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| Current Topic: War on Terrorism |
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British soldier's last email message |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
7:43 pm EDT, Apr 10, 2004 |
"I'm in serious shit here. We are expecting to be overrun tonight and we may have to fight our way to a safe haven. Unfortunately all the safe havens are already under attack. I don't wish to alarm you. We'll probably be OK. I'll e-mail when I'm safe." -- Michael Bloss, 38, killed while working as a security guard at the town of Hit, near Fallujah |
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Confronting the 'Enemy Within' |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
4:49 pm EDT, Apr 10, 2004 |
Since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, critics have charged that the Federal Bureau of Investigation, while qualified to investigate terrorist incidents after the fact, is not well equipped enough to adequately gather and assess information to prevent attacks. More intrinsically, many believe that given a predominant and deeply rooted law enforcement and prosecutorial culture, the bureau may not be able to change operational focus toward dedicated counterterrorism intelligence gathering and analysis. To better inform debate, researchers analyzed the domestic security structures of four allied countries -- the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and Australia -- weighing both their positive and negative aspects. Confronting the 'Enemy Within' |
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White House to release classified document next week |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
3:09 am EDT, Apr 10, 2004 |
The Bush administration expects to release early next week an intelligence document titled "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States" that the Sept. 11 commission requested. [UPDATE: The White House came through early. See my subsequent entry with a link to the full text.] White House to release classified document next week |
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Bush Was Warned of Possible Attack in US |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
3:08 am EDT, Apr 10, 2004 |
President Bush was told more than a month before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that supporters of Osama bin Laden planned an attack within the United States with explosives and wanted to hijack airplanes. Bush Was Warned of Possible Attack in US |
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When Private Armies Take to the Front Lines |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
10:59 pm EDT, Apr 8, 2004 |
Next month Blackwater will host the World SWAT Challenge -- an Olympic-style competition among 20 SWAT teams from around the country -- set to be broadcast on ESPN. "Those Blackwater guys, they drive around wearing Oakley sunglasses ... They are a subculture." Thou shalt not raise private armies. Sadr, do as I say, not as I do. When Private Armies Take to the Front Lines |
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Testimony of Condoleeza Rice before the 9-11 Commission [PDF] |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
10:44 pm EDT, Apr 8, 2004 |
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9-11 Commission) heard public testimony from Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, April 8, 2004 in Washington, DC. You can watch her public testimony in streaming RealVideo at rtsp://cspanrm.fplive.net/cspan/archive/ter/ter040804_condi2.rm It's approximately three hours in duration. The commission also announced today: April 8, 2004 -- The 9-11 Commission today met in closed private session with former President Clinton. The meeting was held at the Commissions request and lasted for more than three hours. The Commission found the former President forthcoming and responsive to its questions. We appreciate the excellent cooperation he and his associates have given to us. Is there such a thing as criticism by reverse proxy? Testimony of Condoleeza Rice before the 9-11 Commission [PDF] |
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The Best Ways to Beat Terror | Fareed Zakaria |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
1:41 am EDT, Apr 8, 2004 |
Open societies will have to get used to some invasions of privacy. We need pre-emption, but of individuals more than of states. Islamic terrorism has become a Frankenstein's monster that has turned on the regimes that nurtured them. The war on terror is really a war of ideas. And I'm not sure we are winning it. The Best Ways to Beat Terror | Fareed Zakaria |
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Sorting Through the Accusations | Stratfor Weekly |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
3:15 pm EST, Apr 3, 2004 |
The United States is in the process of picking apart the intelligence and political failures that led up to the 9/11 attacks. The truth of the matter would appear to be more complex than the simplistic charges being traded. The current attempt to prove some spectacular failure by Bush before the war makes political sense, but it is intellectually incoherent and misses the places where Bush made genuine errors. Sorting Through the Accusations | Stratfor Weekly |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
11:02 am EST, Mar 28, 2004 |
Mr. Bush himself insouciantly declared that, had he known that terrorists were planning to fly airplanes into buildings, he would have done something to stop it -- a statement that suggested that he has not bothered to reflect on the serious questions the commission is examining. ... drowned out by the chorus of Rice and Powell ... Other witnesses didn't show much courage either. Mr. Clarke may be wrong, but his case is coherent. A Poor Defense |
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Why Nobody Saw 9/11 Coming |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
1:00 pm EST, Mar 27, 2004 |
It's the Vision Thing, stupid. The words "neglect" and "failure" keep cropping up, and there is something to these accusations -- although perhaps not in the sense that the people making them intend. According to the classically "realist" mindset, only states can pose a significant threat ... With the end of the cold war, however, things changed. But the Washington hawks failed to see what was happening. The world around them had changed, but their paradigm hadn't. In the end, the intelligence failure stemmed from longstanding problems ... but it was also a failure of vision. And here I thought hawks were well known for their excellent vision! Why Nobody Saw 9/11 Coming |
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