By Jonathan Spyer

The evidence suggesting that British passports were used by members of the team responsible for killing Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh is causing concern at the possibility of a new diplomatic row between Israel and the UK. Such a row would come at a time of already strained relations between the two countries, because of the failure of the British government to take firm action to end the possibility of the arrest of Israeli officials in Britain on suspicion of ‘war crimes.’

Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged to carry out a full investigation into the affair.

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by Daniel Huff*

Libel suits are not normally associated with national security, but a case the Texas Supreme Court ruled on January 15 carries just such implications. The suit against internet journalist Joe Kaufman is a prime example of how libel law can be manipulated to stifle dissemination of information about terrorism and radical Islam.

It arises out of Kaufman’s September 28, 2007 FrontPage Magazine article on the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), which sponsored a “Muslim Family Day” at Six Flags Over Texas. Kaufman vowed to protest the event citing, among other things, ICNA’s alleged “physical ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and financial ties to Hamas.”

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By Jonathan Spyer

The revelations of possible Iranian involvement in the attack on Israeli diplomats earlier this month in Jordan appear to offer the latest evidence of direct engagement by Teheran in subversion and paramilitary activity across national borders.

The Jordanian investigation is still in its early stages. But the suggestion by sources close to the well-respected Jordanian General Intelligence Department that the explosives used for the attack may have been brought into the kingdom by Iranian diplomats is certainly plausible. It would conform to similar incidents on which the fingerprints of Iran were later unmistakably identified. It would also fit the current pattern of Iranian support for destabilizing its regional enemies.

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By Andrew Whitehead

On 25 December, an alleged Islamist terrorist tried to bring down yet another airliner over America in an attempt to terrorize the public and to demonstrate our weakness in the face of Islamist “superiority”. But for the active resistance of fellow passengers, Umar Abdulmutallab, may have succeeded in terror-murdering some 300 innocent people.

In November, US Army Major Nidal Hasan gunned down scores of fellow soldiers in an attack that, once again, demonstrated weakness on the part of the American government.

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by Andrew Whitehead

On June 23rd, Frontpage Magazine published a devastating interview between FPM Editor Jamie Glazov and Mr. Dave Gaubatz. During this interview, Mr. Gaubatz makes startling, direct accusations regarding improper and ongoing relationships between CAIR and agents of the FBI; and presents it as the truth, not opinion. Someone who did not know that CAIR was created to advance the interests of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Hamas terrorist group might be shocked at the information reported by Gaubatz and published by FrontPage Magazine.

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by Michael Rubin*

US President Barack Obama’s plan to withdraw troops from Iraq is predicated on an assumption that Iraq’s stability is durable. On 29 January 2009, General Ray Odierno, commander of the Multi-National Force-Iraq, said: “We are getting close to enduring stability, which enables us really to reduce [US military forces].” Advocates of military withdrawal by the United States are optimistic: the 31 January 2009 provincial elections proceeded without much incident.

According to US government figures, violence is down to 2003 levels. Progress, however, has less to do with the governance system, and more to do with key personalities: President Jalal Talabani, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, both of whom met Obama in Baghdad on 7 April, as well as Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani each conciliate crisis and reconcile disparate interests. Without them, stability and security in Iraq may not be sustainable.

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By Janice Kephart, CIS.org

Introduction

The move toward more secure issuance of state identification documents may be in jeopardy. The most recent iteration of the National Governors Association secure ID bill circulating the Senate for signatures for possible introduction, the “Providing for Additional Security in States’ Identification Act of 2009″ or PASS ID Act, gives the appearance of security for drivers licenses and non-driver IDs (DL/ID) when, in fact, security does not exist. The PASS ID Act would provide for insecure issuance practices by the states that, for the most part, were in place prior to 9/11. In many ways, the PASS ID Act is a step backward for most states, or at least an endorsement of the status quo, because nearly all states are implementing elements of the REAL ID Act¹ — the 2005 measure designed to raise state ID standards in response to the 9/11 attacks — even in states that have passed legislation that precludes REAL ID implementation. However the new bill’s mandate to verify an ID applicant’s legal presence in the United States by 2013 is voluntary, as any state can opt out of PASS ID Act requirements.

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

Americans should know that Palestinian, Islamist terrorist groups are a threat on U.S. soil — not just someone else’s problem “over there” in the Middle East. If citizens ever find out, could U.S. public opinion finally galvanize whole-heartedly against Hezbollah? — especially now that the Washington Times has revealed that, “Hezbollah uses Mexican drug routes into U.S. - Works beside smuggler cartels to fund operations:”

Hezbollah is using the same southern narcotics routes that Mexican drug kingpins do to smuggle drugs and people into the United States, reaping money to finance its operations and threatening U.S. national security, current and former U.S. law enforcement, defense and counterterrorism officials say. …

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

President-Elect Barack Obama has once again assuaged my previous misgivings about his future foreign and domestic policies. He has continually defied pressure from the extreme left-wing of his (Democratic) party. Obama is making independent decisions; proving his maturity, adeptness, and managerial competence; and keeping his promise of trying to unite the country. So far, he has risen above partisan pettiness. Case in point: Today, Obama tapped John Brennan to “take charge of counterterrorism on the National Security Council.” Brennan served under the Bush administration at the CIA as top-dog of the National Counterterrorism Center.

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By Bill Park*

The Gulen movement is attracting increasing and sometimes hostile attention both inside Turkey and beyond as a result of its increasing activity, wealth, and influence. Inspired by the thoughts of its founder, Sufi scholar Fethullah Gulen, it has established hundreds of educational institutions, as well as media outlets, dialogue platforms, and charities. Well-established in Turkey, it has expanded into the wider Turkic world and, increasingly, beyond. Yet its structure, ambitions, and size remain opaque, making assessment of its impact and power difficult.

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By Olivier Guitta*

I wrote an article for the Middle East Times on Hezbollah’s capabilities around the world. You can find the full article here. Here is an excerpt:

CIA Director Michael Hayden said last week that al-Qaida was still the largest threat to the United States. He added, “If there is a major strike on this country, it will bear the fingerprints of al-Qaida.”

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By Phyllis Chesler

The news today is not all one might desire. At home, The National Intelligence Council, a body of analysts from every spectrum of the American intelligence community, has issued a report that is quite bleak. … (Continue reading…)

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A briefing by Andrew C. McCarthy*

Andrew McCarthy is the director of the Center for Law and Counterterrorism at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. A former federal prosecutor, he has served as a special assistant to the deputy secretary of defense. After the 9/11 attacks, he supervised the U.S. Attorney’s Anti-Terrorism Command Post in New York City. He is a contributor to National Review and Commentary, as well as various other publications. Among his numerous awards is the Justice Department’s highest honor, the Attorney General’s Exceptional Service Award. He has taught at Fordham University Law School and New York Law School. On October 6, 2008, McCarthy addressed the Middle East Forum in New York City about his new book, Willful Blindness: Memoir of the Jihad. It builds on his article, “Prosecuting the New York Sheikh,” which appeared in the March 1997 Middle East Quarterly, and his acceptance speech on receiving the Middle East Forum’s Albert J. Wood Public Affairs Award in 1996.

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~by E.D. Kain, NeoConstant

According to The Long War Journal’s Jane Novak, the US Embassy in Yemen was attacked today by a militant group carrying machine guns, RPG’s, and setting off a series of explosions. The terrorist force was repelled after killing 16 people, and attempting to breach the US compound. After a fierce gun battle, the militants were repelled. No US citizens were killed, though many Yemeni security officers were killed or wounded in the fight.

A group calling itself Yemeni Islamic Jihad took credit for today’s attack. The group last month claimed responsbility for a July suicide car bombing at a police station in Hadramout killed one policeman and injured 18. The police station had been previously bombed with no injuries. Yemeni Islamic Jihad also threatened a future attack in the capital.

This is not the first attack or attempted attack on a US embassy or consulate this year. In July, the US consulate in Ankara, Turkey was attacked leaving several dead. Luckily both attacks proved to be failures, unlike some of the major suicide bombings we’ve seen in India and Afghanistan recently.

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by Daniel Pipes*

Aafia Siddiqui, 36, is a Pakistani mother of three, an alumna of MIT, and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Brandeis University. She is also accused of working for Al-Qaeda and was charged last week in New York City with attempting to kill American soldiers.

Her arrest serves to remind how invisibly most Islamist infiltration proceeds. In particular, an estimated forty Al-Qaeda sympathizers or operatives have sought to penetrate U.S. intelligence agencies.

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