Free Republic

National borders are being superseded by the ancient battleground of al-Jazira. ___ Policymakers and media people—as well as anyone interested in the Middle East, Islam, terrorism, and related issues—need to be talking about al-Jazira. I am not talking here about the Qatar-based media operation that we usually call al-Jazeera. Rather, I am referring to those regions of Eastern Syria and Northern Iraq that have been in the news so much recently because they are the main stamping grounds of ISIL, and the core of the Islamic State, the Daesh. This is not just a question of applying a handy geographical...

CAIRO, Egypt — An audiotape purportedly from Usama bin Laden (search) was broadcast Sunday on the Al-Jazeera satellite channel, urging Muslims to continue fighting a holy war in Iraq and the Middle East rather than cooperate with peace efforts. The speaker, who referred to recent events -- including the December capture of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, called on Muslims to "continue the jihad to check the conspiracies that are hatched against the Islamic nation." He said the U.S.-led war against Iraq was the beginning of the "occupation" of Gulf states for their oil. "My message is to incite you...