"Reformer" Assad Sends In Army And Fires On Freedom Protestors

From Gateway Pundit:

Mar 28, 2011 (2 days ago)“Reformer” Assad Sends in Army & Fires on Freedom Protestersfrom Gateway Pundit by Jim HoftOn Sunday Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the United States would would not intervene in Syria because President Assad was a “reformer.” Of course, the evidence that the Syrian dictator is a reformer is slim to none.




Later on Sunday President Assad sent his army into Latakio to quell the freedom protests. And today the regime opened fire on the protesters in Darwa.




 
 
So much for reform.




Reuters reported:



Syrian security forces opened fire on hundreds of demonstrators chanting against emergency laws in the southern city of Deraa on Monday, a witness said.



The demonstrators had converged on a main square in the city, chanting “We want dignity and freedom” and “No to emergency laws,” the witness said.



Two Reuters journalists are reported missing in Syria

Obama's Scary Discomfort With American Power

From The American Thinker:

March 29, 2011


Obama's Scary Discomfort with American Power

By Seth Forman

President Obama's conviction that American power must be harnessed to the predilections of other countries continues to be his predominant presidential trait, even if he has resorted to strong unilateral shows of force at times when other options have seemed in short supply (e.g. the killing of pirates who kidnapped Americans, the Afghan "surge").





Now, in the midst of massive uprisings against autocratic regimes in the Arab world, Obama's ambivalence toward America's superpower status has become dangerously manifest. Whether or not Obama becomes comfortable with the exercise of U.S. power may determine if large parts of the world become more hospitable, whether the U.S. becomes safer and more prosperous, or whether multitudes die with no discernibly better outcome.





Despite his amazing rise to power, Barack Obama clings to beliefs that are rare and, frankly, shocking for an American president to hold: namely, that America is a deeply flawed nation that lacks the moral authority to wield disproportionate global influence.





On his first world tour Obama apologized on three continents for America's "arrogance," its tendency to "dictate its own terms," its "unwillingness to listen," and its refusal to embrace the Muslim world.





The president has been careful to disguise his effort to navigate America to a more modest place among nation states, sprinkling his speeches with boilerplate odes to America's greatness, even indulging occasionally in a bit of nationalist saber-rattling. "There will be times when nations -- acting individually or in concert -- will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified," Obama told the United Nations in 2009. But Obama never offers a robust defense of American power without subordinating it to the more pressing matter of leveling the global playing field. "But it is my deeply held belief," Obama said in that same speech, "that in the year 2009 ... the interests of nations and peoples are shared."





The president's refusal to take the lead in the overthrow of the acutely anti-American regime of Col. Moammar Gaddafi represents the most ominous sign thus far of Obama's preference for strengthening the "international community" over any narrowly defined national interest. It may have caused his own Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to declare that she would not serve under him beyond the 2012 election. Clinton was said to be especially disappointed with Obama's refusal to back a no-fly zone over Libya.





When allied forces finally decided to strike Gaddafi by air, Obama gave his reluctant approval by phone from Brazil. He also authorized his top commander on the ground, Admiral Mike Mullen, to tell reporters that the goals of the international campaign "are limited and it isn't about seeing him go."





European leaders and diplomats were bewildered at Obama's reticence over removing the notorious dictator from power. After all, Gaddafi was the sponsor of the 1988 terrorist attack on Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 179 American civilians. Immediately after the French and British commenced to establish a no fly zone over Libya, Foreign Policy magazine quoted a European diplomat: "Frankly we are just completely puzzled. We are wondering if this is a priority for the United States."





Europe's confusion over Obama's motives is understandable. On Tuesday, March 22, the White House issued a statement underscoring its commitment to "installing a democratic system." But later that same day Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser, issued a clarifying statement "that the effort of our military operation is not regime change."





The opportunity to finally remove Gaddafi has presented itself to a president that can't articulate any specific national interest in doing so, or at least one that's worth putting sufficient U.S. military force behind. Instead Obama has couched his tepid support for military action in selfless humanitarianism backed by ineffectual one-worldism. From Brazil Obama stated that "We cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people that there will be no mercy."





Libya is not primarily a human rights issue. If it was, Obama would consider putting "boots on the ground" to ensure the safety of civilians in a battle with no clear boundaries. Instead, Obama has taken pains to rule out ground troops and to explain that the U.S. will be pulling back from its role in the international campaign.





This is not, first, an issue of democracy and freedom either. It is not known whether rebel forces are dominated by Muslim extremists, are backed by Al Qaida, or are even popular and representative.





The issue is whether the U.S. should use military force to overthrow a decades-old enemy who carries the blood of American innocents on his hands. Before the Lockerbie attack, Libyan operatives bombed a Berlin disco in 1986, killing two U.S. servicemen and injuring 200 others.





But Obama can't see the U.S. as a victim of Muslim extremism. He dithers because he believes the U.S. is, in part, responsible for the anti-American animus of the Islamic world. In an interview with 60 Minutes in 2008, Obama stated that the Bush administration's policy of military action, harsh interrogation methods, and the Guantanamo Bay prison is what has led to Muslim anger. "It hasn't made us safer. What it has been is a great advertisement for anti-American sentiment." Thus Obama's insistence that Arab governments play a central role in any possible military action. It took less than a week for the Arab League to insist that ally bombing missions be curtailed.





For Obama, the goal is not to ensure the ouster of a sworn enemy; it is "about supporting the United Nations resolution, which talked to limiting or eliminating his [Gaddafi's] ability to kill his own people." Admiral Mullen even admitted to ABC's David Gregory that the administration feels the mission can be accomplished without removing Gaddafi. "That's certainly, potentially, one outcome," Mullen said when Gregory pressed him."





Obama believes that the diminution of American power relative to other nations will recalibrate a global imbalance of power with deep roots in the military aggression, racism, greed, and avarice of the western world. Because of this he has until now declined to use sufficient American power to cashier an enemy whose presence defiles the memory of Americans needlessly lost. The country stands by confusedly hoping the French have the will power to carry thins thing through, and watching as Obama shepherds the world into a new, post-American epoch.





Seth Forman is author of Change has Come: Race and Conflict in the Age of Obama (forthcoming, Booklocker), and blogs at www.mrformansplanet.com.

Obama's Selective Compassion

From The American Thinker:

March 29, 2011


Obama's selective compassion

Ethel C. Fenig



Countering President Barack Obama's (D) justification of the US's "kinetic military action" in Libya because "I refused to wait for images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action," Gateway Pundit has vivid images of some areas where "images of slaughter and mass graves" are really happening--Iran, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain.



In addition, in North Korea nearly 25% of that country's population, or 6,000,000 people are at risk of starvation; millions of people in the Ivory Coast in Africa are being displaced while thousands have been killed in that country's civil war ; other horrors are tragically happening around the world.



Sadly, all involve "slaughter and mass graves."







Posted at 09:19 AM

Egyptian Cleric On Referendum: "The Ballot Boxes Said 'Yes' To Islam...From Now On, Islam Will Enter every Aspect Of Our Lives."

From Jihad Watch:

Egyptian cleric on referendum: "The ballot boxes said 'yes' to Islam...From now on, Islam will enter every aspect of our lives"


Secular democracy on the march! Here is another I-Tried-To-Tell-You Alert: "Egyptian Cleric Muhammad Hussein Yaaqub: Results of Egyptian Referendum Were in Favor of Islam, and Whoever Is Unhappy about It Is Free to Leave to Canada or the US," from MEMRITV, March 21 (thanks to John):



Following are excerpts from a speech delivered by Egyptian cleric Muhammad Hussein Yaaaqub, which was posted on the Internet (accessed on March 21, 2011): [...]

Muhaamad Hussein Yaaqub: This was an [Islamic] raid – the raid of the ballot boxes. [...] They have begun saying: "From now on, Islam will enter every aspect of our lives." What is our response to them?



Crowds: Yes, it will.



Muhaamad Hussein Yaaqub: They were the ones who said that it would be decided by the ballot, weren’t they? Isn't that what their democracy is all about? The people said "yes" to Islam, right?



Crowds: Right.



Muhaamad Hussein Yaaqub: The people have said that they want religion, and whoever says he cannot live in such a country anymore is free to go. Go in peace. After all, they have visas for Canada and America. They are free to go.



[..]



Sometimes, when your sheik tells you to vote "Yes," you vote "Yes" – even if it contradicts what you want....



Posted by Robert on March 28, 2011 2:03 AM

Qaradawi Condemns Syrian "Atrocities" But Calls Bahraini Protests "Sectarian"

From The Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Report:

Qaradawi Condemns Syrian “Atrocities” But Calls Bahraini Protests “Sectarian”


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Gulf media has reported on remarks by Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi in which he harshly criticized the Syrian regime which he said had committed “atrocities” against the protestors in that country. According to a Gulf Times report:



Qatar-based Islamic scholar Sheikh Yousuf al-Qaradawi yesterday slammed the “suppressive regime” in Syria, condemning the “atrocities” against protesters there. He said the “train of the Arab revolution” had arrived in Syria, demanding democracy, political and economic reforms, social justice and an end to corruption. The Qatar-based cleric, who enjoys wide respect in the Islamic world, said the regime in Syria could not tolerate any criticism against the presidency or the ruling Ba’ath party. “President Bashar Assad is an intellectual man but he has inherited a heavy political legacy that has made him a prisoner of his corrupted entourage” and “for those who wondered that Syria was far away from the revolutions, they have the answer (now).”Delivering the Friday sermon at the Omar bin al-Khattab mosque in Doha, Qaradawi said the Arab regimes did not seem to be learning from each other’s mistakes. “We still witness the same scenarios of suppressive policies in dealing with their people.” But he was sure that the revolutionary youth would emerge victorious everywhere finally. Qaradawi said that he had in the past offered to mediate between Syrian authorities and the Muslim Brotherhood “but someone took care that my initiative had failed”. He said that there were many political prisoners in Syria and tens of thousands of expatriate Syrians had been prevented from returning to their homeland. “We are also talking about some 15,000 missing people and their destiny should be immediately revealed.” The cleric said the army in Syria would play a “decisive role” like in Yemen. He said: “In Libya, reports are talking about 9,000 victims, killed by the regime’s mercenaries in the clashes.” “The entire Arab world should stand united and reforms should start from the zero point, away from hypocrisy.” Qaradawi criticised the remarks of Arab League secretary general Amr Moussa against the West’s approach towards the no-fly zone over Libya. “The operation in Libya is to protect the civilians from Gaddafi’s tyranny.”



In contrast, Al-Arabiya is reporting that Qaradawi has called the protest in Bahrain “sectarian” and accused Shiites there of attacking Sunnis and taking over their mosques. According to the report:



“There is no people’s revolution in Bahrain but a sectarian one,” al-Qaradawi said, “what is happening is not like what has happened in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, but it is the empowerment of some factions via foreign forces on others; thereby it does not include the demands of all of the Bahraini people.” According to al-Qaradawi, the imposition of one’s faction’s will power for its sole interest has snowballed events in the Gulf country. He said that when Sunni Bahrainis saw the protests by the Shiites, around 450 thousands went on the streets to demonstrate for their own set of demands. “The other Arab revolutions, with a common denominator of the oppressed against the oppressor, the Bahraini one is a sectarian, with Shiites against Sunnis,” he said, adding “in Egypt the revolution was inclusive of all Egyptians with all of their different backgrounds, Muslims, Christians, old, young, secular, religious, and the same can be said for Tunisians, Yemenis, and Libyans.” Meanwhile, Qaradawi said that he is not against Shiites, but he is against zealots, and against divisiveness and the empowering of one faction against another. He also described the protests by the Shiites as not so ‘peaceful’. He said that “the Shiites attacked Sunnis, and took over their mosques, and used weapons just like the hooligans we saw in Yemen and Egypt.” “For this reason I did not address the Bahraini revolution, because I could not find myself free, and I don’t have the enough information on what is happening.” He also urged ‘rationales’ from all sides to open a dialogue and set their differences, and he praised the Bahraini King’s Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa initiative for dialogue with the opposition as “good”. The prominent Islamic scholar warned of ‘danger’ when he described some Shiite Bahrainis carrying pictures of the Supreme Leader of Iran since 1989 Ayatollah Khamenei and Lebanon’s Hizbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah. “They carried Khamenei’s and Nasralah’s pictures as if they belong to Iran and not Bahrain, after all Bahrain belongs to the GCC, and we need them to show real citizenry.” Qaradawi expressed his affection to the Bahraini ruling family in his sermon, and described his relation with the late Sheikh Isa ibn Salman al-Khalifa as close.



Earlier posts discussed Qaradawi’s 2009 remarks in which he accused Shiites of “invading” Sunni communities. Other posts have discussed Qaradawi’s support of the political protests in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya.



Qaradawi, a virulent anti-Semite is often referred to here as the most important leader of the global Muslim Brotherhood, an acknowledgement of his role as the de facto spiritual leader of the movement. In 2004, Qaradawi turned down the offer to lead the Egyptian Brotherhood after the death of the Supreme Guide. Based in Qatar, Sheikh Qaradawi has reportedly amassed substantial wealth through his role as Shari’ah adviser to many important Islamic banks and funds. He is also considered to be the “spiritual guide” for Hamas and his fatwas in support of suicide bombings against Israeli citizens were instrumental in the development of the phenomenon. A recent post has discussed a video compilation of Qaradawi’s extremist statements. Qaradawi recently reiterated his support for suicide bombing in Israel and expressed his desire to die as a martyr “at the hands of a non-Muslim.”



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a.Syrian Muslim Brotherhood Leaders Says Israel, Europe and America Support Syrian Regime

b.Bahraini Muslim Brotherhood Split Following Electoral Defeats

c.Syrian Human Right Activists Jailed; 2005 Document Signed With Syrian Muslim Brotherhood

d.Qaradawi Says Arab Leaders Should Recognize Rebel Council

e.Syrian Muslim Brotherhood Withdraws from Opposition Coalition

GlobalMB @ March 28, 2011

The Syrian Spring

From The Jerusalem Post:

Our World: The Syrian spring


By CAROLINE B. GLICK

03/28/2011 22:04





Anti-regime protests in Syria are welcome departure from grim choices posed by Egypt, Libya because supporting protesters there is actually good idea.

Talkbacks (39)

Amidst the many dangers posed by the political conflagration now engulfing the Arab world, we are presented with a unique opportunity in Syria. In Egypt, the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak has empowered the Muslim Brotherhood. The Sunni jihadist movement which spawned al-Qaeda and Hamas is expected to emerge as the strongest political force after the parliamentary elections in September.



Just a month after they demanded Mubarak’s ouster, an acute case of buyer’s remorse is now plaguing his Western detractors. As the Brotherhood’s stature rises higher by the day, Western media outlets as diverse as The New York Times and Commentary Magazine are belatedly admitting that Mubarak was better than the available alternatives.



Likewise in Libya, even as US-led NATO forces continue to bomb Muammar Gaddafi’s loyalists, there is a growing recognition that the NATO-supported rebels are not exactly the French Resistance. Last Friday’s Daily Telegraph report confirming that al-Qaeda-affiliated veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are now counted among the rebels the US is supporting against Gaddafi, struck a deep blow to public support for the war.



US Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s admission Sunday that Gaddafi posed no threat to the US and that its military intervention against Gaddafi does not serve any vital interest similarly served to sour the American public on the war effort.



After al-Qaeda’s participation in the anti-Gaddafi rebellion was revealed, the strongest argument for maintaining support for the rebels became the dubious claim that a US failure to back the al-Qaeda penetrated rebellion will convince the non-al-Qaeda rebels to join the terrorist organization. But of course, this is a losing argument. If supporting al-Qaeda is an acceptable default position for the rebels, then how can it be argued that they will be an improvement over Gaddafi?



THE ANTI-REGIME protests in Syria are a welcome departure from the grim choices posed by Egypt and Libya because supporting the protesters in Syria is actually a good idea.



Assad is an unadulterated rogue. He is an illicit nuclear proliferator. Israel’s reported bombing of Assad’s North Korean-built, Iranian-financed nuclear reactor at Deir al-Zour in September 2007 did not end Assad’s nuclear adventures. Not only has he refused repeated requests from the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect the site, commercial satellite imagery has exposed four other illicit nuclear sites in the country. The latest one, reportedly for the production of uranium yellowcake tetroflouride at Marj as Sultan near Damascus, was exposed last month by the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security.



Assad has a large stockpile of chemical weapons including Sarin gas and blister agents. In February 2009 Jane’s Intelligence Review reported that the Syrians were working intensively to expand their chemical arsenal. Based on commercial satellite imagery, Jane’s’ analysts concluded that Syria was expending significant efforts to update its chemical weapons facilities. Analysts claimed that Syria began its work upgrading its chemical weapons program in 2005 largely as a result of Saddam Hussein’s reported transfer of his chemical weapons arsenal to Syria ahead of the US-led invasion in 2003.



The Jane’s report also claimed that Assad’s men had built new missile bays for specially adapted Scud missiles equipped to hold chemical warheads at the updated chemical weapons sites.



As for missiles, with North Korean, Iranian, Russian, Chinese and other third-party assistance, Syria has developed a massive arsenal of ballistic missile and advanced artillery capable of hitting every spot in Israel and wreaking havoc on IDF troop formations and bases.



Beyond its burgeoning unconventional arsenals, Assad is a major sponsor of terrorism. He has allowed Syria to be used as a transit point for al-Qaida terrorists en route to Iraq. Assad’s Syria is second only to Iran’s ayatollahs in its sponsorship of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Palestinian Authority.



Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders live in Damascus. As Hezbollah terror commander Imad Mughniyeh’s assassination in Damascus in February 2008 exposed, the Syrian capital serves as Hezbollah’s operational hub. The group’s logistical bases are located in Syria.



If the Assad regime is overthrown, it will constitute a major blow to both the Iranian regime and Hezbollah. In turn, Lebanon’s March 14 democracy movement and the Iranian Green Movement will be empowered by the defeat.



Obviously aware of the dangers, Iranian Revolutionary Guards forces and Hezbollah operatives have reportedly been deeply involved in the violent repression of protesters in Syria. Their involvement is apparently so widespread that among the various chants adopted by the protesters is a call for the eradication of Hezbollah.



MENTION OF Lebanon’s March 14 movement and Iran’s Green Movement serves as a reminder that the political upheavals ensnaring the Arab world did not begin in December when Mohammed Bouazizi set himself on fire in Tunisia. Arguably, the fire was lit in April 2003 when jubilant Iraqis brought down a statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad.



The first place the fire spread from there was Syria. Inspired by the establishment of autonomous Kurdistan in Iraq, in May 2004 Syria’s harshly repressed Kurdish minority staged mass protests that quickly spread throughout the country from the Kurdish enclaves in northern Syria. Assad was quick to violently quell the protests.



Like Gaddafi today, seven years ago Assad deployed his air force against the Kurds.



Scores were killed and thousands were arrested. Many of those arrested were tortured by Assad’s forces.



The discrimination that Kurds have faced under Assad and his father is appalling. Since the 1970s, more than 300,000 Kurds have been stripped of their Syrian citizenship. They have been forcibly ejected from their homes and villages in the north and resettled in squalid refugee camps in the south. The expressed purpose of these racist policies has been to prevent territorial contiguity between Syrian, Iraqi and Turkish Kurds and to “Arabize” Syrian Kurdistan where most of Syria’s oil deposits are located.



The Kurds make up around 10 percent of Syria’s population. They oppose not only the Baathist regime, but also the Muslim Brotherhood. Represented in exile by the Kurdistan National Assembly of Syria, since 2004 they have sought the overthrow of the Assad regime and its replacement by democratic, decentralized federal government. Decentralizing authority, they believe, is the best way to check tyranny of both the Baathist and the Muslim Brotherhood variety. The Kurdish demand for a federal government has been endorsed by the Sunni-led exile Syrian Reform Party.



This week the KNA released a statement to the world community. Speaking for Syria’s Kurds and for their Arab, Druse, Alevi and Christian allies in Syria, it asked for the “US, France, UK and international organizations to seek [a] UN resolution condemning [the] Syrian regime for using violence against [the Syrian] people.”



The KNA’s statement requested that the US and its allies “ask for UN-sponsored committees to investigate the recent violence in Syria, including the violence used against the Kurds in 2004.”



The KNA warns, “If the US and its allies fail to support democratic opposition [groups] such as the Kurdistan National Assembly of Syria and others, [they] will be making a grave mistake,” because they will enable “radical groups to rise and undermine any democratic movements,” and empower the likes of Hezbollah and Iran.



Led by Chairman Sherkoh Abbas, the KNA has asked the US Congress to hold hearings on Syria and allow representatives of the opposition to state their case for regime change.



Opponents of regime change in Syria argue that if Assad is overthrown, the Muslim Brotherhood will take over. This may be true, although the presence of a well-organized Kurdish opposition means it may be more difficult for the Brotherhood to take charge than it has been in Egypt.



Aside from that, whereas the Brotherhood is clearly a worse alternative in Egypt than Mubarak was, it is far from clear that it would be worse for Syria to be led by the Brotherhood than by Assad. What would a Muslim Brotherhood regime do that Assad isn’t already doing? At a minimum, a successor regime will be weaker than the current one. Consequently, even if Syria is taken over by jihadists, they will pose less of an immediate threat to the region than Assad. They will be much more vulnerable to domestic opposition and subversion.



EVEN IF Assad is not overthrown, and is merely forced to contain the opposition over the long haul, this too would be an improvement over what we have experienced to date. In the absence of domestic unrest, Assad has been free to engineer and support Hezbollah’s coup d'etat in Lebanon, develop nuclear weapons and generally act as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s sub-contractor.



But now, in a bid to quell the anti-regime protests, Assad has been forced to deploy his military to his own towns and villages. Compelled to devote his energies to staying in power, Assad has little time to stir up fires elsewhere.



The first beneficiary of his weakness will be Jordan’s King Abdullah who now needs to worry less about Assad enabling a Hamas-Muslim Brotherhood-instigated civil war in Jordan.



Depressingly, under the Obama administration the US will not lift a finger to support Syrian regime opponents. In media interviews Sunday, not only did Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rule out the use of force to overthrow Assad, as his troops were killing anti-regime protesters, Clinton went so far as to praise Assad as “a reformer.”



The US retreat from strategic rationality is tragic. But just because President Barack Obama limits American intervention in the Middle East to the places it can do the most harm such as Egypt, Libya and the Palestinian conflict with Israel, there is no reason for Israel not to act independently to help Assad’s domestic opponents.



Israel should arm the Kurds. Israeli leaders and spokesmen should speak out on behalf of Syria’s Kurds from every bully pulpit that comes their way. Our leaders should also speak out against Assad and his proliferation of missiles and weapons of mass destruction.



Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu should ask the UN to speed up the release of the indictments in the investigation of the late Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman should call on the UN to behave honestly and indict Assad for ordering Hariri’s murder.



Defense Minister Ehud Barak should release information about Syria’s transfer of weapons to Hamas and Hezbollah. The government should release information about Syria’s use of terror against the Druse. Netanyahu must also state publicly that in light of the turbulence of the Arab world generally, and Assad’s murderous aggression against his own people and his neighbors specifically, Israel is committed to maintaining perpetual sovereignty over the Golan Heights.



We are living through dangerous times. But even now there is much we can do to emerge stronger from the political storm raging around us. Syria’s revolt is a rare opportunity. We’d better not squander it.



caroline@carolineglick.com

One Of A Number Of Countries

From Human Events:

One of a Number of CountriesThe post American mindset is corrosive to leadership.


by John Hayward



03/28/2011







On last Sunday’s episode of This Week, ABC’s Jake Tapper grilled Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates about the Obama Administration’s reasons for going to war in Libya, and how this operation could be acceptable for a Democrat Party that spent years howling about George Bush’s actions in Iraq.



Tapper asked why the Administration didn’t seek authorization from Congress, in accordance with the War Powers Act. The short answer is, “because this Congress would ask even tougher questions than Jake Tapper.”



Hillary Clinton gave the long answer: “I don’t think that this kind of internationally authorized intervention, where we are one of a number of countries participating to enforce a humanitarian mission is the kind of unilateral action that either I or President Obama was speaking of several years ago.”



Everything wrongheaded, arrogant, and dangerous about Obama foreign policy is contained in that response. The United Nations does not get to override laws duly enacted by our Congress, such as the War Powers Act. Our laws also do not evaporate in the face of “humanitarian” concerns… and, if they did, the sadistic evil of Saddam Hussein would have neutralized them as completely as Moammar Qaddafi’s bloody crimes against his people.



The Libyan coalition is far smaller than the “multilateral” force George Bush put together for Iraq, or any other international coalition assembled by the United States in decades. There is no imaginable “authorization” here that did not also exist for Iraq.



Worst of all is that ugly phrase rusting away in the center of Mrs. Clinton’s response: we are one of a number of countries.



No, we’re not, and we deserve better than “leaders” who think we are.



No other country can match America’s ability to project power. We spend over forty percent of the world’s total military budget, arming the most skilled and dedicated military the world has ever seen with the most advanced weapons ever created. Obama is a weak and disconnected President, pulled into the Libyan operation by the French and British, but no one should labor under the delusion that America is just “one of a number of countries participating.” We are indispensable. The others couldn’t get it done without us. If the United States suddenly withdrew from Operation Odyssey Dawn, it would be over.



America has always had adversaries with formidable military power, but none of them would even consider using it for a humanitarian intervention. China wouldn’t. Neither would the Soviet Union in its heyday. We had to plead, and sometimes bribe, our “coalition partners” into joining us on previous interventions against tyranny. It is a sad truth that we can’t intervene to prevent every atrocity. No one has fought and died to prevent more atrocities than Americans.



No other nation speaks the language of liberty with the grace and passion of the United States. The voices of others are most welcome when they join us, but when we don’t speak with strength and clarity, there is a great hollow silence that even the most spirited efforts of our allies cannot quite fill. It was strange to watch British Prime Minister David Cameron become the Leader of the Free World, and he seemed aware that it was an uncomfortable development.



England is a fine old lion whose valor against Nazi evil turned the tide of history, but there is a place in the modern affairs of the free world which has always been reserved for the American eagle. The united resolve of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan shattered a global empire, without launching many “kinetic military actions.” Now we have a president who began his term by telling the world how much he agreed with all its criticisms of his own country. A delighted international Left threw him a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. The eagle’s chair at the high table of the brave has been vacant, and silent, ever since. No wonder the world only pays attention to us when we’re being kinetic.



Whether the moment has come to lead America into war, or to explain why we will not intervene in an international crisis, leadership requires conviction. An American president should be inspired by the astounding history of this country, along with the courage, compassion, and ability of the great people who chose him as their chief executive. Such a President would not view his country as one of many, reluctantly clocking in and joining the small throng of nations ready to execute the will of a far more wise and benevolent global order.









--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

John Hayward is a staff writer for HUMAN EVENTS, and author of the recently published Doctor Zero: Year One. Follow him on Twitter: Doc_0. Contact him by email at jhayward@eaglepub.com.



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Palestinian Authority Minister Of Prisoners' Affairs And Fatah Movement Continue To Glorify Female Terrorists

From PMW:

PA Minister of Prisoners' Affairs




and Fatah movement



continue to glorify female terrorists



http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=4845







by Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook





The Palestinian Authority and the Fatah movement continue to glorify terrorists, including Dalal Mughrabi, who led the most lethal terror attack in Israel's history.



The PA's Minister of Prisoners' Affairs, Issa Karake, marked International Women's Day and Mother's Day last week by emphasizing the achievements of female terrorists such as Mughrabi, whose 1978 bus hijacking killed 37 civilians, Wafa Idris, the first female suicide bomber, and Darin Abu Aisheh, who blew herself up while attacking Israelis at a roadblock in 2002.



The Information Committee of the Recruitment and Organization Commission of Fatah, the movement headed by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, earlier this month lauded the role of female "Martyrs" in "advancing the [Palestinian] cause and maintaining the unity of the PLO." It praised Mughrabi and the first female Palestinian terrorist, Shadia Abu Ghazaleh, who participated in attacks against Israeli military facilities before she died while preparing a bomb in 1968.



As PMW reported, PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad honored female terrorists last Wednesday, including a terrorist who placed a bomb in a bus station. His praise for those terrorists came only a few hours before a bomb was placed at a bus stop in Jerusalem, killing one woman and injuring 50. Fayyad later condemned that attack



Following are transcripts of the PA Minister Karake and Fatah glorifications of female terrorists:





"Minister of Prisoners' Affairs... spoke at a ceremony honoring female prisoners in the occupation's prisons, held by the Ministry [of Prisoners' Affairs] to mark International Women's Day and Mothers' Day...







Karake called [on Palestinians] to strengthen activities in support of the prisoners, with the approach of Prisoners' Day, which falls on April 14th. He stated: 'This is the month of heroism and action on behalf of the men and women prisoners, and we must act so that their cause will be the most pre-eminent, like their predecessors, such as Dalal Mughrabi [led the most lethal terror attack in Israel's history in 1978, when she and other terrorists hijacked a bus and killed 37 civilians], Darin Abu Aisheh [suicide bomber whose attack in 2002, injured 2

], Wafa Idris [first Palestinian female suicide bomber whose attack in 2002 in Jerusalem, killed one and injured more than 150], and all the female Shahids (Martyrs) and prisoners."



[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 21, 2011]







"The Fatah movement emphasized, in an announcement by the Information Committee of the Recruitment and Organization Commission, that Palestinian women continue in their campaign of struggle alongside the men, challenging the arrogance of the occupation (i.e., Israel) and its violations. The announcement called upon all international forums, humanitarian bodies and bodies dealing with human rights to act to pressure the occupation authorities to release all female and male prisoners.





The [Fatah] announcement addressed the contribution of female Palestinian members of Fatah to the founding of the unions and [professional] associations, and their role in advancing the [Palestinian] cause and maintaining the unity of the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) - the sole legitimate representative of our Palestinian people. Thus, the first female Palestinian Shahida (Martyr), Shadia Abu Ghazaleh [member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, participated in attacks against Israeli military facilities, died in 1968 while preparing a bomb]; Shahida Dalal Mughrabi [led the most lethal terror attack in Israel's history in 1978, when she and other terrorists hijacked a bus and killed 37 civilians]; and others like them were among those who sacrificed their blood for the sake of liberation."



[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 9, 2011]

Yemen: Islamic Supremacists Clash With Government Forces

From Jihad Watch:

Yemen: Islamic supremacists clash with government forces


Secular, pro-democracy forces nowhere in evidence, but no doubt -- if we are to believe the learned analysts -- certain to triumph. "Islamists Clash With Security Forces In South Yemen," from AGI, March 27 (thanks to C. Cantoni):



(AGI) Sanaa - There have been clashes between Islamist groups and Yemeni security forces attempting to regain control of buildings occupied by militias in Jaar, in the southern province of Abyan. According to witnesses, a soldier was killed during an attack. Yesterday, key buildings in the city were attacked and occupied by a coalition of Islamist groups. Faced with weeks of protests Yemen's president Ali Abdullah Saleh has reiterated in an interview with Al-Aribya that he does not intend to "remain attached to power", and launched an appeal to avoid the country falling into a civil war.Posted by Robert on March 27, 2011 7:38 AM

Moderate Abbas Adds A New Condition For "Peace": Release All Jihad Terrorists

From Jihad Watch:

Moderate Abbas adds a new condition for "peace": Release all jihad terrorists


The mask drops yet again, but no one in the West will particularly notice or care, as always. "Abbas adds a new condition for "peace": Release all terrorists!," from Elder of Ziyon, March 26 (thanks to Inexion):



Mahmoud Abbas, that intransigent leader that the world considers "moderate," had added another condition for "peace" with Israel:

Abbas now demands that Israel release every single Palestinian Arab prisoner.



This includes, of course, the most heinous terrorists - those that have murdered and slaughtered Israelis - that have been captured by Israel. Abbas is not distinguishing between prisoners with "blood on their hands" and those who merely planned or facilitated terror attacks.



Abbas is saying that peace depends on Israel releasing murderers. Not only that, he is implicitly threatening to support terrorism against Israel until every last of those prisoners are released.





Read it all.

Posted by Robert on March 27, 2011 7:46 AM

Fayyad's Duplicity About Support For Terror On Day Of Jerusalem Bombing

From PMW:

Fayyad's duplicity about support for terror




on day of Jerusalem bombing



http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=4843







Wednesday after Jerusalem bombing when world was listening:



Fayyad: "I condemn this terror operation"







Wednesday before Jerusalem bombing on Palestinian radio:



Fayyad: "Honor and admiration" to women terrorists







by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik





On Wednesday afternoon, Palestinian Authority Prime Minster Salam Fayyad condemned as "terror" the bomb at a Jerusalem bus stop that killed one woman.



On Wednesday morning, Fayyad honored Palestinian women terrorists, including two who drove suicide bombers to terror attacks killing five. He also honored a terrorist who placed a bomb in a bus station, an action identical to the one he condemned just a few hours later.



Fayyad condemned Jerusalem bombing Wednesday afternoon:



"I condemn this terror operation in the harshest terms,

no matter who stands behind it."





Fayyad praised Palestinian terrorists Wednesday morning:



"I will not fail to mention with honor and admiration the resolve of the female prisoners, the fighters, and of all the prisoners of freedom who are imprisoned in the Israeli prisons, experiencing indescribable suffering. This requires that all of us intensify the effort to ensure their liberation from the occupation's chains and from the abuse of its [Israel's] executioners."





In a radio speech, Fayyad then specifically named the following terrorists:

Qahira Al-Sa'adi, who drove suicide bomber to attack killing 3 in Jerusalem in 2002.

Irena Sarahneh, who drove suicide bomber to attack killing 2 and injuring dozens, in Israeli city Rishon LeZion in 2002.

Iman Ghazawi, who in 2001 placed a bomb at the central bus station in Tel Aviv that was discovered before it exploded.

Latifa Abu Zara'a, who in 2003 smuggled a bomb into Israel for suicide terror attack that was uncovered before it was implemented.



Having condemned the bomb in Jerusalem as "terror," Fayyad elaborated, explaining that such "actions" have damaged the Palestinian cause in the past:





"It is shameful that after all the catastrophes which such actions have brought upon our people, and the heavy damage which they have brought to our struggle and to the justice of our cause, some Palestinian party still insists on renewing these shameful operations and scenes."





The following are the two stories both published the day after the Jerusalem bombing in the official PA daily:



Fayyad honors terrorists including two who drove suicide bombers, and one who placed a bomb:



"Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, opened his weekly radio address by sending greetings to the Palestinian mother in honor of Mothers' Day...



The Prime Minister congratulated the Palestinian mothers for their leading and prominent role, alongside the men, and for their struggle to achieve full equal rights, out of thorough belief that a woman's right to equality is a natural, absolute and inalienable right. He said, 'On this occasion, I will not fail to mention with honor and admiration the resolve of the female prisoners, the fighters, and of all the prisoners of freedom who are imprisoned in the Israeli prisons, experiencing indescribable suffering. This requires that all of us intensify the effort to ensure their liberation from the occupation's chains and from the abuse of its [Israel's] executioners. I make special mention of all the women prisoners who are mothers: Iman Ghazawi, who has been imprisoned for ten years; Qahira Al-Sa'adi; Irena Sarahneh; Latifa Abu Zara'a; Ibtisam Al-Issawi; Muntaha Al-Tawil; and Kifah Qatash.' He added, 'We do not forget the Palestinian mothers who stand as a barricade before the Israeli bulldozers in order to protect their land and their homes... I do not forget our righteous Shahid (Martyr) mothers, the mothers who are prisoners of freedom, and the mothers who have been injured or expelled.'"



[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 24, 2011]





Fayyad condemns placing bomb in Jerusalem as "terror":



"President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad yesterday condemned the operation (i.e., terror attack in which bomb exploded at bus stop) in Jerusalem, in which a woman was killed and 31 others were injured. US President Barack Obama condemned the operation and called for calm. At the same time, Palestinian rockets hit two cities deep inside Israel, causing injury to one resident...

In an announcement published by the WAFA Palestinian News Agency, President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the operation which took place in Jerusalem and claimed civilian casualties. The announcement added, 'The President already condemned yesterday the Israeli operation (i.e., after Hamas Grad rockets attacks on Israeli cities Ashkelon and Beer Sheva, Israel attacked Hamas targets, which led to civilian casualties as well) in the Gaza Strip, leading to the Martyrdom deaths of 8 civilians and the injury of more than 20 others in Israeli bombings of various areas in the Gaza Strip.'

Prime Minister Fayyad condemned 'harshly' the explosion which took place next to the Jerusalem central bus station. He emphasized that such actions bring 'catastrophes' upon the Palestinian people. In an announcement, Fayyad said, 'I condemn this terror operation in the harshest terms, no matter who stands behind it.' Fayyad wished the injured a speedy recovery. He said, 'It is shameful that after all the catastrophes which such actions have brought upon our people, and the heavy damage which they have brought to our struggle and to the justice of our cause, some Palestinian party still insists on renewing these shameful operations and scenes, under hollow slogans which our people no longer believe, and which stand in complete contrast to its legitimate attempt to earn freedom through peaceful means and through its determination to stand resolute and to remain upon its land.'



[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 24, 2011]

Fayyad's duplicity about support for terror



on day of Jerusalem bombing



http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=4843







Wednesday after Jerusalem bombing when world was listening:



Fayyad: "I condemn this terror operation"







Wednesday before Jerusalem bombing on Palestinian radio:



Fayyad: "Honor and admiration" to women terrorists







by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik







On Wednesday afternoon, Palestinian Authority Prime Minster Salam Fayyad condemned as "terror" the bomb at a Jerusalem bus stop that killed one woman.







On Wednesday morning, Fayyad honored Palestinian women terrorists, including two who drove suicide bombers to terror attacks killing five. He also honored a terrorist who placed a bomb in a bus station, an action identical to the one he condemned just a few hours later.







Fayyad condemned Jerusalem bombing Wednesday afternoon:



"I condemn this terror operation in the harshest terms,



no matter who stands behind it."







Fayyad praised Palestinian terrorists Wednesday morning:



"I will not fail to mention with honor and admiration the resolve of the female prisoners, the fighters, and of all the prisoners of freedom who are imprisoned in the Israeli prisons, experiencing indescribable suffering. This requires that all of us intensify the effort to ensure their liberation from the occupation's chains and from the abuse of its [Israel's] executioners."







In a radio speech, Fayyad then specifically named the following terrorists:



Qahira Al-Sa'adi, who drove suicide bomber to attack killing 3 in Jerusalem in 2002.



Irena Sarahneh, who drove suicide bomber to attack killing 2 and injuring dozens, in Israeli city Rishon LeZion in 2002.



Iman Ghazawi, who in 2001 placed a bomb at the central bus station in Tel Aviv that was discovered before it exploded.



Latifa Abu Zara'a, who in 2003 smuggled a bomb into Israel for suicide terror attack that was uncovered before it was implemented.







Having condemned the bomb in Jerusalem as "terror," Fayyad elaborated, explaining that such "actions" have damaged the Palestinian cause in the past:







"It is shameful that after all the catastrophes which such actions have brought upon our people, and the heavy damage which they have brought to our struggle and to the justice of our cause, some Palestinian party still insists on renewing these shameful operations and scenes."







The following are the two stories both published the day after the Jerusalem bombing in the official PA daily:







Fayyad honors terrorists including two who drove suicide bombers, and one who placed a bomb:



"Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, opened his weekly radio address by sending greetings to the Palestinian mother in honor of Mothers' Day...



The Prime Minister congratulated the Palestinian mothers for their leading and prominent role, alongside the men, and for their struggle to achieve full equal rights, out of thorough belief that a woman's right to equality is a natural, absolute and inalienable right. He said, 'On this occasion, I will not fail to mention with honor and admiration the resolve of the female prisoners, the fighters, and of all the prisoners of freedom who are imprisoned in the Israeli prisons, experiencing indescribable suffering. This requires that all of us intensify the effort to ensure their liberation from the occupation's chains and from the abuse of its [Israel's] executioners. I make special mention of all the women prisoners who are mothers: Iman Ghazawi, who has been imprisoned for ten years; Qahira Al-Sa'adi; Irena Sarahneh; Latifa Abu Zara'a; Ibtisam Al-Issawi; Muntaha Al-Tawil; and Kifah Qatash.' He added, 'We do not forget the Palestinian mothers who stand as a barricade before the Israeli bulldozers in order to protect their land and their homes... I do not forget our righteous Shahid (Martyr) mothers, the mothers who are prisoners of freedom, and the mothers who have been injured or expelled.'"



[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 24, 2011]







Fayyad condemns placing bomb in Jerusalem as "terror":



"President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad yesterday condemned the operation (i.e., terror attack in which bomb exploded at bus stop) in Jerusalem, in which a woman was killed and 31 others were injured. US President Barack Obama condemned the operation and called for calm. At the same time, Palestinian rockets hit two cities deep inside Israel, causing injury to one resident...



In an announcement published by the WAFA Palestinian News Agency, President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the operation which took place in Jerusalem and claimed civilian casualties. The announcement added, 'The President already condemned yesterday the Israeli operation (i.e., after Hamas Grad rockets attacks on Israeli cities Ashkelon and Beer Sheva, Israel attacked Hamas targets, which led to civilian casualties as well) in the Gaza Strip, leading to the Martyrdom deaths of 8 civilians and the injury of more than 20 others in Israeli bombings of various areas in the Gaza Strip.'



Prime Minister Fayyad condemned 'harshly' the explosion which took place next to the Jerusalem central bus station. He emphasized that such actions bring 'catastrophes' upon the Palestinian people. In an announcement, Fayyad said, 'I condemn this terror operation in the harshest terms, no matter who stands behind it.' Fayyad wished the injured a speedy recovery. He said, 'It is shameful that after all the catastrophes which such actions have brought upon our people, and the heavy damage which they have brought to our struggle and to the justice of our cause, some Palestinian party still insists on renewing these shameful operations and scenes, under hollow slogans which our people no longer believe, and which stand in complete contrast to its legitimate attempt to earn freedom through peaceful means and through its determination to stand resolute and to remain upon its land.'



[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 24, 2011]

Abbas's Duplicity About His Support For Honoring Terrorist Dalal Mugrhrabi

From PMW:

Abbas's duplicity about his support




for honoring terrorist Dalal Mughrabi



To the PA: "Of course we want to name a square after her"



To Israelis: "There's no doubt, I'm against it"



http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=4842







by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik







In an interview with Israeli TV Channel 2 last week, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas condemned the Palestinians' naming of a square after Dalal Mughrabi, the terrorist who led the most lethal terror attack in Israel's history:





"There's no doubt, I'm against it.

I condemn this action [of naming a square after Mughrabi]," Abbas, said.





However, when speaking to Palestinians in 2010, Abbas said he supported it.



"Of course we want to name a square after her... We carried out a military action; can I then later renounce all that we have done?"



[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 17, 2010]





Palestinian Media Watch reported on this in detail in 2010. (See full timeline of the Dalal Mughrabi square controversy.)



In addition, Abbas has personally glorified terrorist Mughrabi, whose bus hijacking in 1978 killed 37 civilians. Abbas funded a computer center named after Mughrabi:



"Yesterday the Hebron Building Committee inaugurated a computer center named after the Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi. Present at the event were President Mahmoud Abbas's advisor for communications and information technology... The center was funded by a contribution from the President's Office."



[Al-Ayyam, May 5, 2009]





Abbas was the sponsor of a "birthday" celebration on what would have been Mughrabi's 50th birthday, with senior Fatah officials present and a live performance of songs and poems, all to honor the terrorist:





PA TV News: "Under the auspices of President Mahmoud Abbas, the Political and National Education Authority held a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi. The ceremony included a live performance with songs of the [Fatah] Revolution, and poems about the sense of belonging and loyalty to this homeland."



[PA TV (Fatah), Dec. 29, 2009]





Click to view PA and Abbas's birthday celebration for terrorist Dalal Mughrabi



The text on a giant banner carrying Mughrabi's portrait at the birthday ceremony read:



"Under the auspices of President Mahmoud Abbas, The Political and National Education Authority, Ceremony on the anniversary of the birth of the bride of the cosmos, The Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi."



[PA TV (Fatah), Dec. 29, 2009]





The PA regularly glorifies terrorists and turns them into role models for Palestinian society. Abbas participates actively in this and has also glorified other terrorists. For example, after the death of Amin Al-Hindi who was one of the senior planners of the murder of 11 Israeli athletes in the Munich Olympics in 1972, the PA, with Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad personally attending, honored him with an official red carpet military funeral. (See text below.)



Abbas honored another planner of the Munich Olympics attack, Muhammad Daoud Oudeh, by referring to him as "a wonderful brother, companion, tough and stubborn, relentless fighter." (See text below.)



Click to see PMW documentation of additional examples of terror glorification by Abbas.



In the past, Abbas also admitted his personal involvement in and responsibility for the PA terror campaign that killed over 1000 Israelis between 2000 and 2005 (the "Intifada"). When calling for the release of all terrorists in Israeli prisons, Abbas said it was because "we ordered them":





"I demand [the release of security] prisoners because they are human beings, who did what we, we, ordered them to do. We, the [Palestinian] Authority. They should not be punished while we sit at one table negotiating. This is war. One (i.e., Israel) ordered a soldier to kill, and I ordered my son, brother, or others, to carry out the duty of resistance (i.e., euphemism for terror). This person killed and the other person killed. So why say this person's hands are stained with blood, and [he] must be kept in prison?"



[PA TV (Fatah), Feb. 14, 2005]



Click to view Abbas saying "we ordered them"



Abbas has also expressed pride in having been involved in training Hezbollah terrorists:



"I was honored to be the one to shoot the first bullet in 1965 (i.e., Fatah terror against Israel began in 1965), and having taught resistance to many in this area and around the world, defining it and when it is beneficial and when it is not... we had the honor of leading the resistance. We taught everyone what resistance is, including the Hezbollah, who were trained in our camps (i.e., PLO camps in the 60s and 70s)."



[Al-Dustur (Jordan), Feb. 28, 2008]





Click to view documentation of more statements by Abbas in the PMW website category "Personal responsibility for terror."



The following are the full transcripts of Abbas's contradictory statements for and against the naming of the square after terrorist Dalal Mughrabi:



Abbas to Israeli TV 2 - condemns naming square:



PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas: "If there's incitement on my part, where is it?"

Israeli TV host: "On TV."

Abbas: "No. I say, in Israel there's also incitement."

Host: "I'll give you another example. When the Israeli public sees the PA glorifies terrorists, calling a square for [terrorist] Dalal Mughrabi, a street for [terrorist] Ayyash."

Abbas: "These [namings] are not by the PA but by the municipalities. The municipalities have a degree of independence."

Host: "Are you personally against those commemorations?"

Abbas: "There's no doubt, I'm against it... Whatever we must do, you must do as well, but I condemn this action [naming square for Mughrabi]."



[Israeli TV Channel 2, March 19, 2011]





Abbas to Palestinians - supports naming square:



Mahmoud Abbas, PA Chairman:



"They [Israel] say about me that I carry out terrorist activities. What are those terrorist activities? That I search for those who sell land in Jerusalem and chase them. Of course I chase them, and I shall continue to do so. Is that a crime? [Israel says,] 'Does he [Abbas] not know that they [the PA] named a square after Dalal Mughrabi and he [Abbas] personally went [to the ceremony]?' - Of course I did not go myself, but I do not deny [the naming]. Of course we want to name a square after her. Okay, what about [murdered Israeli cabinet minister Rehavam] Zeevi? They [Israelis] named a road after him [in the Jordan Valley], near brother Saeb [Erekat, i.e, the chief Fatah negotiator], and so on. What is it [that Israel wants]? That we renounce our history? How? We... carried out a military activity; can I then later renounce all that we have done? No, I don't renounce it." [Emphasis added.]

[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 17, 2010]





The following are the transcripts of Abbas honoring planners of the Munich Olympics attack, terrorists Amin Al-Hindi and Muhammad Daoud Oudeh:





"The Palestinian leadership, along with President Mahmoud Abbas, parted yesterday from the body of the Fatah leader and fighter patriot Amin Al-Hindi. This was at an impressive official military funeral that was held at the [PA] headquarters to bid farewell to theShahid (Martyr)...



Present at the headquarters for the farewell ceremony and for the official military funeral, along with the President [Abbas], were Prime Minister Dr. Salam Fayyad; Secretary General of the Presidential office, Al-Tayeb Abd Al-Rahim; members of the PLO Executive Council and of the Fatah Central Committee; several ministers, commanders of security forces, senior civic and military personnel, as well as relatives of the deceased.



The body of Al-Hindi, which was wrapped in shrouds, arrived draped with the Palestinian flag and was borne on the shoulders of his [metaphorical] sons - officers of the Guard of Honor at the presidential headquarters. A red carpet was laid out for the arrival of the body, and the military band played the final farewell melody. A squad from the Guard of Honor fired 21 shots. President Abbas and the participants at the funeral cast a final parting look at the body, and laid wreaths. Afterwards, the President [Abbas] and those present read the opening sura [of the Quran] for the elevation of his pure soul."



[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 19, 2010]





Official PA daily:



Headline: "The President [Abbas] expresses condolences over the death of the fighters Muhammad Oudeh and Ja'afar Shadid..."

"President Mahmoud Abbas sent a telegram of condolences yesterday over the death of the great fighter Muhammad Daoud Oudeh, 'Abu Daoud,' who died just before reaching 70. The telegram of condolences read: 'The deceased was one of the prominent leaders of the Fatah movement and lived a life filled with the struggle, devoted effort, and the enormous sacrifice of the deceased for the sake of the legitimate problem of his people, in many spheres. He was at the forefront on every battlefield, with the aim of defending the [Palestinian] revolution. What a wonderful brother, companion, tough and stubborn, relentless fighter." [Emphasis added.]

[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 4, 2010]

One-Quarter Of North Koreans Face Starvation

From Newsmax:

U.N.: One Quarter of North Koreans Face Starvation




North Korea’s government food distribution system will run out of supplies in May and place a quarter of the nation’s citizens at risk of starvation, according to the U.N. World Food Program.



Dire reports about food shortages in the communist country are not uncommon, but the current situation is worse than in recent years, the agency warns.



Floods and extreme cold this winter have devastated crops and an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has ravaged North Korea’s livestock, the Wall Street Journal reported.



“Vulnerable members of society are currently facing increasing shocks to their daily coping strategies, leaving them on a knife edge,” the WFP said in a statement.



Daily rations in the country have reportedly been reduced to 360 grams a day. At one hospital visited by WFP staffers, 136 children were being treated for malnutrition and 11 were in such poor condition that they were able to take only intravenous fluids and high-nutrition biscuits, none of which were available.



The United States and other nations are wary about rushing to North Korea’s aid because previous food donations have been re-directed by dictator Kim Jong Il’s regime away from ordinary citizens to the nation’s military and elite, the Journal noted.



The WFP has proposed sending 297,000 tons of cereal products to North Korea. But that assistance would amount to only about 5 percent of the 5.5 million tons of rice and cereal grains North Korea needs to produce to feed its 24 million residents each year.



Newsmax reported in February that North Korea had ordered its embassies and diplomatic offices around the world to issue new appeals for food aid.



An estimated 1 million North Koreans died in a famine in the early and mid-1990s.

Islamic Countries Set Aside Campaign For U.N. Resolutions "Combatting Defamation Of Religion"

From Jihad Watch:

Islamic countries set aside campaign for U.N. resolutions "combating defamation of religion"


For now. We will see this business again when they think they have an opening and the time is right. At the moment, they may have decided they have bigger fish to fry, with opportunities emerging to install Islamic regimes in multiple countries (under the pretense of democracy). They will also try to leverage that situation with regard to Israel, as we have already seen renewed attacks on Israel aimed at drawing it into a conflict for which it will then be roundly condemned in the Wide World of Useful Idiots, who will appeal, of course, to the U.N.



And for that matter, Islamic groups need at this moment to be able to appeal to concepts like freedom of speech to advance their agenda across North Africa, Yemen, and beyond. Making a fuss over insults right now might look a bit funny.



Even so, they have left themselves a loophole: "However, diplomats from Islamic countries have warned the council that they could return to campaigning for an international law against religious defamation if Western countries are not seen as acting to protect believers."



And you know which "believers" they mean. "Islamic bloc drops U.N. drive on defaming religion," by Robert Evans for Reuters, March 25 (thanks to Alexandre):



(Reuters) - Islamic countries set aside their 12-year campaign to have religions protected from "defamation", allowing the U.N. Human Rights Council to approve a plan to promote religious tolerance on Thursday.

Western countries and their Latin American allies, strong opponents of the defamation concept, joined Muslim and African states in backing without vote the new approach that switches focus from protecting beliefs to protecting believers.

No one wants to name names, as with the EU's document of "stuttering timidity" against the persecution of Christians by Muslims.



According to a report by the British Catholic group Aid to the Church in Need, which Roland Shirk discusses here, 75% of religious persecution in the world is committed against Christians. And the report shows how much of that is Muslim persecution of Christians, just over a span of two years. But because protecting Christians does not make for a hip, fashionable cause, the world yawns.



Since 1998, the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) had won majority approval in the council and at the United Nations General Assembly for a series of resolutions on "combating defamation of religion".

Critics said the concept ran against international law and free speech, and left the way open for tough "blasphemy" laws like those in Pakistan which have been invoked this year by the killers of two moderate politicians in Pakistan.

They argued that it also allowed states where one religion predominates to keep religious minorities under tight control or even leave them open to forced conversion or oppression.

But Pakistan, which speaks for the OIC in the rights council, had argued that such protection against defamation was essential to defend Islam, and other religions, against criticism that caused offence to ordinary believers.

Note the perfunctory mention of "other religions." But, no thanks, some of us have thicker skin than that.



Islamic countries pointed to the publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed in Denmark in 2005, which sparked anti-Western violence in the Middle East and Asia, as examples of defamatory treatment of their faith that they wanted stopped.

Whose prophet? Partial credit for the lower-case "prophet," at least.



However, support for the fiercely-contested resolutions -- which the OIC had been seeking to have transformed into official U.N. human rights standards -- has declined in recent years.

The new three-page resolution, which emerged after discussions between U.S. and Pakistani diplomats in recent weeks, recognises that there is "intolerance, discrimination and violence" aimed at believers in all regions of the world.

Omitting any reference to "defamation", it condemns any advocacy of religious hatred that amounts to incitement to hostility or violence against believers and calls on governments to act to prevent it.

That will be in the eye of the beholder, and can still potentially cause problems.



The U.S.-based Human Rights First campaign group said the new resolution was "a huge achievement because...it focuses on the protection of individuals rather than religions" and put the divisive debates on defamation behind.

However, diplomats from Islamic countries have warned the council that they could return to campaigning for an international law against religious defamation if Western countries are not seen as acting to protect believers.Posted by Marisol on March 26, 2011 7:33 AM

Turkey: Police Seize Manuscript About The Gulen Islamic Community

From Jihad Watch:

Turkey: Police seize manuscript about the Gulen Islamic community


Apologists for Fethullah Gulen such as Mustafa Akyol insist that the Gulen movement is benign. But the contrary evidence continues to mount.



Islamization of Turkey Update: "Manuscript raid in Turkey draws international criticism," by Sera De Vor for Hürriyet Daily News, March 25 (thanks to C. Cantoni):



ANKARA - International and domestic press organizations condemned Friday recent police raids in Turkey targeting the manuscripts of an unpublished book, incidents that Turkish organizations described as “censorship.”

“Preventing a published book from being distributed is one thing, but forbidding the very possession of a draft book that has not been published sets a very dangerous precedent,” Johann Bihr from Reporters Without Borders told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.



A week after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the issue of press freedom in Turkey was being blown out of proportion, Istanbul police raided a printing house and a daily newspaper in search of an unpublished book, confiscating print copies and destroying all digital traces of the manuscript.



The book in question is by jailed journalist Ahmet Şık and deals with the alleged organization founded within the Turkish police by the Fethullah Gülen Islamic community.



Reporters Without Borders is “really astonished” by the police confiscation of Şık’s manuscript, Bihr said.



“Whatever its content, Şık’s draft book represents a piece of work by a writer and journalist, not a weapon or drugs. Seizing all private copies of it and threatening those who don’t hand it over with prosecution is in complete contradiction with the principle of freedom of expression,” he said.



“Reporters Without Borders is really worried by these searches and the associated threats, which unfortunately take the Turkish judiciary one more step away from European and international standards,” Bihr added....



Posted by Robert on March 26, 2011 11:20 AM

U.N. Human Rights Council Adopts Resolution Against Religious Discrimination, OIC thrilled

From Jihad Watch:

UN Human Rights Council adopts resolution against religious discrimination, OIC thrilled


No one supports actual religious discrimination, but the OIC is dedicated to quashing all honest discussion of jihad and Islamic supremacism under this rubric. Hence their happy reaction to this resolution. More on this story. "OIC commends resolution on religious discrimination," from Arab News, March 26:



JEDDAH: The UN Human Rights Council unanimously adopted a new resolution on the elimination of forms of discrimination and violence based on religious beliefs.

The Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), which represents the Islamic group at the council participated in the March 24 discussion. The United States and the European Union too were represented.



Informed sources in the OIC General Secretariat here said that the new resolution related to combating religious intolerance and negative stereotypes, stigmatization, discrimination, and incitement to violence, and violence against individuals based on religion and belief is not a substitute for an earlier resolution adopted by the UN on combating defamation of religions, which the Human Rights Council had adopted many times in the past several years.



The sources stated that the new resolution is a qualitative breakthrough because it was adopted unanimously, adding, it gives the widest margin of freedom of expression, with the rejection of discrimination and incitement and stereotypes used by the other or against the symbols of the followers of religions.



The sources emphasized that the OIC approved the new resolution from a position of strength, particularly after the adoption of the Human Rights Council resolution on defamation of religions over the past four years with a clear majority.



However, the sources stressed that the issue of acceptance of the new resolution comes as a goodwill gesture by the organization in order to reach the necessary consensus, bridge the gap, and partner with the West in addressing the anti-Islam sentiments that prevailed in some Western communities toward Muslims.





There is no discussion in this context of Islamic jihad terrorism and supremacism as having something to do with the alleged "anti-Islam sentiment" in "some Western communities." That connection is precisely what the OIC is trying to obscure.



The new resolution came after the OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu proposed last year, a number of proposals on the possibility of reaching a common ground toward a solid platform for its adoption.

According to informed sources, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had invited the OIC to lead, along with both Washington and the European Union, the efforts to draft a new resolution to ensure the foundations adopted by the previous resolution, giving a wider margin of freedom of expression.



The sources confirmed at the same time that the decision regarding defamation of religions has not been abandoned.



This is the most contentious of the resolutions, because in countries with strong protections on speech and other forms of expression, the idea that a religion can have the same defamation protections as living individuals is considered an affront to individual rights.





But the OIC is dedicated to overcoming that obstacle.

Posted by Robert on March 26, 2011 3:41 PM

Muslim Brotherhood Rising In Libya, Envisions Government Based On "Quranic Principles"

From Jihad Watch:

Muslim Brotherhood rising in Libya, envisions government on "Qur'anic principles"


I tried to tell you. "Energized Muslim Brotherhood in Libya eyes a prize," by Paul Cruickshank and Tim Lister for CNN, March 25 (thanks to Ray):



(CNN) -- Dr. Abdulmonem Hresha knows first hand how Moammar Gadhafi's regime works. He says the seeds of his opposition were sown when he was age 10....

The prominent member of the Muslim Brotherhood now lives in London, and anticipates the group could become an important player in a post-Gadhafi environment.



As in Egypt and Tunisia, the Brotherhood in Libya has been energized by the sudden upheaval sweeping the Arab world.



It says it has no organizational links with the Brotherhood elsewhere, but shares the philosophy of the pan-Arab Islamist movement founded in Egypt in the 1920s.



Largely drawn from the devout educated middle classes and university campuses in Tripoli and Benghazi, the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood was founded in the mid-1950s.



Islamist opposition to the Libyan regime gathered force in the late 1980s, as part of a wider Islamic awakening or "Sahwa" in the region and in reaction to what many saw as an attempt by Gadhafi to hijack and interpret Islam for his own purposes.



While jihadists launched a brief but unsuccessful campaign to overthrow Gadhafi in the 1990s, the Brotherhood focused much of its efforts on clandestine preaching and social welfare efforts in Libya.



In 1998, Gadhafi's security services launched a crackdown against the group that saw more than 200 members imprisoned and hundreds more forced into exile, including Hresha.



Despite years of repression, Hresha claims the Brotherhood still has thousands of members scattered across Libya, with chapters in almost every single town, including Sirte, Gadhafi's birthplace on the coast west of Tripoli.



In 2006, its leaders were released after reconciling with the Libyan regime. But now the Brotherhood is siding with the rebellion....



Al-Amin Bilhaj, a leading figure in the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood and the President of the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) recently traveled to Benghazi, the headquarters of the rebel movement, according to Hresha.



Other Brotherhood exiles have returned to help treat the wounded in hospitals, according to Kemal el Helbawy, the Egyptian founder of the British association.



There is little or no overt presence of the Brotherhood in Benghazi, according to CNN's Arwa Damon, who has been there for most of the month.



But in the longer term, in a country where the political space has been dominated by Gadhafi for more than 40 years, the Brotherhood's organization and nationwide presence may afford it an advantage.



The West has nothing to fear from the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya, according to Hresha.



Like their counterparts in Egypt, they would embrace multiparty democracy.



"I've lived for many years in Canada and the UK, and that's exactly the political system that we want," Hresha said.



Hresha says that if his organization forms a political party, it would seek to legislate according to Koranic principles, which would include, for example, a continued ban on the sale of alcohol.



"Why shouldn't we be able to press our point of view -- we are humans too," he said.



Hresha said the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood welcomes airstrikes in Libya, a startling turnaround for a movement that previously supported jihad by Iraqis against U.S. forces occupying Iraq.



"I salute and am very grateful to the Americans, French and British governments for stopping the killing," he said. "I will never forget this."



Hresha said he hopes a post-Gadhafi Libya will be a close friend to the West.



A more prominent role for the Brotherhood in Libya could dent support for al Qaeda and other jihadist groups, especially in eastern provinces that have witnessed significant radicalization in recent years.



But Libya's deeply tribal structures -- unlike Egypt and Tunisia -- may complicate its efforts to build a national base.



And hardline "Salafi" preachers have gained influence in neglected towns like Derna -- on the coast near the border with Egypt.



"Conservative imams (in Derna)," a U.S. diplomat wrote in 2008, "deliberately sought to eliminate the few social activities on offer for young people to monopolize the social and cultural environment."



But in the end, the reach of the Brotherhood may be most limited by the emergence of secular forces at the forefront of the rebel movement.



The Interim National Council in Benghazi -- a 30-member opposition leadership -- is mostly made up of lawyers, doctors, intellectuals and former political prisoners with a secular bent.



In a statement Monday, the Council stated the ultimate goal of the revolution was "to build a constitutional democratic civil state based on the rule of law, respect for human rights and the guarantee of equal rights and opportunities for all its citizens including ... equal opportunities between men and women and the promotion of women empowerment."



Guma el-Gamaty, a Libyan academic based in the UK who has emerged as a key liaison between the Libyan opposition overseas and the Benghazi Council said no Muslim Brotherhood leaders had yet been appointed to the Council, and played down their influence.



Hresha, the long-time Brotherhood member, expects that to change.



"We've been working secretly till this moment," he said.

Posted by Robert on March 25, 2011 9:37 AM

Energized Muslim Brotherhood In Libya Eyes A Prize

From The Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Report:

RECOMMENDED READING: “Energized Muslim Brotherhood In Libya Eyes A Prize”


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CNN has posted an article titled “Energized Muslim Brotherhood in Libya eyes a prize” which analyzes the potential role of the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood in the future of Libya. The report begins:



Dr. Abdulmonem Hresha knows first hand how Moammar Gadhafi’s regime works. He says the seeds of his opposition were sown when he was age 10. He and classmates were taken to witness the public execution of a political opponent of Gadhafi. “They hung him up in front of thousands of small kids,” Hresha said. “He did that to scare people.” Hresha, who taught physics at Tripoli University, later fled to Canada. The prominent member of the Muslim Brotherhood now lives in London, and anticipates the group could become an important player in a post-Gadhafi environment. As in Egypt and Tunisia, the Brotherhood in Libya has been energized by the sudden upheaval sweeping the Arab world. It says it has no organizational links with the Brotherhood elsewhere, but shares the philosophy of the pan-Arab Islamist movement founded in Egypt in the 1920s. Largely drawn from the devout educated middle classes and university campuses in Tripoli and Benghazi, the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood was founded in the mid-1950s. Islamist opposition to the Libyan regime gathered force in the late 1980s, as part of a wider Islamic awakening or “Sahwa” in the region and in reaction to what many saw as an attempt by Gadhafi to hijack and interpret Islam for his own purposes. While jihadists launched a brief but unsuccessful campaign to overthrow Gadhafi in the 1990s, the Brotherhood focused much of its efforts on clandestine preaching and social welfare efforts in Libya.? In 1998, Gadhafi’s security services launched a crackdown against the group that saw more than 200 members imprisoned and hundreds more forced into exile, including Hresha. Despite years of repression, Hresha claims the Brotherhood still has thousands of members scattered across Libya, with chapters in almost every single town, including Sirte, Gadhafi’s birthplace on the coast west of Tripoli. In 2006, its leaders were released after reconciling with the Libyan regime.



Read the rest here.



The CNN report also identifies Al-Amin Belhaj, a leader in the UK Muslim Brotherhood, as a leading figure in the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood who has recently traveled to Libya:



But now the Brotherhood is siding with the rebellion. In February, as protests in Libya began, Yusuf al Qaradawi — an Egyptian preacher in Qatar widely viewed as the Muslim Brotherhood’s chief spiritual guide — issued a fatwa or religious ruling obliging any Libyan soldier who had the opportunity to do so to assassinate the leader. Al-Amin Bilhaj, a leading figure in the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood and the President of the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) recently traveled to Benghazi, the headquarters of the rebel movement, according to Hresha. Other Brotherhood exiles have returned to help treat the wounded in hospitals, according to Kemal el Helbawy, the Egyptian founder of the British association.



An earlier post discussed Mr. Belhaj when he became the new president of the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) noting that a U.K academic report on North African immigrants and their links to terrorist organizations identified Dr. Belhaj as the leader of the Libyan Islamic Group in the UK and the Head of the Tunisian Islamic Front (TIF). (There is some question as to the accuracy of the link between Dr. Belhaj and the TIF).The U.S. State Department has identified the Libyan Islamic Group as the Libyan branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.



The Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) had for many years been the most active organization in the U.K Muslim Brotherhood. Many of the leaders of the MAB left in 2007 to form the British Muslim Initiative (BMI). According to an Israeli think-tank report, the breakup appeared to be the result of a conflict between traditionalists in the MAB who were unhappy with the high level of involvement in U.K left-wing politics while those who who formed the BMI wished such activity to continue. Anas Al-Tikriti, the leader of the BMI, and former MAB official, is the son of Omar Al-Tikriti, one of the leaders of the Iraqi Islamic Party representing the Muslim Brotherhood in that country.



Share and Enjoy:



Related posts:



a.RECOMMENDED READING: “The Muslim Brotherhood and Gaddafi Were Partners Not Too Long Ago”

b.Qaradawi Attends Qatar Charity Event Establishing New Hospital In Libya

c.Bosnian Grand Mufti Visited Libya In Mid-February; Accepted Donation From Qadhafi

d.RECOMMENDED READING: “CAIR Officials Sought Gaddafi Money”

e.RECOMMENDED READING: “Islamist Groups In Lebanon”

GlobalMB @ March 25, 2011

What The Presdient Must Do About Yemen

From The Heritage Foundation:

What the President Must Do About YemenPublished on March 24, 2011 by James Phillips WebMemo #3204 Print PDF


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As turmoil and transformation sweep across the Middle East and North Africa, President Obama cannot afford to dwell on one crisis at a time. In particular, the United States must not neglect the ongoing crisis in Yemen, a country that has served as a base of operations for terrorist attacks aimed at the U.S. and its allies. A double dose of diplomacy and engagement is now vital to ensure that the U.S. can continue to conduct effective counterterrorism operations in the region.



State of Play



Embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is quickly losing his grip on power in the face of mushrooming protests against his rule that have been joined by key military, political, and tribal leaders. Saleh now faces an unpalatable choice between stepping down and violently suppressing the populist revolt à la Muammar Qadhafi—one of only two Arab rulers who have been in power longer than Saleh’s 32 years.



The U.S. has a major stake in the outcome of this deepening political crisis because of the terrorist threat posed by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which has established itself in Yemen’s tribal badlands. Washington should lead an international effort to support a peaceful transfer of power to a new government that will remain committed to the fight against al-Qaeda terrorism.



Saleh is a canny political survivor who dominated the tumultuous politics of the Arab world’s poorest country by exploiting factional and tribal rivalries for more than three decades, but his luck is finally running out. Last Friday, after six weeks of peaceful protests in the capital city of Sanaa, Saleh’s thuggish secret police deployed snipers on rooftops to fire on demonstrators, killing more than 50 and wounding hundreds. On Monday, key members of the government—including Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, Yemen’s top military leader—resigned in protest and demanded that Saleh step down.



General Mohsen has mobilized army forces and deployed tanks in the capital to back up his demands, while Saleh has deployed tanks around his presidential palace to signal his determination to cling to power. The tense standoff could explode at any moment if back-channel talks between Saleh and the opposition do not defuse the situation soon. Saleh has already agreed to step down at the end of the year after new parliamentary elections have taken place, but the opposition insists that he must do so immediately.




Saleh’s former allies are now rushing to abandon him. Yemen’s major tribes—and even Saleh’s own Sanhan tribe—have turned against the President. The opposition is fueled by simmering resentment over the corruption, nepotism, and ineffectiveness of the government in providing jobs, economic development, education, and other services to the Yemeni people.



One of the driving forces within the ad hoc opposition coalition is the Islah party, an Islamist movement whose spiritual leader, Sheik Zindani, has been designated as a terrorist by the U.S. government due to his close association with Osama bin Laden. Opposition groups have called for a march on the presidential palace on Friday that could push Yemen to the brink of civil war unless some sort of an agreement can be worked out beforehand.



U.S. Policy Priorities



The foremost U.S. national interest in Yemen is to contain and defeat AQAP, which has emerged as the most urgent threat to homeland security since the al-Qaeda high command was forced to hide in Pakistan’s remote tribal areas. AQAP’s Anwar al-Aulaqi, an American-born Yemeni cleric, has emerged as a key al-Qaeda leader. He is believed to have inspired Major Nidal Hassan, who perpetrated the 2009 Fort Hood shootings, and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the failed suicide bomber who sought to destroy an airliner bound for Detroit on Christmas Day 2009.[1] Aulaqi is also suspected of playing a role in the November 2010 AQAP plot to dispatch parcel bombs to the U.S. in cargo planes.



The U.S. entered an awkward alliance of convenience with Saleh to mobilize more pressure on AQAP. Although preventing AQAP from carving out a secure sanctuary in Yemen is Washington’s highest priority, Saleh’s regime was always more concerned with the threats posed by the seven-year-old Houthi rebellion in the north and the simmering secessionist movement in southern Yemen, which has flared up intermittently since North and South Yemen unified in 1990. Yemen’s weak central government will be even less inclined and less able to assist U.S. efforts to fight AQAP now that Saleh is fighting for his political survival.



To help stabilize Yemen and maintain pressure on AQAP, the Obama Administration should:



Encourage a peaceful transition of power. The longer Sanaa remains a cockpit for political violence, the stronger AQAP is likely to become. Washington should seek to broker a face-saving exit deal for the widely resented Saleh to defuse tensions and enable the formation of another government.


Maintain close contacts with Yemen’s military leaders. The backbone of any successor government is likely to be comprised of military or former military leaders. General Mohsen may emerge as the enforcer of any new regime, and he should be approached discreetly to determine whether he has modified his troubling past support for Islamist extremists. There is a possibility that he was acting on behalf of Saleh, his longtime mentor.

Engage the opposition. American diplomats and intelligence officers should discreetly contact and sound out key leaders of political groups and tribes within the loose opposition coalition to ascertain which ones would be potential allies against AQAP and help them to become integral parts of the next government.

Coordinate policy with Saudi Arabia. Riyadh has a strategic interest in Yemeni stability and defeating AQAP, which narrowly missed assassinating the Saudi prince who leads counter-terrorism efforts in a suicide bombing in August 2009. Saudi Arabia wields the strongest foreign influence in Yemen by disbursing subsidies to tribal leaders and financial aid to the government.

Prevent Iran from fishing in troubled waters. There is a growing danger that the chronic Houthi rebellion could become a full-blown proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Houthi tribesmen are Zaidi Shiites who do not share Iran’s brand of Shiism, but they remain open to Iranian support in their conflict with the predominantly Sunni Yemeni army and Saudi Arabia. The best solution would be to broker a political settlement that would permanently end the Houthi rebellion, but in the meantime, the U.S. should cooperate with the Saudi and Yemeni governments to contain Iranian influence and intercept any arms shipments.

Time to Engage



Saleh has been a reluctant ally against AQAP, which he perceived to be much less of a threat to his power than a southern secessionist movement or the Houthi rebellion in northern Yemen. If he fights to cling to power, Yemen could dissolve into anarchy, which would greatly benefit AQAP and allow it to function more freely. Washington should work to prevent that from happening by encouraging a peaceful transfer of political power and the establishment of a new government that could be a long-term partner for counter-terrorism cooperation—or could at least avert the risk that Yemen will become a failed state that AQAP can exploit.



James Phillips is Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs in the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies, a division of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies, at The Heritage Foundation.



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[1]See James Phillips, “Yemen and the Resurgent Al-Qaeda Threat,” Heritage Foundation WebMemo No. 2750, January 8, 2010, at http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2010/01/Yemen-and-the-Resurgent-Al-Qaeda-Threat.