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 War
and Terror
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Syria faces neo-mujahideen
struggle
If a regime such as Syria's is too strong militarily to be defeated from the
outside, it can be torn apart from the inside - such as a foreign-sponsored
insurgency that has been termed a "neo-mujahideen strategy". This game requires
great skill and caution, as well as the micromanagement of a complicated web of
regional relationships and rivalries that includes Iran and Turkey. - Victor
Kotsev (Apr 25, '12)
Aftershocks of the Egyptian
Spring
The same Syrian population that united to cheer Hosni Mubarak's downfall is now
divided over the Egyptian revolution's outcomes, with some wary and others
heartened that Syria's own uprising could see a similar end-game. While secular
critics point to the Muslim Brotherhood's ascent, admirers say Mubarak's end
heralded a new era for the Arab world. - Sami Moubayed
(Apr 25, '12)
How Pakistan makes US pay for
war
Islamabad - taking advantage of American arrogance and ignorance in Afghanistan
and Pakistan - took Washington for a patsy. One Pakistani ruling group after
another spotted Washington's weaknesses - from terror cases gone awry, attacks
mismanaged, supplies misdirected and money misspent - leveraged them, and made
the US pay through the nose for its war-making desires. - Dilip Hiro
(Apr 18, '12)
Taliban offensive shakes faith
Taliban attacks have brought the spring offensive to bear on Kabul and
provincial capitals, and herald a test of faith in whether the Western security
strategy in Afghanistan is working. Amid the show of strength, United States
hopes of retaining allied support until the end-2014 withdrawal also look
increasingly besieged.
- Jim Lobe (Apr 18, '12)
Attacks raise security questions
The Afghan security forces have received plaudits for their handling of the
mass militant attack on Kabul, but nagging questions remain over what appears
to have been an initial failure of intelligence, and the lack of coordination
among different Afghan agencies.
- Noorrahman Rahmani (Apr 17, '12)
Afghan endgame has Pakistan
shuddering
Talk of a settlement to end the war in Afghanistan is bad news for Pakistan's
generals. Negotiations will be a proverbial minefield and see them losing
influence with the Taliban, who have been vital for territorial integrity.
Beyond the endgame, Islamabad will face huge pressure to destroy the client
groups it helped to create to shore up threats to national interests. - Brian M
Downing (Apr 10, '12)
 THE
ROVING EYE
Surrender now
or we'll bomb you later
Welcome to the "roll over and die" school of diplomacy over Iran - as perfected
by the Barack Obama administration, with vital input from the Israel lobby in
Washington. The United States president's ultimatum before international talks
over Tehran's nuclear program is a rhetorical missile aimed at demonizing Iran
- all to the delight of the "Bomb Iran" crowd. - Pepe Escobar
(Apr 10, '12)
 SPENGLER
Muslim Brotherhood
chooses chaos
The Muslim Brotherhood says it will block a US$3 billion emergency loan from
the International Monetary Fund unless the military government cedes power.
This despite the fact Egypt is running out of money and faces a chaotic
devaluation - the political actors appear to have moved past the question of
avoiding the crisis, and are positioning themselves to exploit it.
(Apr 10, '12)
THE ROVING EYE
War porn: The new safe sex
The catalogue of grubby titles is seemingly endless. From "war on terror" to
Kandahar, via Fallujah, Abu Ghraib, Gaza, an orgy of drones over Afghanistan,
R2P (sic) in Libya and Syria, and onto that current supreme blockbuster - the
Iran psychodrama - a worldwide audience of global couch and digital potatoes is
helplessly hooked on the crude, United States-directed exhibition of war porn.
- Pepe Escobar (Mar 29, '12)
Washington at war over Iran
strike
A senior United States official has said diplomatic engagement - not military
strikes or fomenting regime change - is the best way to heal US-Iran relations,
in remarks that coincided with reports that "Iran Six" talks over Tehran's
nuclear program will resume in April. However, a bipartisan group of senators
has also proposed measures more extreme than mere "crippling" economic
sanctions. - Jasmin Ramsey (Mar 29, '12)
Predators, reapers, ravens - and
revolution
A revolution is underway as an astounding array of drones has come from
virtually nowhere in little more than a decade to occupy a central role in the
armory of more than 50 nations. The United States' Central Intelligence Agency
can't get enough of the unmanned aerial killers and all signs indicate that it
plans to use them increasingly wherever al-Qaeda may be.
- Brian Glyn Williams (Mar 29, '12)
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Taliban's peace options limited
If the United States is mired in a stalemate in Afghanistan, so too are the
Taliban, hence the baby steps towards peace talks. The Taliban must be aware
that they lack the military structure to retake the north, where a
reconstructed Northern Alliance, backed by regional powers, would pose a
powerful obstacle. - Brian M Downing (Mar 27,
'12)
As drones rise, a manned
fighter falls
European and Asian countries committed to purchasing 700 United States-designed
F-35 strike-fighter aircraft are threatening to pull out as costs spiral
towards US$197 million per plane with no end in sight to technical
controversies and delays. As new unmanned drones can emulate the F-35's "fifth
generation" abilities at a fraction of the cost, these countries should pull
the eject lever now. - Phil Radford (Mar 27,
'12)
Kazakh connection in French
killings
The Jund al-Khilafa, a jihadi outfit that has previously concentrated its
activities in Kazakhstan, has claimed responsibility for Mohammed Merah's
killing spree in France. This indicates that the group may have been co-opted
by international jihadis, notably in Afghanistan, and begun to prioritize
international jihad.
- Jacob Zenn (Mar 26, '12)
Frustrations of an al-Qaeda
captive
Interrogations in Indonesia of the al-Qaeda-linked Umar Patek, the Jemaah
Islamiyah leader captured in Abbottabad before Osama bin Laden was killed,
suggest his mission in Pakistan was to re-invigorate ties between South and
Southeast Asian terror groups. In the 1990s these links helped spawn outfits
like Abu Sayyaf that, like Patek, are being hit hard by international
counter-terrorism cooperation.
- Jacob Zenn (Mar 22, '12)
 Unstoppable
legacy
of the 'war on terror'
You might think the United States was entering the end of the 9/11 era. Think
again. What we in fact have is a national security state wedded to a "war on
terror" growing ever-more obsessed with secrecy and ever-more repressive in a
world that needs such behavior ever-less.
- Karen J Greenberg (Mar 21, '12)
Afghan army far from fighting
fit
The Afghan National Army should total 195,000 soldiers by the end of 2013, a
number believed adequate to secure the country. However, widespread
absenteeism, corruption and drug abuse seriously undermine efficiency, while
infiltration by the Taliban remains an acute problem. - Charles Recknagel
(Mar 21, '12)
AN ASIA TIMES ONLINE EXCLUSIVE
INVESTIGATION
Insider trading 9/11 ... the
facts laid bare
There can be no dispute that speculative trade in put options - where a party
bets that a stock will drop abruptly in value - spiked in the days around
September 11, 2001 - even if the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the
9/11 Commission will not say so. More than a few people must have had advance
warning of the terror attacks, and they cashed in to the tune of millions of
dollars. - Lars Schall (Mar 20, '12)
Pakistan frees suspected Mumbai
plotter
A key al-Qaeda operative alleged to have planned the November 2008 Mumbai
terror attacks has walked free from an unrelated murder case in Pakistan after
witnesses withdrew their testimony. A former Pakistan Army commando, Haroon
Ashiq found it similarly easy to escape assassination charges in anti-terrorism
courts, underlining their failure to punish anyone for the dozens of suicide
attacks in recent years.
- Amir Mir (Mar 20, '12)
Sgt Bales' secret and an Afghan
endgame
 Afghans
are more likely to believe their parliamentarians' assertions that 15 to 20
troops took part in the Kandahar killings rather than the US's account that
Sergeant Bales was the lone shooter, complicating the lead-up to a strategic
agreement between Washington and Kabul on bases and instructors beyond 2014.
The fallout plays perfectly into Russia's hands. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Mar 19, '12)
The future of COIN
Higher aims of the US's counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy in Afghanistan - such
as rebuilding and governance - were undermined by condescending US institutions
while simpler goals such as winning heart and minds were damaged by swaggering,
contemptuous troops. Factors closer to home also hurt the doctrine's chances of
success.
- Brian M Downing (Mar 19, '12)
Taliban face the music in
Pakistan
Cultural activities were unthinkable - and the consequences of defiance deadly
- in Khyber Pakthunkhwa as long as the ruling political parties followed the
way of the Taliban. With attacks on CD shops, cinemas and schools a thing of
the past, the new generation of rulers wants to defeat terrorism through music
and art. - Ashfaq Yusufzai (Mar 19, '12)
THE
ROVING EYE
War, Pipelineistan-style
While Western media say United States sanction threats have scared Chinese
mega-bank ICBC away from the planned Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, Islamabad - in
dire need of energy - insists the lender is still onboard. Washington's anti-IP
campaign has been relentless, but could crumble should China extend the
pipeline to its Xinjiang province. - Pepe Escobar
(Mar 15, '12)
Massacre darkens Afghan outlook
for US
The massacre on Sunday of 16 people, including children, in Kandahar province
by an American soldier makes it even less likely the US military will be able
to stay in Afghanistan after 2014. It has also further fueled war-weariness at
home, even among some Republicans.
- Jim Lobe (Mar 13, '12)
Bomb-Iran week turns 'Syrious'
Saber-rattling in Washington this week was supposed to be all about Iran, why
it should be bombed, and when (immediately). Syria was off the agenda planned
by Israel and its US lobby, before the chatter was hijacked by Senator John
McCain and his amigos. - Jim Lobe (Mar 9,
'12)
Real money for an imaginary war
The odds against an American being killed by a terrorist are astronomical, and
yet "homeland security" spending has mushroomed to an extent that even the
federal agency of the same name can't calculate with accuracy. The resulting
militarization of US law enforcement has spread to every level of government,
and to the data surveillance of ordinary citizens.
- Stephan Salisbury (Mar 7, '12)
Visas for Iranians, not bunker
busters
Retired American diplomat Thomas R Hutson says it's crucial to understand that
Iran's proud people want to be welcomed back into the community of nations. His
plan, to re-assess the applications of Iranians previously denied US visas,
goes against the warmongering mood of the times yet has its backers.
- Jens Kastner (Mar 7, '12)
How
drone war became the American Way
Drones are futuristic weapons that minimize deaths - at least on the American
side - but also the natural progression of a post-Vietnam drive to remove
potentially rebellious humans from the US Army and to sever war-making from the
citizenry. Whether the US wins or loses, in today's world of robo-corporate
warfare, the homeland security-industrial complex can never lose. - Tom
Engelhardt (Mar 2, '12)
US drones circle over the
Philippines
A United States-supported airstrike that killed Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah
leaders in the southern Philippines represented the first known use of drones
against terrorism-linked rebel groups in the country.
- Jacob Zenn (Feb 28, '12)
Scoring
the
'war on terror'
Evolving from "shock and awe" to a counter-insurgency-inspired cult of
generalship and then a program of targeted assassinations, the United States'
"war on terror" strategy has shifted to match constantly loosening definitions
of victory. With objectives such as regional influence, nation-building and
winning hearts and minds seemingly abandoned, the first bouts go to the "enemy"
on points.
- Andrew Bacevich (Feb 24, '12)
IRAN ON THE MOVE
Warships sail to Syria
By waving through a flotilla of Iranian warships to cross the Suez Canal and
dock in Syria in support of the regime, Egypt has signaled the Middle East can
never be the same again. Iran, for its part, is sending an important message
that neither the heightened standoff with the US nor the avalanche of Israeli
threats has succeeded in brow-beating it.
- M K Bhadrakumar (Feb 21, '12)
Real cowards go to Tehran
A spike in oil prices talked up by neo-con warmongers is compensating Iran for
funds lost to "biting" sanctions, never mind that Asian buyers of its crude
have told Washington hegemons to mind their own business. Israel lobby drafters
of the sanctions couldn't foresee any of this, proving once again that they
live the vegetative lives of armchair "action" men.
- Pepe Escobar (Feb 21, '12)
Karzai demand on raids snags US
pact
Year-long negotiations between the Barack Obama administration and the
government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai on a United States military
presence in Afghanistan beyond 2014 are stalled over the contentious issue of
night raids by US Special Forces. One compromise has already failed.
- Gareth Porter and Shah Nouri (Feb
21, '12)
THE
ROVING EYE
US wants SWIFT war on Iran
The European Union's oil embargo of Iran is backfiring, with the mere threat of
an Iranian counter-embargo prompting an oil price spike, while the US is
demanding further EU subservience by demands it expel Iranian banks from the
SWIFT payment network. This is hardcore economic war - and Tehran can fight
back. - Pepe Escobar (Feb 16, '12)
History man clouds prospects of
conflict
Conflict in the Persian Gulf looks almost inevitable as the war machinery turns
up the heat on Iran, but a weighty role for the American military is not
inevitable. Among several reasons why is Barack Obama, a man who does not want
to go down in history as a war president.
- Brian Downing (Feb 16, '12)
Attack on Iran easier said than
done
Speculation is intensifying that Israel is planning to attack Iran's nuclear
facilities, but there is plenty of reason for skepticism that such a strike
could succeed. Missiles with enough firepower to wipe out atomic plants don't
have the reach, while there is a high risk of failure should jet fighters
attempt the long-range mission. - David Isenberg
(Feb 15, '12)
THE
ROVING EYE
Syria, the new Libya
If Syria cannot be the new Libya in the sense of a UN resolution authorizing
NATO humanitarian bombing - vetoed by Russia and China - Syria is a new Libya
in the sense of unsavory ties between the "rebels" and hardcore Salafi-jihadis
brandishing Kalashnikovs. The regime-change agenda in Syria remains the same as
for Libya; even Warrior-in-Chief US President Barack Obama says so. - Pepe
Escobar (Feb 13, '12)
Leaked report belies Afghan
surge 'success'
A leaked and damning assessment of the US military in Afghanistan may have been
dismissed by the author's army superiors as "one person's view", but it
provides the most authoritative refutation of the official narrative of success
since the troop surge began in early 2010. Even a cursory glance proves that
the insurgency has gained strength, it concludes.
- Gareth Porter (Feb 13, '12)
9/11 REVISITED
Was Saudi Arabia involved?
In one of the "most troubling aspects" of the circumstances surrounding the
attacks of September 11, 2001, the Central Intelligence Agency's Bin Laden unit
did not tell anyone that "muscle" hijackers, Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf
al-Hazmi, were in the country. Maybe Saudi Arabia has an explanation.
- Paul Church (Feb 10, '12)
Muslim 'terror threat' belied
by numbers
A United States study on domestic terrorism has registered a sharp drop in
Muslim Americans implicated in plots in 2011, defying dire warnings that the US
last year faced its greatest threat since 2001. The report, which notes that
America's Muslim minority has a very low degree of radicalization, coincides
with official admissions that Washington exaggerated al-Qaeda's strength
following 9/11.
- Jim Lobe (Feb 9, '12)
Pakistan snubs US over Osama
informer
Pakistan has rejected an American bid for the release of Shakil Afridi, the
doctor who helped the Central Intelligence Agency establish Osama bin Laden's
whereabouts in the successful US raid to kill the al-Qaeda leader on Pakistani
soil. Branded a "friend" by US lawmakers who want to give him citizenship, and
a "national criminal" by the commission probing the incident, Afridi faces a
possible trial for treason - and the death penalty. - Amir Mir
(Feb 7, '12)
AN ASIA TIMES ONLINE EXCLUSIVE
Taliban eat into Afghanistan's core
Even as several tracks of peace talks with the Taliban open up, Asia Times
Online has learned that senior members of the Western-trained and financed
Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police plan to defect with vast
numbers of their colleagues to the militants once foreign forces start to leave
the country.
- Hamza Ameer and Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud
(Feb 3, '12)
Rants and raves for new US
pullout plan
The surprise decision to phrase out a combat role for US troops in Afghanistan
by mid-2013 has drawn mixed reaction in Washington, with critics of the 11-year
international occupation cheering and neo-cons and other hawks assessing that
the strategy will open the door to Kabul for the Taliban. - Jim Lobe
(Feb 3, '12)
TARGET IRAN
US tells Israelis it won't join
their fight
In an unexpectedly low-key visit, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General Martin Dempsey has explicitly warned Israel's leadership that the US
won't defend Israel if it unilaterally strikes Iran. However, Israel knows it
can count on the US right-wing to pressurize Washington into falling in line
over an attack, particularly in an election year. - Gareth Porter
(Feb 2, '12)
THE
ROVING EYE
Fear and loathing
in the
American Gulf
In roughly one month, no less than three US aircraft carriers and their strike
groups will be sloshing around the American Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the
Arabian Sea. The only good thing among all this weaponized orgy is that Tehran
and Washington are still talking - sort of - using the proverbial back
channels. - Pepe Escobar
Call for 'more credible' US
military threat
Iran is "two to six months" from a nuclear bomb and the Barack Obama
administration is failing to convince Tehran it will act militarily to prevent
this, a task force has complained. Recommending a surgical strike and the
deployment of US Special Forces if economic sanctions fail, the report comes
amid increasingly contradictory signals from Israel and Washington over the
likelihood of an attack. - Jim Lobe (Feb 2,
'12)
US hypes Iran terror threat
again
United States Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has reignited the
brouhaha over an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to
Washington. In doing so, he revives the notion of an "Iran threat" at a time
that debate would be better focussed on Tehran's moves towards nuclear
transparency.
- Kaveh L Afrasiabi (Feb 1, '12)
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ATol Specials
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Syed Saleem Shahzad reports on
the Afghan war from the Taliban side
(Dec '06)
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How
Hezbollah defeated Israel
By
Mark Perry and
Alastair Crooke
(Oct '06)
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Mark Perry and
Alastair Crooke
talk to the 'terrorists'
(Mar, '06)
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The evidence for and against Iran's alleged
nuclear weapons program
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Nir Rosen goes inside the Iraqi
resistance
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Nir Rosen rides with the 3rd
armored cavalry in western Iraq
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Islamism, fascism and
terrorism
by Marc Erikson
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For earlier articles go to:
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