Joe's Winds of War: 2003-09-15

[PRINTER-FRIENDLY] Welcome! Our goal is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. The briefing is being split today. One feature will deal with Iraq, while this briefing handles The Wider War.

TOP TOPICS

• Fouad Ajami's Foreign Policy Magazine article on Anti-Americanism as a global phenomenon is excellent. One of his more interesting points: the USA did not 'squander the world's sympathy' post-9/11 - in many places, it never really had it. For my money, however, British leftist Ian Buruma does an even better job in in "Wielding the Moral Club." (now reproduced here)

• Mark Helprin, via OTB: "America has approached the war on terrorism as if from two dreamworlds.... And in between these dreamworlds of paralysis and incompetence lies the seam, in French military terminology la soudure, through which al-Qaeda, uninterested in our parochialisms, will make its next attack." Thought-provoking.

• The full Den Beste on the U.S. State Department, including Gingrich's "Rogue State Department" article and what should be done to reform it: "overall the basic culture and values in State don't seem to match those of the voters of this nation. State seems to be trying to "do the right thing" in spite of us, rather than taking their cue on what the right thing is from us." This story snaps that tendency into clear focus as well as anything I've ever seen.

Other Topics Today Include: Russia backs IAEA resolution; Covering for Iranian terror in Europe; Iran prepares for U.S. invasion; CIA & FBI's cultures of caution; Civil rights; The Falling Man; Canadian border still a threat; 150,000 Chinese troops to Korean border; Al-Jazeera & al-Qaeda; Exiling Arafat; One human tragedy; Creeping islamization in Bangladesh, Malaysia; Wahhabism in the public eye; Charles Taylor's Saddam strategy in Liberia?; Dennis Miller.

IRAN REPORTS

• Russia gave explicit public backing on Saturday to a U.N. watchdog's resolution which has given Iran seven weeks in which to let the atomic agency verify it has no secret nuclear weapons program.

• Meanwhile, a series of clashes between demonstrators and police in Esfahan have continued for the past 5 days. At least one demonstrator is dead.

• A very good article about Britain's damaged relationship with Iran's mullahs, plus some background on other European states' perfidity and cover ups for Iranian terrorism in Europe.

• Scrappleface notes that Iran has fully absorbed the lesson of Iraq, and is therefore preparing diligently for a U.S. invasion.

U.S.A. HOMELAND SECURITY BRIEFING

• Meanwhile, Phil Carter of Intel Dump talks about improved counter-terrorism training at the FBI.

• Maybe so, but Ray raises the issue of bureaucracy & the War on Terror. Newsweek, meanwhile, chronicles the battle within U.S. national security agencies and the culture of risk aversion. A culture that creates ajor obstacles and can negate even the best training, but may make a great deal of sense from the point of view of individual agents.

• Intel Dump also examines the question of whether the Patriot Act et. al. go too far in some areas.

• Esquire's "The Falling Man" is graphic reminder of what happens when security fails, and a story of the attempts by the USA to grapple with the story of the people who jumped from the burning towers on 9/11. Of course, Photodude has the links, and a great take on The Falling Man.

• Meanwhile, the Canada-U.S. border remains a security threat. "We've established through our intelligence services and other means that we have 50 terrorist organizations now on our soil. And a good number of these are world class. They range in scope from the IRA to Hezbollah, Hamas … certainly al Qaeda," says Harris, who believes that they are targeting the United States...." (Hat Tip: WATCH/)

THE WIDER WAR

• China has just moved 150,000 troops to the North Korean border. It's almost certainly just a pressure tactic or a sign of increased refugee activity, but recall this report.

• Guess what Al-Jazeera's 9/11 commemoration was for its English language web site? In response, Norm Geras has some commentary and links that are well worth your time. As usual.

• Meanwhile, an Al-Jazeera correspondent is under arrest in Spain for ties to al-Qaeda. Beirut Calling has more details.

• Hawken Blog on why building roads matters so much to Afghanistan's future. It may be the most under-rated success of U.S. policy to date, and shows good long-term thinking on many levels.

• Doc Manhattan has been blogging up a storm about Head of Emergency Medicine Dr. David Applebaum and his to-be-married daughter. They were among those killed in the most recent Jerusalem cafe bombing - and their killer had been released by Israel recently in a "goodwill gesture".

• Steven Den Beste looks at exiling Arafat, the Palestinians' strategy, and prospects for the Roadmap . Personally, I agree with this diagnosis and prescription.

• Mustafa Malik returns from a trip to Bangladesh, and writes about creeping Islamization with an anti-American tinge.

• Ditto in Malaysia, where the party chief of the largest opposition party (the PAS) has stepped forward firmly on the side of terrorism.

• The idea that Wahhabist Islam may be a "toxic faith" is spreading beyond the blogosphere and moderate Muslims. This TIME Magazine article ought to concern the Saudis greatly - despite spending millions on PR, their base of support or even tolerance within the USA is steadily being hollowed out, on both the Right and the Left.

• Of course, TIME Magazine's recent "Inside the Kingdom" feature won't help the Saudi cause, either.

• Is Liberia's ex-dictator Charles Taylor following a Saddam Hussein strategy after being forced from power by the Americans?

• We try to close on a lighter note if possible. Dennis Miller certainly offers that in spades - with a political twist.

Thanks for reading! If you found something here you want to blog about yourself (and we hope you do), all we ask is that you do as we do and offer a Hat Tip hyperlink to today's "Winds of War". If you think we missed something important, use the Comments section to let us know.