Stratfor: Defining al Qaeda

“Defining al Qaeda is republished with permission of Stratfor.”

By Scott Stewart

The Obama administration’s efforts to counter the threat posed by al Qaeda and the wider jihadist movement have been a contentious topic in the U.S. presidential race. Political rhetoric abounds on both sides; administration officials claim that al Qaeda has been seriously crippled, while some critics of the administration allege that the group is stronger than ever. As with most political rhetoric, both claims bear elements of truth, but the truth depends largely on how al Qaeda and jihadism are defined. Unfortunately, politicians and the media tend to define al Qaeda loosely and incorrectly.

The jihadist threat will persist regardless of who is elected president, so understanding the actors involved is critical. But a true understanding of those actors requires taxonomical acuity. It seems worthwhile, then, to revisit Stratfor’s definitions of al Qaeda and the wider jihadist movement.

Killing in the name of Islam

Al-Qaeda attacks – A timeline of deadly al-Qaeda attacks

The Double Game

Annals of Diplomacy – The unintended consequences of American funding in Pakistan.

by Lawrence Wright

It’s the end of the Second World War, and the United States is deciding what to do about two immense, poor, densely populated countries in Asia. America chooses one of the countries, becoming its benefactor. Over the decades, it pours billions of dollars into that country’s economy, training and equipping its military and its intelligence services. The stated goal is to create a reliable ally with strong institutions and a modern, vigorous democracy. The other country, meanwhile, is spurned because it forges alliances with America’s enemies.

Obama: Al-Qaeda head bin Laden dead!

Mastermind of Sept. 11, 2001 attacks killed by US-led team after manhunt that took nearly a decade, president announces. Senior officials say al-Qaeda leader killed in firefight at his fortified compound in Pakistan, remains being handled according to Islam.

Osama bin Laden, the glowering mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed thousands of Americans, was killed in an operation led by the United States, President Barack Obama said in a dramatic late-night statement at the White House.

Terror Threats and Alerts in France

“Terror Threats and Alerts in France is republished with permission of STRATFOR.”

By Scott Stewart

The Eiffel Tower was evacuated Sept. 28 after an anonymous bomb threat against the symbolic Parisian tourist attraction was phoned in; no explosive device was found. The day before the Eiffel Tower threat, French authorities closed the Gare Saint-Lazare in central Paris after an abandoned package, later determined innocuous, was spotted in the train station.

Hezbollah prepares hit list to avenge Mughniyeh killing

‘Deck of cards’ features top Israeli officials Shiite group holds responsible for Mughniyeh killing.

By Roee Nahmias

Hezbollah has prepared a deck of playing cards serving as a hit list of senior Israeli officials it holds responsible for the February 2008 assassination of senior member of the organization, Imad Mughniyeh, in Damascus. Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai Al-Aam has publicized a hit list of senior Israeli officials. At the top of the list, constituting the “ace card” is Mossad Director Meir Dagan.

Flotillas and the Wars of Public Opinion

This report is republished with permission of  STRATFOR

By George Friedman

On Sunday, Israeli naval forces intercepted the ships of a Turkish nongovernmental organization (NGO) delivering humanitarian supplies to Gaza. Israel had demanded that the vessels not go directly to Gaza but instead dock in Israeli ports, where the supplies would be offloaded and delivered to Gaza. The Turkish NGO refused, insisting on going directly to Gaza. Gunfire ensued when Israeli naval personnel boarded one of the vessels, and a significant number of the passengers and crew on the ship were killed or wounded.

A Look at Kidnapping through the Lens of Protective Intelligence

 “This report is republished with permission of STRATFOR”

 

By Scott Stewart

 Looking at the world from a protective-intelligence perspective, the theme for the past week has not been improvised explosive devices or potential mass-casualty attacks. While there have been suicide bombings in Afghanistan, alleged threats to the World Cup and seemingly endless post-mortem discussions of the failed May 1 Times Square attack, one recurring and under-reported theme in a number of regions around the world has been kidnapping.

Daily News – May 3rd.

Romanian Socialists might notify Constitutional Court over lustration law

Opposition Social-Democrat Party (PSD) is discontent with lustration law provisions, deeming them tardy and going against European Convention for Human Rights norms. The law, coming over 20 years after the fall of communism, got one step closer to final approval on Tuesday when the Chamber of Deputies’ legal committee gave its nod. The law must now head to plenary session in the chamber, as it was already passed by Senate in 2006. Ex President Ion Iliescu says law banning former communist activists from public office is nonsense, has ‘Stalinist connotations.’

Daily News – April, 6th

EP President to visit Bucharest

European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek will pay an official visit to Romania on April 11 and 12, when he is due to meet President Traian Basescu, the speakers of the two Houses of the Parliament, Premier Emil Boc and Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi. According to a press release issued by the Deputy Chamber, Jerzy Buzek will come to Romania on the invitation of Chamber of Deputies President Roberta Anastase.  Former Polish Premier Jerzy Buzek, now aged 69, was elected last July as president of the European Parliament, thus becoming the first East European who accedes to this high position. Jerzy Buzek is a member of the Civic Platform center-right party – led by acting Polish PM Donald Tusk – that is affiliated with the European People’s Party.