Left: Group picture of Shi'ite foreign fighters in the Abu al-Fadhel al-Abbas Brigade, a military unit composed mainly of militia operatives from Iraq. In white is Qasim al-Ta'i, a prominent Shi'ite Iraqi cleric who recruits Shi'ite operatives for … [Read more...] about Shi’a Jihadis in Syria
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U.S. Futile Sanctions Against Russia
Barack Obama today announced that 7 Russian and 4 Ukrainian citizens who will be sanctioned by the United States as retaliation for Russia's expected unlawful takeover of the Crimea. This comes after Crimea's 95-percent-plus decision by referendum … [Read more...] about U.S. Futile Sanctions Against Russia
The [Chinese] emperor has no clothes
The shudder that relatively minor bad news from China sent through world markets last week was a warning that the halcyon days of Beijing’s economy are over. Indeed, reluctantly because of self-interest and wishful thinking, a universal consensus … [Read more...] about The [Chinese] emperor has no clothes
ACD Weekly Update, March 8 – 14
Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to announce that he will not annex Crimea to Russia even if Sunday's referendum outcome will favor such action, Rachel Ehrenfeld says in Crimean Tatars, However, in seizing Crimea, Vladimir Putin may well have … [Read more...] about ACD Weekly Update, March 8 – 14
Crimean Tatars and Jihad
Left: Crimean Tatars hold flags during rallies near the Crimean parliament building in Simferopol this week. (Baz Ratner/Reuters) In seizing Crimea, Vladimir Putin may well have bitten off more than he can chew. This, not because he lacks the power … [Read more...] about Crimean Tatars and Jihad
The Drone Mystique and Turkey
The recent positioning of US unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, at bases created in the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant and Afghanistan is a geopolitical event that demands greater consideration. That it does not receive more … [Read more...] about The Drone Mystique and Turkey
Why Da‘wah Before Jihad? (Da‘wah Qablal-Jihad)
David Bukay shows that the Da'wah is as fundamental as Jihad to conquering Western societies. Through exploiting the West's openness and its weaknesses, the Da'wah aims to Islamize and achieve demographic victories. Practitioners of the Da'wah … [Read more...] about Why Da‘wah Before Jihad? (Da‘wah Qablal-Jihad)
China’s Jihadists
On March 2, 2014, a train station in Kunming, in western China's Yunnan province, witnessed a horrific slashing attack by black-clad Uighurs wielding large knives and machetes. The attack left 29 dead and 143 wounded.At least 9 Uighurs,members of … [Read more...] about China’s Jihadists
The Real “Red Line”*
Recorded history is generally a straight-line narrative, often written with prejudice, and as the cliché has it, by the victors. Only those involved in writing it, or more importantly, living through it, know the many cross-currents that, because … [Read more...] about The Real “Red Line”*
ACD Weekly Briefing, February 28-March 7, 2014
Quantum Cryptography: Has the White House Heard of It? by Rachel Ehrenfeld At long last there's good news on the cybersecurity front. As cyberattacks have continued to mount exponentially over the past five years, the government has been glacially … [Read more...] about ACD Weekly Briefing, February 28-March 7, 2014