Offensives Throughout Afghanistan

Graphic source: The Long War Journal

In some of the worst and violent anti-government activity to date, Afghan and Coalition forces launched separate offensives throughout most of the insurgency-plagued areas of Afghanistan: Badghis, southwestern Farah province and central Uruzgan province, southeastern Zabul province; Kapisa province, and in the provinces of Kandahar and Helmand.

June 2008 Order of Battle

Graphic source: The Long War Journal

Events have gone so well in Iraq after the surge I've only listed the significant weaknessess as noted by the best accounts of ground action as reported by The Long War Journal.

Significant weaknesses are:

• Logistics and intelligence are weak.

• The army will not start to aquire its first field artillery until 2009.

• Additional corps and support elements are being built and is needed for current force, but the force does need further expansion of line elements. The Iraqi Security forces are currently adding their fourth corps level joint command, Anbar Operational Command.

• Major increases in armored vehicles, especially tanks, are needed.

• The Iraqi Air Force is a decade from independence. It takes two years to train a pilot compared to only three months for an infantryman.

Military Occupation and a Positive Precedent by the Heroic Generation

The Iraq fiasco has been widely lamented although similar situations

have worked out more positively and provides a precedent for the nay-sayers to consider.

Lucius Clay states:

This government was established under Military Government and it was timely that our remaining task in Germany be transferred to civil authroity. An occupying army had taken the lead in restoring self-responsibility to the German people and in encouraging the formation of democratic government. It was something of which the Army could be proud and which might well set a valuable historical precdeent.

The U.S. military has been a successful occupation force after an invasion in the case of both Germany and Japan that Richard J. Barnet admirably describes.

So what did the heroic generation have that we don't have? Clay describes the difficulty of seizing, managing, and making productive a key industry. In Germany it was the energy resources and in Iraq its oil. He makes it crystal clear that no opposition would be tolerated and notes small examples of resistance that were crushed. The problems of post-war construction were as seemingly as insurmountable as an unilaterally-governed Iraq but Germany was perhaps an even more intractable situation. The additional complication that Clay resolved was multilateral governance in particular given the truculence of the French and of course the hostility of the Russians. Religion was given free reign and Clay was reluctant to interfere in this matters with the U.S. belief that government should be neutral in religious matters.

One main accomplishment may be noted Iraq with the emergence of Maliki and somewhat competent government. This is a recent positive goal that I thought nearly impossible just over a year ago. We are on the right track.

One other striking difference is true in contrasting Germany and Iraq. The incredible good will and personal involvement by ordinary Americans is almost completely absent today. There has been a dearth of activity by ordinary Americans in outreach and in humanitarian efforts and without this type of personal interest it is no wonder that Iraqis find it difficult to believe that Americans have strong values. Democracy does not flourish without involvement and Americans in many ways participate much less in their own democratic affairs much less take an interest in exporting democracy elsewhere. We do not have the leaders of the heroic generation nor do we have the same quality of Americans who would not consider themselves heroic but more simply just being who and what they are.

Anonymous Commentators Weigh In On Latest OLPC

What's an educator to do? On the one hand, we have the gushy optimism of Mike Elgin, technology evangelist, who tells us the OLPC's latest incarnation will transform the world. On the other hand, there are all those nasty commentators who immediately dissed the project. I quote them (anonymously):

Submitted June 6, 2008 - 08:09.

I think the OLPC 2.0 is what the UMPC's should be. I agree, it is the future of notebook computers and computing in general. Even if it costs $200, IMO - it will be worth it.
future?

Submitted June 6, 2008 - 08:32.

A few years back the floppy drive on a laptop the school owned failed. I contacted the maker and was told 750.00 for the floppy drive replacement. That was excessive so I purchased a recertified one from a firm in Tx. That floppy drive also failed in about 45 days. I called the firm in Tx and I was told that there was only a 30 day warranty on the 500.00 recertified drive. They decided not to replace the floppy and instead upgrade the memory. The memory upgrade cost close to 750.00. Then they passed the laptop off on another user who promptly called me and wanted the floppy drive replaced. I told them about the money already spent and they still wanted the floppy drive replaced. I found another floppy drive from another vendor in Ca. and that only was 450.00 but that floppy lasted longer then the recertified one and it had a year warranty.

Submitted June 6, 2008 - 08:44.

Give up the mouse and an actual keyboard? I wonder how long that will last...

Submitted June 6, 2008 - 08:47.

I suspect that as long as people continue to use tactile -- and therefore separate -- keyboards, they will continue to use some physical mouse equivalent distinct from the screen. A mouse near the keyboard rather than a foot away on the screen is much more ergonomically acceptable and faster to use. Therefore I do not expect the mouse to disappear before the keyboard.

But in a few decades I don't expect separate keyboards to be common at all. Rather, I think vocal or subvocal speech recognition or some other more direct technology will have replaced using the fingers to enter text one letter at a time.

Submitted June 6, 2008 - 10:23.

The OLPC is probably a footnote at this point in time. Why?

They decided to, effectively, abandon their revolutionary Sugar OS for--Microsoft. This has resulted in a loss of support from the FOSS community and necessarily changes a unique, hardware-light foray into new territory into an underpowered just-another-box.

It's clear that our entire model has to change to give us anything really new--face it, a programmer or user from 1950 would recognize today's character-by-character keyboard entry. A mouse wouldn't be any real shocker, either.

But the entire paradigm of Windows is going to be a real stretch to a kid in the third world--which was a major premise of Sugar.

One step forward, two steps back.

The comments indicate an immediate, visceral reaction on the part of people who have vocal, detailed, and emotional responses; and yet, the original inspiration and dream of the project is a sound humanitarian, and fascinating endeavor.

What is the reality?

The OLPC project is a wonderful dream and a worthwhile project that I've been interested in consistently over time. If the aims of the OLPC group could be realized it would be a fabulous accomplishment. The commentators have sound points to make though. The project never realized its cost limitations and a healthy part of their vision was lost with the decision to abandon open source technology.

While we debate whether the glass is half empty or half full the kids who could benefit from the technology are helped enormously. That is why I remain hopeful that at least some of the less grandiose but realistic plans of the OLPC project can be realized.

The different modes of the next-gen OLPC laptop.

Graphic source: One Laptop per Child

International Examples of Counter-Terrorism

The balance in the war on terrorism is vigilance tempered by a respect for civil rights. This is not the case worldwide. Foreign Affairs ran an interesting piece about the worst places to be a terrorist.

France is repressive but not for the reasons that the journal notes. It is true that France first dealt with international terrorism with the Algergian situation in the 1950s. The real reason France has effective prosecutions though is that the Napoleonic tradition is more prosecutorial as opposed to English common law in the first place. Not surprisingly, in the war on terror France is a bad place to be a terrorist.

Jordan has enjoyed one of the quietest experiences, and lack of terrorist activities despite its easy access to some of the world's worst places for terrorism, but at what cost? The November 2005 al Qaeda hotel bombings in Amman provoked King Abdullah II so much that he has stopped the infiltration of terrorists from neighboring Iraq and Syria. Jordan’s intelligence service, the General Intelligence Department, is close to Sunni tribes in Iraq’s Anbar province. It also has a first-rate specidal forces unit and special operations training center.

Egypt has also been one of the most adamant about shutting down terrorists but for the U.S. our relationship with Egypt has done little other than providing terrorists with another reason to despise the U.S. The Muslim Brotherhood began in Egypt, and they have directly confronted the Egyptian Islamic Jihad so the country is no stranger to its dangers. Hosni Mubarak ruthlessly represses terrorist activity routinely tortures prisoners.

Singapore, 15% Muslim, has effectively combatted regional terrorist groups such as the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah. Since 2003 though the government aimed to rehabilitate arrested militants with volunteer clerics who counsel detainees and rebut extremist arguments. This is a potential area for the U.S., who is reportedly studying the idea, to explore more fully.

Russia has brooked no opposition since Vladimir Putin rose to the fore and counterinsurgency and counterterrorism have been his forte. Russia has ruthless attacking terrorists in Chechnya. Oddly, they promoted former rebel Ramzan Kadyrov to the presidency of the now largely peaceful region. The Russian tactics include the sacrifice of civilians if need be when attacking terrorists which would not work for Americans. Next to the largely pacified Chechnya, the neighboring regions of Dagestan and North Ossetia remain hotbeds for militants.

The U.S. can learn little from other countries and has to prosecute terrorists with fervor while protecting American liberties. This is no easy task and the road is long and difficult. None of the areas that are troublesome for terrorists provide a legal framework for the United States to build on. We are more concerned with the liberty of citizens, the safety of hostages, and even when dealing with international terrorists, we are more adamant to rule with the law than the governments of these nations are. Singapore provides the only possibility of a place where the U.S. could learn a thing or two.

More Iraqi Refugees Enter U.S.

The U.S. accepted 1,141 Iraqi refugees in May which is the most the U.S. has taken in one month. 4,742 Iraqi refugees have entered the U.S. since the fiscal year began in October. May's number was more than half of the total for all of 2007: 1,608. But the U.S. needs to accept about 7,200 more Iraqi refugees over the next four months to meet the State Department's goal of 12,000 that I've noted before.

Extreme IT On the Frontlines: Literally

IT support in Afghanistan (clockwise from upper left): Specialist Wood tests a satellite communications trailer before deployment to a combat outpost in Afghanistan; PFC Cuellar configures a server in a remote forward operating base; two soldiers install a phone box; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Hooser tests one of the small satellite terminals used throughout Afghanistan.

Graphic source: Computerworld

Computerworld ran an article entitled, "Extreme IT: Battling dust, heat and bombs in Afghanistan and Iraq." The picture provides a sample of how the troops are coping with the extreme IT conditions on the ground. This is really inspirational about how IT professionals, as soldiers, are coping with conditions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Ohio Man Guilty in Bomb Plot

Christopher Paul, 43, of Columbus, Ohio, is accused of plotting to bomb European tourist resorts and overseas U.S. military facilities and pled guilty to a single terrorism charge as part of a deal that could result in a 20-year prison sentence, according to federal court documents. Graphic source: AP Photo/Franklin County Sheriff's Office

Paul joined al-Qaida in the early 1990s and taught fellow Muslims to bomb U.S. and European targets. Paul is a U.S. citizen born and raised in Ohio. He was indicted in April 2007 and had been set to go to trial early next year. In 1999 Paul traveled to German to train members of an alleged terrorist cell knowing the group planned to make bombs and car bombs to use against Americans vacationing at overseas tourist resorts. The German group also planned to use bombs against Americans in the United States and against overseas U.S. facilities. The Justice Department had also accused Paul and two other men of discussing terrorist attacks during an August 2002 meeting at a coffee shop in suburban Columbus. The other two pled guilty and were convicted: Nuradin Abdi in connection with an alleged plot to blow up an Ohio shopping mall, and Iyman Faris in connection with a plot to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge.

Paul converted to Islam in the late 1980s and joined al-Qaida after traveling to Afghanistan in the early 1990s. He fought in Afghanistan against the pro-Soviet Marxist government. He was a recruiter and taught martial arts at a local mosque.

Note on Wissner-Gross

Easy read but a helpful book especially when coupled with Wissner-Gross' other work, What High Schools Don't Tell You.

Note on Mapping History Battles and Campaigns by Malcolm Swanston

This is quite servicable as a discount book. The illustrations are well made and mostly instructive. The text is spare but adequate. There are minor battles, e.g., Ap Bac in Vietnam, and when coupled with major battles such as Waterloo the presentation appears flawed and out of proportion. The major appeal of a book such as this is its oversized maps and material which make it easier to see and enjoy in its own right. The text and contents should not be accepted in and of itself without supplement by more extensive works.

History of MS

Richard M. Swiderski reports in his Multiple Sclerosis Through History and Human Life that the disease was unknown in ancient or medieval times. He does though provide evidence that certain historical figures, saints and nobility, did appear to suffer from what we can recognize, in hindsight, as multiple sclerosis (MS). It is not until the groundbreaking period in 1868 when Jean-Martin Charcot, a professor of neurology at the University of Paris, who has been called "the father of neurology," really observed first hand the symptoms of MS; nonetheless, he had no sure process of diagnosis much less a cure. More recently the history of MS has been described in later works such as Multiple Sclerosis The History of a Disease by T. Jock Murray, MD. and A History of Multiple Sclerosis, by Colin L. Talley.

Note on Napoleon As Military Commander

This work does not claim to be definitive but is more simply a brief review of Napoleon as military commander. To that end, it is certainly serviceable. The illustrations and maps could have been more deftly placed and integrated better with the text but the work is clear enough. In addition, although it does not claim to be about Napleon the man, the quotations from private letters and notes about his relationship with his family and early private life is instructive.

Insurgents Had Enough: Tired of Fighting

An estimated 1,000 former insurgents turned themselves in during Balad, Iraq negotiations. The insurgents were simply tired of fighting and with a written pledge to the Iraqi constitution they promise not to pick up arms again. Most did not receive any punishment, only 76 faced trial dates.

Navy Lags Behind, Stuck in the Cold War Expense

The MQ-4 Predator controlled by the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron stands on the tarmac at Balad Air Base, 50 miles north of Baghdad, Iraq. Graphic source: AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File

The Navy is lagging behind the Air Force and has limited the future of drones in that service branch just for spying but not fighting. They Navy favors the "Top Gun" fighter pilots of the past. The Navy remains tied to its anachronistic view of modern warfare with plans for the F-35 fighter jet. The Air Force, by contast, has used armed drones for years and is more in line with the Pentagon trend to encourage drones as a way to reduce costs and consolidate personnel.

The Navy lags behind the Air Force, which first used an armed version of the Predator drone in combat in Afghanistan in 2001. The Air Force's latest version, the Reaper, can carry up to 14 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles or alternately, four Hellfires and two 500-pound bombs over Iraq, Afghanistan or other war zones.

The mobile air attack is required in complex air missions but these situations are less likely with the demise of the Soviet Union or even perhaps in the case of hard-charging Chinese threat.

Airstrikes will presumably be done by the next-generation F-35, which the Navy is expected to receive in 2015.

Experts have noted that a drone carrying the same weapons payload as the F-35 would have two and a half times the range of a manned aircraft without refueling, and could remain over the battlefield 5 to 10 times as long.

Those factors make it the weapon of choice, timing, and budget.

Mars Hacked Twice

Not once but twice the Phoenix Mars Mission site got hacked. First, a Ukrainian web site defacer posted a message at the site’s blog, and hours later,

the Turkish “sql loverz crew 2008″ redirected the official mission’s site, as well as the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory site to a third-part location serving the defaced page.

These crews employ publicly obtainable remote SQL injection scanners that each site could have downloaded and performed a self-audit.

Hey Bo Diddley! "bonk-de-bonk-bonk, de-bonk-bonk..."

Graphic source: Mark Summers

Bo Diddley (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), born Ellas Otha Bates], aka "The Originator," influenced American rock 'n' roll as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was perhaps best known for his distinctive rectangular guitar and as the creator of the "Bo Diddley beat."

He changed his "name in search of fame, to find the Midas touch (Copyright: "Ballad of Mott" Ian Hunter, Overend Watts, Mick Ralphs, Dale "Buffin" Griffin and Verden Allen) and adopted a stage name which is most likely a Southern African-American slang phrase meaning "nothing at all," as in "he ain't bo diddley." He possibly first used the nickname as a teenage Golden Gloves boxer. Finally, the nickname is also associated with the diddley bow, a two-stringed instrument that was used in the South by black musicians working in the fields.

In late 1954 he recorded "I'm A Man" and the A-side "Bo Diddley" at Chess Studios and as released in March 1955 "Bo Diddley" became a #1 R&B hit.

Diddley is best known for the distinctive "Bo Diddley beat," a rumba-like stylistic device similar to "hambone," a style used by street performers who play out the beat by slapping and patting their arms, legs, chest, and cheeks while chanting rhymes.

Some of his best-known songs, "Hey Bo Diddley" and "Who Do You Love?" often have no chord changes and the song centers on the rhythm. He influenced later guitarists with his early experiments with special effects and other innovations in tone and attack. Bo Diddley's trademark instrument is the rectangular-bodied Gretsch, nicknamed "The Twang Machine," a guitar that he developed himself around 1958.

His lyrics often freely adapted folk music themes. The song "Bo Diddley" was based on the lullaby "Hush Little Baby." Likewise, "Hey Bo Diddley" is based on the folk song "Old MacDonald." The boasting and booming of "Who Do You Love" is a wordplay on hoodoo.

On November 20, 1955, he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show but only infuriated the host when instead of singing the arranged song, Tennessee Ernie Ford's hit "Sixteen Tons," he instead substituted his own "Bo Diddley." He was banned from further appearances.

His other hits in the late 1950s and the 1960s, included "Pretty Thing" (1956), "Say Man" (1959) and "You Can't Judge a Book By the Cover" (1962). One of his lesser known hits is the controversial "Love Is Strange" for Mickey and Sylvia which was written under a pseudonym.

Diddley's distinctive beat influenced many later rock artists, notably Elvis Presley ("His Latest Flame"); Bruce Springsteen ("She's The One"); U2 ("Desire"); The Smiths ("How Soon Is Now?"); Roxette ("Harleys And Indians (Riders In The Sky)"). Dee Clark - A former member of the Hambone Kids ("Hey Little Girl"); Johnny Otis ("Willie and the Hand Jive"); George Michael ("Faith"); Normaal ("Kearl van stoahl"); The Strangeloves ("I Want Candy"); Guns N' Roses ("Mr. Brownstone"); David Bowie ("Panic in Detroit"); The Pretenders ("Cuban Slide"); The Police ("Deathwish"); Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders ("The Game of Love"); The Supremes ("When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes"); Jefferson Airplane ("She Has Funny Cars"); The White Stripes ("Screwdriver"); The Byrds ("Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe"); Tiny Letters ("Song For Jerome Green") and The Stooges ("1969"). The early Rolling Stones sound was strongly associated with their versions of "Not Fade Away" and "I Need You Baby (Mona)."

Diddley died today at 79.

Graphic source: Rolling Stone

Iraq Army Interdicting Iranian Operatives

Good news is that the Iraqi Army is interdicting Iranian operations in the South and the U.S. can begin to stand down. The bad news is that the U.S. has been clever enought to train and run and not attack Iran. However, once the re-armed Iraq is ready to deploy, another war with Iran is more likely. Will the U.S. be largely withdrawn by the next war or will the U.S. be drawn back into the conflict?

AQ Accuses Saudis of Funding Insurgents

Ali Ahmed Ali Hamad, Graphic source: The Philadelphia Inquirer

Ali Ahmed Ali Hamad, a former al-Qaeda commander, accused a government charity, the Saudi High Commission for Relief of Bosnia and Herzegovina, of funding his insurgent unit in Bosnia. Saudi Arabia has flatly denied these accusations for years. Hamad testified in a United Nations war-crimes trial. There is some question as to the veracity of Hamad as a convicted terrorist. He is serving a 10-year sentence in a Bosnian jail for his role in a 1997 Mostar bombing. He testified that the Saudi Commission had poured tens of millions of dollars into terrorist units led by al-Qaeda operatives who fought with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. The money was waylayed from humanitarian relief to buy weapons and military supplies. The charities also provided false identification, employment papers, diplomatic plates and vehicles that permitted Islamist fighters to enter the country and pass easily through military checkpoints. Several charity offices were led by former mujaheddin or al-Qaeda members. Like other al-Qaeda fighters, Hamad stated he traveled through the war zone in commission vehicles with diplomatic plates.

وش يفرض عقوبات على حزب العمال الكردستاني

Graphic source: AFP

وش يفرض عقوبات على حزب العمال الكردستاني

السبت 31 أيار 2008 05:38 GMT

فرض الرئيس الامريكي جورج بوش عقوبات على حزب العمال الكردستاني وجماعة ايطالية تروج للجرائم المنظمة، في محاولة لحرمانهما من الوصول الى النظام المالي الامريكي. وباستخدامه قانون مكافحة تهريب المخدرات، يكون بوش وبحسب المتحدثة باسم البيت الأبيض دانا بيرينو قد أخضع حزب العمال لاجراء من شأنه تقويض عملياته ووضع حد للمعاناة التي يسببها الاتجار في المخدرات للامريكيين وشعوب العالم، علاوة على منع مهربي المخدرات من دعم الارهابيين.

Bush imposes sanctions on PKK

Saturday, May 31, 2008 09:16 GMT

US President George W. Bush imposed sanctions on Kurdistan Workers Party and an Italian organized crime group in order to prevent the group access to the U.S. financial system. Using a U.S. anti-drug trafficking law, Bush has put the PKK and the Italian group subject to the sanctions, which prevent U.S. companies and individuals from engaging in trade and transactions with them. “This action underscores the president's determination to do everything possible to pursue drug traffickers, undermine their operations and end the suffering that trade in illicit drugs inflicts on Americans and other people around the world, as well as prevent drug traffickers from supporting terrorists,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said in a statement.

Cf. http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-18381-Bush-imposes-sanctions-on-PKK.html

The sanctions were levied against the Ndrangheta mafia from the Calabria region of Italy, which has overtaken Sicily's Cosa Nostra as the richest and most violent of the Italian mafia, and a Mexican drug-lord and his cartel. Three individuals from Afghanistan, Venezuela and Turkey were also sanctioned. The PKK is branded a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and EU; the group is largely held to use drug trafficking to finance terror. More than 30,000 people have been killed since the PKK began in 1984. In Mexico, nearly 1,400 people have died this year across the country, as drug cartels fight among themselves and government forces. Previously there were 68 individuals and entities subject to sanctions under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, which became law in December 1999.

Idealist.org Charges Nothing to Post a Job: Limited Time Offer

Idealist.org usually charges a nominal fee, $60, to post a job on the nonprofit job site. But starting today, and through the end of June, all job postings on
Idealist are free for any nonprofit organization. At http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-BQYIPILUU Idealist even created a video to advertise why they think this is the best place to post a nonprofit job.

Youngest Islamic Insurgents

The new generation of militants in the Islamic State of Iraq are the youngest possible followers. The failed insurgency is beginning the look more and more like the failed 4th Crusade, the children's crusade.

Graphic source: Gustave Doré (1832-1883), Public domain.

The Children's Crusade is the name given to a variety of fictional and factual events in 1212 that combine some or all of these elements: visions by a French and/or German boy, an intention to peacefully convert Muslims to Christianity, bands of children marching to Italy, and children being sold into slavery. Several conflicting accounts exist, and the facts of the situation continue to be a subject of discussion among scholars.

Cf. Wikipedia.

Golden Dome a Bright Spot in Samarra

Graphic Source: Times Online

The golden edifice of the al-Askari shrine, built about 1,000 years ago, contains the tombs of the 10th and 11th imams--Ali al-Hadi and his son Hasan al-Askari. Muhammad al-Mahdi, the last of the 12 Shia imams, is thought to have disappeared into a tunnel under the shrine in 878. Many Shias believe that he will return to bring justice to the world. It was the destruction of the al-Askari shrine, by the foreign invaders of al-Qaeda in the Sunni city of Samarra in February 2006, which was a pivotal step that almost pushed Iraq into a civil war. The sectarian slaughter that ensued was not by any means pleasant but the reconstruction of the Golden Dome is indicative that places in Iraq may be returning to normalcy, normal for Iraq that is.

Samarra may make a comeback as an important city for Shia tourists and pilgrims if the Dome is repaired.

Sunni tribesmen many of whom were part of the insurgency, revolted against al-Qaeda last year, and they have now become part of the security details, for Iraq.

The Sons of Iraq currently stand at a 1,600 members in Samarra. There is reportedly an 80% improvement in security services by merging the Sons of Iraq into the regular police force.

Essential services are being restored to the area in which the Dome is expected to take 18 months to complete the structural work but replacing the gold-painted copper plates that cover the outer dome and the minarets will take much longer.

It may be a long road presently but the path to getting to the reconstruction of the Dome seems like the more difficult way. They way to normalcy in Iraq is clearer and more focused than in times past. As late as last August, it did not seem possible that the Iraqi security forces could turn the situation around.

Monthly Death Toll Lowest Since 2004

The monthly death toll for American troops hit its lowest mark since 2004. As of Saturday, the death toll for American troops stood at 21, the lowest since February 2004, when 20 troops were killed. In the toll was a non-combat related death. The numbers appeared to support testimony from the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, who said that recent operations "contributed significantly to the reduction in violence." Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll, spokesman for Multi-National Forces-Iraq, stated: "In the past week, security incidents decreased to levels we have not seen since March of 2004. These figures reflect a decrease in attacks of some 70 percent since the surge operations began in June of 2007."

Aussies Combat Out: Leave Assets Behind

Australian soldiers on duty during a joint street patrol with Iraqi security forces in Sammawa, south of Baghdad June 22, 2006. Graphic source: REUTERS/Mohammed Jalil/Pool

The 500 or Australian combat troops committed to Iraq left the country, fulfilling an election promise by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to bring the soldiers home this year. The Australian troops themselves were frustrated with their lack of combat action and limited involvement.

Before leaving however, the Australians handed over security responsibilities in Dhi Qar province to the Iraqis, which as their main role of the Australians, to train and support Iraqi forces.

As a sign of their continuing efforts, Australia is leaving behind two maritime surveillance aircraft and a warship to patrol the oil platforms; in addition, they are also leaving a small force of security and headquarters liaison troops.

Australian civilians training the police and advising the Iraqi government would also stay behind.

Despite the Australian government's support against the insurgents, around 80% of the Australian people are against continued deployment.

Abu Suleiman al-Jazairi Confirmed Dead

The death of Abu Suleiman al-Jazairi, an Algerian militant, has only recently been confirmed. Al-Jazairi died along with at least 15 others when the Pakistani house in which he was staying in Pakistan's Bajaur tribal district was hit by a missile fired from a Predator. The al-Qaeda trainer and explosives specialist was involved in a range of European terrorist networks.

AQ Women's Liberation

A TV image from 13 November 2005 wherein Iraqi Sajida al-Rishawi opens her jacket and shows an explosive belt as she confesses on Jordanian state-run television to her failed bid to set off an explosives belt inside one of the three Amman hotels targeted by al-Qaida.

Female Muslims have posted Internet messages expressing frustration with the al-Qaida No. 2 leader's refusal to give them a larger role in terror attacks. Graphic source: AP Photo/Jordanian TV, File

Citigroup Support for Financial Jihad

Banks first emerged in the Middle Ages when people grew tired of carrying around all their gold and began leaving their money with the goldsmith. The Medici family, one of the most prominent banking families in Europe during this time, became quite wealthy from its banking and moneylending practices. This 14th-century painting depicts people depositing and withdrawing money in an Italian bank. Graphic source: Encarta, Hulton Deutsch

The Western system of finance, which emerged during the Renaissance,

is supplemented today with a new world-wide model, Islamic finance. Banker, a U.K. based trade publication, estimates that Islamic financial assets increased to US$500 billion. Although relatively small in worldwide financial terms, the amount far exceeds the $50 billion invested in U.S. companies by the four most financially active Muslim countries: the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Kuwait. Perhaps more importantly, Islamic finance is expected to grow at about a 20% rate at least annually for the next few years.

The real impetus for growth, however, is that Middle Eastern financiers reacted negatively to Congress' nixing of DP World, the Dubai-based operative, which sought to manage U.S. ports. As a result, Islamic commerce emgerged, adhering to sharia, Islamic law based on the Koran. The restrictive measures of Islamic finance would prevent Islamic financiers from participating in typical Western banking practices, such as loaning money at interest. However, a team of sharia scholars issues rulings in order for Islamic finance to prosper.

Islamic profit is being invested. Arcapita Bank, based both in Bahrain and Atlanta, Ga, makes sharia compliant investments, primarily in the U.S.

They are not alone. Citigroup Inc. was one of the first Western banks to engage in Islamic finance. Since 1996 they have been operating in Bahrain. Most of the banks engaged in Islamic finance are in Europe but Citigroup is one of the few American banks to engage consistently in the practice.

May: a Least Violent Month in Iraq

An Iraqi man waves to a U.S. soldier on patrol in the al-Sukkar neighborhood of Mosul. Militant attacks across the nation are down 70%. Graphic source: Ali Yussef, AFP/Getty Images

Despite the offensives in several Iraqi towns, this May has been one of the least violent months of the Iraq war. The Coalition has moved to a supportive role and the relative calm follows in the train of steady pressure from mostly Iraqi led forces. This is quite a turnaround and something that was hardly thought possible as late as the end of summer.

Life On Mars?

I remarked on the Mars landing recently and its fascinating to consider the IT process at work. Engineers are beaming up daily software code to run the 7.5-foot arm and analyze soil samples. The questions driving the expedition are enormous. The Lander is collecting samples to discover if water flowed across the surface. And, where there is water, as many have wondered, the big question is, is there Life On Mars?

Coalition Captures a "key Special Groups financier"

One of the progress points in Iraq has been the identifying and shutting down of the ratlines into the country. Iran established the Ramazan Corps, which is run by the Qods Force, to direct operations and move weapons, money, and fighters to what it views as critical battlefields in Iraq. It is these infernal operations that have been painstakenly dismantled.

World Lauds Iraq Efforts

Ban Ki-moon Graphic source: AFP

Who would have thought, even a year ago, that world leaders would laud the U.S. for its efforts in Iraq? But UN chief Ban Ki-moon hailed Iraq's progress in combatting violence and stabilising the country. A declaration adopted by 100 delegations at a Stockholm conference said the participants "recognised the important efforts made by the (Iraqi) government to improve security and public order and combat terrorism and sectarian violence across Iraq." Moreover, it acknowledged political and economic progress, and stated that "given the difficult context, these successes are all the more remarkable." Ban stated that Iraq was "stepping back from the abyss that we feared most," and added that Iraq could fulfill its "vision of becoming a free, secure, stable and prosperous nation."

One drawback is Iraqi debt, which excluding interest, is some 140 billion dollars, including 10 billion dollars owed to Saudi Arabia and a little less to Kuwait.

The Stockholm conference was the first follow-up meeting since the International Compact with Iraq, a five-year peace and economic development plan, was adopted in Egypt in May 2007.

Coalition Coalescing

Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi indicated that Italian troop deployment in Afghanistan may change. Berlusconi's statement came shorty after Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said some of Italy's 2,500 soldiers in Afghanistan might be redeployed to the more dangerous and combative south to fight the Taliban if NATO requested it. Berlusconi told Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper he was rethinking the rules on Italy's troop deployment "in a spirit of solidarity with its allies." Canada has around 2,500 troops in the region already and 82 of its soldiers have been killed there since 2002. The country's parliament voted in April to extend its military mission in the volatile southern Afghanistan to 2011, provided its allies sent reinforcements. ISAF, which comprises some 47,000 troops from 40 nations, is trying to spread the rule of Afghanistan's weak central government and foster reconstruction.

Italy's position might be coupled with the recent comments from Australia's military that they too sought a more active combat role in the Iraqi situation.

In addition, although the Coalition has sought a greater role from its European allies, elite German commandos are not permitted to kill known Taliban commanders. The Norwegians have no such qualms. Recently, Norwegian forces based in Badghis province came under attack, and they responded by killing thirteen Taliban during battle.

If I were to believe the major news media this should not be happening but some of the Allies are seeking a more active, combat role in operations. I would think that it is entirely possible that intelligence is being disseminated and the word is out that the Taliban and AQ are on the run. After years of combat the Coalition is coalescing.

Hate Is More Popular Than Ever

Hate is in this year, even 2.0 style. A recent report documents the largest spike in digital hate Web sites and online posts in the last decade. With the benefit of Web 2.0 technologies, online hate activities have jumped 30% in the past year, according to a report by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights organization.

The spike in the number is primarily because of the increasing availability of the viral, repetitious [applications] and an increase outside the U.S. by extremist try to get their pitch across. The terrorist groups and those who support them are at the cutting edge of technology,

according to Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Wiesenthal Center.

Terrorist activities have spawned SMS2US, created by the Islamic Front for the Iraqi Resistance, for "inspirational" Short Messaging Service messages that are overlaid onto videos of attacks against coalition forces. And, the Media Sword Campaign, an effort by al-Qaeda to use discussion forums to get support for jihad (holy war) and to recruit hackers for its cause.

These activities should alert people to the fact that the technology lowers the barrier of entry for terrorists yet is an effective tool for the crafty practioner. The terrorists exploit educational tools much quicker and faster than educators generally seem capable of.

Iraqi Army Pushes Deeper Into Sadr

Opposition, if you want to call it that, resulted in the deaths of ten Mahdi Army fighters when "operations against special groups in eastern Baghdad" were reported today. Iraqi troops seize 59 explosively formed projectiles in Sadr City since May 24 as Iraqis, on their own, pushed into Sadr City, with background support of U.S. troops. An early estimate is that the U.S. can withdraw in 2009. Now, that's an intriguing ideas worth exploring but in the volative Iraqi situation, I would make no predictions. I would wait until Christmas and announce it as a gift.

Al Qaeda Mixes a Nuclear Cocktail

"Nuclear Terrorism" as advocated by Al Qaeda has been posted on a web site which calls jihadists to use nuclear or chemical weapons to strike the west.

"Strike civilians in the west without mercy using weapons of mass destruction" the video states in the 39-minute tape.

The video continues: "Attack those who attack you. Fear Allah and know that Allah is with those who fear Him."

An off camera voice invites Muslim fighters to obtain these weapons of mass destruction and shows a document on the "rules for using weapons of mass destruction against the unbelievers" written by Saudi scholar Naser Bin Hamed al-Fahd.

al-Fahd states: "They kill our people and for this reason we should also strike them with weapons of mass destruction - doing so forms part of our response to their attacks."

He continues: "We cannot stop the operations against our civilians conducted by Jews and Christians in our countries if we don't do the same thing."

al-Fahd states: "The best weapons to use are bacteriological ones. This type of barbarous weapon is used by the international community."

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water.

Under 16 Year Old Al Qaeda Cell Formed

Graphic source: AKI

The Iraq Al-Qaeda cancer released a video of a teenage terror cell under the Islamic State of Iraq, the umbrella name adopted by al-Qaeda groups, the video features the group's new teenage terror cell for those under 16 years of age.

The video of the cell is known as "Youths of Heaven" and is produced by al-Furqan, the media production arm of the Islamic State of Iraq.

Al-Arabiya ran the video first which shows a group of young aspiring suicide bombers brandishing Kalashnikovs and promising to blow themselves up against "the crusaders and apostates."

The new al-Qaeda terror cell is only open to those under the age of 16.

Law Enforcement Learns to Share

Key to Law Enforcement Database Standards:

Global Justice XML Data Model (GJXDM) — An XML-based standard that defines the vocabulary and format for data exchanges among law enforcement databases. All of the databases above now support GJXDM data exchanges.

National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) — The NGI, N-DEx and NGA are NIEM-compliant, which means that they meet the information exchange technical standards developed by the DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs and local law enforcement agencies. Based on the GJXDM, NIEM is an updated standard that serves a broader community beyond law enforcement. It promotes cross-domain data sharing, such as exchanges between law enforcement and emergency management. NIEM includes GJXDM as well as other data structures.

Cf. http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=317970&source=NLT_PRN&nlid=2941

Graphic Source: FBI, DOD and US-VISIT

Aussies Tired of Waltzing

Graphic source: REUTERS/Mohammed Jalil/Pool An Australian solider guards an area during a joint street patrol with Iraqi security forces in Sammawa, south of Baghdad June 22, 2006.

You have to hand it to the Australian troops. There they are, in the midst of a regional conflict in which their nation's interests are at stake, and yet, they are restrained from engaging in real action in Iraq. As the U.S. is turning the tide in Iraq, and other nations, mostly Europeans, have failed to follow-up on obligations, the Australians want to be in the thick of it.

According to Major Jim Hammett, in an article entitled "We Were Soldiers Once," in the Australian Army Journal, the good soldier stated that some infantry soldiers were ashamed of wearing the Australian uniform.

Hammett notes that the troops are restricted in their ability to engage although they wanted more action.

In a subsequent article in the journal, Captain Greg Colton, second-in-command of Sydney's 3rd battalion, agreed but further stated said troops were kept from frontlines like "downtown Baghdad, Basra and Helmand province."

Australia has long supported U.S. policies but it placed only special forces on the ground, not infantry, as well as supplying support forces, ships, and aircraft.

Australia has almost 4,000 troops but it only has a nominal number, 500 troops, in frontline action.

Hammett asks a pointed question:

"Why, in an era of global operations and unity of purpose against common enemies, are Australian infantrymen conspicuously absent from the fighting, whilst our allies are engaging in sustained combat operations?"

He has a valid point. Australia has a direct stake in the regional future of Iraq and this ally has proved its committment to a global problem. Why are they being restrained and who is preventing them from taking a leading role?

Daily Update

حتجز [أوس] و [إيرقي] أمن قوّات 135 يشكّ مهدي جيش مقاتل في بغداد. [إيرقي] عسكريّة ناطق بلسان قد كان يقال موصل أخلى من [أل] - [قدا]. إئتلاف قتل قوّات ثلاثة [أل] - [قدا] عميلات ويحتجز 17 أثناء غارة.

US and Iraqi security forces detained 135 suspected Mahdi Army fighters in Baghdad. An Iraqi military spokesman said Mosul has been cleared of al Qaeda. Coalition forces killed three al Qaeda operatives and detained 17 during raids.

Whaddya' From Mars? Frankly, Yes

Graphic source: NASA

The Mars Phoenix lander touched down in the far north of the Red Planet, after a 680 million-km (423 million-mile) journey from Earth. The lander will examine the landing site for ice thought to be below the surface and evidence of the building blocks of life. A signal confirming the lander had reached the surface was received at 2353 GMT on 25 May (1953 EDT; 0053 BST on 26 May).

Iraqi Troops Clear Mosul of AQ and Other Insurgents

Iraqi troops cleared Al-Qaeda from Mosul, the last urban bastion of jihad, the interior ministry announced. "Operation Mother of Two Springs has enabled us to dismantle and weaken the Al-Qaeda network in Nineveh province," spokesman Abdel Karim Khalaf stated. 1,480 people have been detained since the operation began. The range of those netted included other groups in addition to Al-Qaeda, members of Ansar al-Sunna, the Army of Mujahedeen, and the Brigades of the 1920 Revolution.

Al-Maliki Relating to China and Spain

Al-Maliki is seeking to develop deeper ties with China and Spain and if recent events were not going well he certainly would not be able to do so. The Prime Minister met with the Chinese Ambassador, Chen Xiao Dong, and the Spanish Ambassador, Ignacio Roberis, last Monday to mark the end of their work in the country. The all diplomatically agreed to strengthen their relations with Iraq in all areas and continue to support the political process and cooperate with the government to achieve security, stability and economic prosperity.

Bin Laden's Re-Branding as Iraq Base Fails

I've posed the question about the two latest messages believed to be from Osama Bin Laden which emphasise the importance of a struggle against Israel to the detriment of fighting in Iraq.

As recently as March, Iraq was key, Bin Laden stated: "Iraq is the perfect base to set up the jihad to liberate Palestine. Palestine will be restored to us, with God's permission, when we wake up from our slumber."

The word "slumber" (and his criticism of Arab rulers) is a clue as to Bin Laden's intention since this is term used against Arabs.

Also, this terminology shifts the emphasis away from Iraq, which has come to mean difficulties, to the "Palestinian question", which can attract support.

Nigel Inkster, Director of Transnational Threats and Political Risk at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, stated as much:

Through its now dead agent in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, it hoped to attack Israel after establishing a base in Iraq, but the hope of establishing that base has probably failed. Al Qaeda could now be preparing its followers for a strategic failure in Iraq. It therefore needs a rallying cry and Palestine is a no-brainer.

AQ is shifting terminology to reflect a loss in Iraq.

Inkster, formerly deputy head of Britain's foreign intelligence agency MI6, adds that the loss of life proved to be high since there has been numerous complaints about too many Muslims killed in Iraq and elsewhere.

"Al-Qaeda's number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri, who is like the chief executive officer to Bin Laden's chairmanship, recently held an open day of questions on the internet," he said.

In business terms, this is a rebrand.

Moreover, in the same session, al-Zawahiri defended killing Muslim bystanders, who, he said, had died because of "unintentional error" or had been used as "shields" by al-Qaeda's enemies.

Marc Sageman, a former CIA officer and now writer on international security issues, has been trumpeting the idea of what he calls "leaderless jihad" (the title of his latest book), in which the larger debate of who is in control, a central AQ structure, or local autonomous cells.

Sageman stated: "they have been unable to project their capability outside Pakistan and Afghanistan."

None of this is intended to downplay the very real threat that AQ represents and the organization has proven to be resilient in past experience.

Groups are inspired by the leadership but not necessarily controlled by "al-Qaeda Central." It gives them strength, in that they proliferate in unknown cells, but it also leaves them vulnerable to being isolated. A study of power indicates that isolation is dangerous. It seems as if isolation would make defense stronger but it actually weakens a group.

Al Qaeda Denounces Religious Dialogue

Al Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al-Libi criticized Saudi Arabia for considering a dialogue with other faiths. King Abdullah advocated inter-faith dialogue which is a condemnation of extremism.

By God, if you don't resist heroically against this wanton tyrant ... the day will come when church bells will ring in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula. And the case of Qatar is not far away from you, stated Libi.

This is in reference to Qatar's decision to allow the opening of the first church in the U.S.-allied Gulf Arab state; next door neighbour Saudi Arabia, which adhers to Wahabism, still bans other religions from building public houses of worship in the birthplace of Islam.

There is no moderation, no rapprochement, and no collaboration between us and infidel peoples. Where do light and darkness ever meet? stated Libi.

Let them (proponents of moderation) know that Islam is the religion of the sword, he added.

Iraq Is Not Vietnam

One of the most consistent false analogies that have been made about Iraq is a comparison to Vietnam. Yet, in numerical terms, the two conflicts really do not compare well.

For example, one of the vociferous criticisms of Coalition body counts is that they are useless propaganda and similar to the false impression of imminent American victory in Vietnam. The Tet Offensive ended all hopes that the U.S. had any hopes of an achievable peace, much less a victory.

In the Iraq situation a consistent argument has been advanced stating that killing only begets more killing. The recent "body counts" of Mahdi Army fighters is a case in point.

At the eminently practical Long War Journal the low ball figure of Mahdi killed has been that 600 Mahdi Army fighters were killed since fighting broke out on March 25. The U.S. military estimates the number killed at 700 but the key here is that the Mahdi themselves estimate the number at 1,000.

Now if the Coalition were guilty of inflating figures so as to provide a false hope of success, their number should be lower than the Mahdi themselves estimate. According to the Long War Journal's Bill Roggio, an interviewee stated: “What about the martyrs?” a Mahdi battalion leader recently told a reporter. “A thousand martyrs, what did they die for?”

The Iraqi government ground down the Mahdi. Sure to lose, the Sadrists capitulated and the experience with insurgent groups is the penchent for declaring victory even after a defeat. Then, they regroup, adding more assets and live to fight again. The situation in Sadr City though is a first example that the Iraqi security forces continued the fight, the Iraqi government functioned well enough to maintain pressure, and Coalition forces re-deployed to provide a well-entrenched but much needed supportive role. This is an incredible turn around and the first hope of a functioning Iraqi state.

Numbers Tally in Iraq Demonstrates Substantial Growth

Graphic source: Bill Roggio

Despite the incredible ferocity of military power that has been unleashed the violence in Iraq has not increased this year. The extension of Coalition settlement is impressive to say the least and the interim between the height of violence and now has allowed the Iraqi security forces to make substantial strides. No one will be willing to say the path is easy but it is entirely possible that the turning point has occurred and Iraq may yet transition into a functioning state.

Daily Advance on Sadr City

The US military killed a senior member of the Mahdi Army, according US and Mahdi Army sources. Arkan Hasnawi, a senior lieutenant of the Mahdi Army commander in Sadr City, was killed in a guided rocket strike in Sadr City on May 3. The news of Hasnawi's death comes as details emerge on the senior leadership of the Mahdi Army in Baghdad and the blurring of the lines between Sadr's militia and the Special Groups.

Hasnawi was among several senior Mahdi Army leaders killed or wounded in the GLMRS strike on a Mahdi Army command and control center that was placed next to the Sadr Hospital inside Sadr City.

Operations against the Mahdi Army outside Sadr City have not abated, either. Today, US forces killed 11 Mahdi Army fighters during a series of engagements in New Baghdad, which borders Sadr City to the east. The Mahdi Army fighters were killed as part of "an ongoing operation," Multinational Forces Iraq reported. US forces also captured a Special Groups commander in the Rashid district in Baghdad

.

Cf. The Long War Journal

ل [أوس] قتل جيش عضوة كبريات من مهدي جيش, يوافق [أوس] ومهدي جيش مصادر. قتلت [أركن] [هسنوي], ملازم أوّل كبريات من مهدي جيش قائد في [سدر] مدينة, كان في يرشد صاروخ إضراب في [سدر] مدينة في شهر ماي 3. يأتي الأخبار من [هسنوي] موت بما أنّ تفصيل يظهرون على القيادة كبريات من مهدي جيش في بغداد وال يغشي من الخطوط بين [سدر] ميليشيا والمجموعة خاصّة.

[هسنوي] كان بين عدّة كبريات مهدي جيش زعيمات يقتل أو يجرح في ال [غلمرس] إضراب على مهدي جيش أمر و [كنترول سنتر] أنّ كان وضعت [نإكست تو] [سدر] مستشفى في [سدر] مدينة.

لم يخفّض عمليات ضدّ مهدي جيش خارجيّ [سدر] مدينة يتلقّى, أيضا. اليوم, [أوس] قتل قوّات 11 مهدي جيش مقاتلات أثناء [سري] الإلتزامات في بغداد جديد, أيّ يجاور [سدر] مدينة إلى الشرق. مهدي جيش قتلت مقاتلات كان كجزء "عملية جار," شركة متعدّدة الجنسيّات قوّات العراق يفاد. [أوس] على قبض قوّات أيضا خاصّة مجموعة قائد في رشيد من في بغداد.

Obama & Hillary Too Busy for Oil Prices

Fellow Democrat Patrick Leahy from Vermont held hearings on high oil prices but I know two Senators who are not interested: Obama and Hillary. While America is burning they are fiddling with delegate numbers for the nomination. Leahy stated:

Today’s witnesses represent the major, vertically integrated oil companies that, collectively, made more than $36 billion in profits in just the first quarter of this year-- $36 billion in the first three months of the year.

Leahy attacked Bush and blamed him and the Iraq war for the increases but I'm not sure that the political grandstanding will help us solve the problem much.

Leahy added:

I want to hear directly from these oil companies about causes of the rising price of oil on which Congress can act. This Committee unanimously approved Senator Kohl’s NOPEC legislation, which would put an end to artificial limits on supply by ensuring that the U.S. Government has the authority to prosecute OPEC members for collusive behavior. Seventy members of the Senate have voted for this legislation, as have 345 Members of the House. Yet this President threatened to veto it.

Leahy then asked the oil executives how they would like antitrust laws applied to them. I think a better tactic might be to just inform them that he or someone else is moving on enforcement. He preferred the slap on the wrist approach.

Leah does not seem to grasp international reality. OPEC meets regularly to dish it out on consumers and he thinks this is wrong. It does not matter. If you have someone over a barrel, literally, you don't get anywhere by whining about it. The more direct question should be why Leahy and the Senate are not acting on the problem.

Leahy identities a key problem. He states:

Do they agree that we need to crack down on speculation and manipulation in the oil commodities market? Numerous experts have testified before this Committee and others that oil prices are moving higher as a result of speculators. Investors are betting up the price of oil, and consumers are paying the bill. Increasingly, this speculation takes place in over-the-counter trading, which avoids the oversight of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, thanks to the Enron loophole.

Why is he asking their opinion? Does he seriously think they will agree and voluntarily be nice boys?

Maybe he is actually acting, since the loophole kept the CFTC blind to speculation and manipulation in the oil futures market. Last week, Congress passed the Farm Bill that would close this loophole. The President threatened to veto the legislation.

Finally, he added:

last week we were able to pass legislation calling for the Government to stop artificially inflating demand by diverting fuel to the strategic petroleum reserve. The President opposed it. Filing the SPR may have made sense when oil was $25 a barrel. At $125 a barrel, it is simply hurting consumers.

Leahy makes a tepid, fawning appeal to the oil boys to play nice as if he expects them to do so. He makes his grandstanding rhetoric against Bush seem like he has some backbone. Its a pathetic waste of time but then again, that's the Senate.

Cf. Statement of Patrick Leahy
Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
Hearing on “Exploring the Skyrocketing Price of Oil”
May 21, 2008

YouTube declines Lieberman Request to Remove Terrorist Videos

Senator Lieberman wrote to Google asking that particularly objectionable material be removed from YouTube. They declined. I agree. They should not take them down. Who should be active though are citizen activists who disagree with the repulsion that is international terrorism to flag the objectionable videos and have them removed. The government should stay out. What if young people got active and began caring about the images of American troops in harms way? What if young people set a goal to be vigilant and flag a set number of objectionable videos per day? What if young people had private competitions determined to stop the hatred expressed by terrorists? Nahh, never mind.

May 19, 2008

Dr. Eric Schmidt
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Google, Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043

Dear Dr. Schmidt:

YouTube is being used to share videos produced by al-Qaeda and other Islamist terrorist groups. The purpose of this letter is to request that Google implement its own policy against this offensive material, remove these videos from YouTube, and prevent them from reappearing.

Today, Islamist terrorist organizations rely extensively on the Internet to attract supporters and advance their cause. The framework for much of this Internet campaign is described in a bipartisan staff report released last week by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (“Committee”), which I am privileged to chair, titled Violent Islamist Extremism, the Internet, and the Homegrown Terrorist Threat. The report explains, in part, how al-Qaeda created and manages a multi-tiered online media operation that produces content intended to enlist followers in countries all over the world, including the United States. Central to this media campaign is the branding of content with an icon or logo to guarantee authenticity that the content was produced by al-Qaeda or allied organizations like al-Qaeda in Iraq, Ansar al-Islam (a.k.a Ansar al-Sunnah) or al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb. All of these groups have been designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) by the Department of State.

Searches on YouTube return dozens of videos branded with an icon or logo identifying the videos as the work of one of these Islamist terrorist organizations. A great majority of these videos document horrific attacks on American soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan. Others provide weapons training, speeches by al-Qaeda leadership, and general material intended to radicalize potential recruits.

In other words, Islamist terrorist organizations use YouTube to disseminate their propaganda, enlist followers, and provide weapons training – activities that are all essential to terrorist activity. According to testimony received by our Committee, the online content produced by al-Qaeda and other Islamist terrorist organizations can play a significant role in the process of radicalization, the end point of which is the planning and execution of a terrorist attack. YouTube also, unwittingly, permits Islamist terrorist groups to maintain an active, pervasive, and amplified voice, despite military setbacks or successful operations by the law enforcement and intelligence communities.

YouTube posts “community guidelines” for users to follow, but it does not appear that the company is enforcing these guidelines to the extent they would apply to this content. For example, the community guidelines state that “[g]raphic or gratuitous violence is not allowed. If your video shows someone getting hurt, attacked, or humiliated, don’t post it.” Many of the videos produced by one of the production arms of al-Qaeda show attacks on U.S. forces in which American soldiers are injured and, in some cases, killed. Nevertheless, those videos remain available for viewing on YouTube. At the same time, the guidelines do not prohibit the posting of content that can be readily identified as produced by al-Qaeda or another FTO.

I ask you, therefore, to immediately remove content produced by Islamist terrorist organizations from YouTube. This should be a straightforward task since so many of the Islamist terrorist organizations brand their material with logos or icons identifying their provenance. In addition, please explain what changes Google plans to make to the YouTube community guidelines to address violent extremist material and how Google plans to enforce those guidelines to prevent the content from reappearing.

Protecting our citizens from terrorist attacks is a top priority for our government. The private sector can help us do that. By taking action to curtail the use of YouTube to disseminate the goals and methods of those who wish to kill innocent civilians, Google will make a singularly important contribution to this important national effort.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this critical matter and I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,



Joseph I. Lieberman (ID-CT)
Chairman, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

Iraqi Troops Regain Sadr City

Iraqi troop mans a checkpoint in Sadr City.

Graphic source: Reuters

I'm wondering if the Times is coming around to presenting the war in a more realistic light. They featured a headline story, "Iraqi Troops in Push to Regain Control of Sadr City," and actually, it was mostly accurate. The journalists are Michael R. Gordon and Stephen Farrell while they received assistance from "Anwar J. Ali, Mudhafer al-Husaini and an Iraqi employee of The New York Times contributed reporting." Since the story really is showing what on-site bloggers have been saying for some time, they may be coming around. And, I wonder what the exact arrangment of journalists and writers is? In other words, do the Westeners sit at the pool eating bon-bons while the local stringers actually go out and get the news? The story at least sounds like it has first-hand elements so somebody was out there. The important aspect of an article such as this is that it emphasizes that Iraqi troops pushed deep into Sadr City and they operated without the involvement of American ground forces, which is really a major turnaround from not all that long ago. Who would have thought that the Times would run a story with the sentence: "No American ground forces accompanied the Iraqi troops, not even military advisers." This was an Iraqi operation with the Americans in the supportive but physically rearward position. I hope its the first of many, many more to come.

Bin Laden Whines Again: Yawn

Bin Laden is emphasizing Palestine and its liberation. In order to be liberated, he accuses fellow Muslims of allowing Palestinians to die. The solution, as he sees it, is to attack fellow Muslims in order to liberate Palestine. The question is why he shifting to an emphasis on Palestine, and not the liberation of the Holy Land? Is it because he knows now that he can not win in Iraq now that AQ is on the run, and traditionally, Palestine was a rallying cry amongst Muslims worldwide? I think so.

EEF Poster

Graphic source: Electronic Frontier Foundation

A few groups are stretching the boundaries of freedom and protecting the free expression of ideas. In a previous post, I noted the importance of the Electronic Frontier Foundation on behalf of Wikileaks case, an instance of a whistle-blower issue, on behalf of telephone consumers to prevent the NSA from spying on citizens, and in the case of commercial search engines which may be storing personal information about people.

Dutch Give Up Liberties to Extremists

This is a tamer example of a cartoon by the satirist.

Graphic source: Gregorius Nekschot

A Dutch cartoonist, who works under the pseudonym Gregorius Nekschot, was arrested on suspicion of violating hate speech laws, and insulting people because of their religion, according to Amsterdam public prosecutor spokeswoman Sanne van Meteren. Each is a crime punishable by up to a year in prison under Dutch hate speech laws-—or two years for multiple offenses. Both the cartoonist, and his Dutch publisher, Uitgeverij Xtra, have received death threats so apparently the cartoonist may be threatened but his right to free speech and artistic expression can be silenced. Not surprisingly, Nekschot is known primarily for cartoons mocking Muslims and leftists, but he is a satirist who targets "any strong ideology" including other religions. Nekschot has a web site but has also been featured on the Web site of Theo van Gogh, the filmmaker who was murdered by a Muslim radical in November 2004. The cartoonist's pseudonym, "Gregorius" refers to Pope Gregory IX, who instituted the Papal Inquisition, and "Nekschot" means literally "shot in the neck," a method used by "fascists and communists to get rid of their opponents." Let's hope the Dutch who opposed totalitarianism before will have the good sense to protect their liberties against Islamofascism.

Aynak Valley Attracts Chinese Mining Investment

Graphic source: Times Online

Afghanistan copper deposits worth $88 billion have attracted Chinese investors and if China moves in I would hope the U.N. or international pressure would force the Chinese to provide security in the region. In the Aynak valley, al-Qaeda trained and planned the 9/11 attacks that triggered the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

With such an infamous past, a Chinese mining company begins its foray into the Afghanistan economy. The valley’s floor contains one of the world’s largest untapped copper deposits, estimated to be worth up to $88 billion which is more than double of Afghanistan’s entire gross domestic product (GDP) in 2007. A 30-year lease was sold to the China Metallurgical Group for $3 billion, making it the biggest foreign investment and private business venture in Afghanistan’s history.

This deal is so large, the price tag equalled 20 per cent of all foreign aid to the country since 2001, and the annual royalties of $400 million represent 45 per cent of its state budget. The obstacles are huge in this insecure area and the valley is without basic infrastructure. As in the case of Chinese investment in Africa, no one knows the effect of investment in Afghanistan, according to Integrity Watch Afghanistan, a non governmental organisationwhich, is ill-equipped to absorb huge sums of money or even to consider the social and environmental costs. Afghanistan's largest product is opium so it remains to be seen what effect huge and legitimate mining operations might have on the poverty stricken region.

“Afghanistan has abundant known mineral resources,” said Stephen Peters, of the US Geological Survey, which completed a two-year survey of the country last year. The positives are intriguing to consider though, and may act as a corrective to extremism. The mining will create jobs for 5,000 people, 90% Afghans. Up to 4,000 jobs will be created to build a railway to the Pakistani border, and several thousand security guards will be recruited from surrounding villages. The Chinese are contractually obligated to build mosques, schools, hospitals, markets, and small bazaars.

The site was discovered in 1974 by the Soviets, who built the now derelict buildings, mapped the area and took thousands of rock samples.

Their plans were thwarted by Mujahidin rebels who surrounded Aynak and cut it off from the outside. General Hatiqulluh Luddin, who led the rebels around Aynak and still commands 30,000 men in the area.

The Afghan civil war thwarted any development in the area.

When the Taleban took over in 1996 they showed no interest in Aynak and allowed al-Qaeda to turn it into its main training camp.

Only after the Taleban’s overthrow did Aynak arise again when a team from the British Geological Survey arrived to start recovering and organising the 78 reports and 1,300 maps on Aynak, which were mostly in Russian and based on obsolete Soviet methodology.

Germany As Target and Breeding Ground for Terrorism

In Germany, the threat of Islamic terrorism remains "consistently high" according to an annual report by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Islamic militants consider Germany as an "operational area" and Islamists regard Germany as a "crusader" as an ally of the United States and Israel. American, Israeli, Russian, and British institutions are also targets. For example, militants were arrested on 4 September 2007, when three individuals allegedly planned attacks on American institutions in Germany and were caught with bomb-making material. In addition, by 2007 there were 30 nationwide active Islamist organisations. Among these groups, 1,390 were active followers of the Muslim Brotherhood, and about 900 were from the Lebanese Shia radical group Hezbollah.

Moving to Mosul

The Coalition is expected to begin operations against al-Qaida operatives in Mosul. The strategy is a typical one which will begin with U.S. military airstrikes. After about three or four weeks the infantry is expected to stage raids and search neighborhoods. In addition to al-Qaida members, the Ansar al-Sunna organization inhabits the area as well. At least three U.S. military brigades will accompany at least a full brigade from the Iraqi military against an estimated 5,000 militia members. Analysts have stated that there may be as many as 7,000 armed men affiliated with al-Qaida or other radical organizations. Operation Lion's Roar nets more than 1,000 suspects.

The Iraqi security forces launched the Operation as a first step in the operation.

This is Al Qaeda's last major ratline into Syria which spans westward from Mosul into Tal Afar and the crossing point at Sinjar.

As the ratline is dismantled, "just under 200" Tier 1 and Tier 2 al Qaeda and Islamic State of Iraq operatives have been detained, stated Major General Mark Hertling, the commander of Multinational Division North.

Tier 1 operatives are operational leaders. Tier 2 operatives are foreign fighters or weapons facilitators, bomb makers, and cell leaders.

The Sahwa, or Awakening, forces in Ninewa are mobilized in the province. Fawaz al Jarba, the leader of the Mosul Sahwa Council, said more than 11,000 tribal fighters were prepared to assist security forces.