Middle East

Kuwait plunges into political turmoil amid crackdown

"Kuwait plunged into political turmoil on Friday after the public prosecution ordered the detention of three former opposition MPs for three days with more arrests expected. The three were questioned for nine hours on accusations of undermining the status of Kuwait’s ruler before being taken into custody. The prosecutor also extended the detention for three more days of four opposition activists arrested during clashes between police and protesters following a huge rally. It is illegal under the constitution to criticise the emir who enjoys extensive authority and must be from the Al-Sabah ruling family, in power for over 250 years." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingKuwait plunges into political turmoil amid crackdown

How Many Muslims in the World? How Many Muslim Terrorists?

"Muslim attacks worldwide and against all targets, failed and successful, add up to 18,000 since 2001. This number is bound to be controversial and subject to error. If this involved 18,000 Muslims, that's a little over one-thousandth of one percent of Muslims who engaged in a terrorist or violent attempted attack or attack anywhere in the world. How many Muslims have American forces killed since 2001? I've found a low-end estimate for 1990 to 2009, and it's 288,000. How many of these were Muslim terrorists? I can't find a tally so far. The number is very, very small relative to 288,000. The tally for drone strikes is 2-3,000 with a high proportion being innocent people." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow Many Muslims in the World? How Many Muslim Terrorists?

If Iran Mines the Strait of Hormuz

"In a sea drill the US Navy only found half of the mines planted in a Strait of Hormuz simulation drill. I don't know if you buy the 'we only found the important ones' argument or not but I think this exercise shows how difficult/how long it would take to reopen the strait if the Iranians mined the passage. If Iran ever does mine the strait it could take weeks to clear it. In the mean time the price of oil would explode to the upside. Perhaps this simulation will make our leaders and policy makers beat the war drum a bit softer?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIf Iran Mines the Strait of Hormuz

US, Israel to hold major missile defense exercise

"More than 3,500 US personnel will take part in the drill, about 1,000 of them in Israel, putting a total price tag on the exercise at $60 million. The weapons will include US Patriot missile batteries and an AEGIS ballistic missile defense ship, along with the multi-tiered missile defense system that Israel has been developing. All but one of the launches will be simulated. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing the United States to set Iran an ultimatum or risk seeing Israel launch unilateral strikes." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS, Israel to hold major missile defense exercise

Debate Highlight: Showdown Over Benghazi

"In Libya, these days, a 'protest' is more than likely to be an armed assault rather than a peaceful demonstration with placards and speeches. That the makers and promoters of 'Innocence' were well aware of this possibility is my own theory, and as we learn more about the origins of this provocation I believe this will be confirmed. This was no random YouTube stunt but a well-organized operation: so far we know almost nothing about it, except that the film’s alleged creator has at least a dozen aliases and is now safely behind bars, where no journalists can ask him any questions." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDebate Highlight: Showdown Over Benghazi

Michael Scheuer: Pity poor America: Obama, Romney, and Foreign Policy

"When you clear your way through all the spurious hot air about 'American exceptionalism' and 'a world eager for U.S. leadership,' you will hear the ardent desire of two men, two parties, and almost all of the media to maintain and even increase the cultural and military interventionism in the Muslim world that has killed so many Americans at home and abroad in the past sixteen years; which has brought the United States numerous, shameful military defeats; and which has created nothing but the prospect of an ever larger and more costly war with much of Islam in the years ahead." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMichael Scheuer: Pity poor America: Obama, Romney, and Foreign Policy

Russia: Syria Jet Carrying Perfectly Legal Radar Parts

"Turkey forced the civilian plane down and held it for several hours. Russia has complained that this amounted to an act of 'air piracy,' while Syrian officials have accused Turkey of lying about the claims that they found anything illegal, adding that the cargo manifest was accurate and legal. While the Turkish government has refused to provide any details about the supposedly 'objectionable' material they seized from a detained Syrian passenger plane earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has provided some details." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussia: Syria Jet Carrying Perfectly Legal Radar Parts

Israel facing ‘increasing number of cyber attacks’

[In a total coincidence...] "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said Israel was facing an increasing number of cyberattacks, just days after Washington issued a veiled warning to Iran over digital attacks on its interests. 'Every day there are many attempts to infiltrate Israel’s computer systems. That’s why I established the National Cyber Directorate last year, which serves as an electronic ‘Iron Dome’ against computer terrorism,' he added. He did not specify which systems had come under attack, nor did he say who was behind them." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIsrael facing ‘increasing number of cyber attacks’

As much as many on the left wish it were so, #OccupyWallSt is NOT “Like Arab Spring”

Via El hombre original, SooperMexican; One of the more breathtakingly stupid memes of the Occupy Wall Street protest (and there are many) is the constant self-aggrandizing comparison to the “Arab Spring.” There are many reasons to be cautious in being overly celebratory of the Mideast revolutions even without comparing it to a “revolution” in America. Even the slightest [...]

Continue ReadingAs much as many on the left wish it were so, #OccupyWallSt is NOT “Like Arab Spring”