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	<title>FrontPage Magazine &#187; Matt Gurney</title>
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		<title>Terror Plot Foiled</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/matt-gurney/another-terror-plot-foiled/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=another-terror-plot-foiled</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Sep 2011 04:56:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=107128</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The arrest of Rezwan Ferdaus in Boston scores a major victory for U.S. counter-terrorism efforts.]]></description>
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<p>Boston-area man Rezwan Ferdaus, 26, has been arrested and indicted on charges of plotting a terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol Building and the Pentagon. Ferdaus, an American citizen — born in America, no less — is alleged to have intended <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-29/man-accused-of-plotting-to-bomb-capitol-pentagon-indicted-in-boston.html">to fly remote control airplanes</a>, purchased from hobby shops, into the targets. It was his apparent hope that the remote control toys — the poor man’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, in this case — would carry explosive devices into the targets, setting them ablaze. As the buildings were evacuated, Ferdaus allegedly hoped to fire into the crowds with assault rifles and grenades.</p>
<p>Should these charges be proven in court, it will be a major victory for U.S. counter-terrorism efforts. But those very same efforts are under attack by those who see closet <a href="http://frontpagemag.com/2011/09/07/islamophobia-thought-crime-of-the-totalitarian-future/">Islamophobes </a>behind every wiretap and sting operation. The arrest of Ferdaus could prove to be not only a win for the United States in the war on terror, but for America’s peaceful Muslims.</p>
<p>From what is known so far, the detection and arrest of Ferdaus is a major achievement for U.S. law enforcement. Prior to his arrest on terrorism charges, Ferdaus’s only brush with the law had been for a high-school prank where he and friends cemented doors to their school shut. When he radicalized is not yet known. But, apparently after Ferdaus began seeking fellow jihadists online, the FBI began to monitor him.</p>
<p>Indeed, it has been reported that over the last several months, Ferdaus had dealings with FBI agents that he believed were Islamists set on attacking America. Ferdaus, a physics graduate, designed detonators that he provided the agents, and was told these had been smuggled to Iraq and used to kill U.S. soldiers, much to Ferdaus’s delight. Ferdaus then began to request weapons and supplies from his FBI “allies.” He received six AK-47s, several grenades and 25 lbs. of what he believed was C4 plastic explosive. It was then that he was arrested.</p>
<p>This is classic police work. A suspect is identified, contacted, and allowed to incriminate himself before an arrest is made and without public safety being threatened. This is how child pornographers, drug smugglers and gun runners are identified and caught. It’s how stolen goods are traced. Don’t let the modern tools fool you — cellphones, Internet cafes and social media notwithstanding, any 19<sup>th</sup>-century detective worth their salt would recognize and applaud the kind of work that the FBI put into this case.</p>
<p>Such methods are still controversial for some, but absolutely necessary. Not every terrorism case will benefit from a major break such as the one that benefited Canadian police in 2006. In that case, a home-grown cell of Canadian Islamists were planning a series of bomb and gun attacks on the financial centre of Toronto and the Parliament buildings in Ottawa. A patriotic Canadian Muslim, who became aware of the plan and was appalled, gave up the group. A police sting operation very similar to the one that captured Ferdaus was initiated after the plot came to light, and the attack was averted.</p>
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		<title>Embassy Terror in Afghanistan</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/matt-gurney/embassy-terror-in-afghanistan/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=embassy-terror-in-afghanistan</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:16:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=105072</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What a decade of war has achieved.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/afghan_embassy_0913_10.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-105083" title="afghan_embassy_0913_10" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/afghan_embassy_0913_10.gif" alt="" width="375" height="252" /></a></p>
<p>The just-passed anniversary of 9/11 presents the West with an opportunity to reflect on what a decade of war, and hundreds of billions of dollars, has achieved in Afghanistan. As of this date, 2,627 Western troops have died in that country, mostly Americans, Britons and Canadians. Taliban casualties have been much heavier (though impossible to document with much accuracy) and along the way, there have been military successes. But as the old saying goes, the West is winning the battles but losing the war. The local insurgents can simply wait out the allies. No amount of surges, no new strategy, and no highly competent Western general is going to change that.</p>
<p>The past several days have seen a series of violent attacks against American and Western targets in that country. On Sunday, the 10<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks on Washington and New York City, all eyes were on those two cities after reports of a <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-11/officials-have-information-on-specific-terror-threat-adviser-brennan-says.html">credible terror plot</a> designed to disrupt the remembrance of that dark day. Thankfully, nothing happened, and the memorials in America’s capital and largest city went ahead as planned. But while they were in progress, word came that halfway across the globe, a NATO base in Afghanistan had been <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/09/11/afghanistan.base.attack/">struck by a large truck bomb</a>, driven by a Taliban suicide bomber. Seventy-seven NATO soldiers, later confirmed to all have been American servicemembers, were wounded, though thankfully, none seriously. Several Afghans were killed (accounts differed between two and three).</p>
<p>Monday brought worse. A co-ordinated attack by terrorists, believed to be Taliban insurgents, struck across Afghanistan’s capital city of Kabul. The U.S. Embassy was targeted, as was NATO’s military headquarters. All American citizens in the capital city were urgently advised to <a href="http://kabul.usembassy.gov/em_091311.html">“shelter in place”</a> — take cover wherever they were, and stay put. A series of gun battles broke out across the city, and continued for hours. Afghan and allied aircraft conducted strafing runs against buildings captured by the Taliban, and there were reportedly random attacks against civilian targets throughout the city. The <em>Telegraph</em>, a British newspaper, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/8759579/Kabul-US-embassy-attack-September-13-as-it-happened.html">live-blogged</a> the day’s events. Even from afar, the chaos is evident.</p>
<p>That is not to say that the effort in Afghanistan has not had some merit. It has shown the Islamists of the world that, contrary to what they might have believed in the year 2000, the West will fight long, hard battles in the defense of its interests and democratic values. That is an intangible, but it is not without value. Western military forces have gained experience and new equipment that has finally moved them away from Cold War-era tactics and technologies, leaving them better prepared to fight the next war, wherever it comes. And it is likely the U.S. Special Forces raid that killed Osama bin Laden would have been impossible were it not for the presence of a powerful American military machine in Afghanistan, just a short flight from the Pakistani city where the al-Qaeda mastermind had taken refuge.</p>
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		<title>Street Heat in China</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/matt-gurney/street-heat-in-china/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=street-heat-in-china</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Jun 2011 04:24:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=96458</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Protests rock the communist nation.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/1307943611.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-96466" title="1307943611" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/1307943611.gif" alt="" width="375" height="281" /></a></p>
<p>Over the last few months, the world’s attention has understandably been focused on the events rocking the Middle East. The West has been kept busy with diplomatic efforts in Egypt and the Gulf states, with a war in Libya, and the possible descent of Syria, a major geopolitical player in Middle Eastern politics, into civil war. While the world has been watching the Arab world, however, other oppressed peoples have also been rising up.</p>
<p>No doubt to the surprise of many, this includes slow but steady reports of mob violence in major Chinese cities. China continues to present itself to the world as a superpower in waiting, as a country ready to stand alongside the United States as joint masters of the world. But unless they can get their social problems under control, though they might not follow several Arab regimes into disgrace and exile, they certainly will struggle to command the international legitimacy they clearly crave.</p>
<p>China is a country obsessed with being seen to be powerful, and constantly worries about losing face. Examples abound. China’s hosting of the 2008 Olympics, for which no expense was spared, was a coming-out party for all the world, showing that China had arrived. Before the party began, China carefully gave its capital city of Beijing a makeover, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/07/21/us-olympics-migrants-idUSSP26521520080721">deporting laborers</a>, erecting modern <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2008/08/10/vanishing_act/">facades to conceal</a> old neighborhoods, investing billions in new sports facilities, and virtually shutting down <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120415193959097517.html">major industrial regions</a> so that the infamous smog Beijing is known for would clear out. Even <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article736411.ece">spitting in public</a> was banned.</p>
<p>China has also pursued <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_space_program">a manned space program</a>, aggressively <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/06/chinas-economic-invasion-of-africa">sought to develop</a> (some might say colonize) Africa, and recently announced it will soon <a href="http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/06/08/matt-gurney-china-to-build-defensive-aircraft-carrier/">launch an aircraft carrier.</a> The carrier, Chinese officials note, is intended to showcase China’s power. &#8220;All of the great nations in the world own aircraft carriers — they are symbols of a great nation,&#8221; Lieutenant General Qi Jianguowas <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13692558">said while announcing</a> the carrier. And, of course, the growing <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12427321">economic power</a> of China cannot be understated.</p>
<p>But all these admitted triumphs, carefully stage-managed by a Chinese regime eager to impress and fearful of international embarrassment, are threatened by the protests sweeping the country. The causes of the protests differ from place to place. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/05/china-uighur-riots-xianjing">Some are religious</a>, <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8125693.stm">others, ethnic</a> (sometimes it’s unclear where one begins and the other ends). Many protests concern Chinese citizens feeling that they have been <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/16/china-riots-taizhou">unfairly compensated</a> for land now being used for industrial or commercial ventures that are making other people rich. Some seem to be simply based on the clash of interests between China’s pampered ruling class and its hundreds of millions of poor. But whatever their cause, the protests reveal plainly that despite China’s financial and military might, it is a country facing serious issues.</p>
<p>The latest report of mass violence emerged last week from the city of Zengcheng, and reportedly began after security guards <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/beijing-battling-protest-fires-on-all-fronts/story-e6frg6so-1226075255343">beat a pregnant migrant</a> worker. This sparked a riot, with migrant workers attacking government buildings. China has responded with overwhelming force, sending in troops, extra police and armored vehicles into areas beset by violence. They are not necessarily seeking to crush the protests, but to smother them with a display of power. They are also apparently willing to make concessions to the mob — the firing of corrupt officials, replacing unpopular local leaders, and the like. It’s the classic carrot-and-stick approach: Yes, we understand your frustration and will remove this crooked cop, they might say, while also moving thousands of paramilitaries with heavy weapons into the city in case the conciliatory gestures aren’t enough.</p>
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		<title>Pakistan&#8217;s Provocation</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/matt-gurney/pakistans-provocation-2/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=pakistans-provocation-2</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Jun 2011 04:55:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=96277</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Our supposed "ally" arrests the informants who aided the bin Laden raid -- and reveals its overriding allegiance to terror. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/bet.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-96278" title="bet" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/bet.jpg" alt="" width="277" height="182" /></a></p>
<p>Pakistan <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/06/15/pakistan.cia.informants.arrested/index.html?hpt=hp_t2">has arrested</a> several of its citizens for espionage. Four of those arrested are  believed to be civilians, one is reportedly a major in the Pakistani  Army (there are <a href="http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/south/Reports-Pakistan-Arrested-CIA-Informants-After-Bin-Laden-Raid----123901549.html">conflicting reports</a> on this, as Pakistan has denied any of those arrested are military  officers). Pakistan, like any country, takes espionage seriously. That  they would make arrests should not be surprising. But this is an unusual  scenario. The men that Pakistan has arrested are accused of working  with the United States, and the mission they were involved in was  locating Osama bin Laden. Whatever excuse they may offer, between its  allies in the West and the terrorists in their mist, Pakistan defers to  the terrorists.</p>
<p>While it is understandable that Pakistan would be angry that some of  its citizens had co-operated with a foreign power, the Pakistani  government may soon have cause to regret these arrests. How can Pakistan  argue that it is doing its best to co-operate with the United States  while arresting some of the few Pakistanis who were able to help America  find its most wanted man? The arrests of these five men, after the  conspicuous failure to find and neutralize bin Laden, says much about  Pakistan&#8217;s commitment to the Western campaign against terrorism.</p>
<p>It will be years before the entire history of the intelligence  operation that led to bin Laden&#8217;s killing is known, but we know enough  already to appreciate how extremely difficult it was. After obtaining  the name of a trusted bin Laden associate, whom the al-Qaeda leader used  as a personal courier, the CIA began a two-year hunt for this man. They  eventually tracked him down to the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, and  that&#8217;s where the Pakistani agents came in.</p>
<p>One man owned a home that he rented out to the CIA as a safehouse (it  is unclear if he knew he was dealing with American intelligence  operatives in so doing). Using that house as a base, other Pakistanis  working with the United States began to monitor the movements of the bin  Laden courier, including the unusual compound that bin Laden was in  fact residing in. How vital this part of the intelligence operation was  to the overall effort to find bin Laden is not known, but was surely  non-trivial. A continuing problem during the War on Terror has been the  lack of any Western “boots on the ground” for intelligence gathering.  The CIA&#8217;s recruitment of these Pakistani operatives is noteworthy for  that alone. Identifying bin Laden&#8217;s hideout with enough certainty to  kill him would likely have proven impossible without their help.</p>
<p>The killing of bin Laden was a victory for the United States, but a  humiliation for Pakistan. It proved beyond a reasonable doubt that  Pakistan is not a reliable partner in the War on Terror. To be sure, no  doubt some Pakistanis are loyal to the West and consider al-Qaeda and  the Taliban to be a hated enemy. But it is equally sure that just as  many, if not more, of Pakistan&#8217;s military, political and intelligence  elite are <a href="http://frontpagemag.com/2010/10/01/high-noon-in-pakistan/">actively working against</a> America&#8217;s interests in pursuit of an Islamist and/or nationalist  agenda. Pakistan is a country riven into many disparate factions, some  pro-Western, some pro-jihad, and everything else in between. It often  tries to pretend otherwise, but discovering the world&#8217;s most wanted man  living a few minute&#8217;s walk from a major Pakistani military academy hung  out Pakistani&#8217;s dirty laundry for all the world to see. According to  Western intelligence officials, retired senior officers from Pakistan&#8217;s  Inter-Services Intelligence (their senior spy agency) <a href="http://www.dcbureau.org/2011050472/national-security-news-service/western-intelligence-convinced-pakistans-isi-hid-bin-laden.html">were aware</a> of bin Laden&#8217;s location, and even helped to construct his home.<img title="Next page..." src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif" alt="" /></p>
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		<title>The Canadian Left Backs Upcoming Gaza Flotilla</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/matt-gurney/the-canadian-lefts-anti-israel-romance/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-canadian-lefts-anti-israel-romance</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Jun 2011 04:13:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=95677</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Left-wing political leaders reach out hand of solidarity to terror. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/4da6cde60f32.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-95683" title="4da6cde60f32" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/4da6cde60f32.gif" alt="" width="375" height="244" /></a></p>
<p>It was just over a year ago that Israeli commandos went aboard seven ships that had set sail from Turkey, intent on challenging Israel&#8217;s arms embargo on Hamas-controlled Gaza. Six of those ships were seized with little trouble. But on the seventh, the <em>Mavi Marmara</em>, the passengers attacked the Israeli boarders with improvised weapons. The Israelis were not prepared for the violence and were forced to use lethal force against the passengers. Nine civilians died and many more were wounded. For the crime of defending themselves against the passengers&#8217; vicious attack, activists, politicians and opinion-makers all over the globe condemned the Israelis&#8217; actions and the legitimacy of the entire embargo.</p>
<p>Since then, anti-Israeli would-be martyrs been plotting how to recreate the triumph of the original flotilla. One such group is preparing to send a <a href="http://www.tahrir.ca/">Canadian-owned ship</a>, loaded with Canadian volunteers, to Gaza, with the express purpose of forcing the Israelis to respond. Rather than reflecting the strange views of a fringe minority of a rabble-rousers, however, the plan — known unimaginatively as the Canadian Boat to Gaza — has attracted some high level political support, including at least two politicians of the left-wing New Democratic Party, Canada&#8217;s newly minted parliamentary opposition.</p>
<p>In the federal election just held in Canada on May 2nd, the New Democrats (NDP) benefited mightily from the collapse of two other Canadian federal political parties, the Liberals and the Quebec-based Bloc Quebecois. Millions of voters shifted their votes to Canada&#8217;s right-wing Conservative Party, which won a strong majority in parliament, and the NDP, which finished a distant second and formed the Official Opposition. So dramatic and unexpected was this sudden shift in voter support that many of the NDP candidates had never seriously considered the possibility that they would actually win their races. Such people, who put their name on the ballot to buff up their resume or as a favor to a friend inside the party, now wield considerable moral authority (if limited political influence) as members of Canada&#8217;s federal government.</p>
<p>This is worrisome because the NDP has never before held such clout. Thanks to the electoral collapse of its rivals on Canada&#8217;s left-wing, it almost tripled the size of its parliamentary delegation. By necessity, it has absorbed many political rookies who were only given a cursory vetting, if party officials scrutinized their pasts at all.</p>
<p>Barely a month after the election, the anti-Israel fringe of the NDP (a party with deep ties to organized labor and self-styled “progressives”) is emerging in full force. Surprisingly, it has come not from an unvetted rookie, but from a relative veteran of the party. Alex Atamenenko, who has represented a largely rural area of the province of British Columbia since 2006, has publicly endorsed the objective of the Canadian Boat to Gaza, and is listed on their website along with the usual collection of labor leaders and journalists. Nor is this the first time that Mr. Atamenenko has taken a stand against the Jewish State. He was sharply critical of Israel&#8217;s justified response to the original flotilla and of Israel&#8217;s defensive war against Hamas during Operation Cast Lead in 2008-09.</p>
<p>Mr. Atamenenko has a right to his views and to endorse whatever causes that he sees fit. But what is worrisome is the muted response of his political superiors within the NDP. Last year, while still the third-place party in Canadian politics, the party reacted swiftly and strongly when one of its elected members was caught on videotape seeming to question the legitimacy of Israel&#8217;s right to exist. Jack Layton, leader of the NDP, quickly met with Israel&#8217;s ambassador to Canada and assured her that such comments did not represent the party&#8217;s position and was publicly critical of the woman who had made them (no doubt under pressure, she backed away from her marks quickly).</p>
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		<title>Darkness in Syria</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/matt-gurney/syria%e2%80%99s-worrisome-alternatives/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=syria%25e2%2580%2599s-worrisome-alternatives</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Jun 2011 04:50:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=95363</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If Assad falls and the Muslim Brotherhood rises.   ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Picture-16.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-95370" title="Picture-16" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Picture-16.gif" alt="" width="375" height="268" /></a></p>
<p>The chaos in Syria, Israel’s northern nemesis and a major geopolitical actor in the Middle East, has taken a dramatic turn for the worse. The situation is rapidly approaching that of an outright civil war, and in such an eventuality, it is unclear who would replace the Assad regime, if it can be pushed from power at all. Although nature of the Syrian opposition movement is deeply uncertain, recent reports have demonstrated that the Muslim Brotherhood is definitely within its ranks.</p>
<p>Over the last several weeks, largely nonviolent protests against the ruling regime of Bashar al-Assad have been brutally put down by professional troops and security forces, with heavy casualties to civilians. Current estimates put the number of civilian dead at approximately 1,100, though that number is impossible to verify. As if that were not bad enough, on Monday, news broke that Syrian military forces <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-06/syrian-death-toll-in-jisr-al-shughour-rises-to-80-after-ambush-tv-reports.html" target="_blank">were ambushed</a> while responding to a call for help from a town where fighting had broken out. Again, the death toll cannot be verified, but state-run media reports 120 soldiers were killed. The government has vowed to <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7598393.html" target="_blank">respond with force</a> to this attack, which, if true, represents the first major attack on Syrian forces by the protest movement. Whether or not the government’s death toll is accurate, the fact that there was fighting in the town of Jisr al-Shoghour has been confirmed by anti-regime activists and residents of the town. Who is responsible is unknown, but none of the possible answers are reassuring.</p>
<p>According to residents of the town, the troops were sent to Jisr al-Shoghour after fighting broke out among units of the security forces. Defections of officers and men into rebel units have also been reported — including some in <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304432304576369542058503196.html" target="_blank">other nearby towns</a>. While it is important to stress that none of this can be confirmed, if the reports are accurate, it would appear that at least some units of the Syrian military have broken away from the government. Having reportedly equipped themselves with heavy weapons from local military armories, they then wiped out the military reinforcements sent to put an end to their insurrection.</p>
<p>This is a familiar story. It was only several months ago that a popular uprising in the Libyan city of Benghazi quickly drew over several units of Muammar Gaddafi’s armed forces. A Libyan rebel government, with a military composed of defectors and deserters from Gaddafi’s forces, quickly formed, and has been fighting a civil war against Gaddafi for several months. The rebels are now backed by the air and naval forces of the NATO alliance. The uprising against Gaddafi was triggered when security forces loyal to the regime used violence to put down peaceful protests. The comparisons to the deteriorating situation in Syria are strong indeed.</p>
<p>Much like the situation in Libya, there is uncertainty over the goals and motives — even identity — of those who would stand against the Assad regime in a civil war. Syria has been ruled by the Ba’ath Party, which itself is headed by the Assad family, for 40 years. No opposition has been permitted, no democratic movements allowed. Who would speak for Syria’s rebels?</p>
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		<title>A Crippling Blow to Al-Qaeda</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/matt-gurney/a-crippling-blow-to-al-qaeda/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=a-crippling-blow-to-al-qaeda</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 09 May 2011 04:25:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[american railway]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COMPOUND]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[death]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mohame]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[moral victory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[national security advisor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Osama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[raid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[symbolic victory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[victory]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=92580</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The victory behind the victory of killing Osama bin Laden. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/binl.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-92596" title="Mideast Egypt Bin Laden" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/binl.jpg" alt="" width="399" height="272" /></a></p>
<p>The death of Osama bin Laden at the hands of U.S. Navy SEALs last Sunday is a victory for America, the West and the entire free world. The death of bin Laden is a triumph for the victims, both living and dead, of the September 11<sup>th</sup> attacks, and a sign to the world that America does not forgive or forget crimes committed against its citizens. But the killing of bin Laden promises to be more than just a long-sought, symbolic victory. Though little is known at this early date, according to U.S. officials, documents and digital data captured by the U.S. forces that stormed bin Laden’s compound are already proving enormously invaluable. After the intelligence obtained from the operation is processed, last Sunday’s raid could very well be the greatest victory so far in the war on terror &#8212; all considerations of symbolism and justice aside.</p>
<p>The impact of bin Laden’s death, and America’s capture of troves of valuable intelligence, will be measurable in three key areas (not counting the aforementioned moral victory). Once he was found, the SEALs entered not just one man’s hideout, but what U.S. intelligence officials <a href="http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Osama+Laden+plotted+against+from+Pakistan+compound/4745827/story.html">have called</a> “an active command and control center.” In an interview with CNN, White House National Security Advisor Tom Donilon compared the documents found in the compound to a “small college library,” a “really extraordinary” find — the largest ever seized in a single anti-terrorist operation.</p>
<p>Already made public was al-Qaeda’s interest in hitting American <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/06/osama-bin-laden-intelligence-us-rail-threat">railway targets</a> on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks this year. The intelligence suggested the attack was in the “aspirational” stage — al-Qaeda had decided to move ahead, but did not yet have a plan in place about which trains to derail or what terminals to bomb. The intelligence also confirmed what is already known — for maximum psychological effect, the organization sought to strike out at the West on civic and religious holidays. Recall, for example, the attempt by terrorist Mohamed Osman Mohamad to <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/11/fbi_thwarts_terrorist_bombing.html">bomb the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony</a> in lovely Portland, Oregon. While Mohamad may have been acting alone, he shared the same fondness for symbolic dates as al-Qaeda.</p>
<p>It will likely not be known for some time what other plots similar to the Portland bombing or the public transit attack have been discovered. And as is often the case with intelligence operations, it is possible that many of the counterintelligence victories achieved from the raid will never be known.</p>
<p>It is equally easy to accept that still further lives will be saved as al-Qaeda goes into damage-control mode and attempts to cope with a catastrophic breach of its operational security. Clearly, given how long it took bin Laden to be found, the organization places a high value on secrecy. If all the various factions of al-Qaeda were to be joined at any one place, it would likely be the top — with bin Laden himself. Furthermore, the raid caught the al-Qaeda leader completely by surprise, without giving him any opportunity to warn his fellow terrorists to seek cover or to destroy evidence. Indeed, two telephone numbers were found <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/8492845/Osama-bin-Laden-had-500-Euros-and-phone-numbers-sewn-into-clothing.html">sewn into his clothes</a> — one can only imagine how nervous the people at the other end of those telephone lines now are.</p>
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		<title>Libya, Syria and Obama&#8217;s Double Standards</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/matt-gurney/libya-syria-and-obamas-double-standards/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=libya-syria-and-obamas-double-standards</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2011 04:45:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[former egyptian leader]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hariri]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[military crackdown]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[military snipers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mubarak]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[president assad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[president bashar assad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[state]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[use]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[West]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[When a tyranny poses a direct danger to Israel, it's "hands-off" time at the White House. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/163444409.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-91428" title="163444409" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/163444409.gif" alt="" width="375" height="277" /></a></p>
<p>Syria is an avowed enemy of the West, a strong candidate for membership in the Axis of Evil. Closely aligned with Iran, it is inherently hostile to Israeli and American interests, funds terror and is now slaughtering its own civilians. And yet, in the Obama White House, the ongoing chaos in Syria has been treated with limited interest. There is certainly none of the apparent umbrage that was directed at former Egyptian leader (and longtime U.S.-ally) Hosni Mubarak in his final days in power, and there is little worry that President Bashar Assad&#8217;s government will share the same fate as Gaddafi&#8217;s regime, which is being bombed by NATO for committing crimes very similar to the ones currently taking place in cities and towns across Syria.</p>
<p>If one were to use Libya as the standard for when Western intervention is warranted, Syria would certainly qualify. The military crackdown against anti-government protesters continues. Military forces loyal to President Assad have killed <a href="http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_16026/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=TJEt9sG2" target="_blank">more than 400 civilians</a> since March, with more than 100 of those occurring in the last week alone. Syrians have braved gunfire from soldiers to collect the bodies from the streets and to ensure they receive proper burials. The latter, especially, has proven dangerous: On Saturday, military snipers opened fire on a funeral procession for those killed by government forces, adding a reported <a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/20114231169587270.html" target="_blank">nine more</a> to the death toll.</p>
<p>Such use of military force against civilians is despicable, but not exactly out of character for the regime. Syria has been classified as a <a href="http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2008/122436.htm" target="_blank">state sponsor of terrorism</a> by the State Department since 1979, and has continued to support anti-Western groups active in Iraq and the Palestinian territories. It is also deeply involved in the destabilization of Lebanon, which Syria has long hoped to control. Assad&#8217;s regime, for example, is <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2113565/" target="_blank">widely suspected</a> of involvement, as is Hezbollah, in the assassination of Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri in 2005. Hariri had been critical of Syria&#8217;s influence in Lebanon, and was killed by a suicide bomber.</p>
<p>Syria has also dabbled in acquiring weapons of mass destruction. In 2007, there was a strange series of news reports detailing Israeli aircraft violating Syrian airspace and firing munitions into an empty field. Before too long, it became public knowledge that what Syria hoped people thought was an empty field was actually a nuclear facility that the regime was secretly constructing with the help of the North Koreans. Once Israel and the United States became aware of its existence, the Israeli Air Force <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Orchard" target="_blank">destroyed the facility</a> in a surprise air attack. Syria denied that the facility had a military purpose and then refused to cooperate with the international inspectors sent to examine the rubble.</p>
<p>In short, Syria is just as devious and dangerous a regime as Libya, arguably more so, particularly insofar as Israel is concerned. And yet the West has decided to sit this one out.</p>
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		<title>Protecting the Enemy in Libya?</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/matt-gurney/protecting-the-enemy-in-libya/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=protecting-the-enemy-in-libya</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 31 Mar 2011 04:50:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=89298</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Are we now assisting the same people who killed our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan?]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-53.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89311" title="Picture-5" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-53.gif" alt="" width="375" height="270" /></a></p>
<p>As the war in Libya continues, and as the anti-Gaddafi opposition suffers serious setbacks, it is becoming more obvious that the success of the rebels is inextricably dependent on the military might of the NATO-led coalition&#8217;s forces. Yet U.S. intelligence regarding the composition of the rebellion already paints a grim and ominous picture: that the anti-Gaddafi insurgency is fortified with militant Islamists and even al-Qaeda-linked operatives who were formerly in the business of killing Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan. CIA agents are only now being sent in to survey the extent of this influence, and while coalition diplomats refuse to rule out arming the Libyan rebels, allied forces must seriously come to grips with just who they are poised to bring to power &#8212; and whether it will be worse than Gaddafi himself. That this matter rests in the hands of the Obama administration, which has showed all signs of weighing American national interests last, is worrisome &#8212; to say the least.</p>
<p>The situation on the ground remains fluid. The Libyan military, still loyal to dictator Muammar Gaddafi, and the eastern-based rebels that have risen up against him, continue to trade territory and towns in fierce battles. Tracking the action from abroad is difficult &#8212; it seems the same few towns have been conquered and reconquered with every update. The town of Ras Lanuf, which the rebel forces captured to great celebration only days ago, has fallen <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-03/30/c_13805642.htm">back under</a> Gaddafi’s control. This is typical of the ebb and flow of this war. When Ras Lanuf was under rebel control earlier in the week, experts and observers were expecting the rebels to roll into the Gaddafi-held town of Sitre, symbolically important because the dictator was born there. The rebels tried, and paid a <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/963204--dimanno-libyan-rebels-too-fast-for-their-own-good">heavy price</a> when they failed. And now they are <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8416800/Libya-rebels-retreat-from-Ajdabiya-in-see-saw-battle.html">on the retreat</a> once again.</p>
<p>The bleak situation for the Libyan rebels on the ground puts the West in an impossible position. Several weeks ago, when the allies began their campaign after securing UN approval, there was a sense of urgency. The rebels appeared to be on the verge of collapse and Gaddafi was threatening revenge on the civilian population of those areas that had risen up against him. America, Britain and France all launched their own military campaigns on short notice, and it took weeks for NATO to agree to take command of the entire operation under the command of a Canadian general. Now that NATO is running the show, however, there is still the issue over what comes next.</p>
<p>It speaks to the haste that the war against Libya was organized that only now are we truly beginning to have a full understanding of the situation on the ground. It has become clear, given the setbacks suffered by the rebels in recent days, that Gaddafi, despite the damage taken to his forces, still has sufficient firepower to hold the rebels in check. While the rebels can operate in areas swept clean of resistance by NATO airstrikes, when left on their own, they are outclassed by Gaddafi’s better armed and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/30/libyan-rebels-no-match-gaddafi">better trained</a> forces. Having committed to protect Libya’s civilians, allied powers now face the unpalatable possibility that the fighting in Libya will effectively become a stalemate, leaving NATO in the awkward position of having to decide under what conditions it will leave Libya.</p>
<p>Indeed, the only thing worse then the stalemate may be breaking it. If Gaddafi remains in charge of Libya, he will likely revert to state sponsorship of terror. And yet, there is a disturbing lack of knowledge about who, exactly, the rebels we are now supporting really are. In a rush to head off the massacre of civilians, the allies have gone to war in Libya to assist people who might otherwise be our enemies.</p>
<p>Emerging intelligence reports paint a grim picture concerning the character of “our” side in Libya. Admiral James Stavridis of the United States Navy, currently serving as the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO’s European forces, told Congress during testimony this week that intelligence is showing “flickers” of <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/29/libya.opposition.analysis/index.html">al-Qaeda and Hamas</a> influence inside the Libyan rebellion. This colorful phrase seems to mean that though the rebels are mainly anti-Gaddafi in their outlook, they are drawing support from anti-Western terrorist organizations out to topple Gaddafi. This is crucial knowledge to have, as up until now, precious little information has been available as to the composition of our <em>de facto</em> allies in Libya &#8212; even though we have <a href="http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/03/admiral-us-studying-libyan-rebels-after-going-war-their-behalf#ixzz1I6jrS4gd">already committed ourselves</a> to battle on their behalf. If Obama has ignorantly stumbled into a war in which he contributes American power and treasure to an al-Qaeda takeover of a nation, it would be a nightmare of catastrophic proportions.</p>
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		<title>The War on Gaddafi</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/matt-gurney/the-war-on-gaddafi/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-war-on-gaddafi</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Mar 2011 04:53:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Why the tyrant staying in power is an unacceptable outcome.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="highslide" onclick="return vz.expand(this)" href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-8.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-88426" title="Picture-8" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-8.gif" alt="" width="375" height="274" /></a></p>
<p>Allied aircraft swept through Libyan skies on Monday, the third day of operations against the military forces of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The day brought little in the way of major military developments as operations launched in the days earlier continued apace. The allied aircraft — British, French, American and for the first time Canadian — have continued to bomb Libyan air defenses, command and control facilities, and enforce a no-fly zone over the country.</p>
<p>Libya’s air force, primarily armed with obsolete Soviet hardware but equipped with a once-potent air-defense network of radars and missiles sites, is effectively out of the war. On Saturday, hours after French jets <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12814541">attacked and destroyed</a> a column of Libyan vehicles advancing on the de facto rebel capital of Benghazi, U.S. and British warships fired more than 100 cruise missiles at the most crucial nodes of the Libyan air defenses, reportedly to <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5i-EpS1Ghrt5atuyuoNVIZC8uy29A?docId=N0116011300674022331A">great effect</a>. On Sunday and Monday, a dozen more cruise missiles were fired at additional targets (it was not clear if these were new targets, or follow-up strikes on targets already hit but not totally destroyed).</p>
<p>With the air defenses neutralized, the air strikes have moved onto other targets, including a <a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/hammering_it_home_in_libya_ePrqMEllbOKbcdi3T8i4nI">command facility</a> located on the grounds of Gaddafi’s presidential palace. <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8394018/Libya-RAF-makes-history-with-epic-bombing-raid.html">British</a> and American planes carried out long-range strikes, including the deployment of three American B-2 <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1368337/Libya-crisis-B2-stealth-bombers-25-hour-flight-Missouri-Tripoli.html">stealth bombers</a>. The attacks are clearly taking a toll — French and Canadian jets flew patrols over Libya on Monday and encountered zero resistance, likely a testament to the damage inflicted on Libya’s defenses. (During one such patrol, a French jet fired upon and destroyed a Libyan armored vehicle.)</p>
<p>No doubt looking for a way to preserve his military, Gaddafi has again declared that his forces will <a href="http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Army+offers+another+ceasefire/4475068/story.html">implement a ceasefire</a>. This was swiftly rejected by the allies, and with good reason. The first ceasefire offered by Gaddafi, immediately after Thursday’s UN Security Council Resolution authorizing military force, was soon broken by the Libyan military, perhaps because they know what will happen to them if <a href="http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/03/20/matt-gurney-for-gaddafis-troops-the-best-chance-is-to-push-forward/">caught in the open</a> by allied planes. Gaddafi must think the international community is foolish, gullible or both — there are reports that the Libyan military <a href="http://www.skynews.com.au/world/article.aspx?id=591583&amp;vId=">immediately broke</a> even the renewed ceasefire offer and continued attacks. Maybe he’ll try again tomorrow.</p>
<p>If the third day of the allied efforts against Gaddafi brought any bad news, it’s that the allies are facing internal divisions and questions regarding who exactly is in command. Although the United States provided much of the initial firepower for coalition operations, it has not assumed command of the British, Canadian or French forces (though U.S. officers are said to be co-ordinating the various operations without commanding them).</p>
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		<title>The Rebels&#8217; Last Stand</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/matt-gurney/the-rebels-last-stand/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-rebels-last-stand</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Mar 2011 04:50:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=87842</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Without Western help, anti-Gaddafi forces stand little chance. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><a class="highslide" onclick="return vz.expand(this)" href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/libyan-rebels.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-87845" title="libyan-rebels" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/libyan-rebels.jpg" alt="" width="426" height="336" /></a></p>
<p>The Libyan revolution, which but weeks ago seemed set to topple the 41-year-old era of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, now seems destined to fail. Libyan military forces loyal to the Gaddafi regime, backed up by foreign mercenaries, have dealt the rebellion a series of sharp military defeats in recent days. It was only days ago that the Western press was reporting that the <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2011/feb/28/world/la-fg-libya-revolt-20110228" target="_blank">rebels had encircled</a> the Libyan capital city of Tripoli, trapping Gaddafi within. Now, it is the rebels who face encirclement and defeat, with <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/16/3165135.htm?section=justin" target="_blank">heavy fighting</a> being reported in Libya’s second-largest city, Benghazi, <em>de facto</em> capital of the rebellion.</p>
<p>Tracking the fighting in Libya from afar has been problematic, as it has not been consistently clear which side, if  either, was providing militarily accurate information. The same locations have been  taken and retaken multiple times, adding to the confusion in a country  that was never well covered by reliable Western media to begin with. But  what is known is that the rebels were originally able to quickly seize control of the eastern coast of  Libya (virtually all the country’s population lives along the Mediterranean  shore) and then began an advance on Tripoli, which lies  in the far western part of Libya.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, rebellions occurred in cities near of the  capital in the west, leaving Tripoli seemingly surrounded. Heavy fighting was then reported  in Tripoli itself, and it seemed for a brief time that by the time that  military units loyal to the triumphant rebels could reach the capital, it might  already be in the friendly hands of anti-Gaddafi rebels.</p>
<p>There is no longer any such optimism. A major victory for the rebels was seizing control of the city of Zawiya, as it not only sits only 30 miles from Tripoli, but was in the western part of the country, far from the rebellion’s beginnings. Last week, after heavy fighting that reportedly left the city in ruins, the Libyan military declared itself firmly in control of the city, and even gave Western <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/03/11/134467281/Libyan-Government-Forces-Take-Zawiya" target="_blank">journalists a tour</a>, complete with rent-a-mob crowds cheerfully praising Gaddafi amidst the debris. The fate of the rebels of Zawiya is not known. Perhaps some were able to flee and regroup. No doubt some fell into the hands of the victorious Gaddafi loyalists. Whatever became of them, it was unlikely to be have been pleasant, or within the Western laws of war.</p>
<p>It seems as though the situation is roughly similar in all other areas. The towns <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12731079" target="_blank">approaching Benghazi</a> have either been bombed by air or attacked on the ground; there are conflicting reports over which faction controls any given location at any given time. No doubt there are times when the enemy forces are in contact with each other and both claim to control the same location. The town of Brega, home to a port that exports Libyan oil, quickly fell into opposition hands after the uprising in Benghazi, but has been the scene of heavy fighting. News reports suggest that the town has been captured and recaptured several times over the last several days; with the most recent available reports saying that the opposition <a href="http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2045328_2045338_2056470,00.html" target="_blank">currently holds the town</a>.</p>
<p><em>Time</em> Magazine reporters in Brega have been left with only cellphone text messages as a means of communicating with their editors, but have even so been able to file gripping reports of heavy air attacks, mass casualties, and anti-Gaddafi fighters barely hanging on to strategically vital Brega. The efforts of these reporters, on the front lines with cellphone in hand, are a modern version of classic war reporting from earlier eras. And their coverage of poorly armed, barely trained soldiers heading into battle and being bombed from the air, along with the steady advance of Gaddafi’s forces on the ground, make it clear that if the rebellion is to survive in Libya, the rebels will need help.</p>
<p>At the very least, they will require advanced military supplies — supplies America or its European allies could easily and inexpensively provide. There is some reluctance to furnish the Libyan rebels with high-tech Western munitions; the bitter memories of the Taliban using American arms to first defeat the Soviets, and then wage war against the West, are too recent to ignore. But Libyan tanks and armored vehicles have reportedly been used to devastating effect against enthusiastic but lightly armed rebel infantry. Anti-tank weapons could make a big difference. So too could small arms and ammunition, in absurdly generous quantities.</p>
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		<title>Bringing Down Iran</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/matt-gurney/bringing-down-iran/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=bringing-down-iran</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Feb 2011 04:27:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=85134</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Finally, Obama speaks out in favor of Iranian protesters. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IRAN-articleLarge.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-85151" title="IRAN-articleLarge" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IRAN-articleLarge.gif" alt="" width="375" height="281" /></a></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">February 11th was the 32nd anniversary of the Iranian revolution, marking the fall of the Shah and the rise of the Islamist theocratic regime that survives to this day. While the world was understandably focused on the unraveling of the Egyptian regime of former president Hosni Mubarak, in Iran and around the world, demonstrations were held to both support and oppose Tehran&#8217;s mullahs. On Monday, after a relatively quiet weekend in Iran, protesters and security forces clashed violently, with security forces reportedly using tear gas and paintball guns to disperse anti-government crowds. There have been some reports that protesters were killed; the veracity of those claims, and the body count (if any), is not yet known. So far, this seems a far more muted response by the regime than the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/16/iran-election-protests-killed" target="_blank">lethal tactics</a> and <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6805885.ece" target="_blank">brutal torture</a> it employed against protesters in 2009. But one has to keep in mind that there is so much we do not know about the extent to which the vicious Mullahs barbarize their own people.<br />
</span></strong></p>
<p>Iran&#8217;s crackdown this time around drew swift condemnation from Western powers. The European Union <a href="http://www.voanews.com/english/news/europe/Western-Powers-Urge-Iran-to-Allow-Peaceful-Protests------116234799.html" target="_blank">condemned</a> the reports of violence by security forces. The Canadian foreign minister <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jmWVtTUpYgbnHOsCpQzn-l4q5jcQ?docId=CNG.68fd3cfd2282503c7edd2edbea786e20.841" target="_blank">attacked Tehran’s “hypocrisy.”</a> Surprisingly, President Barack Obama joined his allies in speaking out in favor of the Iranian protesters. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the president also called out the Iranian regime for its hypocrisy in celebrating the fall of the (anti-Iranian) Mubarak regime in Egypt while simultaneously using force against its own restless population. “I find it ironic that you&#8217;ve got the Iranian regime pretending to celebrate what happened in Egypt, when in fact they have acted in direct contrast to what happened in Egypt by gunning down and beating people who were trying to express themselves peacefully in Iran,” said Obama.</p>
<p>Obama also expressed his hopes that the Iranian people will be allowed to continue to peacefully protest for more rights and a representative form of government, and condemned the reports of violence in the streets of Tehran. His words have been chosen carefully, to avoid giving the mullahs any excuse to portray the protesters and reformers as puppets of Washington, but it is clear that the United States supports the people of Iran in their struggle against their oppressive government. The Iranian regime was not long in responding,<a href="http://world.globaltimes.cn/mid-east/2011-02/623362.html" target="_blank"> attacking</a> the West for offering support to the anti-theocracy.</p>
<p>Anything that raises the ire of the mullahs in Tehran is to be applauded, and it is especially noteworthy given recent history. Two years ago, the president drew criticism from all sides for his <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-5090434-503544.html" target="_blank">refusal to utter</a> a word of support for the reformers battling the regime’s thugs in the streets of Tehran. The silence was baffling. Though the president did <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8433281.stm" target="_blank">eventually comment</a> on the violent suppression of the protests, he did so far behind other major countries, and in his own words, America “joined” the chorus of international criticism, rather than leading it. Given the long-standing animosity towards America expressed by the Iranian regime, and America’s traditional commitment to democracy and human rights, for a U.S. president to stay silent while brave civilians took on the might of a brutal autocracy was inexcusable.</p>
<p>Hopefully, the Obama administration has learned a lesson in this case, and has correctly applied it here. Indeed, not only has the president shown that he has learned from his mistake from two years ago, but his administration is also acting as a coordinated diplomatic team, offering a coherent message on Iran no matter which member of the administration is speaking. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has spent the last several days reading from the same play book as the president, stating her support of the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12460170" target="_blank">Iranian protesters</a> and <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/clinton-people-of-iran-deserve-same-rights-as-egyptians-1.343423" target="_blank">their goals</a>, and also condemned Tehran for its lack of <a href="http://www.rferl.org/content/clinton_iran_egypt/2309751.html" target="_blank">political freedom</a>, demanding that it enact reforms. As before, Iran swiftly responded, <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-02/15/c_13733410.htm" target="_blank">dismissing Clinton’s comments</a> as confused.</p>
<p>“Confused” would indeed have been a fair way to describe America’s diplomatic response to the recent collapse of the Egyptian regime, which saw the administration seemingly advocating every position simultaneously, with the latest view depending on who was speaking into a microphone. Secretary Clinton <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/us/16iht-letter16.html" target="_blank">declared the regime</a> in Cairo stable mere days before the military was forced to seize control of the country, and Vice President Joe Biden suffered another of his legendary gaffes when he declared that Hosni Mubarak <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/140923-biden-mubarak-not-a-dictator-protests-not-like-eastern-europe" target="_blank">was not</a> a dictator two weeks before calling on Egypt to give its people <a href="http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110211/NEWS01/302110060/Joe-Biden-says-U-S-wants-democracy-Egyptians" target="_blank">democracy</a>. On Iran, at least, the administration has found its footing and taken not only a consistent stand, but the right one.</p>
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		<title>Hezbollah&#8217;s Lessons</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/matt-gurney/brotherhood-rising/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=brotherhood-rising</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Feb 2011 04:38:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[What Egypt's Islamists learned about grabbing power from their brethren in Lebanon.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/alazhar.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-83698" title="alazhar" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/alazhar.jpg" alt="" width="335" height="230" /></a></p>
<p>Millions of Egyptians, understandably frustrated by their economic plight and the corruption of the ruling regime of President Hosni Mubarak, have taken to the streets to demand that the President step down and permit elections. With the Egyptian Army making clear that it will not use violence and the police having been swept aside by the power of the mob, Mubarak has no allies to turn to. The final blow came when President Obama’s handpicked special envoy to Egypt, former U.S. ambassador Frank Wisner, informed Mubarak that 30 years of American support for his regime <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/International/egypt-uprising-jordan-king-abdullah-sacks-cabinet-cairo/story?id=12809623" target="_blank">was at an end</a>, and suggested that he not seek re-election.</p>
<p>Mubarak soon went on national television and announced exactly that (no doubt swayed by the fact that while Wisner was delivering President Obama’s message in private, Obama was announcing it publicly to the world). It is unlikely that Mubarak will be able to hold onto power until the next election, scheduled to occur in eight months. Soon, perhaps within weeks, Egypt will have new leadership. There is every reason to fear what such a government will look like.</p>
<p>While Mubarak must shoulder the blame for the corrupt excesses of his regime, he has served Western interests well. As president of Egypt, he has maintained amicable relations with Israel, worked to suppress Islamism in his own country, co-operated with the West in the War on Terror and kept the Muslim Brotherhood, a pan-Arabic Islamist political organization, in check.</p>
<p>The Muslim Brotherhood is politically savvy; they know not to conspicuously or publicly support terrorism and <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/258419/fear-muslim-brotherhood-andrew-c-mccarthy?page=1" target="_blank">portray themselves as moderates</a>. Many in North America and Europe have bought into their rhetoric of speaking for strict Islam but not Islamism. The Muslim Brotherhood have been similarly shrewd in Egypt: When a recent proposal by the Brotherhood to give Islamic religious courts veto power over all new laws triggered a popular backlash, the Brotherhood <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703445904576118493401195136.html" target="_blank">quickly backed down</a> in the name of moderation — but still pressed for a law that would ban Christians and women from high political office. While they claim to have renounced all violence, many of their  adherents aren’t so picky: Hamas, the fanatically anti-Israel terrorists running the Gaza Strip, is a branch of the Brotherhood that seems to have missed the anti-violence memo.</p>
<p>As an established organization with funding, leadership and boots on the ground, the Muslim Brotherhood will have a head start at preparing for Egypt’s transition to &#8220;democracy.&#8221; Therein lies the danger. The entire process has happened so fast that chaos will be the inevitable result, and <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/crisis-in-egypt/on-the-brink-of-revolution-some-egyptians-dread-an-uncertain-future/article1891001/singlepage/#articlecontent" target="_blank">moderate Egyptians</a> — the very ones that the West would wish to see in power — find themselves afraid for their  future. They have good reason to be fearful. Even under Mubarak, the Brotherhood was able to establish itself as a major political force in Egypt, and it has already shrewdly announced its support of the relatively moderate, <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/02/01/egypt-protests-real-mohammed-elbaradei-stand/" target="_blank">but generally anti-Western</a>, Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed  ElBaredei. With Mubarak soon to be gone, one way or the other, there  seems to be nothing in place that can stop the Brotherhood from becoming  a major player in Egyptian politics.</p>
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		<title>China on Our Minds</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/matt-gurney/china-on-our-minds/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=china-on-our-minds</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 18 Jan 2011 04:45:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=82121</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[President Hu's visit to Washington prompts speculation on a growing Cold War.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/china.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-82134" title="china" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/china.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="263" /></a></p>
<p>Chinese President Hu Jintao is due to arrive in Washington on Tuesday evening, to start a three-day official visit to the United States. All reports coming out of Washington, D.C. suggest this visit is amongst the most <a href="http://blogs.forbes.com/brianwingfield/2011/01/17/five-things-to-watch-for-during-chinese-president-hu-jintaos-state-visit-to-washington/?boxes=Homepagechannels">highly anticipated</a> in years. And no wonder: The United States is committed to two ongoing wars and is still attempting to sustain even a modest economic recovery. China has enjoyed solidly robust economic growth for years and is rapidly expanding its enormous military’s technological capabilities, as well as its geopolitical reach.</p>
<p>In short, for the first time since the end of the Cold War, the United States will be forced to deal with another country as something approaching an equal, while being mindful of the dispiriting possibility that at a similar meeting not too far in the future, it may well be the United States, the leader of the Western Free World, that is the junior partner in the Sino-American relationship. Many words have been written ahead of the summit, and still more will be penned when it’s over. Even so, it is worth briefly reflecting on the current state of the relationship, as well as the worrying evidence that President Hu might be rather more a <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/16/2587975/as-china-rises-hus-limits-come.html">figurehead than a leader</a>.</p>
<p>By the standards of recent history, the United States and China get along fairly well. There is none of the brinksmanship, with the attendant risk of nuclear war, that was the cornerstone of Soviet-American relations for 40 years. This is not to deny that there are flashpoints in the relationship, merely to point out that areas of disagreement between the two nations do not pose the risk of rapid escalation to mutual genocide. Unlike the Soviets, China does not as yet demonstrate any sign of having global imperial ambitions, and seems content to adapt capitalism to its own needs, rather than battling against it in an inevitably futile struggle.</p>
<p>Indeed, it is China&#8217;s willingness to use capitalism, with surprising effectiveness, that leads to many of the regime&#8217;s clashes with the United States. Over the last 20 years, China has become the <a href="http://www.indexmundi.com/blog/index.php/category/exports/">assembly line of the entire world</a>, manufacturing items of every description and exporting them to Western markets for prices that businesses in the importing countries cannot hope to compete with. They have used the influx of cash obtained through these sales to purchase enormous quantities of <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/18/AR2008111803558.html">American debt bonds</a>, creating a closed circuit wherein America gives China the money China uses to buy American debt.</p>
<p>As China’s economic might has grown, however, it has refused to open its markets to Western goods, has kept its currency artificially low (to make Chinese exports even stronger) and has shamelessly appropriated Western patents and other forms of intellectual property for its own domestic use while paying little or no compensation. Even while it has sought to join Western-oriented organizations such as the World Trade Organization and the Group of 20 leading nations, it has refused to play by the same rules that effectively govern trade in North America, Europe and the rest of the developed world.</p>
<p>It’s not hard to see why. For two decades now, the citizens of the West have been partaking in a debt-fueled orgy of spending, and only a country with pockets as deep as China could possibly loan them enough money to keep the party going. Western diplomats might have made noises about China’s unbalanced trading practices, but there was no incentive for them to rock the boat. Now that the financial crisis of 2008 has brought the party to a close, the West is shaking off its fiscal hangover only to notice that not only has China bought up enormous quantities of American debt, it has also turned itself into a manufacturing giant and helped itself to enough Western know-how to be rapidly narrowing the technology gap. One can criticize the Chinese actions while still admiring their cunning. The West lent them the money they needed to compete with us on more equal terms.</p>
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		<title>Chavez and the Drug Smugglers</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/matt-gurney/chavez-and-the-drug-smugglers/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=chavez-and-the-drug-smugglers</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 04 Jan 2011 04:30:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Despite well-publicized arrests, Venezuela remains a major player in the drug trade.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/hugo-chavez-120307.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-80822" title="hugo-chavez-120307" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/hugo-chavez-120307.gif" alt="" width="375" height="340" /></a><br />
</strong></p>
<p>Despite the season, there hasn&#8217;t been a lot of occasion for good cheer in Venezuela recently. President Hugo Chavez has side-stepped recent Congressional gains by the opposition by asking for, and receiving, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6BC3E220101215">emergency powers</a> to rule by decree for 12 months. He claims he needs the powers to respond to devastating floods that have left over 140,000 homeless, but few observers believe this. Chavez will claim to be responding to the emergency,  but his real goal will be strengthening his control over the economy and redistributing yet more wealth from the country’s upper classes to its masses of poor. There is also concern amongst observers that Chavez might attempt to <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703734204576019463129544204.html?mod=googlenews_wsj">clamp down</a> on the opposition and hostile media outlets. In other words, the news out of Latin America’s oil giant is, as usual, depressing. Even the recent news that Venezuela has been cooperating with the United States in an increasingly successful anti-drug campaign serves only to draw attention to the bleak reality that Hugo Chavez&#8217;s regime plays a large and growing role in the international distribution of illegal drugs.</p>
<p>During the just-concluded 2010 calendar year, Venezuela arrested <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/27/AR2010122704779.html">more than 12,000</a> for offenses relating to narcotics trafficking. This represents a major spike over prior years. Venezuela has even extradited several major crime figures to the United States to face prosecution. While not particularly eager to publicize its cooperation with America, the government has certainly not hesitated to boast of its recent successes in the war on drugs; the state news agency, AVN, has boasted that the arrests show that Venezuela’s military is playing an important part in battling a global scourge.</p>
<p>That’s true, as far as it goes — any progress in combating the smuggling of drugs, which destroy lives in North America and fund various violent causes abroad, is to be welcomed. But while acknowledging Venezuela’s recent successes, it is important to note the irony of Hugo Chavez’s government touting its victories in the war on drugs. Venezuela’s active role in the smuggling of drugs out of Latin America into the Western world has long been a known secret. Any recent claims that Chavez’s government is taking a hard line against the narcotics trade must be carefully scrutinized — and Chavez’s record does not fare well under that kind of attention. The amount of cocaine being moved through Venezuela has <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/venezuela/2205687/Hugo-Chavezs-Venezuela-supplies-half-of-Britains-cocaine.html">increased at least 500%</a> since 2004, and by some estimates, fully half the cocaine reaching European markets was shipped from Venezuelan ports.</p>
<p>Some of the country’s <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-07-21-venezueladrugs21_ST_N.htm">involvement is indirect</a>, or at least unintentional. Venezuela’s role as a transit point for the smuggling of drugs has exploded during the last five years, according to Caribbean security issues expert Anthony Maingot, because the country ended all collaborative anti-narcotics efforts with the United States, allowing drug gangs to proliferate and causing a dramatic spike in the quantity of cocaine moving through Venezuela. Further, if elements within the military’s upper echelons choose to enrich themselves by dabbling in the drug trade on the side, Chavez might prefer to turn a blind eye and preserve the military’s loyalty rather than risk eroding his support amongst the commanders by asking too many questions about their burgeoning bank accounts.</p>
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		<title>Latin America Picks Palestine</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/matt-gurney/latin-america-picks-palestine/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=latin-america-picks-palestine</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Dec 2010 04:27:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Growing Iranian clout -- and America’s silence -- leave Israel isolated.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/latam.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-79419" title="latam" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/latam.jpg" alt="" width="360" height="240" /></a></p>
<p>Over the last two weeks, emerging global powers Brazil and Argentina have both given diplomatic recognition to the state of Palestine, existing within the 1967 borders and with a capital city in Jerusalem. This <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11941172" target="_blank">understandably annoyed</a> the Israelis, who have been struggling to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians for decades. Given that every reasonable observer agrees that any Israeli-Palestinian peace accord will involve some border adjustments and territory swaps, it is odd that Brazil and Argentina would choose to recognize a Palestinian state as existing on territory that even the Palestinians would likely concede, if only off the record, will remain Israeli under any settlement.</p>
<p>Argentina and Brazil are not significant players in the Middle East. As the Israelis correctly point out, neither of them has played any part in the peace process, so their input, while welcome news for the Palestinian negotiators, is entirely symbolic. Argentina even tacitly admitted the entirely symbolic nature of their recognition when they said they recognized Palestine because it had a right to become a state — in other words, they&#8217;re recognizing it as a state today in the hopes it will become one tomorrow. A rather strange use of diplomacy, but not unprecedented in recent times — recall the choice to award the Nobel Peace Prize to a President who had probably <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5981JK20091009" target="_blank">not even finished unpacking</a> from his move into the White House when the decision was reached.</p>
<p>The move by the Latin American nations is unlikely to have any impact whatsoever on the achingly slow progress of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Many much <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Palestine-recognition-map.png" target="_blank">more important countries</a> have recognized Palestine without it doing the Palestinian people any good. But the recent developments certainly do speak to a disturbing trend in Latin America. Iran, Israel&#8217;s archenemy, has been expanding its reach there, while the United States has proven unwilling or unable to use its diplomatic power to protect its Israeli ally. America still tells the world it is prepared to defend Israel, but actions speak louder than words, and Iran and Venezuela, both hostile to the United States, are having no trouble at all making friends around the world. And where Iranian and/or Venezuelan influence spreads, Israel&#8217;s popularity soon wanes.</p>
<p>Much of the world’s attention has been on <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/11/AR2010121102586.html?hpid=topnews" target="_blank">Russia’s renewed interest</a> in Latin America, with military visits and shipments of weapons. But Iran has been just as busy. Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have been nothing <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69J53A20101020" target="_blank">if not open</a> with their friendship, frequently appearing together at conferences or <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8378316.stm" target="_blank">visiting</a> each other’s <a href="http://www.voanews.com/english/news/americas/Chavez-Ahmadinejad-Confer-in-Tehran-105250848.html" target="_blank">capitals</a> to discuss economic and defense agreements. Venezuela was even considered a potential source of aid for Iran’s nuclear program, but U.S. diplomatic cables obtained via the WikiLeaks release suggests that while Chavez is happy let people think Venezuela is helping Iran’s nuclear program, the country is, in fact, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/09/wikileaks-cables-venezuela-chavez-nuclear" target="_blank">too broke</a> and technologically backwards to be of any assistance.</p>
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		<title>Britain&#8217;s Sad Decline</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/matt-gurney/britains-sad-decline/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=britains-sad-decline</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Dec 2010 04:30:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=78534</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A former military superpower drowns in the welfare state's red ink.]]></description>
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<p>For centuries, Britain has been one of the world’s pre-eminent military powers. A tiny island nation rode the riches of her merchants and the power of her Navy to the very top of global power and stayed there for 200 years. She fended off attempted invasions from much larger continental powers, founded new nations across the globe and had leading roles in both world wars and the Cold War.</p>
<p>Her leadership role in the Second World War is the stuff of legends, and rightly so: In most of the English-speaking world, the war meant sacrificing consumer goods and, for some, the lives of loved ones. For the British, it meant enduring Hitler’s onslaught and remaining unbowed and unbroken even as London and other historic cities were laid waste. To the modern mind, it seems almost unbelievable that they could have believed in their cause so much that they’d absorb that kind of damage without seeking peace. Even 70 years later, the words of Winston Churchill, calling upon his people to fight and stay true to the struggle, are perhaps the greatest ever spoken in our language. Tiny Britain stood proudly alongside mighty America and the massive Soviet Union, and paid the price in blood and treasure.</p>
<p>Tragically, today, the United Kingdom’s days as a global military power, and international leader, seem to be numbered. Crippled by the enormous deficits necessary to prop up its welfare state and a sluggish economy hobbled by the global financial crisis, Britain is embarking on a series of deep spending cuts in a determined effort to save the economy and financial credibility of their nation. The cuts are sweeping and widespread, and the British military has <a href="http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2010/10/21/matt-gurney-fade-britannia/" target="_blank">not been spared</a> its turn at the chopping block.</p>
<p>The cuts are deep and will be spread across all the armed services. The Army is losing a sixth of its striking power, 40% of its tanks, a third of its artillery and 7,000 men. The Navy and Air Force will both lose 5,000 personnel. The Navy will immediately decommission one aircraft carrier and while it will still complete both of the new carriers it had begun to build, one will be immediately put in reserve. The Air Force will see some of its refueling and reconnaissance capability trimmed. The future participation of the RAF in the F-35 fighter program is in doubt; the Harrier jump-jets have already <a href="http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=5103213&amp;c=air;%20naval;%20budget&amp;s=TOP" target="_blank">been yanked from service</a>. The country’s nuclear stockpile will be slashed by 25%, to 120 deployed warheads. Further, a series of military bases face closure, and over 20,000 civilian bureaucrats employed by the military will be let go. Even military pensions <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11743539" target="_blank">are being eyed</a> for potential savings.</p>
<p>The cuts are arguably necessary, and as said above, they are targeting the whole of the British state. Over $130-billion U.S. dollars (Roughly £81-billion) <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/20/AR2010102002989.html" target="_blank">will be cut</a> from the federal budget by 2015, and a <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jpD3-l41jFYIskefvVgq5J9PW4kw?docId=105c128492904f10802a69b853910a70" target="_blank">whopping 500,000</a> civil service positions will be cut. There are no sacred cows in the eyes of Britain’s budget hawks, everything must be cut back if the state is to save itself from financial ruin.</p>
<p>Even so, it truly is a remarkable paring back of British military power. When the cuts are complete, Britain will still field a modern, large military force, particularly for its size, but it will have given up its ability to independently project power at long ranges. In future conflicts, the U.K. will be a particularly useful member of an alliance or ad hoc coalition, but never again the leader. It’s future will probably be something similar to that of Canada and the Australia — modern, well-equipped forces capable of waging war or peacekeeping, but only as a partner in a much larger force.</p>
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		<title>Brink of War</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/matt-gurney/brink-of-war-2/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=brink-of-war-2</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 24 Nov 2010 04:40:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Is the Korean Peninsula at the point of no return?]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/r1887963329.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-77428" title="r1887963329" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/r1887963329.gif" alt="" width="375" height="288" /></a></p>
<p>Early Tuesday morning, local time, South Korean military forces were conducting a military exercise from a Marine base on the island of Yeonpyeong. The exercise involved firing artillery from the base, out over the Yellow Sea, to the south of the island — and <em>away</em> from North Korean territory. North Korea contacted the South during the exercise and demanded that the South cease fire. When the South refused to comply with the North’s demand, North Korea <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/24/world/asia/24korea.html?_r=1" target="_blank">opened fire</a> on Yeonpyeong Island, territory that has been recognized by the United Nations as belonging to the South for 57 years.</p>
<p>This attack is the most serious incident between the two nations since they were divided after the Second World War. The North Korean attack, involving approximately 100 artillery shells, hit the base on Yeonpyeong, <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/23/nkorea.skorea.reax/?hpt=T2" target="_blank">killing two</a> South Korean Marines and wounding 15 others. The North also shelled several civilian villages around the base. It is not known whether or not the civilian areas were intentionally targeted or were hit due to failures in North Korean targeting, but multiple (reports range from several to several dozen) private homes and buildings were destroyed. The island’s civilian population quickly sought shelter underground, but three civilians were still wounded in the attack.</p>
<p>South Korea was not long in responding. It immediately returned fire with its own artillery; while the North has of course not revealed its own losses, the South Korean military is a modern, well-equipped fighting force, and it’s near certain that they hit what they were aiming at. North Korean casualties are likely. The South also <a href="http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/north-korea-bombs-south-korea-island-seoul-scrambles-f16-jets-15011251.html" target="_blank">scrambled F-16 fighter jets</a> to the area, but there are no reports yet as to whether or not they engaged any targets in North Korea. The South Korean military, while holding off on any further reaction to the North’s attack, is now at its maximum state of alert.</p>
<p>It is difficult to overstate the gravity of Tuesday’s attack. The two Koreas are both heavily armed nations, locked in a permanent state of war since a truce ended the Korean War in 1953. The two armies face off against each other across the Demilitarized Zone, where the modern military of South Korea, some 600,000 strong, is opposite a larger North Korean military, of an estimated one million troops, armed with mid-20<sup>th</sup> century weapons.</p>
<p>The North’s technological backwardness should not cause anyone to underestimate it. Quantity has a quality on its own, and in a final battle between the larger Cold War-era force and the modern, mobile South Koreans, while the South would likely win, it would not do so cheaply. Its capital city, Seoul, is within artillery range of North Korean positions, and as the North has shown today, it is now willing to use its artillery against South Korean soil. Any war between the two would be devastating in both lives and property and would send shockwaves through the fragile global economy.</p>
<p>This is not the first time that the South has been provoked by North Korea. Indeed, it was only eight months ago, in March, that the North Korean Navy launched an <a href="http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2010/05/19/matt-gurney-north-korea-caught-holding-the-smoking-torpedo.aspx" target="_blank">unprovoked attack</a> upon the South. The South Korean warship Cheonan was torpedoed as it sailed the waters near Yeonpyeong Island. The torpedo explosion, which struck with no warning, blew the Cheonan in half. She went down quickly, taking 46 men with her. Another man, a South Korean rescue diver, would later die during search and recovery efforts to the Cheonan’s hulk.</p>
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		<title>New START &#8212; A Bad Start</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/matt-gurney/new-start-a-bad-start/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=new-start-a-bad-start</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Nov 2010 04:06:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Why the White House has gone too far to secure a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty treaty with Russia.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/obamam.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-77210" title="obamam" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/obamam.jpg" alt="" width="329" height="205" /></a></p>
<p>Last week, Senate Minority Leader Jon Kyl, the highest-ranked Republican in the Senate and the second most powerful Republican in Congress, signaled that he <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h_NUJUrU_0--mwbECS6yjJuLtBDw?docId=CNG.41c503616bdbe31553dbcac1fbde091d.ba1" target="_blank">would not be willing </a>to move ahead with President Obama&#8217;s much-loved New START treaty. New START, which was signed by President Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev last April, is a sweeping update on past START treaties (START stands for Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty). By signaling his reluctance to rush passage of the treaty before this Congressional session ends, Kyl has delivered a body blow to one of President Obama&#8217;s primary foreign policy victories to date, and has <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2010/11/biden_urges_sen.html" target="_blank">left the Administration scrambling</a> to secure passage of the Treaty during the current lame-duck Congress.</p>
<p>The treaty is an evolution of various agreements between the United States and Russia to monitor and gradually reduce the size of each nation&#8217;s stockpile of nuclear weapons. Under it, both sides would have the right to inspect each other&#8217;s nuclear facilities and operationally deployed warheads would be limited to 1,550 per side. There would also be a limit of 700 “launchers,” which would include some mix of ground- and sea-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and long-range heavy bombers. (A further 100 launchers would be allowed to be kept in a non-deployed state as a reserve, in case a “deployed” bomber crashed, for example, it could be replaced without violating the treaty or having to build a new launcher). Tactical nuclear stockpiles would not be effected.</p>
<p>The Treaty is worth ratifying. It would give American officials access to Russian facilities and does not pose any realistic threat to U.S. national security interests. Deterrence would be maintained, as both Russia and the United States would retain more than enough warheads, deployed on numerous delivery systems, to utterly destroy each other as modern, functioning civilizations. The power of both <a href="http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2010/0604_start_treaty_pifer.aspx" target="_blank">would be balanced</a>. Some <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/world/europe/31start.html?_r=1" target="_blank">early critics</a> of the Treaty worried that its math was flawed because it counted every bomber as one launcher when it could in fact carry multiple warheads, but such concerns miss the forest for the trees. Even if one side were to cheat and break the rules of the treaty when launching a sneak nuclear attack, they would be destroyed anyway. Mutually assured destruction is a fact.</p>
<p>Seeking to preserve one of his major foreign policy victories, the Administration has suggested that failure to ratify the Treaty would <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/77b9a9e6-ed01-11df-9912-00144feab49a.html#axzz15Un1N9kn" target="_blank">jeopardize plans</a> to spend tens of billions of dollars on a modernization program for America&#8217;s rapidly aging nuclear arsenal. Nuclear weapons have shelf-lives, and are extraordinarily complex machines. Many of the technicians and engineers who built the current generation of warheads during the closing days of the Cold War are now retired, or near to it, and the U.S. Military would like to field a new generation of high-tech, simplified warheads that will be cheaper to maintain, less prone to deterioration over time and more secure against any possible terrorist threat.</p>
<p>Such a program, while important for American national security, has not been confirmed by the White House. Indeed, as the prospects for a speedy passage of New START have soured, Administration officials have even begun to muse that no Treaty might mean no replacement warheads. <span style="color: #000000;">“There is a risk that not moving ahead with Congress could shatter the fragile consensus on modernizing the nuclear complex,” said a senior Obama Administration official. “New START puts nuclear modernization in the right context for those who worry how it could send the wrong signal to the world and undermine our non-proliferation efforts.”</span></p>
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		<title>Japan Gets Smart</title>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 17 Nov 2010 04:10:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gurney]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Even a troubled America is good to have in your corner.]]></description>
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<p>How do you say, “Never mind, we take it back” in Japanese?</p>
<p>President Obama almost certainly found out during his recent trip to Asia. The four-country tour of America’s allies and trading partners in the region, based around the timing of the G20 Summit in South Korea, included stops in India, Japan, Indonesia and, of course, the G20 host country. Whether or not the trip was productive in terms of helping further along the economic recovery so desperately needed in the United States and throughout Asia, only time will tell. But what is already apparent is that Japan, a long-standing U.S. ally that had of late become suspicious of her protector, has fully re-embraced its alliance with America.</p>
<p>How quickly things can change. It was just over a year ago that the Democratic Party of Japan took power, promising to deliver a new era of leadership to a Japan that had become less concerned with the pacifism of previous generations, more eager to develop a foreign policy distinct from the United States. America’s power was not denied, per se, but it was balanced against an increasingly powerful China. Japan under the DPoJ, and its leader, Yukio Hatoyama, would balance its interests between America’s traditional dominance of the Western Pacific and the rise of China, particularly the rapid expansion of China’s naval power.</p>
<p>A key part in the Japanese break with America its desire to close, or at least relocate, the enormous Marine Corps base America has fielded on the Japanese island of Okinawa since the Second World War. The base has long been an irritant to the Japanese; it is loud, crowded and brings with it the problems that occur whenever a large body of military age men gather in one place — drunkenness, petty crime, fistfights, and, tragically, several well-publicized incidents of sexual assault by U.S. servicemen against Japanese civilians. The desire of the people of Okinawa to have the enormous military base in the middle of their bustling city moved or closed was understandable, but Mr. Hatoyama reached too far when he sought to make the removal of the base a key foreign policy goal.</p>
<p>After North Korean forces launched their <a href="http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2010/05/19/matt-gurney-north-korea-caught-holding-the-smoking-torpedo.aspx" target="_blank">unprovoked sneak attack</a> against the South Korean warship Cheonan, killing 46 South Korean sailors (one rescuer would later drown while diving down to the wreck), Japan quickly realized that having a powerful ally with formidable naval forces at the ready is a good thing when confronting a paranoid, heavily armed Stalinist dictatorship such as North Korea. North Korea, which has a small arsenal of atomic weapons, has in the past fired long-range missiles over Japanese territory while conducting missile tests, an incredibly provocative act given Japan’s unique position as the only country in history to have sustained a nuclear attack.</p>
<p>Japan quickly backed off its insistence that the Marine Corps base at Okinawa be closed, and agreed that for the foreseeable future, the American presence would remain (though options to relocate some or all of the forces to another part of the island are being looked into). The decision proved fatal to Mr. Hatoyama’s political career. He <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10211314" target="_blank">resigned</a> in the weeks after the announcement. He had been in power only eight months, and despite his calls for a <a href="http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100119f1.html" target="_blank">rebalanced relationship</a> with America and closer ties to China, left Japan as close to America as ever.</p>
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