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| Current Topic: War on Terrorism |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
8:56 am EDT, Jun 4, 2004 |
Former national security advisor Anthony Lake examines major security threats facing the United States at the start of the 21st century: biological terrorism, cybercrime, the perils of peacekeeping, and so on. Each of the scenarios he describes in Six Nightmares begins with a fictional introduction to the topic; one, for instance, is a transcript of a conversation between the presidents of the United States and South Korea, discussing a civil war in North Korea and worrying about what China intends. The best parts of the book read like a memoir. Lake served under President Clinton for four years before he was nominated to head the CIA. When it became clear the GOP-controlled Senate was not likely to confirm him, Lake withdrew his name. This is the book I was talking about. I don't necessarily recommend it for your library, but it's worth a look. Most of the Amazon reviewers are highly critical of it and Lake. While I do recall parts of it reading like a made-for-television movie, it shows that the "hype" around these worst-case scenarios was not of Tenet's making. 6 Nightmares |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
9:37 am EDT, Jun 2, 2004 |
The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday named Accenture as the prime contractor for a multibillion-dollar project aimed at creating a "virtual border" around the country to head off would-be terrorists entering the United States. <consultantese> "We view this as a business transformation and we're talking about changing business processes," said Eric Stange, Accenture's program manager for the project. "We're looking at the human dimension as well as the technology dimension." Part of our approach is to continually assess technology innovations. For a 10-year contract that's a generation or two of technology, and biometrics is a very hot area." </consultantese> In case you were getting jealous of certain other unnamed nations, now you, too, can have your very own. But is it a virtual "security fence" or a "virtual security" fence? Hrm. Virtual Security Fence? |
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US Military Personnel Attacked in Saudi Capital |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
9:27 am EDT, Jun 2, 2004 |
In Taif, 465 miles southwest of Riyadh and just south of the holy city of Mecca, two militants opened fire from their car at a security checkpoint Tuesday evening. Saudi police killed the two. A security official identified one of the dead as Abdul Rahman Mohammed Yazji, No. 25 on a list of Saudi Arabia's 26 most-wanted militants. One of the two men was disguised as a woman. And only days ago, you were laughing about the FBI's warning! US Military Personnel Attacked in Saudi Capital |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
9:52 am EDT, May 30, 2004 |
It's been really strange. At each place I go to, I go through a phase when I have to adjust. I was afraid in Uzbekistan. Then a little more in Bagram. Then when I got here I was really scared. But you adjust. It is definitely interesting getting shot at for the first time. But don't worry -- they have really bad aim here. I sometimes have no idea what time of the day it is. The days of the week are completely irrelevant. The only thing that matters is the date and time. Since we work seven days a week, it doesn't matter if it's Monday or Saturday. It's kind of nice, I think -- one less thing to worry about. The Things They Wrote |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
9:10 am EDT, May 30, 2004 |
World War II had such stark moral clarity in history that it's almost irrelevant in providing lessons about conflict in a grayer time. Everyone in America had a role in World War II, men and women, young and old, all pulling together. In the Iraq war, there's not much sharing the pain. An Ode to Clarity |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
1:59 pm EDT, May 29, 2004 |
Ashcroft and Mueller created unease with their vague warning, but it wasn't so much the grimly familiar warning. It was the absence of Tom Ridge. Ashcroft failed to bring Ridge with him -- and Mr. Ridge had been on television that very morning assuring viewers that there was no new intelligence requiring an increase in the threat level. Obviously he didn't get the memo. The administration needs to be far more competent and consistent -- and apolitical -- when it talks about threats. That goes for everyone -- Gore and Kerry included. No Director Left Behind |
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