Analysis & Commentary
5 to 4
I was going out the door this morning when I learned about the Supreme Court ruling -- that the American people had lost to radical Islam, 5 to 4.
5 Years Later, More Needs to be Done
Most of us can remember exactly where we were nearly five years ago, on the morning of Sept. 11. I was in small-town America, where the guys in the local doughnut shop - watching the endless TV replay of the burning Twin Towers - were ready to get their shotguns and go to war.
67 killed in bombings in Baghdad and Anbar
A series of bombings in the capital of Baghdad and in Anbar killed 67 Iraqis as officials said another top al Qaeda leader was captured in Anbar province. The strikes take place just days after al Qaeda's top two leaders in Iraq were killed in a raid near Tikrit.
70 killed in terror assault on Lahore mosques
The Punjabi Taliban have taken credit for storming two mosques in Lahore and murdering more than 70 Pakistanis who belonged to a sect of Islam banned by the Pakistani government.
9/11 and Arab Democracy
Beyond catastrophe and mourning, September 11th had unforeseen consequences in the Arab world, especially in my home country of Egypt. The attacks of that day, by citizens of America’s key Arab allies, made officials in Washington rethink their relations with Arab dictators, and begin supporting democracy in the Middle East.
9/11 Commission Day
A lack of seriousness, the chasm between frivolous campaign rhetoric and real-world governing, and the politicizing of our national security — the one subject always claimed to be above such unseemliness … right before being politicized. These all figure in the theater that is Day One of new Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s “First 100 Hours” blitz: The day when House Democrats undertake to make good — sort of — on their electoral pledge to enact the yet unfulfilled aspirations of the 9/11 Commission.
9/11 Hijackers’ Mosque Tied to Recent Terror Plot Against Europe
The recently uncovered terror plot against European cities, which was to involve attacks similar to the November 2008 attack in Mumbai, is tied to the same Hamburg mosque that was attended by some of the 9/11 hijackers.
9/11 in 20/20 Hindsight
September 11 will be remembered as the worst terrorist attack America ever suffered — if we’re lucky. If not, if we’re not extraordinarily successful in waging the war on terrorism, there remains this possibility: That years from now, Osama bin Laden and 9/11 will be to terrorism what the Wright Brothers and Kitty Hawk were to aviation — just a modest beginning.
9/11 Mastermind’s ‘Apologies’ Hollow
"My bad." For readers unfamiliar with the phrase, this is how one apologizes insincerely in contemporary American slang. Often when used, "my bad" conveys even less than an insincere apology. In its usual context "my bad" means that the speaker is taking credit for some misdeed, and lightly brushing off whatever negative reactions it may have created.
9/11 plotter spotted in Mir Ali
The trial of Ahmed Siddiqui, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan operative who allied with al Qaeda and was part of a plot to conduct Mumbai-style attacks in Europe before he was captured in Afghanistan in the summer of 2010, has yielded some interesting information.
9/11 Plotters Are Araigned
Unable to start a single trial in seven fitful years, much less complete one, President Bush’s troubled military commissions may be lumbering toward oblivion. The initiative enthuses neither of his potential successors, both of whom agitate nonstop about “our reputation in the international community.” How ironic, then, that in their last gasp, commissions may prove themselves far preferable to the 1990s approach of treating our terrorist enemies like ordinary criminals.
9/11: A Failure of Academia
A few months ago, when the 9/11 Commission released footage of the communications between several command centers and the transportation network during the dramatic minutes of September 11, one phrase chilled me to the bones. It summarized how unprepared America was to face to the Jihadist onslaught. A pilot of an F-16 rushing to the scene over the Pentagon screamed on his radio: "God, the Russians had us...they had us."
A ‘Lone Wolf’ Terrorist?
American counterterrorism officials have long worried about the possibility of a “lone wolf” jihadist committing a terrorist attack. Such individuals, inspired by ideology alone, can come out of nowhere.
A ‘Perfect Man’ at the U.N.
After Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speeches, press conferences, and interviews in New York City last week, it's obvious the Iranian president lives in a parallel universe. This has been difficult for many in the West to grasp. The Western reflex to believe that
A Bad Idea For A Photo Op
President Obama plans to make history Thursday by chairing a special, summit-level meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
A Bad Relationship
One of the key findings of the 9/11 Commission is that al Qaeda was a terrorism innovator. Al Qaeda's "new terrorism," as the commission calls it, is more than just using aircraft as weapons and turning hijackers into pilots, it's about transforming the relationship between terrorists and rogue states. Old-style terrorists, such as the Palestinian groups, have generally been surrogates of states. By contrast, al Qaeda redefined these connections following its expulsion from Sudan in 1996, all but taking over the state in Afghanistan while loosely cooperating with other states--yet refusing to be controlled by them.
A Battle Between Democracy and Terror
When the Army of Ansar al Sunna – a group tied to al Qaeda – attacks an American base near Mosul it should be apparent that Iraq is the front line in the War on Terrorism.
A Battle Is Won
President Bush's address to the nation Thursday night was more than just an inspired photo op and a tribute to the troops. It also was a welcome elaboration of the president's vision of what in an earlier administration was called "the new world order."
A Battle Plan to Stop Assad: Three Steps to Focus the Brutal Dictator’s Mind
Before Syrian President Bashar Assad's blood-soaked crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, Western capitals pampered the London-educated eye doctor with carrots rather than sticks.
A Belgian Victory Over al Qaeda
Agence France Presse and the Associated Press are reporting that Belgian authorities have arrested 14 suspected Al Qaeda terrorists including a jihadi who was allegedly planning a suicide attack. Sixteen raids were executed by 242 police officers in Brussels and in the eastern city of Liege. Security and judicial sources described the arrests as the "most important anti-terrorism operation in Belgium." Citing the Federal prosecutor's office, AFP reported that the move was targeting "a Belgian Islamist group involved in training as well as fighting on the Pakistan-Afghan border in cooperation with important figures in Al Qaeda."
Expanding on the arrests campaign, Le Parisien wrote that since 2007 four Belgians and individuals from other nationalities joined a middleman by the name "M.G" in Pakistan (to undertake jihadist activities). A few months ago, two of the men came back to Belgium and were put under surveillance. A third man joined them on December 4. The initial investigation began last year based on information related to a plot to liberate Tunisian Nizar Trabulsi, an Al Qaeda cadre who is currentlly serving 10 years for preparing an attack against a Belgian base.
Sources added that a woman by the name of Malika al Aroud "has played an important role in the investigation." Al Aroud was married to the assassin of Ahmed Shah Massoud, the anti-Taliban commander in September 2001. Her second husband is a member of the arrested group.
The Nouvel Observateur wrote that the current investigation which was opened in December 2007 "may have prevented an attack in Brussels." Based on reports in France Info, Le Figaro and other specialized sources, the most likely target of the Al Qaeda network could have been European institutions in Brussels. It should be noted that the arrests were made on the eve of an important European economic summit scheduled to take place in Brussels.
What should we learn from this preemptive strike in Belgium aimed at Al Qaeda's European network? Based on the scope of the operation, its precision and its timing and my own knowledge gleaned from four years of meetings with European counterterrorism officials as well Belgian national security officials, the short answer is we can learn a lot from this December 11 strike against terror:
1) Belgian authorities have demonstrated significant success by waging an all out investigation against Al Qaeda for over a year without being infiltrated. This accomplishment alone is a victory at a time when jihadists are trying to penetrate Western security systems. Knowing the enemy, its ideology and its tactics are paramount elements for gradual victories. In this case the Belgian security forces and judicial authorities got it right. For example, Glen Audenaert, the director of the Federal Belgian Police, as well as his counterterrorism deputies have educated themselves on the nature of the beast they are dealing with inside this small European democracy. They were aware of the ideological nature of the group and thus were equipped to pursue it. This is a lesson for other democracies in general and the U.S. in particular: Know your enemy, learn about its ideology and make sure your institutions aren't penetrated.
2) The arrests and just released reports about them reveals the link between European-based cells and overseas Al Qaeda battlefields. The detained Al Qaeda members have traveled back and forth to Pakistan. One of their members was killed as he assassinated a major anti-Taliban leader in 2001. His wife was also involved with the group and remarried a member of the network. - Female jihadists have been indoctrinated in Belgium for suicide operations in the Middle East, including a convert married to a jihadist and the list goes on. There is a highway between the "jihad lands" in the region and the "jihad bases" in the West, including in Belgium. They also exist between the UK, France, Germany and Spain. This should only call for increased international cooperation against a "world jihadi network."
3) The issue isn't local. This is yet another example that demonstrates that while many assert that the root causes for terrorism are found in suburban disenfranchisement, in this case Brussels, revelations from the dismantled network prove otherwise. The jihadists "cause" is not the socio-economic situation in Brussels. They most likely were aiming at the Place Luxembourg in order to crumble the political will of the European Parliament. Their aim was not to send a message on social security or healthcare. They were targeting Greens, socialists and liberals as well as conservatives; they had marked democracy as a whole, not one of democracy's debates.
4) Last but not least, this episode should remind strategists that the campaign against jihadism is much bigger than the wars in Iraq or in Afghanistan. Like India, Belgium was opposed to the invasion of Iraq and isn't a main partner in Afghanistan. Yet it was and remains a target for the combat Salafists. This is further evidence that the jihadi threat is truly global and that the response must also be global. Today the Belgians have scored a daring victory for the international community.
