At least 11,000 Sunni, and 10,500 Shiite foreign fighters from 74 countries (not including Iranian “advisors”) are reported to have joined the struggle over Syria. However, we know little about the recruiting mechanism that led them to Syria. Were … [Read more...] about Are Mosques Recruiting Foreign Fighters for Syria?
ACD/EWI Blog
A World Ablaze – But Different Fuels*
A bane of modern military studies (let’s eschew the term “science”) is the concept of counter-insurgency--the idea that indigenous revolts around the world can be analyzed with “the scientific method” and that a set of general principles, if … [Read more...] about A World Ablaze – But Different Fuels*
Israel and the New World Disorder*
Switzerland has about the same population as Israel with four distinct ethnicities and is in a similarly vulnerable geographic location. It has been continuously independent since 1291 except for a brief period of French occupation during the … [Read more...] about Israel and the New World Disorder*
Islam and the Other: The al-Wala’ wal-Bara’ Doctrine
Given the U.S. capitulation to Iran, the growing American and European pressure on Israel to relinquish its national security and identity as the Jewish state in favor of the Palestinians, while Syria has become the training "melting pot" for … [Read more...] about Islam and the Other: The al-Wala’ wal-Bara’ Doctrine
Terrorism and Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs): A Growing Menace
The fake currency trade has been haunting Indian security establishments as well as economic intelligence agencies for quite a long time. Most recently in February 2014, the finance minster of India informed the Upper House of Parliament (Rajya … [Read more...] about Terrorism and Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs): A Growing Menace
Could “Rabbit Fever” Become a Biological Weapon?
The Obama administration held a meeting today in Washington with the representatives of more than two dozen countries on how to confront "a perfect storm of converging threats from infectious disease epidemics.” For once, the current administration … [Read more...] about Could “Rabbit Fever” Become a Biological Weapon?
Iran Flexes Muscles in the Gulf
The Iranians now feel confident enough to attack Sunnis openly - scary for the Saudis. For the first time, the Iranians are attacking not just the Saudi government, but also the Wahhabi extremist Sunni sect that is the ideological underpinning of … [Read more...] about Iran Flexes Muscles in the Gulf
Al-Qaida’s Repudiation of the Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria
[At left] From the text of Al-Zawahiri’s announcement concerning Al-Qaeda’s repudiation of the Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria. The announcement was published on Islamist forums affiliated with Al-Qaeda (www.muslm.org) Overview 1. On … [Read more...] about Al-Qaida’s Repudiation of the Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria
The Proliferation of Suicide Bombing in the Middle East and Beyond
’’A nation that does not wage jihad cannot exist…God is with us and Satan with them. We will fight and fight until we regain our rights… God willing.’’ -- Muslim Brother Sheik Ahmed Yassin, Hamas’s founder and spiritual leader, October 1997 Suicide … [Read more...] about The Proliferation of Suicide Bombing in the Middle East and Beyond
A Test We Mustn’t Fail*
The United States is going through one of those periodic crises, testing a complex and often sclerotic constitutional system. An increasingly diminishing presidency has tried to “transform” the society, and particularly its economy, with draconian … [Read more...] about A Test We Mustn’t Fail*