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Posts Tagged 9/11
The 9/11 Anniversary and What Didn’t Happen
Posted by Brian in Opinion, Threat Watch on 20/Sep/2010 15:10
The 9/11 Anniversary and What Didn’t Happen is republished with permission of STRATFOR.
By Scott Stewart
Sept. 11, 2010, the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, was a day of solemn ceremony, remembrance and reflection. It was also a time to consider the U.S. reaction to the attack nine years ago, including the national effort to destroy al Qaeda and other terrorist groups in order to prevent a repeat of the 9/11 attacks. Of course, part of the U.S. reaction to 9/11 was the decision to invade Afghanistan, and the 9/11 anniversary also provided a time to consider how the United States is now trying to end its Afghanistan campaign so that it can concentrate on more pressing matters elsewhere.
The run-up to the anniversary also saw what could have been an attempted terrorist attack in another Western country. On Sept. 10 in Denmark, a potential bombing was averted by the apparent accidental detonation of an improvised explosive device in a bathroom at a Copenhagen hotel. The Danish authorities have not released many details of the incident, but it appears that the suspect may have been intending to target the Danish Jyllands-Posten newspaper, which has been targeted in the past because it published cartoons featuring the Prophet Mohammed in 2005. Groups such as al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have tried hard to ensure that the anger over the cartoon issue does not die down, and it apparently has not. It is important to note that even if the perpetrator had not botched it, the plot — at least as we understand it so far — appears to have involved a simple attack plan and would not have resulted in a spectacular act of terrorism.
Yet in spite of the failed attack in Denmark and all the 9/11 retrospection, perhaps the most interesting thing about the 9/11 anniversary in 2010, at least from an analytical perspective, was what did not happen. For the first time, the al Qaeda core leadership did not issue a flurry of slick, media-savvy statements to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. And the single statement they did release was not nearly as polished or pointed as past anniversary messages. This has caused us to pause, reflect and wonder if the al Qaeda leadership is losing its place at the ideological forefront of the jihadist cause. Read the rest of this entry »
9/11 and the 9-Year War
Posted by Brian in Opinion, Threat Watch on 8/Sep/2010 15:40
9/11 and the 9-Year War is republished with permission of STRATFOR.
By George Friedman
It has now been nine years since al Qaeda attacked the United States. It has been nine years in which the primary focus of the United States has been on the Islamic world. In addition to a massive investment in homeland security, the United States has engaged in two multi-year, multi-divisional wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, inserted forces in other countries in smaller operations and conducted a global covert campaign against al Qaeda and other radical jihadist groups.
In order to understand the last nine years you must understand the first 24 hours of the war — and recall your own feelings in those 24 hours. First, the attack was a shock, its audaciousness frightening. Second, we did not know what was coming next. The attack had destroyed the right to complacent assumptions. Were there other cells standing by in the United States? Did they have capabilities even more substantial than what they showed on Sept. 11? Could they be detected and stopped? Any American not frightened on Sept. 12 was not in touch with reality. Many who are now claiming that the United States overreacted are forgetting their own sense of panic. We are all calm and collected nine years after.
At the root of all of this was a profound lack of understanding of al Qaeda, particularly its capabilities and intentions. Since we did not know what was possible, our only prudent course was to prepare for the worst. That is what the Bush administration did. Nothing symbolized this more than the fear that al Qaeda had acquired nuclear weapons and that they would use them against the United States. The evidence was minimal, but the consequences would be overwhelming. Bush crafted a strategy based on the worst-case scenario. Read the rest of this entry »
A Soldier’s Perspective: USS Cole Victims Spat Upon
Posted by Jack Sinclair in Opinion on 2/Sep/2010 19:31
“In 2000, I made a conscious decision to change my field of specialty within the Army. The catalyst for that decision was the murder of 17 Sailors on the USS Cole in the Port of Aden. In 1998, hundreds of people were killed in the embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.
Two years prior to that, 19 more servicemembers were killed by Islamic terrorists. When the USS Cole was bombed, I made a conscious decision to stay in the military (I was contemplating getting out) and change my specialty to be in a position where I could make a difference in stopping these attacks. While I was in school, 9/11 happened, confirming I had made a good decision.
The hardest part of this job is the politics that goes into fighting terrorism, especially these days. The country seems to have lost focus and forgotten about all the events leading up to 9/11.
We seem to have forgotten all the events SINCE 9/11 as well: the Bali nightclub attack that killed over 200, the Beslan school hostage crisis that killed nearly 400, 53 killed in London subway attacks, over 200 killed in Mumbai train bombings, the “shoe bomber”, the Fort Hood massacre, the Arkansas recruiter shooting…I could go on and on and on about Islamic terrorism. And yet, our country just doesn’t get it. We continue to play politically correct and pretend that either we aren’t at war with Islam or Islam isn’t at war with us!
The fact that an extremist Muslim cleric wants to flaunt his people’s attacks on 9/11 by opening an “Islamic Cultural Center” near ground zero and on the anniversary of the attacks is seen as okay by some!”
Ground Zero Mosque Imam Rauf: ‘New York is the capital of the world and this location close to 9/11 is iconic.’
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News on 20/Aug/2010 21:04
Imam Rauf
Robert Spencer, the JihadWatch blogger:
“The idea here that will be widely understood is that this mosque is another triumphal mosque, another victory mosque [like] the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the site of the Temple Mount and the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus,” Spencer told WND today.
“The reason for the interest in this property in particular is its iconic status in relation to the 9/11 attacks. This is something the Imam Rauf has said himself. It’s not something I’m attributing to him,” Spencer explains.
“In his own words he said, ‘New York is the capital of the world and this location close to 9/11 is iconic.’ He was happy that his mosque would be at the site of the building [where] the wreckage fell on 9/11,” Spencer said.
The 30-Year War in Afghanistan
Posted by Brian in Opinion, Threat Watch on 1/Jul/2010 15:24
This report is republished with permission of STRATFOR
By George Friedman
The Afghan War is the longest war in U.S. history. It began in 1980 and continues to rage. It began under Democrats but has been fought under both Republican and Democratic administrations, making it truly a bipartisan war. The conflict is an odd obsession of U.S. foreign policy, one that never goes away and never seems to end. As the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal reminds us, the Afghan War is now in its fourth phase.
The Afghan War’s First Three Phases
The first phase of the Afghan War began with the Soviet invasion in December 1979, when the United States, along with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, organized and sustained Afghan resistance to the Soviets. This resistance was built around mujahideen, fighters motivated by Islam. Washington’s purpose had little to do with Afghanistan and everything to do with U.S.-Soviet competition. The United States wanted to block the Soviets from using Afghanistan as a base for further expansion and wanted to bog the Soviets down in a debilitating guerrilla war. The United States did not so much fight the war as facilitate it. The strategy worked. The Soviets were blocked and bogged down. This phase lasted until 1989, when Soviet troops were withdrawn. Read the rest of this entry »
Proposed Muslim Centre near 9/11 Site Protested in NYC
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Opinion on 23/Jun/2010 23:36
“Is it disrespectful to the citizens of New York City to build a Muslim centre? Atlas Shrugged blogger & “birther” Pamela Geller doesn’t want a proposed centre/mosque built near Ground Zero, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg does.”
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/proposed-muslim-centre-near-9-11-site-protested-nyc-video
Does it really matter whether you call it a community centre or a mosque? Sure it does. A community center sounds so…nice…and innocent.
But first, forgive me for this little detour: yeah, it looks like many Americans do object to a proposed centre/mosque built near Ground Zero – does the fact that some of those objecting are “birthers” make their objections to this “community center” any less valid? And will politicians hear those concerns or dismiss them as the ranting of “birthers”?
Tip: if you want to minimize the impact of a group that disagrees with you, come up with a name to mock them and do everything you can to ridicule them. This way you won’t have to actually answer any questions.
(And no, I’m not going to waste your time discussing the “birther” issue, it doesn’t even matter which side of that little shouting match I lean towards. Mostly I’m just getting tired of the name calling. I was tired of it in first grade, and it’s especially tiring when adults use that juvenile tactic rather than making a case for their opposing view.)
Now back to my initial comment:
How stupid do they think we are?
Oh, Gee, Golly, isn’t it Swell that this nice Egyptian Guy is getting into “community development” and helping our city? He’s not trying to Islamicize anybody. Gosh, no – he’s a “community developer”. Maybe he’ll help us fundamentally change America.
Tip: if you want to minimize the impact of a group that disagrees with you, come up with a name to mock them and do everything you can to ridicule them. This way you won’t have to actually answer any questions.
And, regarding the “community center”:
“Look, we’re building this big, beautiful statue of a horse. Go ahead, drag it inside your city. It’s a monument. See? We really can get along. You’re big and strong, relax, you don’t need to worry – why would you think you need to worry about a statue of a horse? Look at it, what a beautiful monument…”
BTW: you’re not paranoid if someone really is out to get you.
The movie Hollywood doesn’t want you to see
Posted by Jack Sinclair in Threat Watch on 20/Jan/2010 21:16
This movie is so controversial that “The Detroit Free Press refused a paid deal to distribute free educational copies of the acclaimed DVD to its subscribers.”
Even though it had been “awarded Best Feature Film at the Liberty Film Festival and a Special Jury Award at the WorldFest Houston.”
“Using actual video footage from Arabic TV rarely seen in the West, [the movie] “Obsession” documents the calls for world domination and global jihad made by Islamic leaders daily. No need to read between the lines here—their message is loud and clear.”
“The undercover footage shows suicide bomber initiations, the indoctrination of young children into hate and violence, secret jihad meetings and public celebrations of 9/11.”
“And yet, “Obsession” has become “the movie Hollywood doesn’t want you to see,” due to the fact that despite overwhelming public interest, no distributor was willing to pick up the film for release because of its controversial nature.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMLJJEDDDGc