Blog Posts

Yemeni Intellectual Saeed al-Jamhi Ideologically Attacks al-Qaida:

Exploring Recent Arabic Volumes Deconstructing Militant Islamist

Narratives

by CDR Youssef Aboul-Enein, MSC, USN & Ms. Dorothy

Corley

Sayyid Imam al-Sherief (aka Dr. Fadl) is considered one of the ideological

founders of al-Qaida and al-Qaida Deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri's mentor. 

He has since 2005 philosophically and ideologically turned against al-Qaida

calling the organization the cult of Bin Laden and Zawahiri.

Saeed Ali Obaid Al-Jamhi represents the type of research being conducted by Arab

social commentators on al-Qaida.  His 556 page book entitled, "Al-Qaeda:

Establishment, Ideological Background, and Continuity," offers an interesting

deconstruction and critique of al-Qaida's reductionist and pseudo-intellectual interpretation

of fragments of Islam.  The book was published in 2008 by Madbooli Press in

Cairo, Egypt, and it is part of a series by Cairo's Madbooli Press on al-Harakat

al-Islamiya al-Muassira (Modern Islamist Movements).  Al-Jamhi is a Yemeni

expert on terrorism whose commentaries have appeared in the Arab press.  He

represents fresh Arab writers on al-Qaida. Al-Jamhi writes that Imam al-Sherief's

books are a cornerstone in al-Qaida (hereafter AQ) ideology, which is confirmed

by a Bin Laden audio tape entitled, "Jihad is the Path."  The challenge

is that Imam al-Sherief (aka Dr. Fadl) is not only a major inspiration to AQ, but

also a mentor to AQ Deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri.  Today, Imam al-Sherief has ideologically

turned against AQ, calling the organization the cult of Bin Laden and Zawahiri. 

Click through to read more ...

More WikiLeaks on the Way - Politico

WikiLeaks Has a New Batch of Classified Files - Los Angeles Times

Pentagon Warns of Potential Harm from New WikiLeaks Release - Politics Daily

State Department Braces for More WikiLeaks - Foreign Policy

Bracing for WikiLeaks, Round 3 - McClatchy Newspapers

U.S.: 'Irresponsible' WikiLeaks Puts Lives At Risk - Radio Free Europe

U.S. Warns Allies About WikiLeaks - Washington Post

World Braces for WikiLeaks Flood of U.S. Cables - Agence France-Presse

U.S. Congress Warns of 'Damaging' New WikiLeaks Release - Daily Telegraph

U.S. Briefs Allies About Next WikiLeaks Release - Associated Press

U.S. Warns Allies on Potential Diplomatic Leak - BBC News

Clinton Talks to China, Others About WikiLeaks - Associated Press

WikiLeaks 'Awful' for Diplomacy in Iraq - Agence France-Presse

Diplomats Fear Exposure of U.S. Brickbats Aimed at Canada - Globe and Mail

Ottawa Braces for Next Round of Wikileaks - Toronto Sun

Australia Braced for Latest Wikileaks Release - ABC News

U.S. Briefs Canberra on Secret Files - Sydney Morning Herald

Australia Slams 'Reckless' WikiLeaks over U.S. Cables - Agence France-Presse

U.S. Warns Israel About WikiLeaks Documents - Jerusalem Post

U.S. Warns Israel of WikiLeaks Release - Agence France-Presse

In Russia, Fear of Damage to Future U.S. Relations - Christian Science Monitor

By COL (ret.) John Collins

Task Force Kingston, a reinforced platoon of K Company, 32d Infantry, 7th Infantry Division, crossed cruel North Korean terrain and braved brutal winter weather en route to the Yalu River in November 1950. The Task Force Commander was 2d Lt Bob Kingston, my best friend for 50 years, whose bobtailed rifle platoon of 20 Americans comprised the nucleus. Attachments eventually included a few additional U.S. infantrymen; two tanks; three Jeep-mounted machine guns; three quad 50s and four twin 40 antiaircraft guns on half tracks; heavy mortars; an engineer platoon; an artillery forward observer; a tactical air controller; and a bulldozer to help clear road blocks. Task Force Kingston maxed out at 111 men, including one major, three captains, and five first lieutenants, with a cherubic 22-year-old shavetail in charge.

Continue on for the rest of TF Kingston.

This Saturday, Nov. 27, Lt. Col. Oliver North, bestselling author of the newly released American Heroes in Special Operations, gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the men and women on America's "Third Front," the Southern Border, in his latest critically-acclaimed "War Stories" installment on Fox News Channel. Since 2006, more than 26,000 people have been killed in Mexico in drug-related violence that regularly spills over to the United States' side of the border. With vicious drug cartels monitoring the passageways into America, it is left up to federal agents, Border Patrol officers and regular Americans to fight back against this rising onslaught.

Lt. Col. North and his "War Stories" team travels into the heart of the conflict -- from California's Pacific coast to the deserts of Arizona and the banks of the Rio Grande in Texas -- where he meets with everyday Americans who say they are under siege in a war that has gone unnoticed. As he talks to these embattled Americans, Lt. Col. North brings the same intimate portrayal of the faces behind the conflict as he did his bestselling book, American Heroes in Special Operations, which chronicles the personal stories of America's fiercest warriors.

Please join Lt. Col. North this Saturday at 9:00PM EST on Fox News, where he will uncover the real people and the real stories from America's "Third Front."

Many thanks to all of you, from all of us at SWJ.

Monday, November 29 at 9pm ET/PT

Restrepo chronicles the deployment of a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. The movie focuses on a remote 15-man outpost, Restrepo, named after a platoon medic who was killed in action. It was considered one of the most dangerous postings in the U.S. military. This is an entirely experiential film: The cameras never leave the valley; there are no interviews with generals or diplomats. The only goal is to make viewers feel as if they have just been through a 94-minute deployment. This is war, full stop. The conclusions are up to you.

Hat tip to Paula Broadwell.

Continue on for their answers.

Via e-mail from CNAS:

Despite ongoing security challenges, the Afghan private sector has enormous opportunity for development and growth and will be a significant determinant to long-term stability in the country, according to the Center for a New American Security's (CNAS) new Voices from the Field policy brief Afghanistan's Willing Entrepreneurs: Supporting Private-Sector Growth in the Afghan Economy. Authors Jake Cusack and Erik Malmstrom are Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans and graduate fellows at Harvard's Kennedy and Business Schools.

Continue on for more...

In the mid-90's I pondered the Kryptos sculpture through a window of a CIA dining facility and was intrigued enough to wander out into the courtyard to take a closer look. Being the Marine that I am, I thought okay, some NSA bubba will solve this, now back to real business - and up to now I thought the riddle had been solved. Apparently not, at least according to John Schwartz at The New York Times.

And from CIA's HQ Tour site:

"Unbreakable codes. International intrigue. Even the CIA's artwork has secrets. Kryptos, a sculpture at Agency headquarters, has baffled code crackers around the world with its secret message. The copperplate and granite sculpture symbolizes both the history of cryptography and the significance of intelligence gathering. Mystery continues to surround this work of art -- no one has ever fully deciphered Kryptos' coded message."

Georgia "Will Become a Member of NATO," Declares NATO As Lisbon Summit Concludes

The Government of Georgia welcomes the NATO Lisbon Communiqué as a definitive step forward in the country's integration into the Alliance. NATO has made a clear and unambiguous commitment to Georgia's path towards membership. "At the 2008 Bucharest Summit we agreed that Georgia will become a member of NATO and we reaffirm all elements of that decision, as well as subsequent decisions,"* the Communiqué states.

The Government also is pleased that NATO, while pursuing improved ties with Russia, refuses to compromise on Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. "We reiterate our continued support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders," the Communiqué notes. This message also was delivered unambiguously by United States President Barack Obama.

The Government of Georgia welcomes NATO's clarion call for Russia to finally implement the 2008 ceasefire agreements. "On this firm basis, we urge Russia to meet its commitments with respect to Georgia, as mediated by the European Union on 12 August and 8 September 2008," the Communiqué states, adding. "We continue to call on Russia to reverse its recognition of the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions of Georgia as independent states."

The Lisbon Communiqué takes note as well of Georgia's continued and successful reforms: "We strongly encourage and actively support Georgia's continued implementation of all necessary reforms, particularly democratic, electoral and judicial reforms, as well as security and defense sector reforms, in order to advance its Euro-Atlantic aspirations."

Georgia's vital role as a NATO partner also is underscored by the Lisbon Communiqué, which highlights Georgia's essential contributions in Afghanistan. As did President Obama, the Alliance noted that Georgia is one of the highest per-capita contributors in troop numbers there—making clear that Georgia is as much a provider as a consumer of NATO security.*

*Italicized emphasis by SWJ.

My personal opinion - this is a very good thing. Russia's opinion - that is another matter.