Posted on 07/28/2008 8:37:15 AM PDT by DAVEY CROCKETT
Is U.S. Bioterror Attack Just A Matter of Time?
The overriding question is whether the U.S. is “ready” for a bioterror attack. The answer could well rely on the “other” question of what bio-agent and what’s the source? In 1991, 40,000 Russian scientists dispersed throughout the World, with knowledge of what the U.S.S.R. was doing in chemical and biological weapons. The question is to whom did they sell their knowledge? Some believe former Soviet scientists sold technology to countries like Iran, Syria, and North Korea. Lurking is the spectre of al-Qaeda, a group that the Pentagon says continues to pursue biological weapons.
Another scenario is an outbreak of a pandemic. How would the U.S. deal with an infectious disease outbreak? The picture, despite reassurances, is not pretty. Until now, the U.S. has experienced two major biological attacks.
In 1984, the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his followers attempted to take over the town of the Dalles, Oregon by contaminating salad bars in the town. In 2001, there was the as yet unsolved mystery of the anthrax letters that killed five people.
But the question of bioterrorism extends to potential threats against our food supply and our clean water resources. It also extends to the threat of outbreaks of diseases in our animals populations. Here, the concern are diseases that attack animals but that can jump to humans. These are referred to as zoonotic diseases. The World Health Organization defines zonnotic diseases as:
Read More
U.S. House throttles citizen emails
The Register, 01-OCT-2008 (Austin Modine)
[Excerpt:] - A full day after the U.S. House of Representatives rejected a $700bn financial bailout bill, the House.gov website is still straining under an immense surge of internet traffic. Admins are now resorting to the quick fix of limiting emails from the public to prevent the House.gov website from crashing. The Chief Administrative Officer, responsible for the House’s website, said today it’s throttling emails sent via the “Write Your Representative” function.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/01/us_house_throttles_constituent_emails/
Biden’s strategy: Go easy on Palin
Politico, 30-SEP-2008 (Roger Simon)
[Excerpt:] - If Sarah Palin goofs, flounders, stumbles or blunders during her debate against Joe Biden on Thursday night, Biden is going to let it slide. “If she makes a gaffe, he underplays it,” one of the people prepping Biden for his vice presidential debate told me. “At most, he says, ‘I am not sure what Gov. Palin meant there.’” There are three reasons for this...
snipped..........
Second, Biden knows the press is going to pounce on any mistakes, and so he does not need to.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/14097.html
China bans Western religious music
Telegraph, 30-SEP-2008 (Richard Spencer)
[Published summary:] - China’s culture ministry has banned public performances of Handel’s Messiah and other major works of western religious music.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/3108810/China-bans-Western-religious-music.html
China tainted milk scandal: Heinz and Mars drawn in
Food and sweet giants Heinz and Mars have been drawn into China’s tainted milk crisis, following Cadbury which was forced to withdraw 11 brands of chocolate from the Far East market.
snipped.
In all, milk supplies from 22 companies have been found to be affected. Melamine is thought to have been added to supplies by farmers and middlemen because it can disguise low protein readings in watered down and poor quality milk.
Heinz discovered at the end of last week that one batch of “Heinz Intelligence Many Many Vegetable Cereal” on sale in Hong Kong showed traces of melamine.
snipped.
continues, with more info.
China milk scandal: WHO makes accusations as poisoning spreads
Five per cent of babies in Shanghai have been taken ill in China’s tainted milk scandal, say city health officials. As many as 10,000 children aged under three have symptoms of kidney stones, they say.
continued.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081001/117352067.html
North Ossetia police chief shot dead
01/10/2008 09:46 VLADIKAVKAZ, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - The head of the criminal investigation department in Russia’s Caucasus republic of North Ossetia has been shot dead, the republic’s investigations committee said on Wednesday.
The statement said unknown assailants opened fire on police chief Cheldiyev’s car on Wednesday morning on the outskirts of the republic’s capital, Vladikavkaz.
His son was also killed in the attack.
No further details are currently available.
Russia to fulfill commitments under Georgia peace plan on time
01-10-2008 21:37 STRELNA (near St. Petersburg), October 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will fulfill its commitments under a peace plan for the Georgian conflict developed by the Russian and French presidents, Dmitry Medvedev and Nicolas Sarkozy, in time, Medvedev said Wednesday.
Russia rejects use of force to free Somali pirates’ hostages
01-10-2008 21:09 MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Navy said Wednesday that no force would be used against pirates who seized a Ukrainian ship off the Somali coast last week, a Navy spokesman said.
Ukraine extends Friendship Treaty with Russia for 10 years
01-10-2008 20:21 KIEV, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said Friday that the bilateral Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership with Russia signed in May 1997 had been extended for 10 years.
Russian gay community to contest Moscow parade ban in Strasbourg
01-10-2008 20:09 MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russian gay activists are set to contest in the European Court of Human Rights the decision by authorities to ban a gay pride march in Moscow during the May holidays, the Gay Russia Web site reported.
Russian warship may free Somali pirates’ hostages by force
01-10-2008 19:55 MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian warship Neustrashimy may use force against pirates who seized a Ukrainian ship off the Somali coast last week, a senior Navy official said Wednesday.
Five girls killed in Russian school collapse
01-10-2008 19:20 ORENBURG, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - Five girls in their final year at a high school in the Orenburg Region of Russia’s Urals were killed on Wednesday morning when a supporting wall of their school collapsed, bringing a three-story section down with it.
Average Urals oil price drops to $97 in September
01-10-2008 19:12 MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - The average world price for Russia’s Urals oil blend rose $23.22 per barrel year-on-year in September to $97, Russia’s Finance Ministry said Wednesday.
Russia to spend extra $3.1 billion on defense in 2009 - Putin
01-10-2008 18:43 MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian government plans to spend an additional 80 billion rubles ($3.1 bln) on arms procurement and the deployment of troops in 2009, the prime minister said on Wednesday.
Somalia seeks help on piracy, gives Russia strategic opportunity
01-10-2008 18:07 MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - The president of Somalia has allowed Russia to fight pirates in Somali territorial waters and on land, offering Russia strategic advantages, the country’s ambassador to Moscow said Wednesday.
Russian, German leaders to discuss Georgia in St. Petersburg
01-10-2008 17:46 MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will meet Thursday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in St. Petersburg to discuss the situation in the Caucasus and other key issues, a Kremlin source said Wednesday.
Russian govt. to provide extra $6.8 bln to back financial market
01-10-2008 17:27 MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russia’s government will provide up to 175 billion rubles ($6.8 billion) in extra funds in 2009 to support the domestic financial market against the backdrop of the global slump, the prime minister said on Wednesday.
Russian warships head to Mediterranean
01-10-2008 17:27 MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russian warships, currently on a long-range sortie that will bring them to the Caribbean in November, will enter the Mediterranean Sea on October 5 and make several port calls in the region, the Navy said on Wednesday.
Georgia ‘finds fallen Russian spy drone’
01-10-2008 17:10 TBILISI, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - A senior Georgian Interior Ministry official said on Wednesday that a Russian unmanned plane fell into Georgian territory on Tuesday while conducting a reconnaissance flight.
Somalia to recognize Abkhazia, S.Ossetia - envoy
01-10-2008 16:46 MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - Somalia will soon recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the two Georgian breakaway regions recently recognized by Russia, the Somali ambassador to Moscow said on Wednesday.
Russian youths admit race-hate murders
01-10-2008 16:42 MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - Two 18-year-old ringleaders of a Moscow far-right gang charged with 20 murders pleaded guilty on Wednesday to race-hate killings.
Russia’s Iskander-E missile systems see strong foreign demand
01-10-2008 16:34 MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - Several countries have shown an interest in purchasing Russia’s advanced Iskander-E short-range ballistic missile systems, state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said on Wednesday.
Russia launches Thai satellite on converted missile
01-10-2008 15:44 MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russia launched a converted intercontinental ballistic missile from a rocket launch site the south Urals to put a Thai earth observation satellite into orbit on Wednesday, the Strategic Missile Forces said.
Russia’s last tsar, family members declared victims of repression -2
01-10-2008 15:36 (Adds Church’s comments in last 4 paras)
Russia’s top banks agree to keep interbank credit at $2.4 bln
01-10-2008 15:35 MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russia’s three main state-controlled lenders - Sberbank, VTB and Gazprombank - have agreed to maintain credit on the interbank market at a minimum of 60 billion rubles ($2.4 billion), the Central Bank said on Wednesday.
Meningitis outbreak spreads in north Russia’s Arkhangelsk Region
01-10-2008 15:11 ST. PETERSBURG, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - The number of people hospitalized with suspected aseptic meningitis has risen to 124 in north Russia’s Arkhangelsk Region, the local emergency service said on Wednesday.
The Atlantis hotel’s grand opening party is at the centre of a
terrorism scare after British spies uncovered plans to target the
lavish event in Dubai, to be attended by 2,000 VIPs.<<<
Laughing, as I did not have a clue to your Atlantis comment meant.......
Yes, it is now all over the internet as a real threat.
It was foolish [my opinion] to build a Las Vegas style resort in Dubai, altho, I think I read that it would not have gambling.
Not a problem, I am also hopelessly behind on my pings.
Why is it when I’m away from desk, the news is overflowing?!?!
Important ping!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2052529/posts?page=2563#2563
I think the populace will laugh at the gestapo leaders on this one.
If you find anyone who expresses concern over their food supply, you should encourage them to get on the China ping list that JACKRUSSELL holds.
I’m beginning to wonder if there shouldn’t be a separate list for contaminated food and medicine. I can just see the stampede now for someone wanting to hold yet another list, but it’s a thought.
b.
I think the populace will laugh at the gestapo leaders on this one.<<<
Maybe.
I think the populace will laugh at the gestapo leaders on this one.<<<
So, do we need to chain you to your desk?
You are right, things are popping and I can’t keep up with it all.
I’m beginning to wonder if there shouldn’t be a separate list for contaminated food and medicine. I can just see the stampede now for someone wanting to hold yet another list, but it’s a thought.<<<
Yes, there should be a separate and ongoing list for the contaminated food, it has long been needed.
With two ongoing threads, I can’t take on another one.
I don’t post a lot of the stuff that I find, there is no place for all of it.
The separate threads, to me get lost and you forget about them.
Would you like to start the on-going food thread?
Please.
Sometimes the populace laughing at a leadership decision causes it to be withdrawn.
Sometimes, it doesn’t.
I think most Chinese citizens—particularly those remotely aware, informed and bright . . .
will laugh at the silliness of it.
It would make more sense to ban lewd, violent rock etc. music.
To ban essentially classical and modern Christian music from the West is a bit like banning flowers and pets in the cultural revolution etc only more nonsensical.
I think in this era, they masses will see it as absolutely absurd, ridiculous and a sign of dottering foolishness at the top—that any regime threatened by such music has to already be so silly and idiotic as to be pathetic and laughable itself.
Which, of course, many realize is the case.
Though that’s not publicly laughable.
Which, of course, many realize is the case.
Though that’s not publicly laughable.<<<
You are right.
Thanks thanks.
October 1, 2008 PM Anti-Terrorism News - UnitedStatesAction.com
(Afghanistan) NATO does not rule out Afghan talks with Taliban — AFP inteview with General David McKiernan
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081001/wl_sthasia_afp/usafghanistannatomilitary_081001184412
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/081001/world/us_afghanistan_nato_military_2
-— “I think that’s a political decision that will ultimately be made by political leadership.”
-— “Ultimately, the solution in Afghanistan is going to be a political solution not a military solution”
-— “So the idea that the government of Afghanistan will take on the idea of reconciliation, I think, is (an)
approach and we’ll be there to provide support within our mandate”
-— “We’re not going to run out of bad guys there that want to do bad things in Afghanistan”
-— “And it seems to me that with the lead of the government of Afghanistan engaging those tribes and
connecting them to governance, whether it’s at the provincial level or the district level, seems to be a
smart thing”
— Taliban reconciliation ‘a political move’
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24434499-5003402,00.html
— NATO general says reconciling with Taliban a political decision
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081001/wl_sthasia_afp/usafghanistannatomilitary_081001170206
— NATO Chief In Afghanistan: Talks Possible With Ex-Taliban Head
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20081001\ACQDJON200810011504DOWJONESDJONLINE000724.htm&selected=9999&selecteddisplaysymbol=9999&StoryTargetFrame=_top&mkt=WORLD&chk=unchecked&lang=&link=&headlinereturnpage=http://www.international.na
-—— October 1, 2008 - AP: General wants help in Afghanistan now — Gen. David McKiernan continues to call to political and economic aid
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081001/ap_on_go_co/us_afghanistan_3;_ylt=AihNgFJLkj_sJpoUS.iomejOVooA
-—— August 11, 2008: NATO General McKiernan previously stated regarding Afghanistan:
“answer must be found politically”
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,571345,00.html
(Afghanistan) Little progress in Afghanistan: NATO official
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=4db4fd81-7521-47d4-a950-93abbaa3a657
(Afghanistan) UN Observer: “Afghan President invites Taliban leader to join peace talks, ministry”
http://www.unobserver.com/layout4.php?id=5203&blz=1
(Afghanistan) Karzai’s bid to reach out to Taliban supported by France
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=1cc7f1ea-84d3-4c07-99dd-f312f41bc394
(Pakistan) Terrorist attacks in Pakistan stir anger at U.S.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20081001/wl_csm/opakviews
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1001/p07s02-wosc.html
-— September 29, 2008: BBC Poll: “just 19% said they had a negative view of Osama Bin Laden’s organisation”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7638566.stm
-—— PDF: ‘War on Terror’ poll for BBC World Service [2MB]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/29_09_08_BBC_al_Qaeda.pdf
-— See Also: June 2008 TerrorFreeTomorrow.org Pakistan public poll results
http://www.terrorfreetomorrow.org/upimagestft/PakistanPollReportJune08.pdf
— 74.7 percent think “implementing strict Sharia law throughout Pakistan” important for Pakistan govt
(Q8g, page 44)
— 73.7 percent oppose U.S. military action against Taliban and Al Qaeda in Pakistan (Q11c, page 52)
— 69 percent oppose U.S. military working with Pakistan military against Taliban and Al-Qaeda (Q11b, page 52)
— 51.8 percent view U.S. to blame for violence in Pakistan today (Q14, page 52)
— 58.2 percent favor negotiations with Taliban (Q15c, page 63)
— 49.6 percent favor negotiations with Al-Qaeda and Uzbek fighters (Q15a, page 63)
— 56.5 percent agree with Al Qaeda’s goals (Q16a, page 64)
— 79.5 percent view Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda’s goals are “to stand up to America” (Q29a1, page 75)
— 57.1 percent agreed with Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda’s goals “to stand up to America” (Q29a2, page 75)
(Pakistan) US seeks direct access to A Q Khan: Report
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/US_seeks_direct_access_to_A_Q_Khan_Report/articleshow/3549938.cms
(Pakistan) Is Pak Taliban chief dead? More reports on Baitullah Mehsud
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/Is_Pak_Taliban_chief_dead/rssarticleshow/3551126.cms
Pakistan: British diplomats’ children to be evacuated from capital
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=3.0.2528171782
(U.S.) Aafia Siddiqui Trial: U.S. Judge Orders Pakistani to Take Psychiatric Exam
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=5932088
(U.S.) CQ Politics: “FBI Prevents Agents from Telling ‘Truth’ About 9/11 on PBS”
http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/spytalk/2008/10/fbi-prevents-agents-from-telli.html
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/02/pdf/new_dangers.pdf
(India) Blasts in India kill at least 2 and injure scores - update on Tripura bombings
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/01/asia/AS-India-Blasts.php
Study: Terrorists pay with credit cards
http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/terrorist-credit-cards-theft-1282.php
(Europe) Manual outlines Muslim radicalization in prisons
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081001/ap_on_re_eu/eu_france_prison_radicals_1
http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/oct/01/manual-outlines-muslim-radicalization-in-prison-1/
(Europe) Reports question UK anti-terror detention bill
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/01/europe/EU-Europe-British-Terror-Laws.php
Other News:
(Pakistan) Flirting with Palin earns Pakistani president a fatwa
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1002/p04s01-wosc.html
-— for “indecent gestures, filthy remarks, and repeated praise of a non-Muslim lady wearing a short skirt”
Commentaries:
(U.S.) Ingrid Mattson and the “U.S. Muslim Engagement Project” — by Cinnamon Stillwell
http://www.campus-watch.org/blog/2008/10/ingrid-mattson-and-the-us-muslim-engagement.html
“Secularlism foreign to Islam” by Peter Johnston
http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/25396
-— “Secularism is as foreign to Islamic theory as is Sharia law to Americans”
-— see also Raymond Ibrahim’s JihadWatch article
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/022920.php
Iraq’s Awakening Councils and Concerned Local Citizens Are Not the Same - by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/12/iraqs_awakening_councils_and_c.php
The Nation: End of Iraq’s Awakening? by Robert Dreyfuss
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20081013/dreyfuss
-— “the commander of the Sunni-led Awakening movement in Baghdad says that attacks by the
Iraqi government and government-allied militiamen against Awakening leaders and rank-and-file
members are likely to spark a new Sunni resistance movement. That resistance force will conduct
attacks against American troops and Iraqi army and police forces, he says. ‘Look around,” he says.
‘It has already come back. It is getting stronger. Look at what is happening in Baghdad.’”
__._,_.___
Ingrid Mattson and the “U.S. Muslim Engagement Project” — by Cinnamon Stillwell
http://www.campus-watch.org/blog/2008/10/ingrid-mattson-and-the-us-muslim-engagement.html
__._,_.___
If reposting elsewhere, please credit source of this research as UnitedStatesAction.com
Al Qaeda and the Tale of Two Battlespaces
October 1, 2008
Graphic for Terrorism Intelligence Report
By Fred Burton and Scott Stewart
Over the last year or so, a lot of debate has arisen over the physical strength of al Qaeda. Some experts and government officials believe that the al Qaeda organization is now stronger than at any time since the 9/11 attacks, while others believe the core organization has lost much of its leadership and operational capability over the past seven years. The wide disparity between these two assessments may appear somewhat confusing, but a significant amount of the difference between the two can be found in the fundamental way in which al Qaeda is defined as an entity.
Many analysts supportive of the view that al Qaeda has strengthened tend to lump the entire jihadist world into one monolithic, hierarchical organization. Others, like Stratfor, who claim al Qaeda’s abilities have been degraded over the years, define the group as a small vanguard organization and only one piece of the larger jihadist pie. From Stratfor’s point of view, al Qaeda has evolved into three different — and distinct — entities. These different faces of al Qaeda include:
1. The core vanguard group: Often referred to by Stratfor as the al Qaeda core, al Qaeda prime or the al Qaeda apex leadership, this group is composed of Osama bin Laden and his close trusted associates. These are highly skilled, professional practitioners of propaganda, militant training and terrorism operations. This is the group behind the 9/11 attacks.
2. Al Qaeda franchises: These include such groups as al Qaeda in Iraq and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Although professing allegiance to bin Laden, they are independent militant groups that remain separate from the core and, as we saw in the 2005 letter from al Qaeda core leader Ayman al-Zawahiri to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, there can be a great deal of tension and disagreement between them and the al Qaeda core. These regional franchises vary in size, level of professionalism and operational capability.
3. The broader grassroots jihadist movement: This group includes individuals and small cells inspired by al Qaeda but who, in most cases, have no contact with the core leadership.
Stratfor’s Current Assessment of al Qaeda
We believe, as we did last summer, that the core al Qaeda group has weakened and no longer poses the strategic threat to the U.S. homeland that it did prior to 9/11. However, this does not mean it is incapable of re-emerging under less pressured circumstances.
On the franchise level, some groups — such as AQIM, the Yemen franchises and the franchises in Pakistan and Afghanistan — have gained momentum over the past few years. Others — such as those in Iraq, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, the Sinai Peninsula and Morocco — have lost steam. In our estimation, this ebb and flow has resulted in a constant threat on the franchise level, though the severity has migrated geographically as groups wax and wane in specific regions. The franchises have done little to expand their operations outside of their regions of interest and to conduct attacks against the “far enemy” — that is, attacks in the United States or Europe.
At the grassroots level, homegrown jihadists have posed a fairly consistent, though lower-level, threat. In the past, we have said that these jihadists think globally, but act locally. While there are far more grassroots jihadists than there are militants in the al Qaeda franchises and vastly more than in the small al Qaeda core, the grassroots jihadists tend to be highly motivated, but poorly equipped to conduct sophisticated terror attacks.
Beyond the Physical Battlefield
We believe that any realistic analysis of al Qaeda’s strength must assess more than a basic head count of militants willing and able to conduct attacks. As we have noted previously, there are two battlespaces in the war against jihadism: the physical and the ideological. Although the campaign against al Qaeda has caused the core group to become essentially marginalized in the physical battlespace, the core has undertaken great effort to remain engaged in the ideological battlespace.
In many ways, the ideological battlespace is more important than the physical battlespace in the war against jihadism, and in the jihadists’ war against the rest of the world. It is far easier to kill people than it is to kill ideologies. We have recently seen this in the resurgence of Bolivarian Revolution ideology in South America, despite the fact that Simon Bolivar, Karl Marx and Ernesto “Che” Guevara are long dead and buried. Ideology is the decisive factor that allows jihadists to recruit new fighters and gather funding for militant and propaganda operations. As long as the jihadists can recruit new militants, they can compensate for the losses they suffer on the physical battlefield. When they lose that ability, their struggle dies on the vine. Because of this, al Qaeda fears fatwas more than weapons. Weapons can kill people — but fatwas can kill the ideology that motivates people to fight and finance.
We are not the only ones who believe the ideological battlespace is critical. A video released earlier this month by al Qaeda mouthpiece As-Sahab entitled “The Word is the Word of Swords,” one of al Qaeda’s leading religious authorities, Abu Yahya al-Libi emphasized this point from within the network.
In the video, al-Libi said the jihadist battle “is not waged solely at the military and economic level, but is waged first and foremost at the level of doctrine.” He also said that his followers are in a war against an enemy that “targets all strongholds of Islam and invades the minds and ideas in the same way it invades lands and dares to destroy beliefs and meddle with the sacred things in the same way it dares to spill blood.”
Interestingly, although the video recording is dedicated to detailing the preparations for the attack on the Danish Embassy in Islamabad, the bulk of the 64-minute video addresses the ideological war against al Qaeda and how “true Islam” has been undermined by leaders such as King Abdullah and the Saudi religious establishment.
In an ironic twist, the progress of the combatants is easier to assess in the ideological rather than physical battlespace — largely because most militants plotting terror attacks attempt to stay invisible until they launch their operations, while the ideological battle is for the most part conducted in plain sight.
One such visible indication on the ideological battlefield was a book written by al Qaeda’s number two man, Ayman al-Zawahiri, which was released in March. The book — known as “The Exoneration” — is a long response to a book written by Sayyed Imam al-Sharif. Also known as Dr. Fadl, al-Sharif is an imprisoned Egyptian radical and a founder (with al-Zawahiri) of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad.
Published in 2007, al-Sharif’s book, “Rationalizing Jihadist Action in Egypt and the World,” provides theological arguments that counter many of the core jihadist teachings. Included among those teachings is the concept of takfir, or the practice of declaring a Muslim to be an unbeliever in order to justify an attack against him. Al-Sharif also spoke out against killing non-Muslims in Muslim countries and attacking members of other Muslim sects.
Al-Sharif was a significant player in the development of the jihadist theology that shaped the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) and eventually, through al-Zawahiri and other EIJ members who became influential members of al Qaeda, al-Sharif’s concepts became instrumental in shaping the ideology of jihadism as promulgated by al Qaeda. One of his books, “The Essentials of Making Ready for Jihad,” was reportedly required reading for all new jihadist recruits at al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The renunciation of jihadist ideology by such a pivotal figure was a significant threat — one serious enough to spur al-Zawahiri’s refutation.
The Saudi ulema or Muslim scholars and former jihadist ideologues are not the only people assailing the ideology of jihadism. Of course, Western figures, such as Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders have been highly critical of jihadism. But these outsiders have little ability to sway Muslim opinion on the street — a critical objective in fighting the ideological battle. In recent years, however, we have seen more Muslim figures speak out against jihadism, which they believe is a perversion of Islam. However, criticism is not without danger. Figures such as Egyptian political analyst Diaa Rashwan have been threatened with death because of their criticism of al Qaeda and jihadist ideology.
In addition to the previously discussed video, As-Sahab has released two other lengthy videos this month. The first, to commemorate the 9/11 anniversary, was called “The Harvest of Seven Years of Crusades.” The second, called “True Imam,” was released Sept. 29. Essentially, it was a tirade against the government of Pakistan and a tribute to Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who was killed in the July 2007 storming of the Red Mosque in Islamabad by the Pakistani military.
Overlap
Sometimes, things that emerge in the ideological battlespace can provide indications of important developments in the physical battlespace.
For example, one of the As-Sahab videos featured clips of Mustafa abu al-Yazid (aka Sheikh Said al-Masri). An Egyptian al Qaeda military commander, al-Yazid had reportedly been killed in an Aug. 8 operation in Bajaur. But since al-Yazid makes reference in the video to the Aug. 18 resignation of former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, he obviously was not killed 10 days earlier.
Two others noticeably absent from these three videos were Osama bin Laden and Adam Gadahn. Bin Laden, who has not been heard from since a May 18 audio message, is once again rumored to be dead. Gadahn may also be dead, according to rumors that he was killed in a January airstrike in Pakistan’s North Waziristan agency in which senior al Qaeda military commander Abu Laith al-Libi was killed. Gadahn, who has appeared in several al Qaeda video messages since emerging on the scene in 2004, has been conspicuously absent from the organization’s propaganda since the January strike.
Typically, al Qaeda has been fairly forthcoming in “declaring the martyrdom” of fallen commanders like al-Libi. The death of a central figure such as bin Laden, however, could be seen as severely detrimental to the jihadist world’s morale. Therefore, the group could be motivated to conceal his death. If bin Laden is still alive, however, we anticipate a message from him by the U.S. presidential elections Nov. 4, given his appearance before the 2004 presidential elections.
It would be somewhat out of character, however, for al Qaeda to avoid publicizing the death of a lesser figure such as Gadahn. With all the rumors circulating about jihadists seeking to use European-looking operatives in attacks against the West, one wonders if the silence regarding the American-born jihadist’s fate is designed to keep U.S. authorities in suspense — or if it is a real indication that Gadahn is alive and has left his post in the ideological battlespace in order to go operational on the physical battlefield.
Of course, the fate of these individuals, even a central figure such as bin Laden, is not nearly as important as the fate of the ideology. And we will continue to focus on the ideological battlefield for significant developments there.
One place that needs to be watched carefully is Pakistan, where events like the Red Mosque operation and the assassination of Benazir Bhutto have potentially sown the seeds for a ripe ideological harvest for both sides. It will be important to watch and see if the Marriott bombing will, as some claimed, prove to be a watershed event that marks a change in public opinion capable of rallying popular support against the jihadist ideology in Pakistan.
This report may be forwarded or republished on your website with attribution to www.stratfor.com
[I will need to edit this even more, as the news source is an edit site/for Freepers....both are worth going to the link to read.
granny]
MELAMINE CONTAMINATION, ANIMAL FEED: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
[1]
Date: Thu 25 Sep 2008
Source: Reuters UK [edited]
http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKTRE48O20H20080925
Two gorillas are suspected of becoming the latest victims of China’s
tainted milk-powder health scandal, showing the early signs of kidney
stones, local media reported on Thursday [25 Sep 2008].
The gorillas, both from Hangzhou Wildlife World in eastern Zhejiang
province and aged one and 3, had been diagnosed with crystallization
in their urine, according to a report on the Hangzhou newspaper
website http://www.hangzhou.com.cn
Both had been fed with milk powder made by Sanlu Group,
Most of article removed...........
granny.
[Edited by Nick Macfie, Sanjeev Miglani]
—
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Susan Baekeland
******
[2]
Date: Fri 26 Sep 2008
Source: The West Australian [edited]
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=2&ContentID=99861
A Chinese zoo is checking its animals after a lion cub and 2
orangutans were found to be developing kidney stones from drinking
contaminated powdered milk, state media reported today [26 Sep 2008].
The 3-month-old African cub at the zoo near the eastern city of
Hangzhou was under medical supervision after tests showed he was in
the early stages of developing kidney stones, the Beijing Morning
Post said.
Zookeepers fed the animals Sanlu milk powder — a product discovered
to be contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine — the report
said, adding the milk brand was introduced at the zoo 2 years ago.
[removed section]
Worried zoo staff brought the lion, along with 15-month-old orangutan
Qimao and her 3-year-old brother Liumao, to the veterinarian yesterday
[25 Sep 2008], the newspaper reported. Urinalysis and ultrasound
images confirmed zookeepers’ fears, the report said. “The crystal is
at an early stage of stone development as it is still as small as a
pen point,” a veterinarian identified only by the surname Shan, was
quoted as saying about the orangutans’ condition. A kidney stone
begins as a tiny crystal.
The zoo planned to test other animals over the coming days, the report said.
—
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Susan Baekeland
[Additional information regarding melamine may be found at the FAO
(UN Food and Agriculture Organisation) website
http://www.fao.org/ag/agn/agns/chemicals_melamine_en.asp
Although many countries and regulatory agencies are carefully
monitoring human dry milk and dry milk products, this piece
demonstrates the potentially overlooked issue of milk products for
many young animals. Are countries checking animal milk substitute
products? Are regulatory agencies and veterinarians looking for
intoxication in young animals?
Some veterinary groups have done some research in some young species.
Young domestic animals such as calves, lambs & kid goats are
functionally non-ruminants, and could potentially suffer renal failure
just as pets did in 2007 — see ProMED archives below. Adult cows
appear to be able to handle melamine as a non-protein source, but it
has been shown in some research that adult sheep may also be sensitive
to melamine.
This article clearly indicates melamine may be contaminating animal
milk products. We are requesting more information on what regulatory
agencies and veterinarians are doing regarding checking for affected
animals and checking milk products for animals. - Mod.TG]
[see also:
Infant kidney stones - China (03): melamine 20080917.2915
Infant kidney stones - China (02): Gansu, milk, melamine 20080912.2856
2007
Interesting description of Russian provocation methods starting a couple
of paragraphs down this article. N.S.
The JAMESTOWN FOUNDATION
Eurasia Daily Monitor
RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE SEEKS TO DESTABILIZE CRIMEA
By Taras Kuzio
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
On September 29 the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)
protested against an appeal made by the Russian delegation to the OSCE
about the Crimea. “Methods and dirty technology created in the ’90s of
the last century are being used to destabilize the situation in the ARK
[Autonomous Republic of Crimea] by fomenting separatist movements in the
territories of the former USSR... Such actions cannot be regarded as
anything other than gross interference in the internal affairs of
another state,” the MFA said (www.mfa.gov.ua, September 29).
That Ukrainian-Russian relations are poor and deteriorating is
increasingly obvious from mutual accusations, counter-accusations, and
insinuations. Russian political technologist Sergei Markov, a Unified
Russia deputy, described Ukrainian-Russian relations to all intents and
purposes as non-existent (www.pravda.com.ua, September 24).
Even in the area of Soviet history the Ukrainian and Russian sides have
diametrically opposite views. The Russian Foreign Ministry gloated over
Ukraine’s failure to find support for a resolution at the UN to
recognize the 1933 artificial famine as “genocide” conducted against
Ukrainians. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded
rebuttal. Writing in September’s Prospect magazine Arkady Ostrovsky
said, “an old fashioned nationalism, in neo-Stalinist costume, has
become the most powerful force in Russian society”
(www.prospect-magazine.co.uk).
Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko has officially accused Russia of
seeking to destabilize the autonomous republic of the Crimea. It is
undesirable that “the Russian consulate in Simferopol distributes
passports” (EDM, September 15). Meanwhile, Russian politicians, such as
Moscow Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov, travel to Ukraine and call for uniting the
Crimea to Russia (Fokus, no.38, September 19).
Ohryzko also complained that Russia was attempting to block Ukraine’s
entry into NATO by using, among others things, the Crimean card. Russia
also disrespected Ukraine’s sovereignty (Fokus, no.38, September 19).
At a well-publicized press conference on September 25, the Security
Service (SBU) provided extensive details of attempts by Russian
intelligence to hire Ukrainian citizens to participate in conflicts in
the Caucasus. The SBU gave details about recent attempts to hire
Ukrainians for the August Georgian conflict. In August and September the
SBU collected intelligence on many attempts by Russian intelligence to
dispatch Ukrainians to the conflict. Ukrainians were offered $200 to
$500 per day if they accepted the proposal. Candidates approached by
Russian intelligence should have “specific training, including in the
field of subversive activity.” Russian intelligence targeted those with
existing connections to the Ukrainian military, including reservists
(www.mfa.gov.ua, September 29).
The SBU warned Russia that it was carefully observing these approaches
and was initiating counter-measures (www.sbu.gov.ua). “Every attempt at
recruiting Ukrainian citizens in foreign games will receive a harsh
rebuff,” the SBU warned. Russian intelligence had established and
supported “extremist organizations” in Tiraspol, Abkhazia, and South
Ossetia; but “We will never permit such activity on our territory,” the
SBU stated. Following the Georgian-Russian war, Ukraine purchased its
first unmanned drone from the Israeli Ministry of Defense
(www.pravda.com.ua, August 29).
Senior Russian military officers have alleged that Ukrainians fought on
the Georgian side during the August conflict. Such claims about
“Ukrainian nationalists” are nothing new. In the first and second
Russian interventions into Chechnya in 1995 and 2000, Russian officials
and media alleged that numerous “Ukrainian nationalists” were fighting
with the Chechens. The allegations revived Soviet ideological tirades
against western Ukrainian “bourgeois nationalists.”
The nationalist group most often accused of training recruits for battle
against Russia is the extreme right UNA-UNSO (Ukrainian National
Assembly-Ukrainian Peoples Self Defense Organization). Russia’s
intelligence on Ukrainian nationalists is, in fact, outdated, as the
UNA-UNSO disintegrated in the late 1990s into at least three groups.
One wing of UNA-UNSO that remained committed to its nationalist ideology
aligned with the radical opposition Yulia Tymoshenko bloc (BYuT) and
Socialist Party in the “Kuchmagate” crisis. The radical opposition led
the protests by Ukraine Without Kuchma and Arise Ukraine! from 2000 to
2003. UNA-UNSO members also acted as paramilitary stewards during the
orange revolution. The UNA-UNSO was accused of organizing the March 2001
riots in Kyiv (in reality, this was apparently a provocation by
undercover Interior Ministry personnel to discredit the anti-Kuchma
opposition), and 20 senior UNA-UNSO leaders were charged and imprisoned.
Following their release, many of the nationalist wing of the UNA-UNSO,
such as Andriy Shkil, joined the BYuT. Shkil is still a BYuT deputy.
The other two wings of the UNA-UNSO were co-opted by Russian
intelligence. They continue to be available for provocations by Russian
intelligence in attempts to portray Ukraine’s orange leaders (like their
Georgian rose revolution counterparts) as “anti-Russian extremists.”
The two co-opted former wings of the UNA-UNSO played a highly
provocative role in attempts to discredit the opposition candidate
Viktor Yushchenko in the 2004 presidential elections. Political
technologists close to Russia’s presidential administration (i.e.,
Markov and Gleb Pavlovsky) worked for the candidate supported by Russia,
Viktor Yanukovych. They sought to portray Yushchenko as a rabid
“anti-Russian, Ukrainian nationalist” to reduce his popularity in
Russophone eastern Ukraine (see EDM, June 29 and September 23, 2004, May
13, 2005).
One of the two co-opted UNA-UNSO groups, led by Dmytro Korchynsky, was
renamed Bratstvo (Brotherhood). Bratstvo and the Progressive Socialist
Party are the only two Ukrainian parties in the Highest Council of the
International Eurasian Movement and the Eurasian Youth Movement. Both of
these organizations are devoted to the Eurasianist ideologist Aleksandr
G. Dugin who has ingratiated himself with the Putin regime (see Andreas
Umland’s detailed analysis in www.pravda.com.ua, July 20, 2007).
The SBU has also unveiled Russian intelligence’s attempts to recruit
Ukrainians who would “testify” for money that they had undergone
“subversive training” in UNA-UNSO bases in western Ukraine with the aim
of undertaking “terrorist” attacks alongside Chechens in Russia.
Recruited Tatars were also paid to speak on Russian television about the
existence of alleged training camps for Islamic terrorists in the
Crimea. The aim in both cases, the SBU believes, was to show that
Ukraine was a host to training camps for religious and nationalist
extremists.
Russia’s accusations are doubly ironic. First, the UNA-UNSO wing with
solid nationalist credentials joined the BYuT in 2001-2002. Tymoshenko
meanwhile has been accused of “treason” by the presidential secretariat
based on an unfounded allegation that she has “done a deal” with Russian
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Second, the remainder of the former
UNA-UNSO (i.e., Bratstvo) has long worked for Russian intelligence.
http://jamestown.org/edm/article.php?article_id=2373411
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chechnya-sl/
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.