Al Qaeda vs. the United States: Bad News, Worse News Declaring that "the buck stops with me," President Obama announced a set of new directives in response to the foiled bombing of Northwest Flight 253 by the now-infamous "underpants bomber." The list of presidential orders is mostly unexceptionable, and may even make a repeat performance less likely. Of course, if al Qaeda is even remotely strategic, trying an exact repeat of this attempt would be silly. Instead, they'll study the new procedures, look for holes in them, and try some new variation. The good news is that air travel will still be incredibly safe, and no sensible person should alter their normal travel plans because they are worried about the "terrorist threat." What's missing from Obama's list of new initiatives is any sense that U.S. foreign policy might need some rethinking too. One more thing. Al-Balawi 'started to change,' says his wife, after the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. By itself, that mere fact does not mean that U.S. foreign policy is wrong.
9/11: Why Did Al Qaeda Attack the United States? « Rich McSheehy's Weblog I would guess that most of us can recall exactly where we were and what we were doing when we first heard about the horrific attacks on the Twin Towers and the subsequent attack on the Pentagon. There aren’t many moments in your life, no matter how long you live, that you will recall as vividly as the moment you learned about it. The assassination of John F. Kennedy was also like that for me. I don’t think anyone really feels that they have heard a satisfactory explanation of why Lee Harvey Oswald killed him. That was over forty years ago, and there are still many people who don’t believe the results of the official U.S. government investigation. The U.S. government’s 9/11 Commission Report has also failed to gain unanimous support. The World Trade Center could be described as the financial capital of the multinational businesses of the United States. Toward the end of World War II the Nazis in Germany also planned to develop a suicide bomber squadron called the Leonidas Squadron.
rporal Doug Grant: NZ Soldier Killed In Afghanistan Last updated 19:24 22/08/2011 The Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force today revealed the identity and the circumstances surrounding the death of SAS soldier Corporal Doug Grant. Another New Zealand SAS soldier is reportedly on the way to Afghanistan to replace Corporal Doug Grant. Grant was killed in the country's capital, Kabul, helping save the lives of three British civilians and two Gurkha security guards. The 41-year-old SAS soldier from Linton known as "Dougie" died on Friday in a helicopter on the way to a military hospital after an attack by the Taleban at the British Council diplomatic offices. He leaves behind his wife Tina, their seven-year-old daughter and their five-year-old son. TVNZ reported that another SAS soldier had been sent to take Grant's place. The Defence Force today described the events leading up to his death. "Therefore most of the city, counter-terrorists as well as police and wider military were on standby for some action to occur. - © Fairfax NZ News Comments
Fast facts about NATO - World In April 2009, NATO marked its 60th anniversary as 28 world leaders converged in France. ((iStock)) The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed shortly after the end of the Second World War to counter the threat of Soviet invasion of Western Europe. The treaty setting up the alliance was signed in 1949 by 10 Western European nations as well as Canada and the United States. Membership (year of entry in brackets): Albania (2009) Belgium (1949) Bulgaria (2004) Canada (1949) Croatia (2009) Czech Republic (1999) Denmark (1949) Estonia (2004) France (1949) (West) Germany (1955) Greece (1952) Hungary (1999) Iceland (1949) Italy (1949) Latvia (2004) Lithuania (2004) Luxembourg (1949) Netherlands (1949) Norway (1949) Poland (1999) Portugal (1949) Romania (2004) Slovakia (2004) Slovenia (2004) Spain (1982) Turkey (1952) United Kingdom (1949) United States (1949) With the end of the Cold War, NATO was forced to change to suit the times. Structure 1952-1953 Lt. NATO Milestones:
Timeline: Nato A chronology of key events: 1949 April - Twelve states - Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the United States - sign the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington DC. 1950 - US General Dwight Eisenhower appointed supreme Nato commander. 1952 - Greece and Turkey join the alliance. 1955 - West Germany joins Nato; the Soviet Union and eight Eastern European states respond by forming the Warsaw Pact. 1966 - French President Charles de Gaulle announces France's intention to withdraw from Nato's military structure in protest at the dominance of US commanders. 1967 - Nato's new headquarters opened in Brussels. 1982 - Spain joins Nato. 1990 - Nato and Warsaw Pact states sign the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe treaty (CFE) and publish a joint declaration on non-aggression. 1992 - Nato announces its readiness to support peacekeeping activities in the former Yugoslavia. Bosnia operation Expansion Afghan role Bosnia handover
Topic: NATO’s relations with partners across the globe The contributions from global partners and other countries to NATO-led operations have a direct, advantageous impact for international peace and security. In the Balkans, Argentinean and Chilean forces have worked alongside NATO Allies to ensure security in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In Kosovo, Argentina has helped NATO personnel provide medical and social assistance to the local population and cooperated on peace agreement implementation since 1999. In Afghanistan, a number of global partners such as Australia, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand, work alongside the Allies as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Other countries, such as Japan, support ISAF efforts of stabilisation in Afghanistan without being involved in combat, by funding a large number of development projects and dispatching liaison officers. Typically, partner military forces are incorporated into operations on the same basis as are forces from NATO member countries.
NATO Member Countries Map, NATO Map The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an alliance of 28 member nations, headquartered in Belgium, that unites the members in a defense pact. A military attack on one of these nations is considered an attack against them all, and each country contributes to the defense. Today, the nations together account for 70 percent of defense spending worldwide. NATO was formed on April 4, 1949, as a collective defense against a common enemy, the Soviet Union, which tried to expand its communist ideology using military might to central and east European countries after World War II. Major political events in Europe and the Balkans, including the coup d'etat in Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union in 1948, became the immediate reasons behind the formation of NATO. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, NATO worked to redefine its role and responsibilities in the years after the fall of the common enemy and with the changing political and economic interests of its member countries.
Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda around the world. Al-Qaeda (/ælˈkaɪdə/ al-KY-də; Arabic: القاعدة al-qāʿidah, Arabic: [ælqɑːʕɪdɐ], translation: "The Base" and alternatively spelled al-Qaida and sometimes al-Qa'ida) is a global militant Islamist and takfiri organization founded by Abdullah Yusuf Azzam and Osama bin Laden in Peshawar, Pakistan,[22] at some point between August 1988[23] and late 1989,[24] with its origins being traceable to the Soviet War in Afghanistan.[25] It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army[26] and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad and a strict interpretation of sharia law. It has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, India and various other countries (see below). Al-Qaeda has carried out many attacks on non-Sunni Muslims,[27] non-Muslims,[28][29] and other targets it considers kafir.[30] Organization Leadership Financing Name
Hijackers in the September 11 attacks The hijackers in the September 11 attacks were 19 men affiliated with al-Qaeda, and 15 of the 19 were citizens of Saudi Arabia. The others were from the UAE (2), Egypt and Lebanon. The hijackers were organized into four teams, each led by a pilot-trained hijacker with four "muscle hijackers" who were trained to help subdue the pilots, passengers, and crew. The first hijackers to arrive in the United States were Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi, who settled in the San Diego area in January 2000. They were followed by three hijacker-pilots, Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi, and Ziad Jarrah early in the summer of 2000 to undertake flight training in south Florida. Background[edit] Selection[edit] Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi were both experienced and respected jihadists in the eyes of al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden. "Muscle" hijackers[edit] Mihdhar and Hazmi were also potential pilot hijackers, but did not do well in their initial pilot lessons in San Diego. Investigation[edit]
World military expenditures This article is a list of countries by military expenditure, the amount spent by a nation on its military in a given year. Military expenditure figures[2] are presented in US$ based on either constant or current exchange rates. These results can vary greatly from one year to another based on fluctuations in the exchange rates of each country's currency. Such fluctuations may change a country's ranking from one year to the next. Currently, the world's six largest military spenders are the United States, China,[3] Russia, the United Kingdom, Japan and France, all of whom are recognized as world powers. The first list is based on the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Yearbook 2013 which includes a list on the world's top 15 military spenders in 2012, based on current market exchange rates. SIPRI Yearbook 2013 – World's top 15 military spenders[edit] SIPRI military expenditure database[edit] Countries by military spending Military spending as percentage of GDP [edit]
NATO Coordinates: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO; /ˈneɪtoʊ/ NAY-toh; French: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique Nord (OTAN)), also called the (North) Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949. The organization constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party. NATO's headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium, one of the 28 member states across North America and Europe, the newest of which, Albania and Croatia, joined in April 2009. An additional 22 countries participate in NATO's Partnership for Peace program, with 15 other countries involved in institutionalized dialogue programmes. The combined military spending of all NATO members constitutes over 70% of the global total.[4] Members' defense spending is supposed to amount to 2% of GDP.[5] History Beginnings Cold War French withdrawal Détente and escalation