Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Auditions are in progress, and today's Winds of War briefing is brought to you by blogger Josh Foust of The Conjecturer.
In addition, we also have our in-depth Iraq Report up today.
TOP TOPICS
- The biggest story, of course, is that the U.N. has officially adopted the U.S. Resolution transferring sovereignty in Iraq from the CPA to an interim government. It was passed unanimously, though many Iraqis doubt how representative the new government will be. Despite those doubts, the general tone has been positive.
- The U.S. will drastically reduce its forces on the Korean penninsula. By December 2005, approximately 12,500 soldiers will be sent back to the United States. ROK is waffling a bit, though, which may indicate that the security situation on the penninsula is about to undergo some rapid changes. Lately, the South Korean government has had to balance an apathetic populace with a U.S. seemingly eager to disengage. Neither scenario contributes much to South Korean security as long as DPRK remains nuclear. JK UPDATE: Intel Dump sees this move as part of a much larger shift.
- One of the Madrid bombers was arrested on Tuesday. "Mohammed the Egpytian"(Rabei Osman Sayed Ahmed) was picked up in a coordinated sweep across Italy, France, Belgium, and Spain. According to the Spanish Interior Ministry, "Mohammed"is one of the masterminds of the March 11 bombings.
Other Topics Today Include: Increased torture in Iran; Iran-Russia nuclear collaboration continues; the comeback of TIA; Doctors murdered in Afghanistan; Malaysia excluded from regional defense pact; Turkey & Israel; Recall for Venezuela's Chavez?; and ancient Albanian curses.
IRAN REPORTS
- According to Human Rights Watch, Iran has increased the number of incidents of arbitrary arrests and torture since starting human rights talks with the E.U. (hat tip: FREE IRAN!)
- Despite IAEA's best efforts, Iran is still collaborating with Russia to build nuclear power and weapons plants.
DOMESTIC SECURITY BRIEFINGS
- Is Total Information Awareness making a comeback? According to a strange source, it's entirely likely the DOD's Orwellian information aggregation initiative is alive and kicking, but being kept on the D-L.
- Has the DOJ been caught in a not-so-white lie? A recently leaked memo details the legal examination and approval of torture in "national-security considerations"in a memo from 2003. A year later, in April 2004, Deputy Solicitor General Paul Clement had lead the Supreme Court to believe otherwise. This poses serious consequences for the Abu Ghraib scandal, if it turns out the Bush Administration had okay'd the "interrogation techniques."
THE WIDER WAR
- Last Friday, five DWB workers were shot to death in Badghis, Afghanistan. The murder of the medical aid workers is a good example of the security situation in Afghanistan being imperfect, despite the blossoming of democracy taking place there.
- The Darfur region in Sudan is on the brink of total, fatal collapse, and as many as 1 million people are in danger. Lately, President Bush managed some progress when he got a cease-fire signed in-country, but it's had no effect on this France-sized parcel of land. Upwards of 2 million people have been killed in the brutal fighting in Sudan over the past two decades.
- Australia, Britain, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Singapore have strengthened their defence pact, adding terrorism and religious militancy to the Five Powers Defence Arrangements (FPDA). It's worth noting that Indonesia, coincidentally the world's most populous Muslim country, is not included. Indonesia is located between Malaysia and Singapore in the north, and Australia and New Zealand in the south.
- Turkey has recalled its top two diplomats from Israel in protest over IDF operations in the West Bank and Gaza. Turkey, who has traditionally been a close ally of Israel, hopes that they can stop or at least ease the violence. The big question is whether Israel will repay Turkey's years of friendship and scale back operations, or hunker down and continue as before, with one fewer friend in the region.
- Not a war the U.S. is fighting, but: Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez is facing a recall referendum on August 15th. If Chavez loses, there will be a new national election within thirty days. Chavez is threatening all who dare oppose him, natch. The War on Terrorism isn't always foreign policy.
- We try to close on a lighter note if possible. An Albanian newspaper blames George Tenet's resignation on an ancient Albanian curse. The "Pojan jinx"has also apprently befallen "the late Soviet Army Marshal Georgy Zhukov, former West German foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher and others who were demoted or quit after becoming involved with Albania." Heh. Gotta love them jinxes.
Thanks for reading! If you found something here you want to blog about yourself (and we hope you do), all we ask is that you do as we do and offer a Hat Tip hyperlink to today's "Winds of War". If you think we missed something important, use the Comments section to let us know.
RE Turkey and Israel:
In a press release published on Wednesday, the Hamas congratulates itself of the recent retaliatory measures taken against the Hebrew State by Turkey who called its ambassador in Israel back to Ankara. (Guysen.Israël.News)
The extremist militia called all the Arab States who maintain relationships with Israel to follow Turkey's example.
RE Turkey and Israel:
In a press release published on Wednesday, the Hamas congratulates itself of the recent retaliatory measures taken against the Hebrew State by Turkey who called its ambassador in Israel back to Ankara. (Guysen.Israël.News)
The extremist militia called all the Arab States who maintain relationships with Israel to follow Turkey's example.
"The big question is whether Israel will repay Turkey's years of friendship and scale back operations"
Friendship is a two-way street, no? Who has benefitted more from this friendhsip, I wonder. israel is one of the primary suppliers of military hardware and technology to the turkish army, i guess both sides benefit from that relationship (though in the military market, it is the seller who can pick and choose his trading partners). and sure, 300,000 israelis per year have a nice place to vacation. but when has turkey ever vocally stood up for its friend? maybe it has, i just can't recall.
"Apathetic population" is a bit generous to the ROK. It ignores the massive, massive protests against the US presence that have repeatedly occurred and the use of anti-Americanism in winning political campaigns, all the way up to the presidency. (and both certainly predate W., just to forstall that argument)
There's a segment among the South Korean population that blames the US for every misdeed that that government did, that blames the US for the lack of reunification with the DPRK, and yet at the same time blames the US if they try to leave.
Some of these things are rational different interests-- Seoul is destroyed in the case of war no matter what, so South Koreans don't care too much about a North Korean nuclear device. Japan and the US have understandably different feelings. Some of these things are a consequence of not being responsible for their own defense, and not being willing to admit that, deep down, most of them don't want to unify with the North right now.