A round up of some recent stuff on Active Islam.
First, the super-evil al-Qaeda. Bruce Reidal from the brookings institute (and a 29-year career in the CIA and political intelligence and security posts) writes in Foreign Affairs on the resurgence of al-Qaeda across the globe and what the US, NATO and other allies should do about it. The article is both reasonable and alarmist(-ing?). It manages to be intelligent despite suffering from some of the ridiculous American myths. For example:
The country’s infrastructure must be improved in order to develop a mainstream agricultural economy that can compete with illicit poppy cultivation, which breeds crime and corruption [so far so good] and strengthens the jihadi subculture [why was that necessary?].
I think it’s safe to claim that it’s a generally accepted fact that poppy production in Afghanistan was at its lowest during taliban (jihadi culture right there) reign. And last time i checked, the dirka-dirka jihadists didnt puff on the bubbly while strapping on tnt.
Worth reading despite.
Moving along, apparently our very own Cairene and al-Qaeda #2, Al Zawahri, has released a tape that includes appeals to black Americans to not fight for their white oppressors, or something of the sort. I don’t think it’s very important in terms of their being on the move. But if the author’s assessment of the tape is reliable, the high-tech media-savvy aspect is what’s most interesting.
Oh and in one of the past, present and future failed-state refuges of the newly resurgent global al-Qaeda, the official (read: American- err.. Ethiopian-backed) government has placed a ban (i’m not complaining) on face veils because the islamist terrorists disguise themselves in sheep’s clothing. (Al Jazeera)
Finally, I will point you to the Arabist where Issandr took look at the major attention on the MB in Egypt at the moment, particularly from the US. It’s a couple of weeks old (the trial mentioned has been recently overruled in court.) but, through the articles linked to and his own input, the post raises some of the critical questions that need to be tackled.
[…] Just the sort of thing you want to be saying as people begin to reconsider you (see the link to Arabist from here). […]