November 2008 

HLF Case in Jury's Hands

…This is the second trial for the HLF defendants. A year ago, jurors deliberated for 19 days before determining they were hopelessly deadlocked on most counts, resulting in a mistrial. Prosecutors made significant changes to their presentation the second time around, some of which emerged unscathed in defense closing arguments.

For instance, Georgetown University professor Bruce Hoffman testified as an expert witness in the retrial. He told jurors that charitable/social arms were staples of successful terrorist movements. The Hamas charter specifies the need for a social arm of the organization. Defense attorney Joshua Dratel, who represents Mohamed El-Mezain, told jurors that Hoffman did not mention zakat committees, but no one contested Hoffman's overall assertion.  Nor was much said about three documents from the Palestinian Authority that were not in evidence in the first trial. One document showed the PA considered HLF to be among the international sources of Hamas funding. Another, a 2001 report from PA security, said the Ramallah zakat committee was "associated with the Hamas movement and some of them are activists in the Movement."  Bank records show HLF sent $494,000 to the Ramallah committee from 1991-2001.  Dratel tried to minimize the PA documents, saying they looked as if they were based on media reports.  Dratel, along with other defense attorneys, argued that jurors should listen instead to Edward Abington, a former U.S. consul general in Jerusalem and later a lobbyist for the PA. Abington visited zakat committees and testified he was never informed they had any Hamas connection.  In contrast, the defense attorneys tried to discredit a lawyer for the Israeli Security Agency who testified anonymously as a prosecution expert under the name "Avi." Throughout the day, defense attorneys cited his anonymity, saying it deprived the jury a chance to assess his background and previous writings. In addition, they claimed, there were no repercussions if Avi lied on the stand since his identity isn't known……(IPT, 12 Nov 08)

Holy Land Terrorism Financing Case Goes to Jury

Jurors will begin deliberations this morning in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing retrial after sitting through nearly two months of testimony capped by two days of impassioned closing arguments.  After summations ended Tuesday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis told jurors to convene briefly to pick a foreperson before beginning their work in earnest today.  In two days of closing arguments, prosecutors told jurors that from the late 1980s until it was closed in 2001, the former Richardson charity was the chief fundraising arm of Hamas.  Defense attorneys stressed the charity's humanitarian work and lambasted the government's case as prejudiced……(Dallas Morning, 12 Nov 08)

CAIR’s Disappearing Leadership Act

Within the last year and a half, the staff of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has dwindled tremendously. The latest casualty is that of CAIR-Miami’s Communications Director and Hamas-defender, Omer Subhani. The causes for the drop-off, including that of scandal, vary as much as the excuses given.

On November 4th, in an article concerning Omer Subhani’s refusal to acknowledge Hamas, Hezbollah and the PLO as terrorist organizations, this author reported that Subhani had recently removed references to CAIR from his blog. It was a matter of interest, as he was one of the top staffers out of CAIR-Florida’s main office.

In response to the article, Subhani had the following to say: “[M]y references to CAIR on this blog were taken down because I no longer work for CAIR. I have gone back to school full time since August.” While he may well be telling the truth, Subhani has followed a current trend, whereby CAIR leaders have abruptly left the organization……(FrontPage, 12 Nov 08)

Terror’s Quest for Acceptance

Hamas keeps pushing for international recognition at the same time that it fires rockets at Israeli communities and keeps holding a kidnapped Israeli soldier for two and a half years with no Red Cross or other visits. Since an initial barrage a week ago—after an Israeli military operation in Gaza to destroy a tunnel meant to be used for further kidnappings—Hamas has fired over seventy rockets at Israeli towns and villages, closing schools and sending several people to hospital for shock.  Israel, which underwent a “change” in the 1990s toward pretending enemies are friends or at least ceasefire partners, has responded militarily with only small tactical strikes while Defense Minister Ehud Barak has stated that Israel is “committed” to the current one-sided “ceasefire” with Hamas.

On Saturday Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal expressed a hope for further “change” and even used the term explicitly. He not only said in an interview to Australia’s Sky News that “We are ready for dialogue with President Obama and with the new American administration with an open mind…. The American administration [has] no other option than to deal with Hamas because we are a real force on the ground....”…..(FrontPage, 12 Nov 08)

Georgetown Academic Unaware of Global Muslim Brotherhood Key Facts 

The Investigative Project has reported on significant gaps in knowledge about the global Muslim Brotherhood on the part of Georgetown academic John Esposito, perhaps the best known U.S. academic supporter of the Brotherhood. According to the report Esposito, testifying in the retrial of the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing case, was unaware of the connections between the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Holy Land Foundations, and Hamas and was unable to recall his last meeting with CAIR even though it was only three months ago:   …on cross examination, Esposito either didn’t remember or didn’t know about documented links between HLF and other groups he has worked with and Hamas. One of those groups is the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). When asked by defense attorney Nancy Hollander if he was familiar with CAIR, Esposito described it as a “religious-oriented mainstream group” that worked on issues of discrimination against Muslims. He confirmed he had over a period of time met with senior CAIR officials, including Nihad Awad, Ibrahim Hooper, and “another person based in California in the Bay area.” That person, he later said, turned out to be CAIR co-founder and chairman emeritus Omar Ahmad. CAIR is an unindicted co-conspirator in the HLF case. In his cross examination by federal prosecutor James Jacks, Esposito said that he had attended a handful of CAIR events in the past 15 years. But he struggled to identify the last time he attended a CAIR event. It was three months ago in Dallas, Jacks said. He’s also scheduled to speak at a CAIR fundraiser in Tampa later this month. Although Esposito was a featured speaker at the Dallas event in August, he said he was unaware that the funds raised at the event went to the Muslim Legal Defense Fund, a nonprofit group set up to raise money to pay defense attorney’s fees in the HLF trial. That wasn’t his only appearance at a Dallas CAIR event. A year earlier, Esposito offered his wholehearted support for CAIR and its wishes to see the defendants set free in the HLF case, “Let me begin by saying that CAIR is a phenomenal organization….The main reason I decided to come was because of how I see the situation with regard to both the Holy Land Fund and the way government recently handled the situation and also to show solidarity not only with the Holy Land Fund, but also with CAIR.”…..( Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily, 12 Nov 08)

Whose Speech is Hate Speech?

“You must destroy the West” -- so said a speaker at a recent conference in London. The conference featured Islamic leaders openly calling for the overthrow of the British government and the establishment of an Islamic state in Britain -- under the noses of British authorities who, just days before the conference, had announced a new crackdown against “hate speech” and “extremist” preaching. The episode was instructive -- or should have been -- for proponents of the Fairness Doctrine and “hate speech” laws in the United States. The conference organizer, Anjem Choudary, declared at the conference that “as Muslims, we will not submit to any man-made law, any government, or any prime minister -- Bush or Brown -- or Jacqui Smith. We submit to Allah.” Instead of submitting, he called upon Muslims to rise up: “It is our religious obligation to prepare ourselves both physically and mentally and rise up against Muslim oppression and take what is rightfully ours. Jihad is a duty and a struggle and an obligation that lies upon the shoulders of us all. We will not rest until the flag of Allah and the flag of Islam is raised above 10 Downing Street.”  Choudary called on Muslims to dare to take the risks involved in participating in the violent overthrow of the British state……(Robert Spencer, 12 Nov 08)

UK Terrorism Intelligence Report highlights extremist 'enclaves'

A report entitled ‘International Terrorism’ drawn up by the intelligence branch of the Ministry of Defence in the UK, was leaked to the Sunday Telegraph newspaper in the UK. The document outlines the continued high threat to the UK from international terrorists aligned with al-Qaeda and in particular the severe threat to the Government Security Zone (GSZ) in the center of London, which covers the Houses of Parliament, Whitehall and Buckingham Palace. The report also highlights the continued presence of extremist 'enclaves' in the UK within Birmingham, Luton and South East England.  What is particularly interesting about this report is how little the extremist human and geographical terrain has changed within the UK over the past ten years. Similarly, the core actions of extremist networks have remained consistent in spreading their message, training, funding and procuring non-lethal military equipment to support Jihadi’s in Pakistan - this report really could have been written in 1998……(Counterterrorism Blog, 11 Nov 08)

CAIR Maligns Homeland Security for Doing Its Job

According to its recent press release, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is demanding that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) explain its 2004 operation conducted prior to that year's national elections. In doing so, it dismisses the legitimate pursuit of intelligence leads and seems to beg immigration agents to look the other way when they stumble into someone who turns out to be in the country illegally.

Reporting about the recent release of documents related to the 2004 operation, an October 30th New York Times story states that the DHS action focused on some 2,500 foreign nationals, most from Muslim countries of origin. They were questioned by federal agents about their background and potential involvement in security threat activities, and any knowledge they might have had related to such activities. About 500 of the interviewees were arrested for immigration law violations, but none were arrested for any national security charges.  CAIR asserts that the 2004 operation amounted to religious or ethnic "profiling" since the majority of the aliens interviewed were Muslim.  The Times article cites government sources who say that the operation was based on "priority leads" generated by intelligence information garnered from a variety of U.S. agencies, indicating that those selected for interviews may have had links to, or knowledge of, security threat activities, particularly those that may have related to the 2004 elections. The process of generating those leads, per the government sources, included analyzing intelligence provided by the CIA….(FSM, 11 Nov 08)

Will Ahmadinejad be undone by the same public dismay that helped Obama?

Throughout his presidency, George W. Bush made no secret of his desire to effect regime change in the Islamic Republic of Iran. In fact he used his first State of the Union address in 2002 to brand the country, which was at that time governed by reformist President Mohammad Khatami, as part of an "axis of evil" that needed to be confronted by all of the "freedom-loving" nations of the world. But Bush's bellicose approach had the adverse effect of further radicalizing the Islamic Republic, where just three years later a defiant Iranian public responded to increased US pressure by electing a hard-line president of their own, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad……(Daily Star, 11 Nov 08)

Report: The Money Trail: Finding, Following, and Freezing Terrorist Finance

… In this new Washington Institute Policy Focus, senior fellows Matthew Levitt and Michael Jacobson -- both former officials in the Treasury Department's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, now with the Institute's Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence -- explore the critical role that money plays in the success of terrorist organizations, and why countering financial flows must be an integral part of the U.S. government's counterterrorism strategy.  Levitt and Jacobson analyze how terrorist financing has matured since 2001, with case studies on al-Qaeda, Hamas, and Hizballah. They also assess the effectiveness of U.S. and international responses to this evolving threat, focusing on the performance of governments throughout the Middle East. The authors, both veteran policy practitioners, offer timely recommendations to the new Obama administration on how to strengthen international efforts in the war on terror……(Policy Focus #89, Nov 08)

Purpose of HLF's Charity Debated in Closing Arguments

They sang praises to a terrorist group, had telephone access to its leadership and deceived the public about their true ambitions, a federal prosecutor said Monday about the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF).  Five former HLF officials are on trial for illegally routing millions of dollars in donations to Hamas through a series of Palestinian charities, known as zakat committees, that prosecutors say are controlled by the terrorist group.  In his closing argument, federal prosecutor Barry Jonas pointed to what he called the "highlights of the highlights" of the government's six-week case. It includes hundreds of exhibits, ranging from wiretapped telephone calls to audio and video conferences to stacks of bank records.  But the case likely hinges on whether jurors agree the zakat committees were controlled by Hamas. Jonas pointed to instances in which some committee officials were identified as Hamas members in media interviews and by other Hamas officials. Telephone records in evidence tied in other committee officials. And a former HLF fundraiser testifying for the government said that the zakat committees were a part of Hamas.  It's an assessment shared by the Palestinian Authority, Jonas noted…..(IPT, 10 Nov 08)

Closing arguments in terrorism financing case present different pictures of Holy Land Foundation

Charity or terrorist front. - These were the competing labels applied to the Holy Land Foundation Monday as lawyers began making their closing arguments to jurors, who will soon begin deliberations on two months of testimony and more than 500 pieces of evidence… Attorneys for the other four defendants are expected to finish their summations Tuesday, with the government having the final word in a brief follow-up.  Deliberations could begin as early as Tuesday afternoon…..(Dallas Morning, 10 Nov 08)

Closing arguments begin in Hamas financing retrial

A Muslim charity funneled more than $12 million to Palestinian schools and charities controlled by the militant group Hamas, prosecutors said in closing arguments Monday at the charity's second trial for allegedly financing terrorism.  Last year's trial of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development ended with no convictions and a mistrial on most charges.  Prosecutors this time pared down what observers had criticized as a bloated and complicated case, but their final point was essentially the same as last year: that the charity was created to raise money for Hamas, which the U.S. government declared a terrorist group in 1995…..(AP, 10 Nov 08)

The Ultimate Counter-Terrorism Weapon

In the day-to-day discussions and actions to combat terrorism, particularly radical Islamist terrorism, we generally agree that it will be a long struggle that could last generations. I agree.  But it is useful to step back and realize there is a powerful weapon that we CAN use to great effect. Both presidential candidates agreed on it, and it is long overdue. That is to decrease our consumption of oil so that our money does not flow to those who want to destroy us.  The effects have already been dramatic, as this IHT article describes. Two regimes that pose direct threats to U.S, Latin American and Middle Eastern stability-Iran and Venezuela-are teetering on the edge of severe financial meltdowns because oil prices have dropped.  A third country that is growing increasingly willing to deal with rogue regimes-Russia-is also hard hit, although not to the degree of Iran and Venezuela. Saudi Arabia’s ability to fund the propagation of Wahhabi extremism and intolerance will also be curtailed if the prices stay down………(Douglas Farah, 10 Nov 08)

Al-Qaida-Iraq's Message to the New "Rulers of the White House"

Reactions to the election of a new U.S. president are fusing from across the Arab and Muslim world. Reflecting the fundamental interests of the various regimes and movements, the most radical groups - including al-Qaida - have been sending messages in different directions.  While we will come back later to draw a wider map of these attitudes, hopes or worries, let's note a particular declaration made by al-Qaida's central figure in Iraq (or so he is projected to be) in which he outlines his conditions to deal with America in the new era.  …The under 30-minute Internet broadcast was titled, "Message to the New Governors of the White House (and Other Christian Leaders)." It can also be translated as "to the new rulers," i.e. the president and vice president-elect.  After a mandatory "theological" segment taking on Christians, Jews and apostate Muslims, the speech wandered erratically between issues high on the jihadist agenda worldwide, particularly on the necessity for the United States to call it quits in the region and pull out.   In essence Baghdadi, one of al-Qaida's most lethal "generals" on the battlefields of the Middle East, asked the United States under the new administration to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan and to withdraw its military presence from the Muslim world…If anything, these statements by al-Qaida, and other similar attitudes expressed by political propagandists, remind us of typical totalitarians in action: using terrorism whenever they judge it efficient to intimidate their foes and confuse their adversaries. The unwavering goal is to advance and consolidate their positions. The national-socialists and the fascists of the 1930s and WWII are, in this sense, authentic predecessors of the 21st century jihadists……(Counterterrorism Blog/Walid Phares, 10 Nov 08)

Closing arguments to start in Holy Land case

Jurors in the Holy Land Foundation retrial will hear closing arguments starting today, and then they begin days or even weeks of deliberations on the largest terrorism financing case in U.S. history.  Prosecutors hope that evidence in their case, overhauled after last year's mistrial, proves that the defendants used the former Richardson-based charity to funnel more than $12 million to the Palestinian group Hamas, which is deemed a terrorist group by the U.S. government.  Defense lawyers will stress in their closing arguments that Holy Land was once the largest Muslim charity in the U.S. and followed a "need, not creed" philosophy by helping Palestinian families living under oppressive Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.  Since opening statements on Sept. 22, prosecutors have shown jurors seized documents that they say prove Holy Land, formed in the late '80s, was designated from the start as Hamas' chief fundraising machine……(Dallas Morning, 10 Nov 08)

New witnesses in Holy Land trial

These are some of the new witnesses presented at the Holy Land trial this year after last year's case resulted in a mistrial - For the government:   • Robert McBrien, of the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control  • Georgetown University professor and terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman

For the defense:   • Georgetown Islamic affairs professor John Esposito • David McDonald, an Indiana University expert on Palestinian music….(Dallas Morning, 10 Nov 08)

EMP: The next Iranian strategic threat to the US Mainland?

Walid Phares discusses one serious challenge the Obama administration could face:  As the transition teams are working on updating the President elect and his national security advisors on the several challenges awaiting the new Administration, the threat environment for the near and medium future is widening as new strategic menaces are projected. One of these threats may affect nationals security planning for years to come.  Over the past seven months I have been interacting with US Homeland Security and European defense officials and experts on a the potential next threat to the West, more particularly against mainland America. The signature of that strategic menace is EMP: Electro Magnetic Pulse; a weapon of the future, already available in design, construction and possible deployment. As eyes are focused on the Iranian nuclear threat, and as we began recently to understand that the missile advances are as important then the fissile material development, attention is now being drawn by private sector projects and some in the defense world to what can cause a wider circle of damages and thus more deterrence against US national security……(Walid Phares, 10 Nov 08)

A demand that Syria deliver terror suspects to the Hague for questioning

In message addressed to the office of the United Nations Secretary General for Legal Affairs, the senior official of the International Lebanese Committee for UN Security Council Resolution 1559 called on the UN “to put its hand on the so-called affair of the terrorist group Fatah al Islam.”  In the unedited statement, Tom Harb, secretary general of “Committee 1559,” says:  “In view of the fact that the Syrian regime has made allegations that it has arrested a number of members of terrorist group Fatah al Islam and displayed them on Syrian state TV;“In view of the fact that this group is responsible for the killing of Lebanese military and civilians;  “In view of the fact that this group operates in Lebanon and in Syria and that it crosses the borders back and forth, in full violation of UNSCR 1701 and in view of the fact that it is an armed group operating on Lebanese territory against the will of the Lebanese Government and in violation of UNSCR 1559;  “Therefore we are asking the office of the Secretary General to instruct the Syrian regime to transfer the custody of the so-called suspects to the International Criminal Tribunal in the Hague.  “Furthermore we ask the United Nations to summon the Syrian officers who claimed arresting the terrorists to make their depositions in front of international investigators……(Analyst-Network, 9 Nov 08)

Misplaced Criticism of U.S. Immigration Security Efforts

According to its recent press release, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is demanding that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) explain its 2004 operation conducted prior to that year's national elections. In doing so, it dismisses the legitimate pursuit of intelligence leads and seems to beg immigration agents to look the other way when they stumble into someone who turns out to be in the country illegally.

Reporting about the recent release of documents related to the 2004 operation, an October 30 New York Times story states that the DHS action focused on some 2,500 foreign nationals, most from Muslim countries of origin. They were questioned by federal agents about their background and potential involvement in security threat activities, and any knowledge they might have had related to such activities. About 500 of the interviewees were arrested for immigration law violations, but none were arrested for any national security charges.  CAIR asserts that the 2004 operation amounted to religious or ethnic "profiling" since the majority of the aliens interviewed were Muslim.  The Times article cites government sources who say that the operation was based on "priority leads" generated by intelligence information garnered from a variety of U.S. agencies, indicating that those selected for interviews may have had links to, or knowledge of, security threat activities, particularly those that may have related to the 2004 elections. The process of generating those leads, per the government sources, included analyzing intelligence provided by the CIA.  This effort, dubbed Operation Front Line, was described by the Times as being similar to a government operation that had been conducted immediately after the 9/11 attacks, where 700 illegal aliens from mostly Muslim countries were arrested and detained for immigration violations. A subsequent Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ/OIG) report found some incidents of detainee abuse in detention centers and jails stemming from the earlier post-9/11 operation……(IPT, 7 Nov 08 )

Ex-Diplomat Defends Zakat Committees, HLF Defense Rests

Defense attorneys for five men accused of illegally routing millions of dollars to Hamas rested their case Thursday after hearing from a former diplomat who questioned government claims that a series of Palestinian charities were controlled by the terrorist group.  Edward Abington, a former consul general at the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, said he met with members of the charities, known as zakat committees, in Hebron, Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, Gaza from 1993-97. Though he was briefed by U.S. government officials, he was never told of any Hamas connection.

Abington said his office received "very strict instructions" from the U.S. government that consulate officials were not to have any interaction with Hamas. But "I had no information as consul general that Hamas controlled any zakat committees," he said. There was no official policy restricting communication with the committees.  That assertion is at odds with the heart of the government's case – that the men, in running the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) routed millions of dollars to Hamas through the committees. But under cross examination, Abington acknowledged he was unaware of information being gathered by criminal investigators and even the Palestinian Authority. Earlier in the trial, prosecutors presented a former HLF fundraiser who told jurors he was certain his donations to HLF would help Hamas.  Abington's interactions with the committees were part of a wide range of meetings with Palestinian government officials, members of charities and nongovernmental organizations to assess local views on U.S. policies and "see if the Israeli-Palestinian peace process was working," Abington said. He routinely reported on what he learned to the State Department…..(IPT, 7 Nov 08)

Defense rests case in Holy Land trial

Defense attorneys representing five charity workers accused of using the formerly Richardson-based Holy Land Foundation to funnel millions of dollars to Hamas rested their case on a high note Thursday.  The defense finished its weeklong case Thursday with its fifth and most powerful witness, Edward Abington, the former United States consul general in Israel who also later served as the State Department's No. 2 intelligence officer.  He told jurors that while serving as chief U.S. envoy to the Palestinian Authority from 1993 to 1997, he was never told in any of his daily government briefings that the terrorist group Hamas controlled a series of Palestinian charity groups.  The government contends those Palestinian charity groups, called zakat committees, were staffed by Hamas militants when Holy Land sent them more than $12 million after 1995, the year the U.S. designated Hamas as a terrorist organization… Closing arguments will likely begin Monday…..(Dallas Morning, 7 Nov 08)

A Baltic Missile Crisis?

In his first State of the State address on November 5, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev announced that the Kremlin would soon deploy short-range Iskander missiles right next to the Polish border, in order “to neutralize if necessary the antiballistic missile system in Europe.” On its face, the provocative move was a response to this August’s U.S./Polish missile deal, which the Kremlin has vocally opposed. But the timing of Medvedev’s announcement was transparently deliberate. It was a Russian-made test of mettle directed at America’s new president elect, Barack Obama…In a notable breach of the usual niceties and protocols, Medvedev didn’t even acknowledge Barack Obama’s election win. Instead, he blamed the U.S. for “dragging the rest of the world down with it” during the recent economic crisis, and for supposedly “encouraging Georgia’s barbaric aggression,” a reference to the Russian war over South Ossetia this summer. “The August crisis only accelerated the arrival of the crucial moment of truth. We proved… that we are strong enough to defend our citizens and that we can indeed defend our national interests,” Medvedev said, adding ominously, “we are being tested to the limit.” Medvedev said that the era of American dominance after the collapse of the Soviet Union was over. “The world cannot be ruled from one capital,” he warned. “Those who do not want to understand this will only create new problems for themselves and others.”  Both the timing and the content of Medvedev’s address were “particularly odd,” said military analyst Alexander Golts, who noted this is the first time since the Cold War that Russia has raised the specter of military threat to the West. “Even Soviet hawks used to wait for six months after an American election to make big statements of military strategy,” Golts remarked……(FrontPage, 7 Nov 08)

The Al Qaeda dilemma: How to feel about the election of Barack Obama

Barack Obama's election has flummoxed Islamic jihadists, who are struggling to decide what it means.  Many didn't expect an African-American to win, and now they disagree on how to react to it.  The first major statement aimed at Obama came yesterday from a nationalist insurgent group in Iraq, who demanded the release of detainees - but also extended a barbed olive branch to the man who promises to extract U.S. troops from Iraq.

"We will be flexible in dealing with your withdrawal, on the basis that it will not be according to a security agreement with agent parties and an artificial government," the Political Council for the Iraqi Resistance said, according to a SITE Intelligence Group translation.  Pulling out won't be a retreat but a "victory for reason and logic," the group added.  Other terrorists were divided.  "Now is the time for a truce," an Iraqi jihadi in an Al Qaeda-linked chatroom said.  "Now the fight has begun!" a more prominent jihadi responded on the same site, al-Hesbah.  "Obama, McCain, Bush, Clinton, and, and, and," mocked another fanatic. "All of them are enemies of Islam and Muslims, and fighting them is a jihadi duty."   So it went among the killers…..(New York Daily, 6 Nov 08)

Lawyers Will Be Lawyers, Dumping More on Juries Than They Can Process

When the high-profile prosecution of a Texas charity accused of helping Palestinian terrorists collapsed in a chaotic mistrial here a year ago, there were lots of theories about what went wrong, from government overreaching to a new political climate to a rogue juror.  But there was another problem, according to lawyers who followed the trial: Some jurors were bored and bewildered. They were buried under 197 counts and an avalanche of evidence, including hundreds of documents and dozens of wiretap tapes.  The defense in the Holy Land Foundation case holds that the government's whole premise is fundamentally wrong, and it looks like some jurors in the original trial may have agreed, acquitting several defendants on most charges.  Yet they deadlocked on the majority of the counts. The case, now being retried in a sparer form, stands as a lesson, lawyers and jury consultants say: Prosecutors can compile a ton of evidence, but whatever its merit, presentation and pacing are crucial. When jurors can't reach a decision one way or the other, time, effort and taxpayer dollars go to waste.

It's an occupational hazard: Lawyers, being lawyers, are loath to leave out a single stone of the fortress of evidence they are building, lest it prove to have been the keystone. Prosecutors are tempted to anticipate and counter every argument the defense might make. They sometimes forget that they are also storytellers, who by trade rely on judicious selection -- and omission……(Wall Street Journal, 6 Nov 08)

Bookkeeper Defends HLF Accounting

Foreign bank accounts controlled by the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) were never reported to the Internal Revenue Service or even to the charity's own auditors, a former bookkeeper for the charity admitted Wednesday.  Mohammad Wafa Yaish worked as a tax and accounting consultant for HLF from 1997-2001. He was called as a defense witness to give an overview of the different projects run by HLF and to discuss financial records.  Five former HLF officials are accused of illegally funneling millions of dollars to Hamas through a series of Palestinian charities called zakat committees. If HLF was raising money for Hamas, he didn't know about it, Yaish said.  During the prosecution's case, bank and tax records entered into evidence showed hundreds of thousands of dollars were unaccounted for. Other evidence and witness testimony showed the committees receiving money were run by people openly affiliated with Hamas.  Defense attorneys say HLF money went to genuine needs, such as schools, hospitals and to provide stipends for needy Palestinians.  During cross examination, federal prosecutor Barry Jonas pointed to records showing HLF had accounts with a series of foreign banks, including the Arab Bank, Bank of Palestine, and the Cairo Amman Bank, among others. But these accounts were never reported by the non-profit charity on its IRS forms.  Yaish said he saw no reason to inform IRS…..(IPT, 6 Nov 08)

The True Meanings of Suicide-Bombing Terrorism What our Next President Must Know

The core meanings of Jihadist operations have little or nothing to do with criminality, deprivation, or oppression but rather are founded in fear, hatred, and Islamist supremacism. These deeply held personal feelings derive from patterns of shared belief and indoctrination. A consuming horror of death, yearning for the ecstasy of anticipated union with Allah, grotesque joy from targeting “others” who “lack sacredness;” and an abiding hatred of “apostates” and “infidels” are the real motivators that drive suicide-bombers to their atrocities.  Suicide-bombing terrorism comes from centuries of Islamic doctrine, derived from what is held to be divinely revealed scripture. But declarations, charters, and Islamist fatwas provide only an abstract of juridical texts compiled by Islamic scholars. These define Jihad as just war against non-Muslims to establish the religion. This is not the understanding we expected from our presidential candidates, but it is what Jihadist terror is all about.  The monstrousness of suicide terror-violence leaves humanity grasping for some explanation to bridge the gap between those who would deliberately inflict such anguish, and ourselvesl…..(Analyst-Network/Clare Lopez, 6 Nov 08)

Rogue States & Terrorists Respond Only To Force & Deterrence!!

…A US counterterrorism official stated that the American Special Forces that executed the raid had killed the head of a Syrian terrorist network that funneled fighters, weapons and cash into Iraq. He declared that the raid targeted the home of Abu Ghadiyah, leader of a key cell of foreign Jihadi fighters in Iraq. Syrian villagers, where the raid took place, told reporters that US forces grabbed two men and took them away by helicopter back to Iraq.  It is worth mentioning that this successful raid is the first in its accuracy and nature that US troops executed inside Syria since year 2003, although these troops have carried out several military operations in Iraqi territories just a few miles adjacent to the neighboring Syrian borders in pursuit of terrorist militant groups.
Several official US statements have said that the raid's main target was the home of Abu Ghadiyah, leader of a key cell of foreign fighters in Iraq and that he was killed in the armed confrontation. According to these US officials, Abu Ghadiyah was centrally involved in smuggling militant terrorist fighters and weapons from Syria to Iraq. Informed reports have stated that Syria has purposely declined to patrol its boarders with Iraq thus facilitating the infiltration of militants and weapons via its borders to Iraq. In Washington, an unnamed military official told the Associated Press that the raid targeted elements of a "foreign fighter logistics network"….(Analyst-Network, 5 Nov 08)

What is Assad's Next Move?

Not a week goes by now without Syria showing up on the radar. In fact, after I analyzed the recent slew of incidents and their possible interpretations in my article last week titled "It is Clutch Time for Syria," this week brought new puzzling developments.  It all started with the U.S. raid in Syrian territory that allegedly targeted a major al-Qaida in Iraq recruiter, Abu Ghadiyah. While this happened five years too late, the timing seems odd.  Interestingly, an Arab diplomat based in Beirut told the Saudi news Web site Elaph.com that the U.S. operation was not only destined to target al-Qaida facilitators but also to send a clear warning to Damascus. Indeed, the diplomat affirmed that Washington wanted to tell Syria not to think about invading Lebanon again.  This follows several media reports which stated that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice conveyed this message verbally to Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem when they recently met. Also reportedly the French President Nicolas Sarkozy administration told Damascus the same thing.  Western nations started to worry when Syria moved 10,000 special forces to its border with northern Lebanon. Syria claimed the reason behind the move was to prevent al-Qaida-linked terrorists to enter Syrian territory and create havoc. This explanation is half-baked at best. Especially in light of what occurred this past Thursday when it was learned that Syria is also beginning to amass troops on the border with eastern Lebanon. Syria is indeed preparing its next move.   In fact, three seemingly unrelated events are telling observers that something is afoot……(Middle East Times, 5 Nov 08)

The Death of Reasoned Discourse

Over the last year, during three different Islamo-Fascism Awareness Weeks, I’ve spoken at seventeen university campuses all across the country. I’ve never been shouted off the stage, as have some other speakers. I have, however, been threatened, heckled, protested, and made the subject of libelous hate-sheets passed out to people attending my talks, but I have never encountered a bolder or more brazen display of Islamic supremacist denial, obfuscation, lies, slander, intimidation, apologetics for mass murder and open hostility to reasoned discourse than I did last Wednesday night at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee.

East Tennessee State, of course, is that bastion of free inquiry and open debate that denied funding for my address for fear that my speaking there would make Muslim students feel “ostracized.” Through a donation from the Middle East Forum, supplementing the David Horowitz Freedom Center’s covering of the costs of travel, lodging and a bodyguard (all of which should have been paid for by the University, whose students evidently can’t be expected to behave civilly), I was able to go anyway, and university officials need not have worried: Muslim students had no reason to go away feeling ostracized. Indeed, they were anything but ostracized: along with some Muslim leaders from the area, they were responsible for an evening strongly reminiscent of the denunciation sessions once held in the Soviet Union and Communist China for those who deviated from the ideological line of those who held power. The same furious hatred, the same frenzied personal attacks, the same emotionalism and defiance of reason and fact -- it was all on display in spades, and it was all directed at me……(FrontPage/Robert Spencer, 5 Nov 08)

The War On Words

The enemy must be fought. That seems to be the consensus in Pakistan, but who exactly might the enemy be? With the government led by President Asif Ali Zardari making no overtures of peace with armed militants, Pakistan's right-wing commentators are recklessly redirecting their anger against the few individuals who have either been raising their voice against those they see as being responsible for the country's tilt toward the Taliban, or who fail to conform to Islamic social conventions.  The latest salvo came at the end of October as a marathon two-week parliamentary session on what to do about the militants was winding to a close. A popular television talk-show host, writing in an Urdu-language daily, hurled accusations at Najam Sethi, a Cambridge-educated journalist who has won numerous awards, that could be construed as an incitement to his murder.  The columnist, Javed Chaudhry, tried to stoke suspicion of Sethi by referring to him as "the mafia lord" of Pakistan's NGO community—which champions human rights, gender equality and education—and the recipient of "Indian and American funding." But the most incredulous and dangerous allegations accused Sethi of "making fun of Islam" and instigating last year's military operation against Islamabad's Red Mosque, the militant stronghold. Charges of un-Islamic behavior can be fatal in Pakistan. "I am stunned by this unprovoked attack," Sethi told NEWSWEEK in Lahore……(Newsweek, 4 Nov 08)

Indicted AIPAC’er Gets Job With Daniel Pipes

JTA reports that Steve Rosen, former Director of Policy at AIPAC, has landed a job with Daniel Pipes, whose careeer has gone from various teaching gigs to fulltime anti-Obama and anti-Muslim hate-mongering. Rosen is under federal indictment for espionage.  I'll spare comment on Rosen with whom I worked during my AIPAC days (1982-1986) and who has always struck me as Washington's spookiest character. I will say that in 1984, when he was supporting Reagan and I was gung-ho for Mondale,he told me, "You and I are not that far apart. You'll be surprised to know that my parents were Stalinists."…..(TPM Café, 4 Nov 08)

Rosen joins Middle East Forum

An ex-AIPAC staffer accused in a classified information case is working for a Middle East think tank.

Steve Rosen, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s former foreign policy director, is working for Middle East Forum, directed by conservative scholar Daniel Pipes. Rosen is to deliver a talk in New York next week on the implications of new governments in Israel and the United States for policy toward Iran.

Rosen’s indictment four years ago on charges of obtaining and disseminating classified information is still languishing in the system…..(JTA, 3 Nov 08)

HLF Defense Expert Offers Alternate Interpretations

When officials at the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) spoke of jihad, or the need to support Palestinian mujahideen, they weren't necessarily endorsing violence. And when they praised Hamas and brought in leaders of the designated terrorist group to speak at fundraisers, they weren't necessarily providing support.  That was the message John Esposito, a Georgetown University professor of Religion and International Affairs and director of the university's Saudi-funded Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding told jurors in HLF's terror support trial Monday. Esposito was called as an expert witness to explain that some of the strident language jurors have heard coming from Holy Land officials may have a different, more benign meaning.  The men are accused of illegally providing millions of dollars to Hamas through a series of Palestinian charities. Donating to charity is sacred in Islam, one of the five pillars of the faith, Esposito said.  But on cross examination, Esposito either didn't remember or didn't know about documented links between HLF and other groups he has worked with and Hamas……(IPT, 4 Oct 08)

Other Paths on Terrorism Financing

One of the significant challenges the next administration will face in combating terrorism is the fracturing consensus on international sanctions, as noted by the Washington Post.  There is no doubt the European and U.N. consensus that gave rise to the valuable tools has softened, if not vanished, in recent years. Much of friction has to do with anti-US sentiment, coupled with the inability or unwillingness of the designating parties to use what evidence there is against designated individuals in a judicial process.  The collapse of the sanctions regime would deprive the international community of the easiest way to have a direct and lasting impact on those suspected, at a reasonable level (and that is the tricky part) of funding terrorism. But the initial construct was never intended to be a permanent fix.. The argument, put forth by several people in these articles, that terror finance is not worthwhile because terrorist attacks only cost a small sum each, is simply not valid, in my opinion. The infrastructure to maintain a widespread and loose-knit terrorist structure, is an enormously expensive enterprise. Cutting off the flow of money remains one of the most effective ways of preemptively dealing with terrorism, before attacks take place…..(Douglas Farah, 4 Nov 08)

CAIRing for Terrorist Groups

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has a long terror-related history. The group was created in 1994 as a part of the Hamas infrastructure inside the United States. The group has had a number of representatives deported and/or convicted for terror-related activity. Even today, the group is named by the U.S. Justice Department in a federal Hamas fundraising trial.  As well, CAIR has had many of its leaders refuse to call certain terrorist organizations “terrorist organizations.” Some CAIR reps have even outright stated that these groups were not terrorist groups. One of these individuals is Omer Subhani. He is on record as denying that Hamas and Hezbollah are terrorist organizations. He has denounced me for suggesting the obvious reality that support for Hamas means support for terror:  “[Joe] Kaufman has his latest article posted on the front page of FrontPageMag... In that article he claims to expose CAIR’s true feelings about Hamas... [T]he obvious idiocy of Kaufman’s allegation is that if you say Hamas is not a terrorist organization then you’re some sort of terrorism sympathizer or supporter.” (Omer Subhani, Islam, Muslims, and America, “Kaufman’s Idiotic Assertions,” March 12, 2008)  Now, Subhani has made a disturbing declaration regarding the PLO and one of its former spokesmen – just another bullet point in the infamous CAIR chronicles……(FrontPage, 4 Nov 08)

Stalin's Comeback

Many observers were shocked earlier this year when, in an online poll to name Russia’s greatest man, Joseph Stalin seized an early lead among Russians. The former mass murderer would have come out on top had not the poll’s administrators cut his votes in half after blaming cyberspace shenanigans. It is difficult to say whether or not their claim was true. But even with his share halved, Stalin still managed to take twelfth place. Stalin’s strong showing is remarkable for many reasons, not least of which is his direct culpability in the deaths and torture of millions of his country’s citizens during his long reign of terror.  The poll, however, is only a symptom of a larger troubling trend. In recent years, certain quarters of Russian society have been increasingly nostalgic about the Soviet era. In no small measure, the rise of such sentiments is due to the efforts of the Putin government, which seeks to actively rehabilitate various aspects of the country’s communist past.  In November of last year, Putin posthumously bestowed Russia’s highest honorary title, Hero of the Russian Federation, on George Koval. Although few have heard his name, many in the intelligence community view him as the most important Cold War spy. Born in 1913 in Iowa to parents from Belarus, Koval infiltrated the Manhattan Project and passed crucial information to Moscow concerning the atomic bomb. In the statement announcing the award, Vladimir Putin said that Koval’s work "helped speed up considerably the time it took for the Soviet Union to develop an atomic bomb of its own."  Less than two weeks later, the Kremlin honored another Cold War spy, George Blake, with The Order of Friendship. Working for the British Secret Service in the 1950s, Blake changed sides to become a Soviet mole…….(FrontPage, 4 Nov 08)

Church Council Attacks "Obsession"

"Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" is a DVD, distributed to 28 million newspaper subscribers this Fall, which warns about radical Islam's hatred of free speech and religious pluralism, not to mention of Christians, Jews, moderate Muslims and secularists who will not bend to its harsh tenets.  But the National Council of Churches (NCC) would prefer not to hear about it and, not wanting to criticize radical Islam, is instead robustly denouncing "Obsession."  "While this film purports to educate and offers, at the outset, a disclaimer that it is not about the majority of peaceful Muslims, we see its content as serving only the aims of distorting truth and misleading viewers, fanning the sparks of mistrust, bigotry, and hatred that undermine the very foundations of a multi-religious democracy," declared the NCC's Interfaith Relation Commission.  Two of the four spokespersons for the NCC blast against "Obsession" are openly lesbian and presumably would not fare well under Islamist theocracy.  One, Gwynne Guibord, a former official with the predominantly homosexual Metropolitan Churches denomination and now an Episcopal priest, is co-convener of the National-Muslim Christian Initiative, working closely with the Islamic Society of North America. Diane Eck, a United Methodist and Harvard professor, who was the first openly lesbian house master at a Harvard dormitory, chairs the NCC's Interfaith Relations Commission.  She is also the founder of The Pluralism Project, a celebrant of religious diversity that likewise would not thrive under Islamist influence.  Peter Makari of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination is the commission's vice chairman.  And NCC interfaith official Antonios Kireopoulos, an Eastern Orthodox, is another contact person for the denunciation. ….(FrontPage, 3 Nov 08)
 

Duplicity in Damascus

When it comes to al Qaeda, Syria gets it coming and going. This past Sunday, U.S. helicopters targeted an al Qaeda operative on Syrian territory who shuttled terrorists into Iraq. Syria condemned the strike as a violation of its sovereignty and a "serious aggression." Earlier in October, a massive car bomb detonated in Damascus, killing 17. Even before the smoke cleared, Syria's Assad regime accused Sunni Muslim fundamentalists from abroad--i.e., al Qaeda--of perpetrating the attack. Meanwhile, regime spokesmen described Syria as a "victim" of international terrorism.  The characterization of Syria as "victim" was ironic not only because Damascus has been a proactive member of the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism since 1979--sponsoring Hamas and Hezbollah, among others--but because just one day before the attack, the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia levied a mammoth civil judgment against Syria for "providing material support and resources to Zarqawi and Al Qaeda in Iraq."  The verdict awarded $414 million to the families of two U.S. contractors--Jack Armstrong and Jack Hensley--beheaded in Iraq in September 2004…..(Weekly Standard, 3 Nov 08)

Jihad and the Lack of Strategic Awareness of the Threat to America

Seven years ago, America was under attack. America's first responders, law enforcement, and emergency specialists responded to that attack. Our preparedness specialists provided guidance on the types of terrorist threats that we might be facing in the weeks that followed. Preparedness details about how to respond to potential Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) terrorist threats were distributed. America created a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other agencies to address the need for homeland security. Counterterrorism groups were created or expanded in the federal government and law enforcement; specialists in tactical areas were identified and recruited. From a military perspective, our National Guard patrolled major American airports and transportation hubs. On September 2001, Congress authorized the use of military force against those responsible the 9/11 attacks and nations that harbored such terrorists. A year later, Congress again authorized the use of military force, this time to address perceived threats by Iraq.  America's Homeland Security Department assessed potential terrorist targets and offered recommendations as to appropriate areas and types of threats that were the most likely and most vulnerable for "targeted" use homeland security funding and resources.  These resources were focused on tactical and targeted efforts to protect Americans and prevent terrorism. Such efforts were a reaction to the 9/11 attacks and the realization of the vulnerability of the American homeland to such attacks. Such reactive preparedness was and continues to be a priority for America. But we also need to reflect and gain a strategic awareness of the threat by asking who and what are we fighting, and why are they attacking us. We need to do more than just react, we need to plan, we need to think, and we need a real national strategy on the enemy.  Such strategic awareness and analysis is a part of any major endeavor. For our first responders today in an emergency circumstance, they try to think strategically. They will ask questions to triage an attack – is it an explosion, a fire, a chemical attack, a radiological attack? They will recommend actions, especially in an emergency situation, based on an understanding of the threat. Such strategic awareness and definition of the threat is imperative for effective actions by emergency responders.
Why isn't such strategic awareness an imperative for America's government leadership on the larger, ideological threat that is the basis for Jihadist terror attacks like 9/11?....(FSM, 3 Nov 08)

Holy Land Foundation defense begins rebutting prosecution

Last year, prosecutors in the Holy Land Foundation case told jurors during closing arguments, "Don't get hung up on the names."  For the retrial, following a hung jury in the first case, the government has tweaked its message.  Prosecutors are taking great pains to make sure jurors absorb all the details – including the blizzard of unfamiliar Arabic names – central to their allegations that five charity workers used the former Richardson-based foundation to funnel money to Hamas after it was banned by the U.S. in 1995.  Among the changes……( Dallas Morning, 3 Nov 08)

Key points: Holy Land trial…..(Dallas Morning, 3 Nov 08)

Holy Land prosecutors rest case; defense calls first witness

Prosecutors in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing retrial rested their case Friday against five charity organizers they contend used the former Richardson-based group as a front for Palestinian terrorists.

The defendants are accused of using the foundation to funnel more than $12 million to Hamas after the U.S. designated it a terrorist organization in 1995.  Defense attorneys say the foundation was a legitimate charity run by men with a passion for helping Palestinians suffering under Israeli occupation.  Immediately after the prosecution rested, the defense called its first witness, former Dallas congressman and lawyer John Bryant. He told jurors that when he represented Holy Land in the late 1990s, after it had been accused in the press of being tied to Hamas, neither the FBI nor State Department would tell him or the defendants whether the foundation was under investigation. He testified that government officials also refused to offer Holy Land guidance on new federal anti-terrorism laws…..(Dallas Morning, 1 Nov 08)

Terror-Linked Islamic Charity Pledges to Build 1,000 Homes for Pakistan Earthquake Victims

An Islamic charity accused of terror links by the United States pledged Friday to build 1,000 temporary homes for survivors of the Pakistan earthquake, a move likely to expand the group's influence in the impoverished region.

Authorities said the death toll would likely top 300 from the 6.4-magnitude quake that hit the mountainous area early Wednesday, destroying 3,000 houses and leaving some 15,000 people homeless.  The affected area of Baluchistan province is inhabited mainly by Pashtuns, the same ethnic group from which the Taliban draws most of its strength. The region has not seen the level of militant activity common in other districts along the Afghan border…Jamaat-ud-Dawa was designated a terrorist group by the U.S. government in 2006 because of links to Muslim separatists fighting in India's portion of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. It denies involvement in militancy…..(AP, 1 Nov 08)

October 2008 

Stuart Levey’s War

Iran will be perhaps the most daunting strategic challenge for a new American president. There is no shortage of problems elsewhere: America is overextended in Iraq, underdeployed in Afghanistan, constrained on Pakistan and stymied on the Arab-Israeli conflict. But Iran is different. It has become the superpower in the region where the United States has invested the most manpower, money, blood and prestige. Washington can’t make enduring progress in the Middle East or South Asia without a denouement in the long showdown with Iran.  But what tools does Washington have? Since 1979, five presidents have failed to influence, engage or outwit Iran. The Carter administration accepted the revolution — then took in the shah, which led Iranians to suspect that Washington wanted to restore the monarchy, as it had in 1953. When radicals took the embassy, Washington froze Iran’s assets and broke off relations. The Reagan administration put Iran on the terrorism list after Lebanese Shiite suicide bombers struck two American diplomatic offices and a Marine barracks in Beirut — then sent envoys to Tehran to swap arms for hostages abducted in Lebanon. The first Bush administration promised “good will begets good will,” then isolated Tehran once it helped free the last hostages in Beirut. When Iran offered a lucrative petroleum deal to an American company, the Clinton administration banned the import of Iranian oil, but it later lifted an embargo on Iranian caviar, carpets and pistachios to signal a potential opening. The current Bush administration worked closely with Iran on Afghanistan after 9/11, then labeled it part of the “axis of evil.” It orchestrated four United Nations sanctions resolutions, then offered talks and trade if Tehran stopped enriching uranium that could be used in a nuclear weapon……(New York Times, 31 Oct 08)

A Nuclear Chavez

Russia’s alliance with Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez just keeps getting tighter - and worse for America. Now, Moscow could be putting "El Loco" on the road to getting the bomb.  Russia has already sold billions worth of arms to Chavez, and recently flew two strategic bombers to Venezuela in a show of solidarity and force. A Russian flotilla will soon arrive in Caribbean waters for joint naval exercises.  But the latest deviltry came at a Moscow summit late last month, when Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin offered Chavez assistance in building a nuclear reactor.  During the Russian visit, Chavez said: "Russia is ready to support Venezuela in the development of nuclear energy with peaceful purposes, and we already have a commission working on it."  Peaceful purposes - right. Venezuela, one of the world's top energy producers, has about as much need for nuclear power as, well, Iran does.  This could be the start of the first new nuclear-weapons program in this hemisphere in decades. Rivals Argentina and Brazil gave up their dream of joining the once-exclusive nuclear club in the early 1990s; though each has nuclear power, neither has been willing to cooperate with Venezuela on atomic affairs……(FrontPage, 31 Oct 08)

Global Economic Rivalries Intensify During Crisis

…In 2007, the U.S. ran a trade deficit of $700.3 billion, compared to $108.3 billion in 1997. Over the decade 1997-2007, America sent over $5 trillion to aid economic growth overseas, while losing millions of good-paying industrial jobs, including managers and engineers, here. Now that the United States economy is in trouble, will anyone show the same concern? The short and unsurprising answer is “no.”  Every country is looking out for its own interests, trying to preserve as large a share of a shrinking global pie as it can. That is the competitive nature of international economics. Russia, Iran and Qatar took a large step toward forming a cartel in natural gas October 21st. The three countries account for nearly a third of world natural gas exports and 60% of global reserves. Russia has the largest known reserves, with Iran second. “We are consolidating the largest gas reserves in the world, the general strategic interests and, what is very important, the high potential for cooperation on three-party projects,” said Alexei Miller, CEO of Russia’s state-run Gazprom. The idea for the “troika” came from Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last year.  Russia has also been meeting with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). On October 22nd, OPEC Secretary-General Abdalla Salem El-Badri of Libya visited Moscow. Last month, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin visited an OPEC meeting in Vienna to talk of cooperation. Oil exports are another cash cow for Moscow……(FSM, 31 Oct 08)

Treating 'Obsession'

Last month, shortly after the anniversary of 9/11, 28 million copies of a documentary film were distributed as paid-for inserts in 70 American newspapers spread across 14 electoral "swing" states. Titled "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West," the DVD is filled with graphic footage of Islamic extremist activity and dire warnings of the threat posed to Western civilization by the perpetrators and their supporters. And while the film includes statements to the effect that "not all Muslims are like that," its overall tenor and content have led many to call it "hate propaganda" and "Islamophobic." For example, Rabbi Jack Moline, chairman of the Interfaith Alliance, described the film as a "thinly veiled call for disparagement and distrust of all Muslims."  The motivation behind the newspaper insert campaign? A spokesman for the Clarion Fund, the relatively obscure charity that sponsored its dissemination, asserted that its purpose was to make terrorism a campaign issue "where it counts - in the battleground states," according to a report on National Public Radio. Critics of the video suspect, as reported in a later NPR story, that it is "being deployed as a partisan campaign tool, to play on the false rumors that Democrat Barack Obama is sympathetic to radical Islam."   But aside from its questionable use as a means to influence the outcome of Tuesday's presidential election, what's the film's ultimate purpose? If its objective is to instill raw fear - with such images as the imploding World Trade Center, a suicide-bomber induction ceremony, children training with machine guns and uttering hate speech, and pundit commentary announcing that "jihad has come to America" - it surely succeeds. But if its goal is to offer helpful solutions to the undeniable threat such extremism poses, it fails abysmally….(Haaretz, 31 Oct 08)

EMP: The Next Iranian strategic threat to the US Mainland?

Over the past seven months I have been interacting with US Homeland Security and European defense officials and experts on a the potential next threat to the West, more particularly against mainland America. The signature of that strategic menace is EMP: Electro Magnetic Pulse; a weapon of the future, already available in design, construction and possible deployment. As eyes are focused on the Iranian nuclear threat, and as we began recently to understand that the missile advances are as important then the fissile material development, attention is now being drawn by private sector projects and some in the defense world to what can cause a wider circle of damages and thus more deterrence against US national security.  In short, and I borrow from the Project "Shield America.org," an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack could be triggered by a nuclear warhead detonated at high altitude over America. The resulting blast would create an EMP, a shockwave that could "cripple military and civilian communications, power, transportation, water, food, and other infrastructure." Even if a high-altitude EMP kills nobody at first, it would paralyze a large section of the United States. The lingering practical and economic effects would take anywhere from hours to years to resolve: when secondary effects are considered, an EMP could be even deadlier than a direct nuclear strike against the mainland. Indeed, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett has written: "Where the terrorist airliner attacks of 9/11 killed thousands, a terrorist EMP attack could indirectly kill millions and conceivably cause the permanent collapse of our entire society." … the issue of identifying the origination point of such a menace. Many indicators direct us to Iran. In previous articles on CTB and other outlets I have focused on the "missiles threat" as a dossier by itself independently from the "Nuclear" file for a rational consideration: Missiles can be used to deliver nuclear weapons, but also "other weapons" including chemical and biological. In the case of Hezbollah's mini war of July 2006 with Israel, large rockets and small missiles were conceived as classical but were strategically aimed at chemical sites as well. Hence the missile threat is diverse. In the case of the EMP weapon system, we need to look at Iran's missiles capability also from the perspective of delivering a blow, not just to Israel or US and Western targets in the region, but also across large bodies of water… I would like to draw the attention of our readers to a recently developed project in the private sector, (www.shieldamerica.org) as a platform for discussion and analysis.…..(Counterterrorism Blog/Walid Phares, 30 Oct 08)

Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack Statement before the House Armed Services Committee – July 10, 2008

Holy Land jurors get a sample of Hamas martyr propaganda

Jurors in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial on Thursday saw some disturbing examples of Hamas propaganda glorifying young suicide bombers.  The poster shown here is one of several that the Israeli military confiscated from the offices of the Islamic Charitable Society of Hebron, one of several groups in the Palestinian territories that received millions of dollars from Holy Land.  "Avi," one of two anonymous Israeli government witnesses, continued his testimony Thursday that these charity groups were fronts for Hamas, not only because of Hamas propaganda found there, but also because they were led by known Hamas operatives…..(Dallas Morning, 30 Oct 08)