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| Terror Networks |
| How Europe Bankrolls Terror |
| 2013-02-18 |
| WHEN northern Mali fell to terrorists and foreign militants last April, a debate began over the causes of the countryÂ’s chaotic collapse. Many argued that it was a direct byproduct of NATOÂ’s 2011 intervention in Libya, which sent thousands of well-armed men across the Sahara to Mali. Others pointed to MaliÂ’s internal corruption and ethnic divisions. But little was said about the most important factor: Europeans have knowingly bankrolled Islamist radicals with ransom payments since at least 2003. Sixteen years before the 9/11 attacks, the United States sold Iran weapons indirectly in the hopes of freeing American hostages held by IranÂ’s proxy, Hezbollah. The Iran-contra debacle taught America, among other things, that paying ransom money only emboldens terrorist groups and their backers. Yet when confronted with the same challenge, European leaders have failed to heed that lesson, and have filled the coffers of terrorist groups for at least a decade. The so-called global war on terror has been hobbled by these payoffs. The same nations that until very recently had troops in Afghanistan fighting terrorism have been turning over cash to terrorists in Africa. Over the past decade, Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Austria, Sweden and the Netherlands have paid more than $130 million to terrorist groups, mostly through mediators, to free European hostages. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #6 its in the NYTimes but its an opinion piece the author is a pro-tolerance moslem whose organization was founded after 9-11 to try to move Islam away from terrorism it isn't working so well but, in this case, the author's points about Al Q financing itself via kidnapping, is pretty much conventional wisdom |
| Posted by: lord garth 2013-02-18 14:40 |
| #5 Carlos 'Obamaphone' Slim still has petty cash. The NYT is a loss leader. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2013-02-18 13:24 |
| #4 it IS the NY Times. The paper of leftist record. The one in a financial death spiral |
| Posted by: Frank G 2013-02-18 11:55 |
| #3 Who wrote this bullshit? They are resurrecting the rotted corse of Iran Contra? Oh please sweet lord wasn't that discredited a long time ago? Or I guess if you hate Reagan enough and hate Bush enough you'll dig up any and every dead conspiracy theory. To me the main thread is the EU has been funding terrorism with their ninnie limp weiney attitudes toward Islam (but the French got the memo during the Moslem Ghetto riots and have changed course). But to make it not so bad, they have to say "Well the US did the same thing....in....uh....uh....THE IRAN CONTRA scandal!!!" Well Iran contra was two things, it was an attempt to have another Watergate. AND it was the US Congress making foreign policy ala Viet Nam when they forbid the President from sending aid to a PRO AMERICAN ANTI COMMUNIST insurgency fighting against a Cuban proxy COMMUNIST. Geez, if that isn't enough to make you wonder who is running the country and why that didn't come out in the press coverage. |
| Posted by: Bill Clinton 2013-02-18 10:37 |
| #2 Over the past decade, Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Austria, Sweden and the Netherlands have paid more than $130 million to terrorist groups And they + USA gave billions to "Palestinian Autority". |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2013-02-18 01:59 |
| #1 Various USAID programs accomplish much the same thing as ransom payments, the pipeline is just a bit longer and less transparent. $130 million is a paltry drop in the bucket compared to our foreign aid budget. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-02-18 01:35 |