January 10, 2015
So....
Focus on current events is understandably directed towards Europe and Jihadism at the moment, where MI-5 is reporting that...
Parker said British security authorities had "stopped three UK terrorist plots†in recent months but added that "we still face complex and ambitious plots†by extremists who want to "cause large scale loss of life†by targeting transport networks and iconic landmarks.
If that is worrisome, then this 2006 article in Der Spiegel is high octane nightmare fuel. It's a review of a book by a Jordanian journalist named Fouad Hussein who had considerable contact while in Prison with Al Zarquawi and was able to interview others associated with AlQuaeda. He says AlQaeda has a 7 point plan for world conquest and even has tentative dates for the completion of each phase.
Since the article was written in 2006, surely we can laugh at the comically wrong predictions...right?
The First Phase Known as "the awakening" -- this has already been carried out and was supposed to have lasted from 2000 to 2003, or more precisely from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in New York and Washington to the fall of Baghdad in 2003. The aim of the attacks of 9/11 was to provoke the US into declaring war on the Islamic world and thereby "awakening" Muslims. "The first phase was judged by the strategists and masterminds behind al-Qaida as very successful," writes Hussein. "The battle field was opened up and the Americans and their allies became a closer and easier target." The terrorist network is also reported as being satisfied that its message can now be heard "everywhere."
The Second Phase "Opening Eyes" is, according to Hussein's definition, the period we are now in and should last until 2006. Hussein says the terrorists hope to make the western conspiracy aware of the "Islamic community." Hussein believes this is a phase in which al-Qaida wants an organization to develop into a movement. The network is banking on recruiting young men during this period. Iraq should become the center for all global operations, with an "army" set up there and bases established in other Arabic states.
The Third Phase This is described as "Arising and Standing Up" and should last from 2007 to 2010. "There will be a focus on Syria," prophesies Hussein, based on what his sources told him. The fighting cadres are supposedly already prepared and some are in Iraq. Attacks on Turkey and -- even more explosive -- in Israel are predicted. Al-Qaida's masterminds hope that attacks on Israel will help the terrorist group become a recognized organization. The author also believes that countries neighboring Iraq, such as Jordan, are also in danger.
The Fourth Phase Between 2010 and 2013, Hussein writes that al-Qaida will aim to bring about the collapse of the hated Arabic governments. The estimate is that "the creeping loss of the regimes' power will lead to a steady growth in strength within al-Qaida." At the same time attacks will be carried out against oil suppliers and the US economy will be targeted using cyber terrorism.
The Fifth Phase This will be the point at which an Islamic state, or caliphate, can be declared. The plan is that by this time, between 2013 and 2016, Western influence in the Islamic world will be so reduced and Israel weakened so much, that resistance will not be feared. Al-Qaida hopes that by then the Islamic state will be able to bring about a new world order.
The Sixth Phase Hussein believes that from 2016 onwards there will a period of "total confrontation." As soon as the caliphate has been declared the "Islamic army" it will instigate the "fight between the believers and the non-believers" which has so often been predicted by Osama bin Laden.
The Seventh Phase This final stage is described as "definitive victory." Hussein writes that in the terrorists' eyes, because the rest of the world will be so beaten down by the "one-and-a-half billion Muslims," the caliphate will undoubtedly succeed. This phase should be completed by 2020, although the war shouldn't last longer than
OK the rather large transition from step six to seven seems a tad dubious to be sure, but steps 3, 4 and 5...wow. It also lends credence to the notion that a big putsch may be coming on the jihadi front in the near future.
Farther afield, Jihadists are even now having some spectacular successes. Boko Haram has sacked Baga City, overrun a military base and killed 2000 civilians. This was largely buried by coverage of the attacks in France, but this is probably a bigger story. Note that Boko Haram has also gained control of 20,000 square miles and declared itself a caliphate.
And closer to home, Molly Norris is still in hiding.
Meanwhile:
Around one million people are now displaced in the Ukraine.
China faces fears of...deflation?
On a related note, James MacDonald has written a book because he does not want you to sleep soundly.
For some, the glass is always half empty. (facepalm)
Finally, as if things were not crazy enough, this headline was in Thursday's New York Times: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Publish a Novel About Sherlock Holmes’s Brother Mycroft
"That's it. We're doomed."
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
11:47 PM
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1
One interesting import of Ukraine upon Russian politics was a big loss of support for pro-democracy parties. While everyone in America was peddling the narrative of Putin's aggression, Russians quicky figured that if not for the revolution, the country would not collapse so badly (well, it was crashing before, like Greece, but at least it wasn't a civil war). The public sentiment quickly turned to "okay, our corrupt government sucks, but a revolution is much worse".
Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at Sun Jan 11 02:37:38 2015 (RqRa5)
2
20,000 square miles might sound like a lot, but Australia has individual farms nearly that big.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at Tue Jan 13 09:51:36 2015 (PiXy!)
3
Those aren't so much farms as they are ranches, are they? Mainly big grazing areas for cattle?
Considering how most of that land is God-forsaken desert, it's gonna take a huge amount of land to keep herds of cattle alive and prospering.
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at Tue Jan 13 16:04:20 2015 (+rSRq)
4
Yep. 20,000 square kilometres, 20,000 cattle. And 20 people.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at Tue Jan 13 18:20:13 2015 (PiXy!)
5
Australian farming and ranching is the one thing that makes Texas farming and ranching turn it's head and mumble quietly. It's awkward telling someone stories of the hardships of rural life in Texas and then have the Australian show up with everything 10 degrees hotter, 10 times bigger, 2 inches dryer, and twice as deadly.
Posted by: Ben at Wed Jan 14 12:13:20 2015 (S4UJw)
6
Yeah, well, they have their own bleedin' continent. How do you compete with that?
(with guns, obviously!)
(with guns, obviously!)
Posted by: Avatar_exADV at Wed Jan 14 17:30:42 2015 (zJsIy)
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