Thursday, May 28, 2009

KT McFarland Back in the Media

KT McFarland has returned from visits to Afghanistan and Taiwan and is back doing media commentary.

She was on Fox Business Network Wed. 5/26 at 6:20pm ET with Neil Cavuto.

Thurs. 5/28 between 11:00-11:30am ET on MSNBC.

KT on North Korea - FOX News.

KT on North Korea, Iran and Taiwan.

5/28/09 - FNC - Live Desk

FOX News Blogs » FOX Forum » Kathleen Troia "K.T." McFarland

K.T. McFARLAND: The Other North Korean Threat - What If They Sell Their Nukes to Our Enemies?

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

North Korea Threatens to Attack

By Ryan Mauro

North Korea says it is considering South Korea’s decision to join the Proliferation Security Initiative, which is an international partnership dedicated to interdicting shipments of WMD-related supplies, as an act of war. North Korea further added that ships in the Yellow Sea can no longer be guaranteed safety.

Keep in mind, North Korea has warned that other taken and potential actions taken against them such as sanctions, shooting down a missile being test-fired, or even U.N. resolutions, would be treated as “acts of war.” This is a common threat from North Korea.

However, Kim Jong-Il is a dictator, and dictators by their very nature are irrational. No action on the part of the North Korean government can be ruled out if Kim Jong-Il views it as necessary, whether for reasons of prestige, power, financial (to pressure the West into providing more aid) or in his mind, national security.

Luckily for the West, Kim Jong-Il is not ideologically motivated. All his actions are taken for selfish reasons, and therefore he is likely to calculate his moves based on what will most improve the power and well being of himself and his family. That doesn’t change the fact that he’s a dictator in poor health, though, and when such a man has complete control over decision-making, it can create a very combustible situation. [more...]

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Obama's Afghanistan Strategy Copies Bush's Surge

By Ryan Mauro

The decision by the Obama administration to fire General McKiernan as commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and replace him with General Stanley McChrystal has been met with widespread praise, with former vice president and current chief Obama critic Dick Cheney describing McChrystal as "an absolutely outstanding officer." With all the focus on whether McChrystal can decisively change the situation in Afghanistan, commentators are missing what McChrystal's selection means. Think about President Obama's new strategy for Afghanistan. He's put in place a reputable new commander in preparation for a broad counterinsurgency campaign. He's dispatching over 20,000 additional soldiers to help bring security to the country and is putting pressure on the country's neighbors to crack down on those trying to destabilize Afghanistan and kill our soldiers. Sound familiar? [more...]

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Pelosi Roasted by Waterboarding Revelations

By Ryan Mauro

Pardon me for being surprised that people are shocked to find out that Speaker Pelosi is a typical politician. Regardless of whether one thinks waterboarding is torture, the verdict on Pelosi's record on torture is in: she's an accomplice by choosing to remain silent, ironically outed by the director of national intelligence of the administration she worked to get elected.DNI Dennis Blair has put together a list of CIA briefings of members of Congress related to torture, or "enhanced interrogation techniques," whichever term you prefer, including waterboarding. The document reveals that on September 4, 2002, Speaker Pelosi was briefed and given "a description of the particular EITs that had been employed" on high-level al-Qaeda operative Abu Zubaydah. It is now widely acknowledged that one of these "particular EITs" used on Zubaydah was waterboarding, putting him in an elite class of only three detainees to have had the technique used on them. [more...]

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Iran's New Terrorist Offensive

By Ryan Mauro

Iran and Syria seem to be covertly supporting a new terrorist offensive against U.S. allies in the Middle East and the Caucasus. While they have sponsored terrorists in these regions before, recent disruptions of terrorist cells indicate that they are increasing the tempo and may be preparing for a confrontation in the near future. Mohammad al-Oufi, the commander of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, has been in Saudi custody since turning himself in. Al-Oufi revealed that Iran was working with Al-Qaeda in the region and that foreign intelligence services were working with the group to disrupt the flow of Saudi oil, clearly insinuating Iranian involvement in the plot. According to the testimony, the Al-Qaeda attackers would flee to Yemen to avoid the Saudi authorities. [more...]

Pakistan Ground Zero

By Bill Glynn

Radical Islam's Nuclear AmbitionI’ve been writing about Pakistan for a while, pointing to the ominous threat that the rapidly destabilizing situation there poses to the world. Just imagine radical Islam having the bomb! Iran isn’t the only one with nuclear ambition. The question we have to ask ourselves is what would happen if Pakistan goes the way Iran did decades ago. The nuclear nation is hanging by a thread and their nukes are within striking distance of the Taliban already. What a horrifying scenario. Worse, history is repeating itself and actually repeating upon us. Pakistan is the Cambodia of this war just like in Vietnam. A hands-off nation harboring the Taliban like the Viet Cong growing their military and power while we fight a politically correct war and let it all happen. The only thing they understand is power and if we don’t crush this, it will become one of the worst situations our planet has faced. [more...]

Thursday, May 7, 2009

The Three Types of Jihadists

By Ryan Mauro

Perhaps the greatest mistake the West makes is equating the War on Terror with the war on al-Qaeda, as if someone trying to help Sharia law replace democratic freedom must follow the standard set by bin Laden in order to be defined as an "extremist." When extremists condemn bin Laden and 9/11, there will always be some voice in the West eager to embrace them as the moderate counter to Islamic extremism, whether that be the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic Courts Union of Somalia, or governments like Saudi Arabia and Iran. A recent analysis by the Middle East Media Research Institute of the harsh criticism of Ayman al-Zawahiri by Dr. al-Fadl, his former spiritual mentor, shows that there are three types of jihadists, differing on strategy and details, but sharing the same end goal. The failure of the West to see these distinctions will lead to erred policy and strategy, forcing our grandchildren to fight a war that should be won on our watch. [more...]

The Taliban Nuclear Ambition

Iran isn't the only one that wants to wield the Hand of God
By Bill Glynn

Pakistan is ground zero. If we think the Taliban is a bunch of rogue fighters throwing rocks at the sun – think again. What's behind the Taliban is a hugely sophisticated agenda and alliance with nations like Iran. Frankly, how are they getting weapons? That's right, Iran. Other rogue nations like North Korea can be supplying them, too, but what ambition lies beneath the Taliban's growth and aggressiveness? Nuclear weapons and a standing army. Pakistan is the ideal place for them to make a stand and if all goes as planned, topple the country and cause a civil war. Pakistan is soft peddling and trying to contain these people who cut off heads, slit throats and forcibly recruit males from all lands they occupy to beef up their forces. Women – forget about them – they are drawn back into the Middle Ages. Remember these words: "The Most Committed in War will Always Win." And the Taliban is committed, for certain. But here at home we sit in front of the TV and tune in to our wartime entertainment. Once we have had our fill of it, we lose heart and stomach to persevere. Worse, liberals fight to give these people rights like at Guantanamo Bay. What rights do you think we would get if the shoe were on the other foot? [more...]