There are two stories today that point to ongoing problems and the future contours of the conflicts in which we will be emerged in coming years.
The first is the extensive New York Times piece on who lack of resources, bureaucratic infighting and lack of unified vision (coupled with a high tolerance for Pakistan’s game-playing) has [...]

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There are two stories today that point to ongoing problems and the future contours of the conflicts in which we will be emerged in coming years.
The first is the extensive New York Times piece on who lack of resources, bureaucratic infighting and lack of unified vision (coupled with a high tolerance for Pakistan’s game-playing) has [...]

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A report issued late Friday by the Pentagon under Congressional mandate and comments by Defense Secretary Gates indicate the fragility of the security situation in Afghanistan. The “Report on Progress toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan” is the first formal report ever issued by DoD on the status of the security situation there.
“The Taliban [...]

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The NEFA Foundation has obtained an exclusive video-recorded interview with Mangal Bagh, the charismatic, de-facto leader of Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) in control of approximately three-quarters of Pakistan’s Khyber Agency. Bagh took control of Lashkar-e-Islam approximately two years ago from its original founder Deobandi cleric Mufti Munir Shakir. In the span of those two years, LI has [...]

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Saturday’s explosion of a bomb in a building in a sunni neighborhood of Tripoli (Lebanon) killing one is a reminder of the tensions running high in Lebanon.
I just wrote an article for the Middle East Times on how the different players involved in the Lebanese puzzle are preparing themselves for the next stage.
You can read [...]

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Today’s edition of the New York Times reports on the nefarious activities of a “diploma mill” that has been successfully operating for some time, amassing huge profits while conspiring with its customers to provide anyone with the money, a worthless diploma that provides the illusion of academic achievement. These diplomas undermine the integrity of [...]

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Those who are skeptical of the growing ties between drug trafficking organizations and terrorist groups-which I think will be the real war we will be fighting for many years, given the resources obtainable by drug trafficking organizations-should read the latest UN Office of Drugs and Crime report.
Among the many interesting findings is that the two [...]

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President Bush’s announcement of plans to remove North Korea from the terrorism list is the result of long negotiations that illustrate that the process is complicated and it is turning controversial.
Talks with North Korea about removal from the terrorism list have been going on for at least eight years. North Korean officials have been [...]

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Convicted terrorist Sami Al-Arian has been indicted in Virginia on two counts of criminal contempt after refusing to testify before a federal grand jury despite a grant of immunity.
Al-Arian, who pled guilty in 2006 to conspiring to provide goods and services to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, has argued that his plea agreement ruled out any [...]

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UPDATE, June 27: Patrick Poole has posted an explosive disclosure at Pajamas Media: – that while ISA operated for almost seven years as an entity separate from the Saudi Embassy, ISA apparently never filed federal tax returns required of all operating non-profit and for-profit corporations. Patrick couldn’t post an important document in that article, [...]

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The NEFA Foundation has obtained a new video from dissident members of the Izzadeen al-Qassam Brigades – the military wing of the Hamas terrorist organization in the Palestinian territories – of their recently slain comrade Rami Abu Suweirah (a.k.a. Abu Huzaifah) condemning the political leadership of Hamas for their decision to participate in democratic elections [...]

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The Australian Strategic Policy Institute issued a report on Wednesday which noted that Jemaah Islamiyah continues to pose a “significant threat to both Australian and regional security interests.” The report claimed that the group had splintered between a fanatical hardcore and a less extreme wing, but could still muster 900 militants. (Though largely semantics, there [...]

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On June 18, I testified before the Canadian Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs in Ottawa about a proposed bill to deter terrorism by providing a civil right of action against perpetrators and sponsors of terrorism. Segments of that testimony follow, and you can download the entire written testimony and my oral statement [...]

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Among the most dangerous times in a counter-insurgency campaign, inherent in asymmetrical warfare, is when the insurgency is close to being defeated.
Desperate to remain relevant and to motivate its followers as the situation becomes more trying, the groups grasp for a spectacular action that will give it a new lease on life.
In both Iraq, [...]

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