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7/2007 NIE: A Persistant and Evolving Threat from al Qa’ida
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBQxvg6Aj7A
06:11

7/17/07 – FOX News/Brit Hume: The first National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) focused exclusively on dangers to the homeland says al Qa’ida has not given up desire to attack and is strengthening in the badlands of tribal northwestern Pakistan. Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell says in reference to al Qa’ida, “they are capable and they are planning, but they are not as robust or as capable as they were in 2001 [prior to 9/11]”. At the same time McConnell notes that al Qa’ida is looking for “mass casualties larger than 9/11 – their intent is mass casualties and their intent is spectacular destruction.” The NIE also warns that al Qa’ida leadership has instructed its operatives to acquire chemical biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) material.

Michael Scheuer and Peter Zeihan on the NIE and al Qa’ida
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dni02t3RfIg
06:03

7/18/07 – Fox News/O’Reilly Factor: Michael Scheuer, former chief of the CIA’s bin Laden joins Peter Zeihan of Stratfor.com to discuss al Qa’ida in light of the new Intelligence Estimate. Scheuer agrees that the U.S. has failed to neutralize the effect of al Qa’ida and also believes that still very few understand al Qa’ida. He believes the NIE is correct in that “al Qa’ida is still in operation and we have a second tier of threat from people who are instigated and inspired by bin Laden”. Zeihan points out important differences between today’s al Qa’ida and the al Qa’ida of 2001 that had international financing, freedom to move and simultaneous planning activities in multiple regions.

The “Dirty” Bomb Terror Threat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzp0pwMTzp0
03:25

7/20/07 – CNN: CNN’s International Security Correspondent Paula Newton reports on the threat of a “dirty” bomb being used on a Western target. The International Atomic Energy Agency reports that illicit trafficking in radiological material has more than doubled since 2002. An example of the threat comes from Dhiren Barot who was arrested in 2004 after coming up with a simple scheme – harvest smoke detector material and lace a conventional car bomb with it to spread radioactive waste in the blast. Radioactive material is used throughout the world in unsecured sites such as hospitals and the threat is very real that material could fall into the wrong hands.

Trouble Brewing in Pakistan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXJobO6n1kU
06:28

7/20/07 – CNN International: Critics of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf are celebrating the overturned suspension of chief justice by the Supreme Court who ruled the original decision was “illegal”. Meanwhile, parts of Pakistan have become a safe haven for extremists and new waves of violence have spread across the country following the recent siege at the Red Mosque. The Pakistani military is now attempting to remove extremists yet again after failing in the past while the U.S. in providing support and intelligence. Experts now believe the bloodshed will worsen and that Pakistan will be messy for some time – concern that Musharraf has allied with the wrong groups in the past makes future U.S. intervention possible.

Khurshid Kasuri, Pakistani Foreign Minister, believes that it would be foolish for the United States to attempt to go into Waziristan after al Qa’ida alone and believes the Pakistani army to be capable and committed to removing the threat. U.S. General Peter Pace says the U.S. is working hard with Musharraf based on what he says his country needs but we are not offering more help than requested because it may be counterproductive in the eyes of his citizens.

Is Pakistan On the Brink?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g85bpDUftSI
06:10

7/20/07 – NBC Nightly News: There are fears that great pressure from within will crush President Pervez Musharraf leading to chaos in Pakistan, the region and world. The Bush Administration has poured $10b into the Musharraf government since 9/11 but now critics believe Musharraf may not survive politically while we have no “plan B”. Pakistani officials resoundingly answer “no” when asked about a greater U.S. presence in the country to destroy extremists as their nuclear weapons and growing program appears perilously close to falling into the wrong hands.

President of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haass joins to explain why U.S. leaders, including himself, stay awake at night worrying about the “nightmare” Pakistan could become. He argues that we are now seeing the beginning of the end of the Musharraf era in Pakistan and he will gradually lose power and he believes this could indeed become the single toughest U.S. foreign policy question in the future.