

Consider a commentary appearing in Investor’s Business Daily, Neutralizing Tehran.

Last week, after meetings of the “six world powers,” the EU offered, in the words of a Reuters dispatch, to “drop the automatic threat of military action if Iran remains defiant.”

Ponder that for a moment. The EU says it will, in essence, do nothing, no matter what — other than, perhaps, put some feeble sanctions in place. Yet it somehow expects this will prod Iran to act.

The IBD column goes on in incredulous disbelief of the hollow logic employed, making other keen observations and crucial points. But those two paragraphs could easily be repeated over and over numerous times without aid of additional supporting argument and the argument put forth by the column would be no less effective.

If Europe were Management and Iran were an Auto Workers’ Union, the strike would have long been over…along with the solvency of the automaker and those employed by it. Just as with labor-management relations, international negotiations cannot be entered into from a voluntary position of weakness by either side.

Europe consistently cedes the most clearly understood position of strength. It’s not about whether you want war. The unrecognized irony is that the option of war is about whether or not you want negotiations to succeed.

By Steve Schippert at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Feedback (1) | Referenced By (0)

Recently, London’s Ken Livingstone played host to Venezuela’s strong-man president, Hugo Chavez. It was a star-studded gala event remeniscent of a Golden Globes ceremony, celebrating one of the world’s most energetic and virulent purveyors of anti-American venom. That made him an instant European elite crowd pleaser. And so, Red Carpet did he receive.

As David Paulin effectively illustrates in Hugo’s Broken Promises, his anti-American vitriol surely must be the sole draw that spellbinds the world’s Socialist Left like ‘Red Ken and Company’, because his record - by socialist standards - is not simply abyssmal, it has brought more harm to the people of Venezuela than help.

The left’s romance with the Chavez is like many imperfect romances: messy details about a person’s true nature are easily overlooked. The left blithely ignores Chavez’s three colossal failures: Poverty, crime, and corruption have worsened considerably on his watch.

David continues in relative depth, detailing the pre- and post-Chavez conditions of each category, effectively removing the illusion of Chavez’s Venezuelan socialist utopia.

In respect to corruption, Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency International recently ranked Venezuela a lowly 130 out of 159 countries in its annual survey of perceptions of corruption. This put it below countries such as Russia, Niger, and Sierra Leone.

Venezuela “was one of a dozen countries where more than half of respondents said this (corruption) had ‘greatly’ increased,” noted The Economist.

That Venezuela’s corruption deepened is ironic. Chávez evoked his outrage over corruption when justifying his coup against President Carlos Andres Perez.

Liberally supported by informative links, David Paulin’s effort is well written. Ken Livingstone himself would have a hard time navigating Hugo’s broken promises, each laid by a man whom Livingstone champions as “rescued from an illegal military coup by mass popular resistance.”

By Steve Schippert at 5:17 PM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, on the US Department of State’s Terrorist Organization List and principle source of suicide bombings that kill Israeli civilians, has four operational websites. One of them uses an Iranian host, which figures logically. Three of the four, however, use American Internet Service Providers to host their hatred.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad Internet sites and their Internet providers

The survey, which was conducted on May 22, found that only four of them were active . A comparison with the previous survey, held in December 2005, showed that www.qudsway.com, one of the organization’s two leading sites, still had the same Iranian ISP. Three other sites use ISPs in the United States.

We are a nation founded upon free speech, among other liberties. However, one of the consquences for being a civilian-murdering terrorist organization officially deemed such by the US State Department should be a denial of service in any form from American entities.

Conversely, the cost to American businesses and organizations for providing such services should be prohibitive or, if the order to cease is disregarded, financially terminal along with criminal liability.

Period.

The following American companies are currently providing hosting services for the PIJ:

SAVVIS Technologies, Town and Country, MO - (www.qudsnews.net)

Layered Technologies, Frisco, TX - (www.saraya.ps)

Liquid Web, Lansing, MI - (www.rabdallah.net)

Perhaps the above three American companies can provide clarification.

[NOTE: Site www.rabdallah.net no longer resolves.]

Reference Update:

Directly from the Department of State’s Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) list (see member #30):

Legal Ramifications of Designation 1. It is unlawful for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to a designated FTO. (The term “material support or resources” is defined in 18 U.S.C. � 2339A(b)(1) as “any property, tangible or intangible, or service, including currency or monetary instruments or financial securities, financial services, lodging, training, expert advice or assistance, safehouses, false documentation or identification, communications equipment, facilities, weapons, lethal substances, explosives, personnel (1 or more individuals who maybe or include oneself), and transportation, except medicine or religious materials.” 18 U.S.C. � 2339A(b)(2) provides that for these purposes “the term ‘training’ means instruction or teaching designed to impart a specific skill, as opposed to general knowledge.” 18 U.S.C. � 2339A(b)(3) further provides that for these purposes the term ‘expert advice or assistance’ means advice or assistance derived from scientific, technical or other specialized knowledge.’’

By Steve Schippert at 8:42 AM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

Two separate sets of violent protests are ongoing in Iran. The first set is from Azeris in the northwest of Iran, furious over a cartoon published in an Iranian State newspaper that depicted them as a cockroach. Over 100,000 have been in the protests that have been ongoing since the weekend.

The second set of protests, unrelated, come from student groups in Tehran and in Khuzistan near the Iraq border. Students in Tehran have set fires outside their dormatories and been in violent clashes with Iranian police and Basij.

For updates, see Gateway Pundit and Regime Change Iran.

By Steve Schippert at 5:25 PM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

As Lebanon strives for some semblance of unity, perhaps settling eventually simply for the absence of overt sectarian division, one of the hot topics is the disarmament of Nasrallah’s Hizballah or, potentially, Hizballah’s integration into the Lebanese national armed forces. Regarding the latter option, Omar Raad has written The Hizbollah Solution at Ya Libnan.

Saad refers to his effort as “a politically neutral solution to the Hizbullah dilemma.” An excerpt from near the conclusion follows.

One nation, one army

In alignment with the model employed by the Lebanese Army, the new influx of soldiers should be distributed throughout Lebanon to ensure a balanced mix of sectarian membership. Special attention should be given to ensure the proper use of relevant expertise, particularly to soldiers with specialized training, to spread knowledge transfer in other parts of the country.

Hizbullah’s troops will be laterally transferred into their respective equivalent positions. Officers will retain their equivalent rank based on the standards defined by the army.

It would be ideal for Lebanon and the region as a whole if this could be peacably achieved and Omar Saad’s open contribution to the Lebanese discourse (and others like it, regardless of view) should be applauded.

At the end of the day, unfortunately, Mr. Saad’s vision likely has little chance, especially considering the eternally militant and confrontational leadership of Hassan Nasrallah and Hizballah’s obligation to their masters, the IRGC and its ruling Iranian regime.

Even if the Iranian regime were to permit such an action, which they clearly will not, the likelihood of the Lebanese Islamists who constitute Hizballah will never surrender their arms nor command to a non-Islamic state guided at their own hand.

For Iran, Hizballah represents too much of an armed front against Israel for the mullahs to allow it to blend into and accept orders from a Lebanese state whose primary interest is not eventual open warfare with and the destruction of the Jewish State of Israel.

Omar Saad’s vision may be the ideal solution for Lebanon, but it is unfortunately not in the interests of Iran or their Hizballah foreign policy arm. Reality simply dictates otherwise.

(Note: It has been incredibly nice to watch Ya Libnan develop from a Lebanese Blog at BlogSpot barely one year ago providing Live Updates on the Lebanese Cedar Revolution into a well organized source of Lebanese news and views. Perhaps many have forgotten that it was the Information Revolution that made the Cedar Revolution possible through the flood of information and images, justly creating the worldwide furor that ensued rather than a forgotten 3-minute story on the nightly news, leaving the Lebanese to be forgotten and distanced.

Many cite various MilBlogs, political blogs and media blogs as the center of the blogging aspect of the Information Revolution. But to not cite Ya Libnan as one of the most important and impacting examples of a blog contributing to and shaping world events - and I mean next to any single site or blog - such an oversight can only be explained as ignorance. Not in a condescending manner, but literally just being unaware. Stop by and have a peek at a bit of history few understand. I Love Ya Libnan!)

By Steve Schippert at 4:14 PM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

While reading the latest Jerusalem Issue Brief by Nibras Kazimi, The Islamist Threat to Jordan, an interesting 2005 quote cited from London’s al-Hayat newspaper appears, suggesting an interesting (if not intriguing) cause to the rise in popularity of al-Qaeda in Iraq within Jordan.

Yet, even if there is an identity void in Jordan, what indicators are there that the extremism of Zarqawi would be welcome among Jordanians? A feature story appeared in Al-Hayat newspaper in August 2005 that described the “legendary status” of Zarqawi even among the Western-educated elite. He was something of a “popular hero” among the youth, who were enamored of the fact that one of their own had been propelled to such international prominence in the “struggle” against the American “occupiers” in Iraq. The article suggested that a combination of poverty, corruption, and lack of democracy contributed to the gradual but perceptible movement of Jordanian society toward extremism. The same newspaper in February 2006 highlighted the popularity of songs and video CDs glorifying the “resistance” to foreign occupation in both Iraq and Palestine that included footage of Hamas and Islamic Jihad operations against Israeli targets, and titles such as “The Battle of Fallouja.” These were briskly sold in downtown Amman, despite recurrent government raids aimed at confiscating them. In the time interval between these two features, Zarqawi struck at his home country. [Emphasis Added]

Interesting that, at least according to al-Hayat, the lack of democracy in Jordan fuels the popularity of anti-democratic Islamic groups like Zarqawi’s AQIZ.

Still reading, but thought that noteworthy enough to share.

By Steve Schippert at 9:58 AM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

Dan Darling has penned an important article at The Weekly Standard. In it, he politely asks why Iran’s links to al-Qaeda are being downplayed. Any energy spent on the links seem to be spent in the (public) effort to downplay them rather than investigate them.

As the Iran debate has progressed, a somewhat disturbing trend has emerged in which those who have previously warned of the dangers posed by Tehran have now sought to ignore or downplay these earlier statements. Perhaps this is because they are fearful of the prospect of a military confrontation with Iran and do not wish to be seen as supplying anything resembling a casus belli. This is essentially the reverse of what the Bush administration is accused of doing during the run-up to the war in Iraq, with information being presented selectively for the purpose of downplaying the Iranian threat. This seems unwise. […]

The status of (or the willingness to conduct) the investigation into the information unearthed by the 9/11 Commission is extremely relevant to the current Iran debate. If Iran, or its Hezbollah proxies, are shown to have assisted the transit al Qaeda members whose numbers included the future 9/11 hijackers—under what appear to be extremely curious circumstances—shouldn’t those facts be included in discussions over how to deal with Iran?

That is the rhetorical question of the fortnight from this position. The answer, of course, is logical. But the fact of the matter remains: The truth cannot be hidden from indefinitely.

We need to learn what that truth is and confront it as appropriate. If we have learned anything from September 11, it is that procrastination and avoidance are more deadly for us and empowering to those who would slaughter us than the alternative.

By Steve Schippert at 9:45 PM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

As Israeli Prime Minister Olmert visits Washington, Congress has passed the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006 just before the Prime Minister is set to address a joint session of Congress.

From Vital Perspective:

The legislation, which both Israeli FM Tzipi Livni and Ambassador Daniel Ayalon have voiced their support for, would instruct the State Department to cut ties with Palestinian Authority officials and restrict everything except humanitarian aid to the Palestinians and diplomacy with Palestinian Authority officials.

The proposed legislation would only allow for these contacts once Hamas renounced terror and recognized Israel. It would also instruct the Treasury Department to close down the Palestinian Authority missions in Washington and New York, though Bush could sign a waiver on the closures.

By Steve Schippert at 5:45 PM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

In ‘Milblogs’ Present Iraq War From Military Point of View, Army Major Michael Lawhorn has written for Fox News on MilBlog Conference 2006 that took place in April in Washington, DC. His story is full of quotes from MilBlogger attendees and panelists, large and small, and is one of the more comprehensive looks at the people, events and tone of that day to be found.

Major Lawhorn is himself a MilBlogger and, as he let ‘slip’ in a conversation we had in DC, he is an Army PAO currently holding “the best job in the world” as he is on a one-year assignment to FoxNews to learn the media industry from the inside. (I think he refered to it as a ‘dirty little secret’ and feared the Army might find out just how much he enjoys the assignment.)

I have to concur with his assessment. Kudos to the Army for the forsight of the assignment and, as a veteran, many thanks to FoxNews for embracing the military and sharing of knowledge and skills.

Major Lawhorn can be found blogging at Kosovodad: Proud to be a Soldier.

By Steve Schippert at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

As an accompanying thought to go along with today’s today’s InBrief on Hamas-Fatah tensions, there is an article today in Haaretz titled ‘Fatah expected to retaliate for Hamas attacks’ that contains a very key observation deserving more attention.

Hamas today is more popular than Fatah on the Gaza streets, but its security control is extremely limited: Its government has failed to subordinate the security services. Fatah also has a clear numerical advantage in the Gaza Strip: It has some 30,000 militants, compared to Hamas’ 3,000 to 5,000.

Although the struggles in Gaza are spreading and violent incidents occur daily, this is not a mass conflict. Incidents involve armed cells, not a populist struggle by thousands. The growing anarchy increases the concern of residents for their personal safety, which now comes before their concern over Israeli actions.

Often hesitant to use Haaretz beyond quoted figures within an article, this is an instance where there is no hesitation. The author is right on the money and ably and directly makes the point intended to be conveyed in today’s InBrief when it concluded:

There is indeed “real danger ahead” of the Palestinian people, but that danger comes less in the form of Israeli tanks and airstrikes than it comes from angry clashes between Fatah and Hamas factions in the streets and neighborhoods throughout Gaza and, potentially soon, the West Bank as well.

The ‘danger’ and the Palestinain people are clearly not one and the same.

By Steve Schippert at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Feedback (1) | Referenced By (0)

That is a question posed by a child to a good man while speaking to his son’s class of 4th graders after accompanying them on a field trip. Dadmanly’s response to Little Manly’s young classmate is one which I wish I could have seated more than a few not-so-young listeners for. Without ‘the scarey parts’ these ‘grown-ups’ have grown to identify with nearly exclusively, they may have perhaps then seen what is really happening - to and for whom - sans car bomb and quagmire redux.

Having met him at the MilBlogger Conference in DC, I can report to you that Dadmanly is a master communicator, humble to a fault and a consumate gentleman. Finish reading his post and you will appreciate the truth in both of these short paragraphs.

By Steve Schippert at 11:48 PM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

If there were ever doubt in anyone’s mind as to whether Hugo Chavez is as bad a leftist anti-American character as he is made out to be, here is irrefutable proof.

By Steve Schippert at 4:46 PM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

From the New York Post:

The FBI and Justice Department have launched urgent new probes in New York and other cities targeting members of the Lebanese terror group.

Law-enforcement and intelligence officials told The Post that about a dozen hard-core supporters of Hezbollah have been identified in recent weeks as operating in the New York area.

Sources said the activities of these New York-based operatives are being monitored by FBI counterterrorism agents as part of a nationwide effort to prevent a possible terror strike if the confrontation with Iran over its nuclear program spins out of control.

Additional law-enforcement attention is being centered on the Iranian Mission to the United Nations, where there have already been three episodes in the last four years in which diplomats and security guards have been expelled for casing and photographing New York City subways and other potential targets.

The article goes on to state that while there is no direct intelligence on an imminent attack, officials do say that they have “detected increased activity by Hezbollah operatives…”

Rather than be chided as alarmist, the counterterrorism actions should be lauded as good, vigilant and alert professionalism on behalf of those tasked with precisely that responsibility.

By Steve Schippert at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

We missed this from Michael Ledeen on Saturday (thankfully, Regime Change Iran did not).

Clearly seen in this video of Masour Osanlo are the fruits of his torture at the hands of the Iranian regimes. Osanlo was the leader of the bus drivers that went on strike recently in Tehran. Somehow, the habit of torture upon its own citizens just never seems to figure prominently into the admonitions handed the Iranians by the international community.

Ledeen’s frustration is clear…and it is shared.

But it seems otherwise impossible to convince Western leaders that we are confronting a monstrous evil, that seeks to destroy or dominate us by all possible means. The sort of horror you see on this video is repeated every day, sometimes leading to execution, sometimes to further sadism.

Secretary Rice: do you really believe you can negotiate with such people? Can it be right to curry favor with the European appeasers for the price of the systematic torture and murder of those Iranians who seek freedom?

President Bush: why have you not instructed your people to give vigorous support to the Iranian democratic opposition? what on earth are you waiting for?

Finally it seemed America had woken up - decades late - to finally support democratic change in Iran from within with President Bush’s call for $75M to fund various mechanisms of support for them. Perhaps it should have been clearer when the President accepted a whittled-down ~$50M package?

What are we waiting for? These are not calls for airstrikes.

By Steve Schippert at 8:34 AM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

Crossroads Arabia directs to an article in the Washington Post by CFR’s Rachel Bronson titled 5 Myths About U.S.-Saudi Relations. As she lists them, they are:

1) The U.S.-Saudi relationship is a bargain of oil for security.

2) The 9/11 hijackers undermined otherwise strong U.S.- Saudi ties.

3) The Bush family and the House of Saud are too close for comfort.

4) Washington can call the shots with the Saudis because the United States is all-important to them.

5) The House of Saud is about to collapse.

She also adds:

But the cleavages common before a revolution are not visible in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom is now aggressively pursuing terrorists on its soil, and reform-minded Saudis view King Abdullah as an ally.

Washington would be better off planning on the royal family enduring. It’s also the best chance Washington has to realize its oil and counterterrorism goals — and avoid alternatives that could be worse.

Note that she did not say ‘the’ reform-minded Saudis - as to imply that all of them are. Based on the evenhandedness of her approach throughout, this is not simply the absence of a small word.

There are many issues that can and should be taken up with the House of Saud (and they are). But before the American public grinds its teeth in seething anger, let’s not forget that, while 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis, those same Saudi hijackers could have easily turned planes into Riyadh. al-Qaeda is no friend of Saudi Arabia, either.

This is not to say that we should sit around the campfire lauding each others’ efforts combating the terrorism that seeks us both out in bloodlust.

This is to say that the relationship is quite necessarily complex. (Consider also that this comes from a man who cherishes clarity.)

This is also to say that Rachel Bronson’s is an excellent effort dispelling ‘5 Myths’ that circulate far too casually in American domestic political discourse among the men and women who cast ballots determining future American Foreign Policy, four years at a clip.

By Steve Schippert at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Feedback (1) | Referenced By (1)

So George Orwell penned. But in the history of our century past, “Some animals are more equal than others.”

The Belmont Club has an important post up regarding the further breakup of the former Yugoslavia in light of the latest from Montenegro’s apparent vote for independence from Serbia.

After quoting a newspaper, a blog and Wikipedia for context, Wretchard instinctively understands that three sentences are all that are needed for powerful commentary.

In a manner that John Lennon would have never uttered in his wildest dreams, Imagine…

By Steve Schippert at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

Steve links some of the commentary that has followed Amir Taheri’s report in the National Post that Iran’s Majlis has passed a law that would require Jews, Christians and Zorastrians to wear color coded identification stripes on their clothing. It’s worth reading Taheri’s report in full - 3 pages on the web.

The National Post reported that the Iranian embassy in Ottawa had denied that the law had been passed on Monday.

Whether or not it is true - it is believable and that alone is troubling. Should it be true - it is yet another sign of the consuming hatred the Iranian regime has for non-Muslims in general and specifically for the dreaded Jew. If confirmed it’ll also be a test of our worlds ability to recognize and, if necessary, prevent the early steps toward pograms and all the potential horror that might follow.

We - or at least I - have grown weary of the near silence from Muslim leaders and political figures around the world who need to stand, speak, write, and scream out against Iran’s yaumidden hungry and the terrorists we are fighting. If your faith means anything to you - as a Muslim - then your vocal denunciation of this and other forms of bigotry should be heard.

By Marvin Hutchens at 8:11 PM | Permalink | Feedback (3) | Referenced By (0)

Discussion over the new Iranian Hitler-esque Jewish badge initiative is springing up. And you thought the call to have Israel ‘wiped of the map’ stirred up a storm…

MilBlogs: Is “Never Again” Too Inconvenient Today?

The Jawa Report: Iran to Mark Non-Muslims Clothing

Wizbang: Iranian Law: Non Muslims Must Wear Colored Badges

Israpundit: Iran Wants To Renew The Yellow Badge Enforced Under Islam and Nazis

Free Republic: Iran eyes badges for Jews

This will have very serious consequences for Iran by solidifying Western resolve, no matter how Iran tries to explain it away in the coming hours and days.

By Steve Schippert at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Feedback (1) | Referenced By (0)

Saudi Arabia, the principal driver of Middle East Peace, has warned the United States against isolating Hamas.

U.S.-led efforts to isolate the Hamas-led Palestinian government could radicalize the Arab world’s most educated population and increased contact could foster peace with Israel, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Prince Saud al-Faisal said refusing to deal with Hamas and blocking pay for Palestinian doctors, teachers and engineers reflected a “twisted logic” that could alienate “the real supporters of the (Palestinian) peace movement.”

That doesn’t square much with this first-hand report that suggests quite the opposite among the Palestinian general population.

Islamic Jihad’s terror campaign has deepened the sense of crisis inside the Palestinian territories, which have lost billions of dollars in Western aid since Hamas came to power. Nominally responsible for policing their former partners in terror, Hamas officials have instead applauded the bombings. Their statements have fueled suspicions that Hamas is using Islamic Jihad as a surrogate for killing Israelis, and made it even more unlikely that the international community will rescue the bankrupt government. Security forces and other civil servants have gone unpaid for two months; internal checkpoints, blockades, and Israeli raids in the West Bank continue. And that may explain why, despite Hamas’s continued rhetorical support, the general public has begun to swing against Islamic Jihad and its suicide bombers.

Nevertheless, al-Faisal continued to press.

By denying pay for Palestinian professionals, “you’re adding radicalism to the rank and file of these people and you are not harming the government,” he said.

It most certainly is harming the Hamas-led government. Were it not, Hamas would not still be in the process of making the rounds throughout the region looking to replace the West’s funds with Arab and Persian funds. For it’s part, Saudi Arabia helps soften the blow al-Faisal denies is having any effect.

There is an elephant in the room, to be sure.

Since Saudi Arabia is committed to the Islamic political agenda, it should not surprise anyone that its pledges to the US contradict its real position regarding support for the Palestinian resistance and Hamas in particular. It has agreed to a large assistance package to the Palestinian Authority, which comes after the Arab League spearheaded the effort to unite the Arab world to fund Hamas under the banner of “saving the Palestinians”.

It does not take a rocket scientist to observe what Hamas does with the money it receives from Saudi Arabia and others who are quick to accuse the United States of “adding radicalism to the rank and file of these people” for their absent contributions.

The solution is not to channel funds to the Palestinians through non-governmental organizations, as the U.S., U.N., Europeans and Israel recently agreed to do. The solution is to continue to withhold funds until the Palestinians are compelled to sell their weapons, dissolve their militias and use international aid for the humanitarian assistance and economic development for which it was intended.

Bingo. With economic development, perhaps the Palestinian Territories and the Palestinians might actually become self-sufficient and not be forced to rely upon outside funds, including ironically those from her stated enemy, Israel.

By Steve Schippert at 12:09 AM | Permalink | Feedback (1) | Referenced By (0)

(VIDEO) - Hamas’ Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades have released a video in which a Star of David is seen engulfed in flames, and which contains calls for jihad “to liberate Palestine and Palestinians.”

[Note: Viewable in Internet Explorer only at time of this post.]

By Steve Schippert at 9:46 PM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

The NYTimes reports that the Bush administration is considering entering into negotiations with North Korea to end the Korean War (56 years after it began and 53 after the armistice agreement). Robert Mayer, of Publius Pundit, says that it shouldn’t come as a surprise and that it is part of a “new, huge diplomatic effort underway by the Bush administration in collaboration with other regional powers to show certain rogue regimes (i.e. North Korea & Iran) that they do not have to fear invasion.”

Tony Snow, now White House Press Secretary, says that there isn’t a change in policy and that “when North Korea comes back and participates in the six-party talks, then we can proceed.”

The truth is probably a bit of each. The White House is considering peace negotiations with the DPRK. This would, of course, require some conditions be met. Those conditions being the same sets of conditions that have long been an issue - perhaps including the nuclear issue, although with less of a requirement that it be resolved and more of a sense of progress.

As to the grand new strategy, from my viewpoint it doesn’t seem that there is a “new” strategy. We employ diplomacy first and foremost - until it fails - then and only then do we make war. But then, that’s not exciting enough for the NYTimes to print.

By Marvin Hutchens at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

Now blogging at the Counterterrorism Blog, Bill Roggio, will soon be in Afghanistan for his latest embed. Given the increasing levels of Taliban initiated violence in Iraq, it is likely that Bill’s reporting will coincide with the ratcheting up of coalition operations throughout the country.

If you’ve not sent along your best wishes (and thanks) or a donation to support Bill’s efforts and the Counterterrorism Foundation - I’m certain it would be appreciated still.

By Marvin Hutchens at 1:39 PM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

From Captain M.M. McClung of MNF-Iraq, news of continued operations against insurgents operating out of Haqlaniyah in northern al-Anbar province.

CAMP AL ASAD, Iraq – Coalition forces delivered precision munitions at an abandoned hotel in Haqlaniyah today, destroying it to deny its use as a support base from which insurgents can coordinate strikes against Coalition forces.

Coalition forces have delivered precision munitions at the same location multiple times since May 7 in response to repeated hostile insurgent activity.

This structure is a known location of insurgent activity.

For quick context on the type of activity seen there this month, see: Mortar Attack from the Hotel

Also Thursday, insurgents attacked U.S. Marines from an abandoned hotel in Haqlaniyah, 140 miles northwest of Baghdad, the U.S. military said. The Marines responded with small arms fire, a shoulder-fired rocket and an airstrike on the hotel. There were no U.S. casualties but one child suffered minor injuries, the military said.

By Steve Schippert at 8:41 AM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

There’s an elephant in the room. Rather than look around it, Hala Mustafa takes to staring it down, challenging those in the room to stop ignoring it. Reading Blaming Hamas Sidesteps Regional Realities once was not enough. I read it again. An excerpt:

Since Saudi Arabia is committed to the Islamic political agenda, it should not surprise anyone that its pledges to the US contradict its real position regarding support for the Palestinian resistance and Hamas in particular. It has agreed to a large assistance package to the Palestinian Authority, which comes after the Arab League spearheaded the effort to unite the Arab world to fund Hamas under the banner of “saving the Palestinians”.

Similarly, although Egypt signed the first peace accord with Israel and has played the role of mediator, its policy remains complex. Since a large part of the regime’s legitimacy is based on its support of the Palestinian cause, it is fully dedicated to the “legitimate” national armed resistance. So, while the Muslim Brotherhood is banned in Egypt, the regime gave full political recognition to Hamas — which is part of the Brotherhood’s transnational network — even before the Palestinian legislative elections were held.

Accordingly, the “Egyptian-led mediation” has always revolved around reaching a truce between Israelis and Palestinians — which remained fragile — or, more recently, betting on giving Hamas time in order to preserve the regional status quo. This position is reflected continuously through the single voice of the state-controlled press and media which exclude any divergent views or opinions on this issue. Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, recently admitted in an Arabic-language interview: “Egypt has never pushed Hamas to recognise Israel.” In light of this, it cannot be said that Hamas contradicts the mainstream policies of Arab governments, either radical or moderate.

For commentary on Mr. Mustafa’s editorial effort, I borrow Judith Kilinghoffer’s words.

There is nothing new in his argument. It is one I have made many times over the years. What is new is to have it made by a member of the Egyptian establishment such as an editor of the semi-official Al Ahram. What is important is the reason he made it. He recognized that reform agitation will fail again unless the opposition is willing to go after “the sacred cow” of Arab politics which is the Palestinian issue.

Ibid.

By Steve Schippert at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

This should be required reading.

Reign of Terror - Inside Islamic Jihad

…And that may explain why, despite Hamas’s continued rhetorical support, the general public has begun to swing against Islamic Jihad and its suicide bombers.

Ibrahim Ajami says that he tried to give his son, Suheib, a normal life. In the waning days of the intifada, with Hamas in power and the tehdiya in place, Ajami believed that the lure of militancy had faded for the young people of Attil, the Palestinian village where he lives. Ajami, a blacksmith, encouraged his son to finish his studies at the local high school and the teenager seemed headed for a career as a nurse. But Luay Al Sadi, a veteran militant from Attil, was quietly recruiting village teenagers into an Islamic Jihad cell.

On July 14, 2005, an 18-year-old classmate of Suheib’s named Ahmed Sameh strapped on a suicide belt, penetrated the security barrier, and blew himself in Netanya, killing five Israelis. “Suheib could not believe that Ahmed would do such a thing,” his father told me. “He said, ‘Is he crazy? What is the reason? What happened to him?’” But shortly afterward, Suheib began spending evenings and Friday afternoons with the 18- and 19-year-old recruits of Islamic Jihad. “I warned him, this track you are following is a bad track, it will lead to bad things,” Ajami said.

In October, Luay Al Sadi was killed in the Tulkarem refugee camp by Israeli commandos dressed as Arab women. “Suheib’s reaction was severe,” his father said. Two months later, he approached a checkpoint leading from Tulkarem to Israel. His behavior aroused the troops’ suspicion. When they asked him to remove his shirt, he blew himself up, killing two Palestinian bystanders and an Israeli soldier.

Four years ago, at the height of the intifada, 75 percent of the Palestinian population supported suicide bombings, according to polls, and the perpetrators were celebrated in songs and videos that played constantly on Palestinian television. But the mood is different now. Suheib Ajami received the obligatory martyr’s funeral in Attil, and local dignitaries paid homage at the gravesite, but there was little glamour attached to his death.

That’s the heart of the article written by Joshua Hammer. But read it in its entirety. (The original is here.)

The Pressure is working and the people are tiring of the cost of Hamas leadership. Just in the nick of time, enter the EU to fund them back to popular support.

Fortitude lost.

By Steve Schippert at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)

Now that’s a good question.

[Note to self: Stop asking questions.]

By Steve Schippert at 10:07 PM | Permalink | Feedback (0) | Referenced By (0)