Article

2004-10-07 Home Front: WoT

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by tipper 2004-10-07 4:56:10 AM|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Western "anti-terrorism" experts = seven blind man and an elephant.

Posted by Anonymous6092 2004-10-07 11:25:26 AM|| 2004-10-07 11:25:26 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 It remains convienent to blame the CIA for al Qaeda. However, bin Laden did most of his fighting from a hotel room in Pakistan. Most of the others, which BTW are pushing up the Afghan equivalent of daisies, joined the effort after the ouster of the Soviets. al Qaeda is a johnny-come-lately as outfits go.

And it ignores the indisputable fact that bin Laden's primary goal was to replace the House of Saud with the House of bin Laden. Mere power politics covered with a smokescreen of religion.

Posted by Chuck Simmins 2004-10-07 12:08:24 PM|| [http://blog.simmins.org] 2004-10-07 12:08:24 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 Excerpts from the book here and here [PDF]. Good stuff from Friedman, he always has a clear head. Only problem is, you don't know what's true and what's not, and now that he's got "status", he has to think about what he talks about because it will anger his precious sources.

Posted by gromky 2004-10-07 5:29:28 PM|| 2004-10-07 5:29:28 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 Oh, and Friedman isn't an "anti-terriorism expert". He's an expert in geopolitics. Get a clue.

Posted by gromky 2004-10-07 7:36:06 PM|| 2004-10-07 7:36:06 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 Go read Sageman's "Understanding Terror Networks" for a thorough debunking of the "CIA created al Qaeda" meme.

Posted by Classical_Liberal 2004-10-07 7:44:28 PM|| 2004-10-07 7:44:28 PM|| Front Page Top

11:22 tu3031
11:22 .com
11:13 WhyNot
18:34 Sock Puppet of Doom
18:18 DustbinUK
23:37 ex-lib
17:25 jules 187
17:20 BigEd
10:55 lex
06:54 Poison Reverse
02:39 Sock Puppet of Doom
00:24 Super Hose
00:08 tu3031
23:58 BigEd
23:53 BigEd
23:50 WhiteHouseDetox
23:38 Mark Espinola
23:37 Sock Puppet of Doom
23:36 Pappy
23:33 Asedwich
23:33 tu3031
23:24 Bored with knee jerk reactions.
23:20 Bomb-a-rama
23:19 Bomb-a-rama