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 War
and Terror
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September 2008
Bush had no plan to catch Bin Laden
The United States missed the opportunity to catch Osama bin Laden in
Afghanistan in 2001, new evidence reveals, because Washington was obsessed with
starting the Iraq War and failed to allocate enough troops to the task. The
blunder was allegedly compounded by a decision to turn down an offer of 60,000
Pakistani troops. - Gareth Porter (Sep 30,
'08)
The
fight goes on, militants tell Pakistan
The Taliban have officially rejected a Saudi Arabian-British backdoor
initiative for Islamabad to strike peace deals with militants in Pakistan. The
Taliban realize the aim is to separate them from al-Qaeda, and are having none
of it. So the battle in the tribal areas continues apace, with the militants
now attracting vital support from across the border in Afghanistan, as well as
from previously pro-Pakistan tribal chiefs. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Sep 30, '08)
Why the US is losing in
Afghanistan
Most of the literature on the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the
"war on terror" focuses on the burden these conflicts place on the US federal
budget. This is a very real issue, but it deflects attention from another key
point: in Afghanistan, the US has consistently failed to provide the financial
and military resources necessary to win the war. - Anthony H Cordesman
(Sep 30, '08)
Syria back on the terror map
The main suspects behind Monday's car bombing in the Lebanese city of Tripoli
and a similar attack at the weekend in Damascus are Sunni extremists bent on
destabilizing the region and seeking revenge for Syria's longstanding ties to
jihadi elements. For Syria, "Black Saturday" marks a return to the dark days of
its confrontation with the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1980s. - Sami Moubayed
(Sep 30, '08)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
We have the money
Few blinked when a US$612 billion Pentagon budget sailed through the US
Congress, even as negotiators in Washington were scrambling to find a similar
sum to deal with financial meltdown. Congress has been corrupted by the
military-industrial complex into believing that, by voting for more defense
spending, they are supplying "jobs". In fact, they are diverting scarce
resources from the desperately needed rebuilding of the American
infrastructure. - Chalmers Johnson (Sep 29,
'08)
Israel lobby loses on Iran
resolution
In a surprise defeat for pro-Israel lobby groups in the United States, the
House of Representatives has shelved a resolution aimed at curtailing Iran's
nuclear program by means of a naval blockade. The initiative, which critics had
decried as an "act of war", was defeated by a last-minute charge of lobby
groups calling for diplomatic engagement with Tehran. - Jim Lobe
(Sep 29, '08)
Al-Qaeda's opportunity to hurt the
US
Al-Qaeda's self-appointed role as the inciter of jihad has contributed to a
world that is much more afflicted with jihadism than it was in 1996, when Osama
bin Laden declared war on the United States. From India, the Philippines and
Thailand to Pakistan, Afghanistan and North Africa and the North Caucasus,
jihadi movements flourish. Now al-Qaeda could accelerate the unraveling of the
US financial system with a September 11-like attack in the continental United
States. - Michael Scheuer (Sep 26, '08)
Iran keeps China in a chokehold
Heavily dependent on Persian Gulf energy imports, China takes seriously Iran's
threats to block the crucial oil chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz, which
bristles with Chinese-made anti-ship cruise missiles, attack craft and mines.
To prevent a crisis, Beijing prefers to satisfy Tehran's claims and demands by
political and diplomatic means. (Sep 25, '08)
A dangerous obsession
Neo-conservatives and former Israeli diplomats are said to be behind the
distribution of millions of copies of the controversial, allegedly Islamaphobic
movie Obsession in swing states in the United States ahead of November's
presidential elections. Now federal authorities have been asked to investigate
the "hate propaganda" campaign. (Sep 25, '08)
Militants shake off Pakistan's grip
Pakistan's tribal areas are steadily falling to a creeping Taliban-led
militancy. Military operations have proved ineffective, while the militants
have rejected offers of ceasefires. Islamabad and the United States are now
getting what they initially set in motion - "conflict escalation". - Syed Saleem
Shahzad (Sep 24, '08)
All change in the US's Afghan
mission
The United States admits it needs to speed up progress in Afghanistan, which in
the past seven years has accounted for a hefty chunk of the US$752 billion bill
for the "war on terror". US military forays into Pakistan are one aspect of a
"new strategy" that could see Americans taking direct control of
counter-insurgency activities. More troops and more resources have also been
demanded, even as the Taliban consolidate their positions around Kabul. - Syed
Saleem Shahzad (Sep 19, '08)
Iran plays the mediator
"Rogue state" Iran has embarked on a whirlwind of diplomacy across the Caucasus
and troubled Central Asia. Tehran's momentum as a "main pillar of regional
stability" is partly due to fears that regional tensions could affect its
national security interests, and its determination to counter attempts to form
a "Caucasus alliance" which would exclude it. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Sep 19, '08)
Ahmadinejad sets pulses racing
Many Iranians dread the prospect of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad again trotting
out virulent anti-Israel rhetoric at the United Nations next week, preferring
he use the platform to build bridges with the United States. Others relish the
opportunity to give Ahmadinejad a special New York welcome.
(Sep 19, '08)
BOOK REVIEW
'We blew her to pieces'
Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan by Aaron Glantz
This gut-wrenching chronicle gives vivid and searing accounts of the
devastation the United States occupation has brought to Iraq, as well as to its
own soldiers. Compiled from emotionally charged testimonies and under the
guidance of the Iraq Veterans Against the War, this is an important and
disturbing account of "the true face of war". - Dahr Jamail
(Sep 19, '08)
US pushes Pakistan towards the brink
The George W Bush administration's decision to widen its Afghan war into
Pakistan - striking repeatedly in the "badlands" on the Afghan border - is a
perilous undertaking. For Pakistan, there could be a catastrophic crisis within
the army - already it has fired its first warning shots at American troops -
and even a disintegration of the state. But maybe this is the plan. - Tariq Ali
(Sep 17, '08)
A peek at Obama's Middle East
vision
War with Iran will be avoided at all costs if the US is led by Barack Obama,
says the Democratic presidential nominee's senior foreign policy advisor, Susan
Rice. As a former assistant secretary of state for African affairs under
president Bill Clinton, Rice has a grand vision for strengthening security in
Iraq and the greater Middle East. (Sep 17, '08)
In Pakistan, sympathy for the
Taliban
Despite attacks on schools, hospitals and fellow Muslims, the Taliban manage to
retain widespread sympathy among Muslims in Pakistan. A major reason is the
presence of foreign troops in the region who do not understand tribal politics.
The inescapable message is that the Taliban may not be loved, but the real
criminals are foreign interlopers. (Sep 16, '08)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
An anatomy of collateral damage
"Collateral damage" has been a central part of the George W Bush
administration's "war on terror" for the past seven years, yet it rarely
excites much attention in the West. That's why absurd accounts sometimes
offered by the US military - as in the recent deaths of 60 Afghan children - go
relatively unchallenged. - Tom Engelhardt (Sep
16, '08)
US forces the terror issue with
Pakistan
Much as the United States decision to bomb Laos and Cambodia in 1969 became a
turning point in the Vietnam War, so its move to aggressively go after
militants and al-Qaeda inside Pakistan could be a pivotal moment in the "war on
terror", with Islamabad as an increasingly reluctant partner. - Syed Saleem
Shahzad (Sep 15, '08)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
The Pentagon's cubicle mercenaries
During the George W Bush years, American war fighting has been privatized and
the Pentagon largely turned over to corporate contractors, hired guns, hired
hands, private cubicle mercenaries and private sub-contracting warriors, who
raked in US$151 billion in 2006. What's left is "a Pentagon bloated almost
beyond recognition and crippled by its dependence on private military
corporations". - Frida Berrigan (Sep 15, '08)
Dissension
in Pakistan's ranks
Pakistan's political leaders are on board with the country's "joint venture"
with the United States in which for the first time Taliban sanctuaries inside
Pakistan will be vigorously attacked. The corps commanders - and even their
chief - are not convinced. Heads will have to roll to bring them into step. - Syed
Saleem Shahzad (Sep 12, '08)
Moscow eyes Afghanistan in fear
Russia has concerns not only over its relations with the West. As important,
Moscow fears a Taliban victory in Afghanistan. This is not so much for the
galvanizing effect this would have on regional jihadis, but for the economic
mayhem that could be caused in Central Asian states. Moscow's planned military
maneuvers with Kazakhstan are a preventative step. - Dmitry Shlapentokh
(Sep 12, '08)
COMMENT
Seven years on, three big 9/11 lies
The George W Bush administration still can't tell the truth about September 11.
It keeps claiming the deadliest attacks on the American mainland as a badge of
honor, rather than as a stain on its record. The greatest political mystery of
the 21st century is why Americans keep getting fooled. - Muhammad Cohen
(Sep 10, '08)
Secrets
of the Taliban's success
The Taliban's struggle is solely against the foreign occupiers in Afghanistan,
not Pakistan or any other country, Mullah Abdul Jalil, a pioneer of the Taliban
movement, tells Syed Saleem Shahzad. The former foreign minister of the
Taliban regime explains the crucial role mass support plays in the resistance,
and scoffs at suggestions the Taliban will ever make deals with the United
States or Britain. Kabul, though, is safe for the time being.
(Sep 10, '08)
Terror fluid plot thickens
British authorities have hailed as a landmark in counter-terrorism the
conviction of seven people in connection with an al-Qaeda-inspired plot to down
trans-Atlantic flights. But the trial of the "liquid bombers" has raised the
uncomfortable possibility that the world's airline industry was needlessly
thrown into mayhem, and that the fight against disaffected British Muslims is
not yet over. - Ronan Thomas (Sep 10,'08)
US's
'good' war hits Pakistan hard
US President George W Bush has for the first time explicitly named Pakistan as
a new battleground in the "war on terror", and urged Islamabad to "defeat
terrorists and extremists". To underline the point, the US has stepped up its
own raids into Pakistan. Unfortunately, by targeting "good" Taliban with links
to the Pakistani establishment, the US places Pakistan in even greater danger.
- Syed Saleem Shahzad (Sep 9, '08)
US warned over raids in Pakistan
The George W Bush administration disregarded "clear" warnings from US
intelligence agencies that raids into Pakistan's Taliban strongholds would
dangerously destabilize the central government. Along with the political
fallout, the attacks - and their civilian death toll - have caused anti-US
sentiment to spike in the Pakistani army, threatening to deepen its tribal
quagmire. - Gareth Porter (Sep 9, '08)
Militancy dogs Pakistan's new
president
It is no coincidence that a massive and deadly suicide bombing took place on
the day of the voting that confirmed Asif Ali Zardari as Pakistan's next
president. Zardari might already have won a battle by bringing the country's
military and intelligence to heel, but he and his backers in Washington know
that the war against militancy is far from won. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Sep 8,'08)
Afghanistan's war has a new
battlefield
The raids this week by United States special forces into Pakistan in search of
al-Qaeda and militant leaders mark a new era for Pakistan under
president-in-waiting Asif Ali Zardari. In preparation for his expected
anointment this weekend, "Iron Man" Zardari, with strong backing from the US,
has skillfully consolidated his hold over the security and intelligence
services and is ready to prosecute the "war on terror" with a vengeance. - Syed
Saleem Shahzad (Sep 5, '08)
US plays both sides in the
Philippines
The Philippine government has junked a peace deal with the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front and both sides now totter on the precipice of full-scale
fighting. Between the two has stood the United States - will the US abandon a
traditional ally in Manila to support the Moro movement? - Herbert Docena
(Sep 5, '08)
A
sting in Pakistan's al-Qaeda mission
After pounding Bajaur Agency for three weeks, the Pakistani military has called
off its operation, claiming "mission accomplished" against militants. The
offensive was in fact a smoke screen for Islamabad and its NATO allies across
the border in Afghanistan to flush out Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman
al-Zawahiri, and it failed dismally. The militants have already started taking
revenge, attacking the premier's motorcade on Wednesday. - Syed Saleem
Shahzad (Sep 3, '08)
Iran tightens screws on Iraq's
Kurds
Iran is carefully monitoring the health of ailing Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani, a Kurd, who has helped maintain a delicate balance between the
pro-Tehran ruling Shi'ite bloc and the Kurdish community. Already, Baghdad has
introduced an Iranian-inspired crackdown to ensure the Kurds remain "tamed". - Sami
Moubayed (Sep 2, '08)
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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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