Andrew's Winds of War: 2003-10-13

Welcome! Our goal 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. Today's briefings are brought to you by Andrew Olmsted of Andrew Olmsted dot com.

TOP TOPICS

• Israel may be planning to strike Iran's nuclear plants; Charles Johnson takes a look at the reports. Daily Kos has a good roundup of the issues, although his conclusion is rather pat. A diplomatic solution always sounds great, but getting there is there real trick, and Kos doesn't offer an answer for that.

• Donald Sensing examines a Dan Darling post, discussing where al Qaeda stands right now, and what the U.S. needs to do to keep them down.

• One year ago, Islamofascists murdered 202 people in Bali for the crime of being Westerners, or too close to Westerners. Bali marked that anniversary this weekend with a reading of the victims' names and a speech from Australian Prime Minister John Howard. Australia remembers her dead, and the war goes on.

Other Topics Today Include: a worthy Nobel; China launching a taikonaut; NK military options & consequences; Bird Dog's NK solution; U.S. State Dept: bought and paid for; Syria & Israel; Another PA PM bites the dust; Phalcons to India; Got Ghozi?

IRAN REPORTS

• Congratulations to Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian lawyer-activist who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts on behalf of her fellow Iranians. Dare we hope that this Nobel, like those given to Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Lech Walesa, will mark a turning point in efforts to expand human rights?

THE WIDER WAR

• Phil Carter has some observations on the advantages of applying the Geneva Convention to the Guantanamo detainees. I'm not sure I agree, but it's a good argument that deserves to be heard.

• Conrad of the Gweilo Diaries points out a few of the reasons military force was a far better option in Iraq than in North Korea. Hopefully we won't end up having to fight in North Korea as well, because Conrad's absolutely right about the probable ramifications.

• The Bird Dog offers his thoughts on what he would do in North Korea. There's no guarantee his ideas would work, but they sound pretty promising.

• Charles Johnson asks a question that should concern all of us: when it comes to terrorism, which side is the State Department on? Sadly, most of us have already figured out the answer to that.

• JK: And if you hadn't figured this out, the Wall St. Journal has an article worth reading. The State Dept. is clearly the best diplomatic service Saudi money can buy.

• JK: Pakistan is concerned about the sale of Israeli Phalcon airborne radar planes to India. Niraj says that doesn't make sense.

• JK: Benjamin Gefen offers an assessment of what Israel's attack on terrorist camps in Syria will do to the region.

• Jonathan Gewirtz examines Israel's decision to threaten Arafat's life and then failing to follow through. He's not impressed, and he makes a good argument that Israel needs to start worrying more about its security and less about its relationship with the U.S.

• Arafat may have run through another prime minister, as Ahmed Qorei says he may not remain as Prime Minister-designate once his emergency cabinet disbands in three weeks. The odds are good Arafat has won another round in his bid to retain control of the Palestinian Authority.

• JK: The Philippine government said it killed escaped Indonesian terrorist Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi on Sunday. Al-Ghozi, a member of Jemaah Islamiah (JI), embarrassed the Philippine government by walking out of his cell at national police headquarters in mid-July.

• As China prepares to send its first taikonaut into space, Stephen Green reminds us that the future of war will be in space. He's right, but I'm not convinced a resurgence of NASA-style space exploitation is going to move us in the right
  direction.