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| Current Topic: War on Terrorism |
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Ex-official tells of Homeland Security failures |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
12:29 pm EST, Jan 9, 2005 |
The government agency responsible for protecting the nation against terrorist attack is a dysfunctional, poorly managed bureaucracy that has failed to plug serious holes in the nation's safety net, the Department of Homeland Security's former internal watchdog warns. Asked what's wrong with the department, he said, "It's difficult to figure out where to start." Ex-official tells of Homeland Security failures |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
10:12 am EST, Dec 30, 2004 |
The US occupation of Iraq is a debacle not because the government did no planning but because a vast amount of expert planning was willfully ignored by the people in charge. Here is the inside story of a historic failure. Blind Into Baghdad |
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The Best Defense Is a Good Offense |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
7:11 am EST, Dec 27, 2004 |
Like the furor over improved armor for trucks and Humvees, the Mosul mess tent attack rouses the instinct to make force protection the immediate priority for United States forces in Iraq. No American wants Americans soldiers to be vulnerable. These instincts are wrong. The Best Defense Is a Good Offense |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
12:22 am EST, Dec 21, 2004 |
Osama bin Laden's newest audio message may be his scariest yet. Osama has embarked on a terrorist makeover of sorts. Think of it as al Qaeda's domino theory. The Iranian revolution caught us by surprise in 1979 and so could a Saudi Arabian uprising now. And Osama may be betting on it. On Sunday, NYT ran a Week in Review article about bin Laden. This is basically that same story, after having been run through the "NY Post"-ify filter. (For more on that sort of thing, see the Robert Lucky article, "Engineering Expressiveness", that I memed yesterday.) Osama's Plan B |
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Sizing Up the New Toned-Down Bin Laden |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
11:28 am EST, Dec 19, 2004 |
Counterterrorism officials and terrorist experts are listening closely and debating an important question: Is Mr. bin Laden committed to destroying America, or has he become more pragmatic, trying to begin a rational foreign policy debate about its presence in the Middle East and even appealing to Americans' pocketbooks? "He is tuned out by most Americans and Europeans, and it's begun to really annoy him." Sizing Up the New Toned-Down Bin Laden |
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10 Killed in Bombing in Quetta |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
8:45 am EST, Dec 14, 2004 |
A powerful bomb killed at least 10 people, 9 of them civilians, when it exploded Friday afternoon near an army truck parked in a crowded outdoor market in Quetta. The government now faces two separate security threats: one from religious militants, and the other from ethnic nationalists. It's a balancing act fueled by denial, as the one year anniversary approaches ... 10 Killed in Bombing in Quetta |
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Pakistan Denies CIA Is There Seeking bin Laden |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
8:40 am EST, Dec 14, 2004 |
Pakistani officials on Monday denied a report about the presence of a CIA search mission for the terrorist leader Osama bin Laden in their country, and they rejected the agency's conclusion that he was hiding in Pakistan's northwestern tribal area near the border with Afghanistan. Move along, folks; nothing to see here ... "Osama bin Laden has not been sighted in Chitral or any other part of Pakistan." Osama bin Laden has not been sighted at the 7 Eleven on Main Street, nor at the Quality Inn on 3rd Avenue, nor at the Public Library on Front Street, nor at the mosque in Riverside, nor at a screening of "Osama" at the Loew's in Times Square, ... I did not find O bin Laden,
I did not find him,
Pervez, I am I did not find him here or there
I did not find him anywhere Not in a box.
Not with a fox.
Not in a house.
Not with a mouse. (We all know how that story ends ...) Pakistan Denies CIA Is There Seeking bin Laden |
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A Hostile Land Foils the Quest for bin Laden |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
9:47 am EST, Dec 13, 2004 |
Prodded by the United States, Pakistan began an offensive along its northwest border this spring to flush out forces of Al Qaeda that had escaped from Afghanistan and to help find bin Laden. But after suffering heavy casualties and causing civilian deaths that stirred opposition, the Pakistani Army declared victory two weeks ago and announced that bin Laden was not in Pakistan. Many American intelligence officials are confident that he is, however -- and that he is as dangerous as ever. "Bin Laden is getting his logistical support from the tribes." Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan. A Hostile Land Foils the Quest for bin Laden |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
12:26 am EST, Dec 13, 2004 |
The US is fighting virulent tribalism as much as fundamentalism. Many people around the world prefer the tribal way of life. Americans comfort themselves with the thought that no other nation will be able to match our power for decades. The new Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Strategic Communication recognizes that "the United States is engaged in a generational and global struggle about ideas, not a war between the West and Islam." But it barely mentions the role of tribalism in that struggle. US forces are learning this the hard way -- on the ground. David Ronfeldt is a senior political scientist at the Rand Corporation and coauthor of "Networks and Netwars: The Future of Terror, Crime and Militancy." 21st Century Tribes |
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The Counterterror Coalition with Pakistan |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
8:41 pm EST, Dec 12, 2004 |
Pakistan's unwillingness to jettison its active role in supporting, training, guiding, and launching militant operations in Indian-held Kashmir and elsewhere directly challenges US interests in diminishing the capacity of terrorist organizations and degrading their force projection capabilities. One of the inescapable conclusions drawn from this work is that the intractable dispute over the disposition of Kashmir is and will remain a critical flashpoint between Pakistan and India and poses continual security challenges for the United States and the international community. There is little reason to be optimistic that this issue will be resolved any time soon. The Counterterror Coalition with Pakistan |
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