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. In addition, we also have our in-depth Iraq Report.
Round 2 of our auditions is in progress, and today's Winds of War briefing is brought to you by blogger Bill Roggio of the fourth rail.
TOP TOPICS
- The United States is poised to redeploy about 100,000 troops from Europe and Asia back to the United States. This is a significant move to free up manpower to fight the GWOT, yanks economic support from Germany and also forces our reluctant allies to provide for their own security.
- How dangerous is bioterrorism as a future threat? Russian scientists say: pay attention.
- Failure or success in Iraq? Fred Kaplan and Juan Cole believe Iraq is doomed for failure and Sadr's actions will lead to a major Shiite rebellion. Iraqi bloggers Omar and Hammorabi see things differently, express support for the interim government and describe Sadr and his Mahdi army as a bunch of thugs with little support among the Iraqi people. The peace talks are off and the assault begins, we should know the answer soon.
Other Topics Today Include: Iran's fingers in Iraq's cookie jar; Army recruiting is A-OK; securing the Olympics; WWIII or WWIV?; behind Mauritania's coup attempt; the FBI in Pakistan; al Qaeda's Ghailani sings a song of Africa; the Philippines puts 17 on death row; is al Qaeda bulletproof? and the U.N.'s not-so-safe havens.
IRAN REPORTS
- Iran's involvement in the Shiite rebellion in Najaf becomes clearer each day. Iraq's Defense Minister accused Iran of "clear interference in Iraq" as Iran is infiltrating spies, arming Sadr's Mahdi militia and the take over of Iraqi border posts. Over 30 armed Iranians were arrested after attempting to enter Iraq to fight with Sadr's militia in Najaf.
- A general in Iran's al-Quds corps admits to aiding al-Zarqawi with suicide bombings in Iraq and elsewhere. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warns Iraq will become another Vietnam and urges Iraqis to fight against American soldiers. If Iraq is the next Vietnam, does this mean that Iran is equivalent to Cambodia? And if John Kerry is elected President he will spend Christmas there?
DOMESTIC SECURITY BRIEFINGS
- Phil Carter of Intel Dump reports the active duty Army is not suffering recruiting and retention problems due extended deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.
- Amidst concerns that al Qaeda is using the Mexican border to enter the United States, the laws concerning illegal immigration via Mexico are changing, making all non-Mexicans subject to deportation without a hearing.
- The Olympics have begun under an umbrella of impressive security. This impressive show-of-force includes SEAL frogmen, aerial sensors, NBC teams, and a naval flotilla. A British reporter is not impressed and claims to have breached security in various different way.
THE WIDER WAR
- Belmont Club takes a look at the progress on the Global War on Terror, which he refers to as World War III. An excellent post, except really we are fighting World War IV...
- Mauritania believes Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is behind the recent coup attempt. Is there anything this guy can't do? Apparently not, and his $25 million price tag is well earned.
- Yemen wants anti-American cleric Husayn al-Huthi dead or alive. Shockingly, Al Jazeera speculates that this is a ploy by Yemen to prove its commitment to America in the GWOT.
- Pakistan and the FBI are cooperating in the hunt for al Qaeda, using sophisticated electronic surveillance to helps nab high level al Qaeda members.
- Recently captured high level al Qaeda operative Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani is talking, and appears to be divulging links to al Qaeda's network in Africa and elsewhere.
- Pakistani tribal leaders almost come to blows over the question of supporting the government in tracking terrorists in Pakistan's tribal regions.
- After the Philippines' humiliating withdrawal from Iraq, it turns around and sentences seventeen terrorists to death. Go figure.
- John Robb of Global Guerrillas takes a look at Al Qaeda's structure in light of recent arrests, and sees a redundant architecture with few chinks in the armor.
- Over 180 refugees were brutally murdered in a United Nations run refugee camp in Burundi. Recently the U.N. and Sudan agreed to establish safe havens in the Darfur region. Caveat emptor.
- We try to close on a lighter note if possible. Meet Snoop Doggie Ali Muhammed Ibn al-Saud Dog and his posse. Saudi youth emulate their favorite American gangsta rappers. Except for the glorification of drugs, alcohol, violence and the demeaning of women, that is......
In other news, I have a new assistant for late-night blogging. Meet Jaime Anne, the newest addition to the Roggio family and the fourth rail staff.
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.
Pray, in what way does the United Kingdom not provide for it's own security and quite a bit for others as well. I object to the term' reluctant ally' as a Brit.
ExpatEgghead,
I apologize if you take offense. 'Reluctant allies' really was directed towards continental Europe, specifically Germany where the bulk of our troops are based. Definitely not the UK - I view the UK as our greatest ally. No one understands this war better than Tony Blair, his is its most articulate statesman.
The dangers of squeezing a lot of information into two sentences....
"And if John Kerry is elected President he will spend Christmas there?"
I'm rather unclear how this is news of the current war; can you explain that, please?
"...the laws concerning illegal immigration via Mexico are changing...."
This is false. I realize that you're picking this up from Rantburg where Dan Darling for some reason quoted the Telegraph which said:
"According to new laws, approved by President Bush and announced last week by the Homeland Security Department...."
Which doesn't make it true; using foreign newspapers as sources for U.S. news is often a bad idea; British papers frequently are clueless about America. In this case, given that this was a front-page story in the NY Times and WashPo, using them as a source might have been a better idea, not leading to the notion that doesn't pass the smell test in any case, which is that the President doesn't get to make new laws; only Congress does.
What actually happened, of course, is that Homeland Security/Border Patrol decided to issue new regulations, and pursue a different policy in deporting a small number of non-Mexican illegal immigrants caught at/near the Mexican border. No "new laws" involved whatsoever, no "changing laws." See here.
Gary,
An attempt to add a little humor, obviously lost on you.
Concerning the immigration article, yes, it is a change in regulations, not laws. I found the article just prior to sending this in, it was a last minute insert. Perhaps you should try putting one together to see exactly how easy it is. Concerning foreign news papers as sources, why is it they can report on items sucn as SVBT and ours do not? Is it possibly US papers get things wrong as well?
"Amidst concerns that al Qaeda is using the Mexican border to enter the United States, the laws concerning illegal immigration via Mexico are changing, making all non-Mexicans subject to deportation without a hearing."
I think I can get this right - OTMs (other than Mexican) are on an expedited deportation plan now. The quote I heard was that they could be back in their home country within 8 days. Also, the "laser visa" that is issued to Mexicans and Canadians will be good for 30 days rather than only 72 hours - this should cut down on the number of violations for people who want to come and stay for a week. There was talk of extending the laser visa to be good for 180 days, but I didn't hear how that turned out.
Except for the glorification of drugs, alcohol, violence and the demeaning of women, that is......
Well then what's left?
praktike - Exactly.
"Perhaps you should try putting one together to see exactly how easy it is."
Bwahahahahahahaha!
[On the Kerry line] "An attempt to add a little humor, obviously lost on you."
I know you thought it was funny. I try to keep non-sequitur partisan attacks out of my own posts here, but that's just me. Would you laugh hilariously if I were doing a post on, say, particle physics, and took a shot at George Bush's National Guard record? Possibly not, though I might be wrong. Generally speaking, partisan "jokes" are funny only to those who are like-minded partisans.
What's "SVBT"?
"Is it possibly US papers get things wrong as well?"
It's not only possible, it happens frequently, of course. But there's a particular British style of glossing and confusing crucial details about American particulars that is common to British papers.
Yes, Gary, your perfection is quite obvious to all who read you enlightened posts, which basically are a rehash of news I can read in the newspaper myself. I so greatly look forward to your x out 5 ratings, what would I do without them?
Joe asked for a little sense of humor when he put out the call for auditions. I gave it a shot. It failed for you. Oh well.
I also happen to believe the person running for president shouldn't do things like lie about his war record, and believe it is pertinent to the issue of the War on Terror. So I attempted to draw some attention to it. You may think it is partisan, but Joe had every right to take it out and chose not to.
I do not rely exclusively on the WaPO or NY Times for me news, I look around. Concerning the mistake of "law" versus "regulation", most people that are not lawyers would make it. I made it, so sue me.
I don't care if these comments cost me the chance to get the weekly WoW briefing, I will not suffer the comments of a blowhard such as yourself.
Face it, Bill, you'll never win the pointless, humourless pedantry award here.
There is such a really huge difference between a law and a regulation, especially in effect. Why, had the regulatory changes in immigration procedure actually have been specifically mandated through legislation the differences would have been.... well, different, I guess.
Nice post and congratulations on the new addition to your family.
OK, guys, let's cool the jets a bit.
Gary's point re: British & Euro papers getting important details wrong re: America is valid, but it does take a lot of work to put these things together and I don't hold their mistake against Bill. The comments section is made for clarifications like that (nobody's perfect, which is one of the reasons it's so important to have working comments on a blog), and in this case the mechanism worked. Case closed, next....
The Kerry comment was a partisan needle, but it was on topic given the context. If someone had referred to Iran's nuclear program and wondered if President Bush would learn to say it properly before he destroyed it, that would also be in bounds. Everyone has his own style, and this one may or may not work for you Gary. But it's Bill's briefing audition and his voice.
Bill, the "everyone has his own style" applies to Gary and his posts as well. If you ask for that respect for yourself, you have to give it too. FYI, I specifically asked Gary to put his ratings in - I see them on Amygdala, and thought they were an interesting approach.
Beyond that, I'm going to request that we put these disagreements to bed.
Bill, many thanks for a solid briefing.
Joe,
Given that the Telegraph was the only major paper correctly reporting on 'Christmas in Cambodia', it's difficult for me to hold mistaking "regulation" for "law" against the British press. Holding the US press up as paeans of precision and objectivity tends to make me wonder if I'm reading some sort of alternative history.
Gary,
I apologize for barbs. It was wrong of me to criticize your posts as well as the other comments. It's the hot Italian in me, sometimes I should wait an hour before commenting.
Joe,
My apologies as well. Thanks for setting me straight.
Kumbayah, my lord, kumbayah ...
I wouldn't call Gary a blowhard. I would call Gary that guy who Jimmy Falon played on SNL. You know the one I'm talking about. The IT guy that gets ticked off and irritated at small mistakes and questions.
Bill:"Amidst concerns that al Qaeda is using the Mexican border to enter the United States, the laws concerning illegal immigration via Mexico are changing, making all non-Mexicans subject to deportation without a hearing."
Gary to Bill: MOVE!!!! "What actually happened, of course, is that Homeland Security/Border Patrol decided to issue new regulations, and pursue a different policy in deporting a small number of non-Mexican illegal immigrants caught at/near the Mexican border. No "new laws" involved whatsoever, no "changing laws."
Thanks for your comments, Bill. Thanks also for your apology.
As for the degree of my blowhardness for making a polite correction, I'll leave that to others to judge. But, hey, if people want me to take funny anti-Bush shots here, why, how could I resist popular demand? It would be positively arrogant, wouldn't it? And, after all, the political points I have to make are quite important and pertinent. I'm quite sure no one could have heard them before.
Gary,
Joe mediated the dispute fairly, in my opinion. He explained we both have valid points and asked us to put aside our disagreements, which I have. You feel a need to continue, which speaks volumes. In deferrence to Joe, I will not respond to your latest comments. At another site I would, but not here.