News & Opinion on Terrorism & Strategic Communication — September 19, 2007
U.S. Should Engage Iran. “The purpose of engaging with Tehranis not to reward its dangerous policies, but to restrain and redirect them. There are few good alternatives to working more intensively with Iran over Iraq.” (Council on Foreign Relations, 9/19).
Saudi Sheikh Chastises bin Laden on Ramadan. “How much blood has been spilled? How many innocent children, women, and old people have been killed, maimed, and expelled from their homes in the name of ‘al-Qaeda’? Are you happy to meet Allah with this heavy burden on your shoulders?” (Islam Today, address given on 9/14).
Muslim Brotherhood Group’s Plans to Take Over U.S. “Amid the mountain of evidence released in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial, the most provocative has turned out to be a handful of previously classified evidence detailing Islamist extremists’ ambitious plans for a U.S. takeover.” (Dallas Morning News, 9/17).
Cold War Should be the Model for Modern Public Diplomacy. “America’s ability to promote its beliefs and ideals to citizens of other nations and societies, known as public diplomacy (PD), can enorÂmously advance the national interest. America’s leaders should draw on the country’s informational activities during the Cold War to lay the foundation for the next generation of public diplomacy.” (Heritage Foundation, 9/18)
Virtual Training Camps. “The internet has replaced Middle Eastern camps as the recruiting and training grounds for would-be Islamist terrorists, an expert has warned.” (BBC, 9/17)
We-Told-You-So Dept:
In the 9/16 Roundup, TaoSecurity speculated that “several stories are leaking out, with similar elements, suggests that there may be some kind of political positioning also going on — the stories are being released to create leverage in some other situation.” Could this story describe the situation in question? (BBC, 9/18).
