al-Qaeda

ASP In the News | August 11-18

Ian McAllister — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:38:00 -0400

Foreign Policy (08/18) quotes Steve Clemons on speculation over Obama's coming VP pick.
UN Dispatch (08/18) ponders Steve Clemons' questioning on just what is happening in Pakistan.
Washington Post (08/17) features Peter Bergen analyzing the present state of Al Qaeda.
Middle East Online (08/15) quotes Daniel Levy's analysis on a possible civil war in Gaza.
CBS News (08/14) cites Steve Clemons' analysis on false clams of a Colin Powel Obama endorsement.
Washington Independent (08/14) cites Peter Bergen on terrorist havens in Northeast Pakistan.

ASP In the News | August 11-13

Ian McAllister — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:08:00 -0400

Chicago Tribune (08/13) quotes Steve Clemons on liberal opposition to a Bayh VP slot.
Pravda (08/13) quotes Flynt Leverett on Georgia's strategic mistake in provoking Russian aggression.
Israel E News (08/13) quotes Daniel Levy on Israel's shaky ceasefire with Hamas.
Washington Independent (08/13) quotes Peter Bergen on safe havens for Al Qaeda.
Financial Times (08/12) cites Steve Clemons on conservatives who support Obama.
Guardian (08/12) mentions Peter Bergen on American elites' evolving attitudes towards fighting terror.

ASP In the News | July 25-28

Ian McAllister — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:23:00 -0400

Christian Science Monitor (07/28) quotes Peter Bergen on the global elite's evolving views on Al Qaeda.
Daily News Egypt (07/28) features Daniel Levy explaining Israel's reasoning behind the prisoner transfer.
Wall Street Journal (07/28) quotes Daniel Levy on Obama avoiding the Palestinian issue on his trip abroad.
UN Dispatch (07/27) features Peter Bergen arguing a need for additional soldiers in Afghanistan.
New York Times (07/25) posts Michael A. Cohen's examination of Obama's Berlin symbolism.

ASP In the News | July 23-25

Ian McAllister — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:55:00 -0400

The Council on Foreign Relations (07/24) cites Peter Bergen on a possible future defeat of Al Qaeda.
CBS News (07/23) interviews Daniel Levy on Barack Obama's trip to the Middle East.
UN Dispatch (07/23) includes Steve Clemons in a panel discussion on terrorism and the next president.
Kansas City Star (07/20) quotes Peter Bergen on the dangers posed by madrassa education.

ASP In the News | July 18-21

Ian McAllister — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:51:00 -0400

Washington Post (07/20) quotes Flynt Leverett on the Bush Administration's softening foreign policy stance.
CNN Morning News (07/19) interviews Peter Bergen from Kabul on progress in Afghanistan.
The Daily Intel (07/18) quotes Steve Clemons on Obama's problematic outlook on Europe.
Spiegel (07/14) cites Peter Bergen on Al Qaeda's declining support in the Muslim world.

ASP In the News | July 16-18

Ian McAllister — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:33:00 -0400

The Economist (07/17) quotes Peter Bergen on Al Qaeda's self destructive tendencies.
iStock Analyst (07/17) features Steve Clemons arguing against claims of success in Iraq.
The New York Observer (07/17) reviews Michael Cohen's new book, Live from the Campaign Trail.
The Moderate Voice (07/16) cites Daniel Levy on evolving aspects of the Israeli Palestinian divide.
The Newshour with Jim Lehrer (07/16) interviews Daniel Levy on Israel's controversial trade with Hamas.
Financial Times (07/16) quotes Steve Clemons on the Cheney's loss of influence in the Bush Administration.
Policy Innovations (07/14) features Flynt Leverett discussing the rise of China on global business and security.
Freezer Box (07/11) cites Jeffrey Lewis on the growing role for civil society in nuclear nonproliferation.

The Other Palestinian Crisis

Brian Till — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:37:00 -0400

Nahr al-Bared, the devastated Palestinian refugee camp north of Beirut where the Lebanese army battled Fatah al-Islam last summer (photo by Brian Till)

Last night, following a concert at the Roman Amphitheatre in Amman, Jordan, six musicians were attacked by a sole gunman as they boarded their bus. The AP identified the gunman as Palestinian refugee Thaer Weheidi, a 19 year old resident of the Baqaa refugee camp. None were killed, though Weheidi, who turned his weapon upon himself after being chased by police, is said to be in critical condition.

While the Jordanian government holds the act was criminally motivated and not terrorist related, CNN has reported claims that the attacker yelled "Allahu Akbar" before firing on the bus.

The incident adds a new dimension to an ongoing and possibly blossoming battle. Palestinian refugees have long been a bastion of instability in the region, but of late their activity appears to be festering, rather than waning.

Most of the action is happening in Lebanon. Last summer's battle between the Lebanese army (LAF) and the jihadi group Fatah al- Islam took nearly three months to play out, and ended with the annihilation of the Nahr al- Bared refugee camp and the escape of Shaker al Absi, the group's leader. Those living in the camp have sought refugee in Lebanon's dozen other sights, and the projected cost of rebuilding the camp are in the $380-400 million range. 

The camps in Lebanon -- where over 400,000 live in the worst conditions in the region in terms of Palestinian living -- are virtually lawless regions, in which the LAF does not set foot, allowing factions of the PLO and various jihadi groups play out their differences with bombs and bullets.

The situation is only getting worse. In the last several weeks, fighting has intensified, the leader of the Sunni group Jund al-Sham, Imad Yassin, was nearly killed by a bomb in the Ain el-Helweh camp in south Leabanon, where several groups with known Al Qeada links are currently operating. Clashes in the Burj al-Barajneh camp have also sparked fears of another war like last summer's.

In recent months, statements by both Zayman al-Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden have suggested their hopes that a campaign against Israel will become the next major front in their jihad, a battle for which a foothold in Lebanon would be exceedingly useful.

While I was in Beirut earlier this summer, an attempted suicide bomber was killed on the fringes of the Ein el-Helweh camp before he was able to detonate his explosive belt. Sources both within the UN and the military independently suggested that the government had effectively spun the media, and that the bomber had not been Palestinian, as alleged, but rather a Saudi.

But al-Qaeda might not be the only instigator of this uptick in violence. The New Yorker's ace investigative reporter Sy Hersh published a story last year suggesting that the U.S. had a adopted a policy based on financially supporting Sunni Salafi militants in hopes of counterbalancing the rising strength of Shi'a Hezbollah, a patron of Iran. The middleman for the U.S. support, Hersh suggests, is Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia.

For those versed in foreign policy -- or even just Tom Hanks films for that matter -- this is clearly reminiscent of two major American foreign policy ventures of the past: Afghanistan in the 80's and Iran-Contra, neither of which we find ourselves tremendously proud of today.

ASP In the News | July 11-14

Ian McAllister — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:13:00 -0400

The Daily Oregonian (07/12) cites Parag Khanna on the negatives of Foreign Aid.
Philadelphia Enquirer (07/11) quotes Peter Bergen on Al Qaeda's continuing decline.
Telegraph India (07/11) cites Jeffrey Lewis on India's nuclear program.

ASP In the News | July 7-9

Ian McAllister — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:58:00 -0400

Democracy Arsenal (07/08) cites Parag Khanna on the rise of the E.U.
The Las Vegas Sun (07/07) quotes Sherle Scwhenninger on the dire state of the housing market.
New York Times (07/07) features Michael Cohen discussing Obama's stance on patriotism.
Washington Post (07/06) quotes Peter Bergen on Al Qaeda's continuing decline.
Sify (07/02) features Jeffrey Lewis analyzing India's nuclear strategy.

ASP In the News | June 30 - July 2

Ian McAllister — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:11:00 -0400

MSN Money Central (07/3) quotes Doug Rediker on fears of declining American competitiveness.
Sydney Morning Herald (07/02) cites Steve Clemons on a neoconservative regrouping in Washington.
Miami Herald (07/01) quotes Steve Clemons on the reasons behind North Korea's terrorism delisting.
Emirates Business (07/01) cites Parag Khanna on the Second World's growing ability to shape world events.
The Australian (06/28) features Peter's Bergen's analysis of the growing divisions within Al Qaeda .