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2004-10-20 Terror Networks & Islam
IISS report on al-Qaeda status
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Posted by Dan Darling 2004-10-20 1:47:55 AM|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 Is the IISS some kind of Brit Brookings Institution? This isn't analysis, it's posturing.
Posted by Classical_Liberal 2004-10-20 2:24:02 AM||   2004-10-20 2:24:02 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 CL, that was about 30 years ago when people knew the difference.
Posted by Memesis 2004-10-20 2:27:14 AM||   2004-10-20 2:27:14 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 blah blah blah, a respected military thinktank said yesterday.

Respected, by whom and for what reason?
Posted by Kalle (kafir forever) 2004-10-20 2:29:07 AM|| [http://radio.weblogs.com/0103811/categories/currentEvents/]  2004-10-20 2:29:07 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 I think Dan Darling posts these late night pieces from Al-Guardian so us west coast types get riled up and lose sleep.
Posted by Classical_Liberal 2004-10-20 2:35:36 AM||   2004-10-20 2:35:36 AM|| Front Page Top

#5  Nah, but if you actually read past the anti-war stuff here there's some useful info, such as the centralization of bombmaking, ect.
Posted by Dan Darling  2004-10-20 2:40:52 AM|| [http://www.regnumcrucis.blogspot.com]  2004-10-20 2:40:52 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 CL - Lol! He might get just the tiniest kick out of it, heh... But Dan's really a nice guy, not to mention kick-ass researcher, lol! Honest!
Posted by .com 2004-10-20 2:44:28 AM||   2004-10-20 2:44:28 AM|| Front Page Top

#7  I should add that wasn't intended as a shot at CL, it's late here for us Midwesterners ...
Posted by Dan Darling  2004-10-20 2:55:46 AM|| [http://www.regnumcrucis.blogspot.com]  2004-10-20 2:55:46 AM|| Front Page Top

#8 I know Dan's a good guy and he sweats the details on the research so we don't have to.
Posted by Classical_Liberal 2004-10-20 2:56:50 AM||   2004-10-20 2:56:50 AM|| Front Page Top

#9 Dan: It may be late for you, but it's prime time for the crew you are keeping tabs on. Continue on with the good work, please.
Posted by Classical_Liberal 2004-10-20 2:59:16 AM||   2004-10-20 2:59:16 AM|| Front Page Top

#10 IISS International Ignorant Socialist Society?
It was printed in the Guardian it must not be true.
Posted by Sock Puppet of Doom  2004-10-20 6:03:06 AM|| [http://www.slhess.com]  2004-10-20 6:03:06 AM|| Front Page Top

#11  the invasion of Iraq had "enhanced jihadist recruitment and intensified al-Qaida’s motivation" to mount terrorist operations

Excellent use of stating the bleedin' obvious
Posted by AmericanIdiot 2004-10-20 7:04:09 AM||   2004-10-20 7:04:09 AM|| Front Page Top

#12 These "analyses" seem bogus to me. So what if recruitment and motivation are up? Wouldn't that be expected when we decided to escalate the war? The numbers of terrorists is still small from a military point of view (we're not talking about million-man armies as in WWII) and they still appear to have limited capability to hurt us militarily. This war is still in the category of low intensity conflict, and we have the capability to wage war on a scale that Al Qaeda can't even imagine.
Posted by V is for Victory 2004-10-20 8:57:36 AM||   2004-10-20 8:57:36 AM|| Front Page Top

#13 some thoughts

1. the evidence on recruitment must be in parts i havent read yet. color me skeptical
2. Its still probably true that AQ remains strong.
3. Most interesting is the shift in methods of moving money
4. 1000 in Iraq out of 18000. As usual reality is a middle ground between ideological assertions. Yup, the fly paper effect IS happening. But no, its not enough to make the war in Iraq the central front of the WOT. At least not based on the flypaper effect alone.
5. Democracy in Iraq, as they hint, could be important. But its not there yet and has many obstacles. As we all know.
6. Radical Islam post-OIF is particularly strong in Europe. Yup, I think thats the key insight, and ultimately the reason for the division between us and the French. A win in Iraq can transform the Middle East, and change the strategic situation there. But Frances immediate problem, in a way thats difficult for Americans to understand, isnt the Middle East. Its the muslims in the suburbs of Paris and Marseilles. Our threat is essentially from abroad. While a few muslims here are radicalized and cooperate with terrorists, most dont, and they are fewer in number, and generally less concentrated. In France they are heavily radicalized and discontented, huge in number, and heavily ghettoized. Its a time bomb (well theres already violence, but thats only a hint at whats possible - and the potential reaction from the French right is just as dangerous to the Republic) The war in Iraq, to the extent it adds to the radicalization among French muslims (which I think we can admit it probably does) is a disaster to France, even if it improves the strategic situation in the Middle East.
Posted by liberalhawk 2004-10-20 9:50:22 AM||   2004-10-20 9:50:22 AM|| Front Page Top

#14 Of course the recruitment is up that is to be expected it is what happens in every war when both sides dig in resources. It's called focus: before war in terrorism "Al-queda" had social program to get good willing, had programs to teach religious stuff and a military wing. Now probably are all under military wing.
German build more airplanes in 1944 and had a bigger army too... that means they were being successfull at that time?
Posted by Anonymous6361 2004-10-20 10:27:31 AM||   2004-10-20 10:27:31 AM|| Front Page Top

#15 #11 AI: the invasion of Iraq had "enhanced jihadist recruitment and intensified al-Qaida’s motivation" to mount terrorist operations

Excellent use of stating the bleedin' obvious


This brought to you by the International Institute of the Study of the Completely Obvious (IISCO)!
Posted by BA  2004-10-20 10:46:56 AM||   2004-10-20 10:46:56 AM|| Front Page Top

#16 Liberalhawk, while I agree with your statements concerning the threat radical Muslims pose to France, I don’t believe France should get off so lightly.

In addition to the Islamic issue:
France has long been anti-American.
The Anglosphere is a threat to French cultural, political, and economic influence.
France has historically triangulated against the US and continues to do so.
By positioning the EU in opposition to the US, France uses the EU to magnify French influence.
Many French politicians and businessmen are corrupt by US moral standards.

So I don’t think that the internal Muslim threat is the main driver of French foreign policy.
Posted by Anonymous5032 2004-10-20 11:58:39 AM||   2004-10-20 11:58:39 AM|| Front Page Top

#17 these are the guys who said saddam was 18 months away from making a nuclear weapon--they're hem sniffers--too much dart throwing in pubs
Posted by SON OF TOLUI 2004-10-20 11:13:22 PM||   2004-10-20 11:13:22 PM|| Front Page Top

07:39 Sock Puppet of Doom
07:22 Shipman
03:29 Sock Puppet of Doom
02:48 Classical_Liberal
02:23 Sock Puppet of Doom
23:57 Jabba the Nutt
23:41 Pappy
23:38 Bomb-a-rama
23:36 .com
23:19 Pappy
23:17 Seafarious
23:14 Pappy
23:13 SON OF TOLUI
23:12 Seafarious
23:10 .com
23:05 trailing wife
23:04 .com
22:59 trailing wife
22:58 Pappy
22:54 whitecollar redneck
22:52 Pappy
22:47 Poison Reverse
22:43 trailing wife
22:41 Dar









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