While Usamah Bin Laden’s passing will not destroy al-Qaeda altogether, it is a horrible blow to their morale, despite the bravado in al-Qaeda’s message acknowledging Bin Laden’s death at American hands. (By the way, for those who insisted that President Obama had to release the photos of Bin Laden’s corpse for the reality of his […]
Pakistani Military between Rock and Hard Place
One of the reasons for which Pakistan’s military is so incensed about the unannounced US raid into Pakistan territory is that they are afraid the operation might form a precedent that could be exploited by India. Indeed, Pakistani generals thought that the SEALs were an Indian special ops team that had inserted itself at Abbottabad. […]
Koch Brothers Exposed
Robert Greenwald’s Brave New Foundation is attempting to expose the billionaire Koch brothers and their attempt to buy American democracy. Here is the video: Here is the Variety article about it.
Anzalone, After Usama: The Jihadi-Takfiri Trend after Bin Laden
Christopher Anzalone writes in a guest column for Informed Comment The killing of Usama bin Laden, the founder of Al-Qa‘ida Central, this week in Pakistan has opened the door to intense speculation about the future of the militant organization and the transnational jihadi-takfiri trend that it represents. A great deal of attention has been paid […]
Obama right not to Release Usama Photo
President Obama’s decision not to release photographs of Usama Bin Laden’s disfigured corpse is wise and decent. Obama is right that the photo would be used by radicals to whip up emotions. But it should also be remembered that a Mahdi Army member surreptitiously filmed the execution of Saddam Hussein on his cell phone, and […]
No need for Torture. Did a Telephone Call to al-Qaeda in Iraq Unravel Bin Laden?
The Obama team is said to have been dismayed by the rapidity with which the national subject has switched from the death of Usama Bin Laden to the use of torture in interrogations. The first thing to say is that Democratic leaders and the Obama administration only have themselves to blame for this torture issue […]
Top Ten Myths about Bin Laden’s Death
New details of the operation against Usama Bin Laden have emerged. Here are the myths that people keep bombarding me with and which are now known to be untrue. 1. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf held that Bin Laden had long been dead. Not true. Musharraf said in 2002 that he thought Bin Laden might have […]
Libyan Opposition: ‘Extremely Happy’ at Bin Laden’s Death, Combatting al-Qaeda
The Qaddafis have repeatedly accused the Free Libya forces to the east and south of Tripoli of being Muslim radicals and even al-Qaeda sympathizers. On Tuesday, the Libyan opposition responded in the Saudi-owned al-Sharq al-Awsat to these charges, denouncing them as lies. They said that in fact, they have had to fight pro-al-Qaeda bands (implying […]
Cole Interview: Bin Laden an Utter Failure
My interview on the significance of Bin Laden’s passing with Detroit Channel 2’s Bill Gallagher is now available. I argue that to take full advantage of this political moment, the US must withdraw from Iraq and support the declaration of a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. U-M Professor Juan Cole Sees […]
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