Confronting The Truth About Homegrown Radical Islamic Terrorists

By Joseph Klein
New York Republican Congressman Peter King, the incoming chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, is being criticized by the usual suspects on the Left for his plan to hold congressional hearings on the radicalization of some in the U.S. Muslim community.

Congressman King refuses to ignore the obvious - the global Islamic jihadist war that is sucking in radicalized Muslim-Americans. This organized terrorist threat, fueled by radical Islamic ideology, is far greater than isolated instances of individual nutcases motivated by their own personal demons such as Timothy McVeigh or the fellow who flew a plane into an IRS building. [more...]

National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

WikiLeaks' Jew-Hating Staff

If you needed any more proof of WikiLeaks' extremist agenda, look no further than Israel Shamir, the Holocaust denier who is in charge of distributing the organization's documents to the Russian media. The involvement of Shamir, who also supports Ahmadinejad and refers to Palestinian terrorists as "martyrs," should put to rest any doubt that WikiLeaks' rhetoric about transparency is just a cloak for its anti-American and anti-Western agenda. [more...]

Turning the Tables on North Korea

The conflict with North Korea is a Catch-22. On the one hand, ignoring the regime’s provocations guarantees they will continue and will escalate. On the other, the West does not want to risk war and destabilization makes it more likely that corrupt officials will sell expertise, weapons, and even WMDs to high-paying customers. At the moment, there is no viable opposition group that can replace the regime. The West seems stuck, but a proper understanding of the regime’s behavior does offer a way to deter Kim Jong-Il and Kim Jong-Un, his youngest son and successor. [more...]

The Saudi Succession Threat

Saudi Arabia has been a part-time ally of the U.S., crushing Al-Qaeda terrorists trying to overthrow the Royal Family in its own territory but promoting radical Islam outside of it. The U.S. has made the largest arms sale in history to the Saudis but these weapons could end up in dangerous hands, especially if Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz al-Saud becomes king. [more...]

Glazov Premieres New Video Interview Series

FrontPageMag premieres "FrontPage Close-Up with Jamie Glazov," a new video series of provocative interviews with the leading thinkers and newsmakers of our time. The first interview is with a hero of our modern era - Philippe Karsenty, the French media analyst who exposed the Mohammed Al-Dura Fraud, which involved France 2, a French television network, broadcasting staged footage of Israeli soldiers allegedly killing a 12-year-old Palestinian, Mohammed al-Dura, during a gun battle in Gaza in 2000. [more...]

Jamie Glazov is Frontpage Magazine's editor. He holds a Ph.D. in History with a specialty in Russian, U.S. and Canadian foreign policy. He is the author of Canadian Policy Toward Khrushchev’s Soviet Union and is the co-editor (with David Horowitz) of The Hate America Left. He edited and wrote the introduction to David Horowitz’s Left Illusions. His new book is Showdown With Evil: Our Struggle Against Tyranny and Terror, which includes 29 of his best interviews, and offers "a crash course in how to protect American liberty from its totalitarian and terrorist enemies.

Jay Nordlinger of National Review Online says, "Jamie Glazov knows how to gather the sharper minds, and he knows how to probe them. He has one of them himself: a sharp mind. This collection of interviews and commentary is a guide to our perilous times.” If you’d like to read Richard Perle’s foreword, go Here.

National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

Iranian Revolutionary Fires Still Burn

On December 7 of every year, Student Day is held in Iran to honor three student protestors who were killed in 1953 while demonstrating against the U.S. Now, Student Day has become a day of demonstration against the Iranian regime. This year’s protests were only a fraction of last year’s, but the students still stood strong in the face of tremendous security measures. [more...]

Iranian Scientist Says He Worked on Nuke

Yet another secret nuclear site in Iran may have just been exposed. A scientist kidnapped by Baluchi militants is providing personal testimony that he worked at a secret uranium enrichment facility with the explicit purpose of creating a nuclear bomb. If his statements are true, then Iran could get a nuclear bomb sooner than is thought. [more...]

Good News From WikiLeaks: Sky is Falling in Iran, North Korea

The cables released very encouraging news about a coalescing opposition to the two regimes.

The release of confidential diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks (and the pending release of thousands more) has undoubtedly done damage to our ability to win the trust of informants, foreign officials, and intelligence services. There is ample reason to be angry over this scandal, but there is also reason to be encouraged. The content of the documents shows the roof is collapsing on the Iranian and North Korean regimes and that a coalition has formed to support regime change for both. [more...]

Watch Ryan on Fox & Friends.

Oklahoma Voters Overwhelmingly Ban Sharia Law

ACT! for America Claims Victory in Passage of State Question 755 Following Grassroots Activities

ACT! for America claimed victory in last night’s overwhelming passage of Oklahoma State Question 755 by more than seventy percent of the electorate.  The amendment, which forbids courts from considering Sharia (Islamic) or international law and mandates they “rely on federal and state laws when deciding cases,” passed following the organization’s grassroots campaign in Oklahoma which included radio ads and 600,000 automated phone calls to voters featuring the voice of Oklahoma native and former CIA Director Jim Woolsey.

“While the economy and jobs took center stage this election cycle, national security concerns were still at the forefront of the minds of Oklahomans,” said Brigitte Gabriel, President of ACT! for America.  “Americans are increasingly aware of the threat of homegrown jihadism and creeping sharia law - and they took firm action last night.

“Overall, the election results bode well for progress in the Congress on these issues and will increase the pressure on the Obama administration to adjust the way it is defining and addressing the threat of radical Islam.”

The 1-minute radio spot, which began running on October 18, aired across the state.  Ms. Gabriel, along with the local ACT! for America chapter leader, also penned an op-ed for The Oklahoman in support of the amendment.

As for the other election results, from the ACT! for America perspective the most important consequence is that “the power of the gavel” will switch in the U.S. House of Representatives.

By this, Ms. Gabriel adds, "I mean key committees, such as the Homeland Security Committee, will likely be chaired by Members of Congress who truly understand the threat radical Islam poses to our national security and who will have a different list of priorities regarding what bills to consider and hearings to hold. The legislative calendar, controlled by the Speaker of the House, will also reflect different priorities regarding what bills to bring to a vote before the full House."

New Book Examines Relationship between the President, the UN, and Radical Islam

By Joseph Klein

In his new book, Lethal Engagement: Barack Hussein Obama, The United Nations & Radical Islam, conservative columnist and United Nations correspondent Joseph Klein takes a critical look at President Obama's aggressive outreach to the Muslim world; his belief that the U.S. has a "moral responsibility" to lead the way toward a world without nuclear weapons even as he permits Iran to continue developing its nuclear arms capability; and his submission to the international consensus of the anti-Western United Nations.

Klein explains in Lethal Engagement how and why Obama is playing right into the Islamists' stealth strategy to undermine American laws, financial systems and democratic values that get in the way of radical Islamic priorities. This strategy includes manipulating our own laws and institutions against us in order to inject Sharia (Islamic law) into our legal and political system.

After exposing how radical Muslims are re-branding their barbaric ideology to deceive Americans, with President Obama's help, Klein offers solutions to take back our country.

Here are just a few of the multiple examples Klein provides in Lethal Engagement, from President Obama's words and actions, that should wake Americans up to the dangerous path the Obama administration is taking us down.  Klein explains how Obama is:

• Providing detained Islamic terrorist suspects full constitutional rights;
• Refusing to identify the enemy as they truly are - Islamic radicals who want to impose Sharia (Islamic law) on this country by violent and stealth means;
• Apologizing to the Muslim world for U.S. "arrogance" and Western "colonialism" while promising to make amends so that Islamists can practice their beliefs "as they see fit";
• Re-branding the barbaric supremacist Islamic ideology as a religion demonstrating "the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality";
• Inviting radical Muslims such as the president of the radical Islamic Society of North America (an un-indicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land terrorist funding case) to Ramadan dinners at the White House;
• Joining the radical Islamic-dominated UN Human Rights Council, which has successfully pushed forward the radical Muslim agenda to make "defamation" of Islam a violation of international law; and
• Nominating more Supreme Court justices who believe that international and foreign laws should be used to interpret the United States Constitution.

If you are tired of Islamists and their liberal elite supporters calling well-meaning American citizens 'bigots' or 'racists' for simply questioning what is behind the radical Islamic agenda and how President Obama is facilitating it, then you need to read Lethal Engagement: Barack Hussein Obama, The United Nations & Radical Islam, which will provide you with invaluable information gleaned from extensive, well-researched primary sources and from Klein's own pointed questioning of high level United Nations, Islamic and U.S. spokespersons at United Nations press briefings.

Read a review on Conservative Monitor and his interview on FrontPageMag.com.

About the Author: Joseph Klein is the author of Global Deception: The UN's Stealth Assault on America's Freedom. A Harvard Law School graduate, he is an attorney and columnist, contributing to FrontPage Magazine and Canada Free Press as their United Nations correspondent and is a featured blogger for News Real Blog. Joseph is a guest on talk radio and TV shows, including Fox and Friends.

Evil Ground Zero Mosque Mania

By Larry Klayman

The dastardly scheme and now reality of building a mosque just one block from Ground Zero was crazy and evil enough, given the pain that New Yorkers and the nation as a whole have experienced since 9/11. Add to that the irrefutable fact that the imam of this planned outrage is an American agent who works for the Obama State Department, going on taxpayer-funded junkets around the world to spread the word of "Muhammad" and "Allah," that donors to his congregation have given to the Holy Land Foundation, a convicted terrorist front group, and that this same imam, Feisal Rauf, blamed the United States for causing 9/11 shortly after the tragedy occurred, and we see the curtain rising on this "Theatre of the Absurd," radical Muslim style. But now that this curtain has risen and we are able to view the "first act," thanks to the lawsuit my brave client, severely wounded first responder Vinnie Forras, brought to "Unmasque the Mosque," this existential tragic-comedy takes on new bizarre and troubling dimensions with each passing day.

As if it were not enough that our president, Barack Hussein Obama, endorsed the ground zero mosque at a White House celebration of Ramadan, after having canceled White House commemoration of the primarily Christian-Jewish National Day of Prayer. The nation's Voice of America, which is meant to broadcast and further American values and a message of freedom into Iran and the Middle East, among other world venues, aired what in effect was a defense of the building of the ground zero mosque last Sept. 15 (see video here.) This defense by VOA obviously had the effect of whipping up anti-American sentiment in the Muslim world. [more...]

Stop Sharia Law in America!

By Brigitte Gabriel

ACT! for America, the nation's largest national security grassroots movement with nearly 150,000 members and 450 local chapters, launched a full scale media campaign in Oklahoma today urging people to go out and vote YES on State Question 755: the Save our State constitutional amendment prohibiting Oklahoma courts from using Islamic Sharia law in their rulings. Go here to listen to the 1-minute radio spot.

ACT! For America is mobilizing nationwide to resist the advance of radical Islam and Sharia law in America on every level - our education system and our legal system among many others. Ms. Gabriel says: “Who would have thought that Sharia law would come to Harvard University, which instituted women only gym hours in 2007 to accommodate Islamic religious practices? And foot washing basins for Muslim taxi drivers' Islamic prayer rituals are being installed in American public airports paid for by tax dollars. Not to mention, a judge in New Jersey ruled that a Muslim man has the right, under Sharia Islamic law, to rape and torture his wife because it is within the practices of his religion. When do we say enough?”

Ms. Gabriel is available to discuss State Question 755, the ACT! for America radio ad, and ways in which Sharia law is beginning to penetrate America, both formally and informally.

PC Police Approve Jihadis at Nuke Plants

By Joy Tiz

It’s like Fort Hood all over again. Sharif Mobley, a homegrown al qaeda jihadi worked in American nuclear power plants and blathered about jihad. He referred to non-Muslims as "infidels" and visited some "unusual" Web sites. The one with the mushroom cloud might have concerned someone: The report, prepared at the request of Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, recommended improving plant employee training on how to detect and report 'behaviors associated with terrorist intent.' I don’t know, maybe trying some common sense would yield better results. How about we don’t let jihadis work at nuclear plants? It’s not as if this guy tried to keep it a secret. [more...]

FBI's Muslim Outreach Outrage

Earlier this summer, as reported by Ben Bradley of WLS Chicago, the FBI invited Kifah Mustapha to participate in a VIP tour of the top-secret National Counterterrorism Center as part of its Muslim outreach program. Mustapha was invited in spite of the fact that (1) he is on national terrorist watch lists; (2) he was an un-indicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial; (3) he has ties to and has been public in his support of the terrorist organization Hamas; (4) his mosque was identified in a 2004 Chicago Tribune report as being a hot spot for Hamas fundraising and terrorist support; and (5) he was dismissed from the Illinois State Police chaplaincy program because he failed the State Police background check.

Yesterday, September 29th, ACT! for America Executive Director Guy Rodgers sent a national e-mail about this outrage to ACT! for America's 145,000 members and urged them to call the FBI to ask why this happened. Numerous ACT! members reported that FBI officials treated them rudely, berated them, and insisted the story was a "lie" and a "fabrication." Today, ACT! for America is calling for a congressional investigation.

National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

Infecting Iran's Nuke Program

Shortly before Russia inserted the fuel rods into Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor on August 21, some experts warned it would be the last opportunity for Israel to destroy the facility and prevent Iran from going nuclear. Israel did not, and now we may know why: A "cyber superweapon" had infiltrated the site's computer networks and it is likely the reason why the reactor’s operation has been delayed. This is just the latest attack in a covert war that has thus far prevented Iran from possessing nuclear weapons. [more...]


Chavez Meets Defeat

Hugo Chavez’s "roller-coaster is going down," declared Carlos Ocariz, a mayor that is part of the anti-Chavez Coalition for Democratic Unity, this week. Ocariz and other Venezuelan opposition activists had reason to be hopeful. Hugo Chavez's transformation of Venezuela into an anti-American harbor for drug traffickers and terrorists ran into resistance on Monday. The Venezuelan opposition took away the two-thirds majority in the National Assembly held by Chavez’s party, winning 52 percent of the vote and at least 61 of the 165 seats. All of Chavez’s dirty tricks to undermine his opponents failed to prevent a majority of voters from acting to arrest their country’s decline into dictatorship. [more...]


Widespread Fraud Alleged in Afghan Election

At least 600 attacks by the Taliban disrupted the vote while evidence is emerging that President Hamid Karzai manipulated the ballots.

President Obama was right when he privately said he risks losing "the entire Democratic Party" over the war in Afghanistan. With public opinion already souring on the war, the president can’t afford much else to undermine confidence in the effort. Now it is known that President Karzai is on and off medication for manic depression and Afghanistan has held parliamentary elections with even more fraud and violence than the tainted "re-election" of Karzai. [more...]


Did Secretary of State Clinton Indirectly Call for Regime Change in Iran?

Secretary of State Clinton and the Obama Administration as a whole has not made it U.S. policy to support the Iranian opposition, but some things Clinton has said indicates to me they want to very gently embolden them. I know I’m speculating, but I can’t help but get the feeling that Clinton privately wishes more was being done. [more...]

The Electronic Pearl Harbor

By Ryan Mauro

Presages about the defeat or even the destruction of the U.S. by terrorists and rogue leaders are usually dismissed as bombastic rhetoric or self-induced illusions. The West’s enemies, however, are working towards the means to make their prophecies come true. Electro-Magnetic Pulse attacks with nuclear weapons detonated at high altitude and cyber warfare can enable ostensibly weak adversaries to deliver a crippling blow far greater than 9/11. [more...]

National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

How Iran Kills Americans

Five Iranian companies in Afghanistan are paying Taliban militants over $200 per month with bonuses of $1,000 for killing an American soldier and $6,000 for destroying a U.S. military vehicle. The ideological differences and past tension between Iran and the Taliban have not stopped them from allying against a common enemy, allowing the Iranian regime to help kill American soldiers with little consequence. [more...]


Imam Rauf on Israel’s Destruction

Newly discovered statements by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the man behind the Ground Zero mosque project, show he supports the destruction of Israel. His supporters may hold him up as a moderate, but he has spoken out in favor of a “one-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and he sees peace agreements with Israel as a means to that end. [more...]


Has Israel Just Figured Out How to Make the Electric Car Worthwhile?

Energy independence has been talked about so much for decades that many doubt it’ll happen in our lifetime. But the world may soon see a dramatic change over the next few years - and that change is coming from Israel. During my recent 10-day trip there, thanks to the Once in a Lifetime project by 24 Hebrew University students, I went to a facility run by Better Place - a company that seems to have worked all the kinks out of making electric cars free of gasoline a reality. The cars look like any other car, and drive smoothly and silently. Once charged, either at your home or at a station, the car can drive 100 miles without needing another charge. [more...]


The War Left Behind

The declaration that combat operations in Iraq are over doesn’t change much. American soldiers are still fighting as they secure the country from a legion of extremist forces. On September 7, only one week after the official "end" of the U.S. combat role, two American soldiers were killed and nine were injured in an attack. The casualties are a reminder that the conflict rages on and Americans remain in harm’s way. [more...]

National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

Rehearsing Terror

The Dutch police have released two Yemeni men taken off a United Airlines flight that landed in Amsterdam from Chicago, saying there was no evidence connecting them to terrorism. However, the circumstances of their arrest clearly point to a "dry run" or deliberate provocation of security, with important questions remaining unanswered. [more...]

Hamas’s Preview for Peace

The Israelis and the Palestinian Authority have renewed peace negotiations, with Defense Minister Ehud Barak going so far as to state that the division of Jerusalem is on the table. Hamas has predictably reacted by shooting four Israeli civilians to death in the West Bank, followed by a second shooting that injured two. The attacks underscored that there can never be anything near peace until Hamas is dismantled and Palestinian public opinion comes to accept the reality of Israel’s existence. [more...]

Majority of Iraqis Oppose Obama’s Withdrawal

Democracy, Whiskey, Sexy, Redux: based on recent polling numbers, Iraqis want American soldiers to stay in their country more than the Americans do.

According to the latest CBS poll, nearly 70 percent of Americans approve of President Obama’s decision to withdraw all combat troops from Iraq. In a remarkable turnaround, the Iraqis are the bigger opponents of the president’s plan. Iraqis want American soldiers to stay in their country more than Americans do. [more...]

ACT! for America Denounces Koran Burning

A message from Brigitte Gabriel, President and CEO of ACT! for America
 
We at ACT! for America denounce and condemn, in the strongest terms, the upcoming Koran burning event organized by Pastor Terry Jones and members of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida. Their proposed event is ill-conceived, counter-productive and unwelcome in a world where ideas and philosophies are best debated in the context of the issues and the facts. We find this an archaic act that serves no useful purpose, and as such is a regrettable instance of an inability or unwillingness to discuss the issues facing us in a reasonable and constructive manner.

ACT! for America is, and has always been, committed to exposing the threat of the political ideology of radical Islam and its sharia law through constructive debate, illumination of the facts, and a reasoned analysis of the implications of the threat.

Pastor Jones and his congregation are stooping to the tactics of and joining the inarticulate who express their anger and opposition through destructive and spiteful acts of denigration. What is the difference between his actions and the actions of Islamists destroying synagogues in Gaza or churches and Bibles in Lebanon, Bosnia and Egypt? We are better than that as Americans.

Saddam Hussein Admitted He Planned on Nuclear Weapons

By Ronald Kessler

As President Obama drew the curtain on the Iraq war, liberal commentators were declaring the war pointless. "Sure, you know, violence is down from its peak during the civil war, but does anybody really think that lives of Iraqis are all that much better?" Rajiv Chandrasekaran, national editor of The Washington Post, told Chris Matthews on MSNBC. “If there had been no invasion, Saddam [Hussein] would still be in power,” Richard Engel of NBC said on the Today show. “He was probably getting more moderate... He was heading in a direction of accommodation.” In his speech on ending the war, President Obama seemed to have the same muddled concept of what the war achieved. His administration decries Arizona’s effort to arrest illegal immigrants as human rights violations while ignoring the fact that Saddam killed 300,000 people, used chemical weapons, and tortured his own people. [more...]

National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

Obama’s Human Rights Disgrace

The United States has refused to join the United Nations Human Rights Council since it was birthed in 2006 following the dissolving of its failed predecessor, the U.N. Commission on Human Rights. The Obama Administration changed course in March 2009 and now, for the first time, has submitted a report on the status of human rights in the U.S. to the Council, setting up the country to be judged by governments like those of Cuba, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Qatar, Pakistan and Egypt. [more...]


The Four Good Things About Obama’s Iraq Speech

I’m not going to stomp on every sentence in President Obama’s speech about Iraq. There were actually four good things about the speech that we can appreciate. The first is how this "withdrawal” is occurring. I put “withdrawal” in quotation marks for a reason: namely, that it isn’t really a “withdrawal.” And the “combat forces” are now “advisors” that will be performing the same functions as they have as “combat forces” since 2008 after the surge improved the security situation, as Kenneth Pollack notes. [more...]


Obama is Trying to Convince You That Withdrawal From Iraq Isn’t Victory for Iran

On August 23, Vice President Biden made the monumentally stupid statement that “Iranian influence in Iraq is minimal. It’s been greatly exaggerated.” The remark shows a profound misunderstanding of how the region works and as I’ll explain in a forthcoming Pajamas Media article, is very damaging. Without even realizing it, Biden vindicated Iran’s proxy strategy. [more...]


Obama Iraq Speech Becomes State of the Union II

You’ve seen my take on the good things about Obama’s speech, now let’s review the not-so-nice parts. The biggest thing to me was how it became the State of the Union #2. He suddenly starts talking about his economic agenda and how America will endure its domestic struggles. He talks about how he’s fulfilling his pledge as a candidate while making no mention of how the surge enabled him to responsibly fulfill that pledge. [more...]

National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

The Ground Zero Mosque's Conservative Supporter

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and proponents of his plan to build a 13-story Islamic center near Ground Zero are now being helped by Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform and conservative Republican activist. Norquist and his associates are calling on the Republican Party to drop its opposition to the plan, arguing that the GOP is threatening the rights of Muslims and that its criticism will backfire politically. [more...]


Fake Hate Crimes: An Islamist Weapon

Over the recent Fourth of July weekend, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) interviewed attendees of the 47th annual Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) convention about their experiences in dealing with “Islamophobia.” Shortly afterwards, on July 6, CAIR called on the FBI to investigate an act of arson at a Georgia mosque, saying that hate crimes were increasing because of a “vocal minority in our society promoting anti-Muslim bigotry.” The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) referred to it as one of the “incidents of Islamophobia [that] are on the rise in this country.” However, police later arrested a Muslim suspect. [more...]


First Islamic College Opens in California

AOL News reports that the first accredited Islamic college in America, the Zaytuna College, has opened its doors in California. The two founders say they are opposed to terrorism and are patriotic Americans, but questions have been raised about some of their beliefs. Ryan Mauro, the Christian Action Network's National Security Advisor, wrote in FrontPage Magazine in May 2009 that the two founders, Sheikh Hamza Yusuf and Imam Zaid Shakir, have said some very positive things but some areas of concern remain. [more...]


Iran: Filling the Void in Iraq

Last week, the U.S. removed its last full combat brigade from Iraq, bringing troop levels down to about 50,000. The withdrawal comes as the Iraqi political parties struggle to form the next government and Iran increases its efforts to control Iraq. The war isn't over; it's just entered a new phase. [more...]

National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

Israel's Crunch Time

The Obama administration gave Russia permission to deliver the fuel rods for Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor in return for their support for U.N. sanctions. The Russians have announced they will begin the process on August 21 and Iran will begin operating the reactor in mid-September. In making this concession to Russia, the U.S. is forcing Israel to decide within one week if they will bomb the site before it is impossible to do so because of the radioactive fallout it would cause. [more...]


The Tricks of Hezbollah

It is not a coincidence that the August 3 clash on the Lebanese-Israeli border came as the United Nations tribunal investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri prepared to indict Hezbollah. The violence on the border, which was the worst since the 2006 war, was initiated by the Lebanese Army and came as Hezbollah desperately tried to blame Israel for the Hariri assassination. [more...]


Is Islam Really the Fastest Growing Religion?

It’s a stated fact everywhere from the media to academia to churches: Islam is the second-fastest growing religion. It will become the biggest religion during this century. Christianity is going out of style and Islam is the new kid on the block. We hear it from those wanting to give the Muslim community a bigger voice; from those complaining about Western ignorance; from those trying to put Islam on the same plane as Christianity and Judaism; and even in churches decrying the lack of evangelical fervor among the congregation. But is it really true? [more...]


Jon Stewart Really Doesn’t Get the 9/11 Mosque Controversy

This week on "The Daily Show," Jon Stewart joined the chorus of those thinking the criticism of the 9/11 mosque project is driven by anti-Muslim bigotry. Like most issues, the 9/11mosque project is complex, and to reduce it to a single theme is simplistic and deceiving. Stewart took aim at Glenn Beck for saying that Imam Rauf’s statement that U.S. foreign policy mistakes contributed to 9/11, noting that Beck had said much the same, but leaves it there. There are multiple layers to why the project is a bad idea. But before we get to that, watch the segment after the jump. [more...]

Ryan Mauro's Trip to Israel

Ryan Mauro spent almost two weeks in Israel and has recently returned to the U.S.

Go here to read his blogs.

This is from his final day in Israel: Leaving Yad Vashem, I realize the cost of even relatively light anti-Semitism and bigotry is too high and ignoring it is too risky. Any remaining vestige of this plague and any sign of its resurfacing must be immediately stamped out, not only because of the consequences for the future but because it’s the best way of apologizing to those we abandoned in the past.

We owe it to the victims to make sure their sacrifice at least prevents the suffering of others. And when I walked out of Yad Vashem to a beautiful view of Jerusalem, it really hit me why we must stand with Israel. A sort of conviction arises that I think few people can relate to. Israel is the beauty that arose out of this tragedy - and walking out of the last dark room of books of names of Holocaust victims, Israel’s light shone brighter than at any moment during the trip.

Leaving Israel, I feel like I’m leaving a big part of me there, and bringing a small part of Israel to the U.S. Everything I love about my country, my culture, and my beliefs is embodied in Israel. I stand for peace. I stand for democracy and freedom. I stand for righting history’s wrongs. I stand for human rights and tolerance. I stand with Israel.

Some video from the trip:

http://www.youtube.com/mytrip#p/u/6/I_pwv0xV7xU

http://www.youtube.com/mytrip#p/u/3/Bq7W0px-LeE

http://www.youtube.com/mytrip#p/u/2/KNrJ7wEATVI

http://www.youtube.com/mytrip#p/u/0/lhFbLcUlmvA

http://www.youtube.com/user/oyvagoy#p/a/u/0/DBdd2UXFFnM

No Hatred in a Principled Stand

By Cory Emberson, Co-author of Pursuing Liberty: America Through the Eyes of the Newly Free

Cordoba House, the Islamic center/mosque proposed for the former Burlington Coat Factory building two blocks from New York's sacred ground - Ground Zero - has touched off a firestorm of debate in New York City and across the country. While Cordoba Initiative founder Imam Feisal (who will not call Hamas a terrorist organization), New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and a suddenly religiously tolerant left push ahead in their support of this thirteen-story mosque, they seem surprised by the intensity of the opposition.

Americans are a generally tolerant people, and while New Yorkers waited for the outcome of the Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing - they denied the building at 45-47 Park Place landmark status, allowing the permit process to move forward. But wait! Parts of United Flight 175's landing gear smashed through the building, landing on the empty selling floor. The building was, blessedly, vacant. This is not just another building.

Since the attacks of 9/11, a stateless declaration of war on the United States, the sensitivity game has been waged as a large-scale chess match. Politicians have made a point of articulating America's unique legacy of tolerance, even in the face of reciprocal intolerance. Want to bring a Bible to Saudi Arabia? Sorry. Got a problem with the red crescent-shaped Flight 93 memorial design? How could you reject such outreach? Is the construction of a mosque only a few blocks away from Ground Zero (and another mosque) a slap in the face to those who perished, their families, and the survivors? Just ask a New Yorker.

Our inalienable right of dissent has been tarred as hatred; our objections badly mischaracterized as a phobia; and we are pressured to ignore history and radical Islam's penchant for symbolism. Alyssa A. Lappen writes in Pajamas Media:

"Even Cordoba Institute's name telegraphs the organization's deceptiveness. Cordoba (also the name for Chautauqua's proposed new Muslim house) was the seat of the Islamic Caliphate that ruled most of Spain from Tariq ibn Zayid's 711 invasion through 1248, and controlled parts of Spain until its full liberation in 1492. However, neither the Umayyads (who ruled monolithically until about 1031), nor the particularly vicious Almoravids (who swept over the Atlas mountains and, in 1080, into Spain) ruled non-Muslims kindly. While Islamic harshness varied, it remained unquestionably ever-present."

Rick Lindstrom and I wrote Pursuing Liberty: America Through the Eyes of the Newly Free as both an intimate portrait of those who fled tyranny for American liberty, and as a historical record of how those countries descended into oppression. It was no surprise when we found Neda Bolourchi's powerful op-ed in Sunday's Washington Post: A Muslim victim of 9/11: "Build your mosque somewhere else":

"The Iranian revolution compelled my family to flee to America when I was 12 years old. Yet, just over two decades later, the militant version of our faith caught up with us on a September morning. I still identify as a Muslim. When you are born into a Muslim family, there is no way around it, no choices available: You are Muslim. I am not ashamed of my faith, but I am ashamed of what is done in its name."

Neda's mother was on United Flight 175, the second plane to smash into the World Trade Center the morning of September 11, 2001. She witnessed her mother's murder on live television. To this day, she is torn, and carries the anguish of that day:

"I still have great respect for the faith. Yet, I worry that the construction of the Cordoba House Islamic cultural center near the World Trade Center site would not promote tolerance or understanding; I fear it would become a symbol of victory for militant Muslims around the world."

Those militants who would cheer the destruction of the United States in favor of a worldwide caliphate ruled by sharia law have no problem telling us exactly what they intend to do. Why don't we believe them? And while the Cordoba Initiative's mission statement is to "improv[e] Muslim-West relations," it seems that sensitivities only exist on a one-way street.

We support New York construction worker Andy Sullivan's principled refusal to work on this particular site, as articulated during his interview on Fox & Friends on August 10: "It's not about religion - it's about human decency." Sullivan cited the "Muslim tradition of placing mosques on conquered territory," and is appealing directly to his rank and file colleagues. He was asked whether he would refuse paying work on the Cordoba Project, in that location, out of principle - even in a recession-wracked city. "Absolutely."

As fair-minded Americans, we find it difficult to operate outside the rule of law. While disallowing such a project on legal terms is vastly more in our character than rejecting it on emotional terms, sensitivity toward the mosque's opponents' pain - and a voluntary withdrawal of the project - truly would demonstrate their stated goal of goodwill toward the West. Just because it's legal to do something doesn't mean you should do it.

National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

Vindicated for Removing Saddam

President Bush's top political advisor, Karl Rove, said on July 15 that his biggest mistake was not fighting back against Democrats trying to score cheap political points by accusing the President of lying to get the country to support an invasion of Iraq. Rove is right, but another mistake was made: not trying to vindicate the removal of Saddam Hussein using evidence, including Iraqi government documents, that was obtained after the regime’s overthrow. Compelling evidence exists to show that Saddam’s regime was sponsoring terrorists (e.g., Al-Qaeda), had the ability to quickly produce weapons of mass destruction, and the will to use both against its enemies. [more...]


More Muslim Riots in France

Muslim youths have taken to the streets of France once again, rioting against perceived abuses at the hands of police in their "special urban zones" that separate them from the rest of society. [more...]


Iran is Attacking U.S. Bases in Iraq Because We Let Them

I may be reading too much into these statements, but I’m getting a sense that General Ray Odierno, commander of the Multinational Forces in Iraq, is getting frustrated. Like General Petraeus before him, Odierno is becoming more and more vocal about the role Iran plays in attacking Coalition and Iraqi forces and mingling in Iraq overall. [more...]


Mexico Drug War Spills into U.S.

The drug conflict in Mexico has been growing for years into a full-scale guerilla war, and now it has spilled into Texas. There are contradictory reports that the Los Zetas drug gang has taken over at least two ranches near Laredo, Texas, forcing law enforcement to ask for federal intervention. The drug lords have become increasingly brutal and effective, have ties to foreign terrorist groups and have even set off a car bomb. As the U.S. fights two campaigns overseas, a lack of border security is permitting an insurgency south of the border to threaten us at home. [more...]

National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

Frequent Muslim Speaker to Kids in New York Schools Supports Hamas, Hezbollah

In communicating with Hassan Shibly, it’s hard to see why this frequent guest speaker at schools in New York would be embroiled in a controversy. He’s easy to converse with and kind. He passionately condemns terrorism (including the 9/11 attacks) and sings the praises of America. But shortly after January 10, when he gave nine presentations during his fourth visit to Clarence High School, he became part of a controversy when a mother of a student that listened to Shibly reported that he blamed the 9/11 attacks on U.S. foreign policy, specifically support for Israel. The mother later found out that he doesn’t consider Hezbollah to be a terrorist group. School officials defended Shibly in emails to the mother and he defends his position by saying it is backed by top political scientists. [more...]


Mourning a Jihadist

Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah died at age 75 in Beirut on July 4. As a top Shiite cleric and spiritual influence for Hezbollah, he had a large number of followers - including one senior editor at CNN named Octavia Nasr. Fadlallah had a long history of terrorism and extremism, but this did not disqualify him from being admired by the news network’s senior editor for Middle Eastern affairs. [more...]


Europe's Backlash Against Islamization

Facing a precarious future, Europe has only just begun to reckon with increasing Muslim populations and Islamic extremism. If current demographic trends persist, Europe’s democratic secular foundations will be in serious jeopardy in about twenty-five years. This disturbing reality is causing a backlash, forcing European governments to confront the threat of Sharia law - and even some Muslims are joining the fight. The battle for the fate of the continent is intensifying. [more...]

U.S. Mexican Border a Terrorist Highway

By Brigitte Gabriel

As Obama softens his language on radical Islam and even avoids mentioning our enemy by name, lest we offend the moderate Muslim world, terrorists are feeling more empowered than ever due to the perceived weakness of the administration.

Not only have we arrested over 55 homegrown terrorists in the last 12 months alone - all Muslims plotting to kill Americans and carry out terrorist attacks - but our Mexican border is now becoming a terrorist highway.

Different terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaida and Hezbollah are working with the MS13 gang and drug cartels paying them top dollars to smuggle terrorists into the U.S. We estimate thousand of terrorists have been smuggled through the Mexican border in the last few years. The situation is so bad that our government has a code name for them: "OTM" (Other Than Mexicans).

Brigitte Gabriel will be at the Northshore tea party rally.
Free and open to the public.
Saturday, July 17th at the Fleur de Lis Event Center in Mandeville (About one hour north of New Orleans)
1:00 - 4:00 pm
1645 N. Causeway Blvd., Mandeville
(next to the DMV, Driver Motor Vehicle)

National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

Muslim Enclaves U.S.A.

It seems almost unthinkable, but Islamist groups are, as we speak, hard at work creating Muslim states-within-states in the U.S. Indeed, this process has been unfolding for a long time across the Western world, through the creation of isolated Muslim enclaves in both rural and urban areas, as well as through the designation of "no-go zones" where governments admit to having little authority over Muslims living there, essentially leaving them to function as autonomous regions. [more...]


The Green Revolution's Next Phase: A Workers' Strike?

Over the past week, Iranians bravely challenged the regime, including protesting on the anniversary of the July 9, 1999, student uprising that was bloodily put down. Universities in Tehran were on alert and armed security personnel deployed. Clashes erupted, with demonstrators in some cases repelling the thugs. Last week’s events show that the opposition Green Movement is still alive. Not only is it evolving as it learns how to cope with security measures, it is also gaining steam as the potential for a regime-killing workers’ strike becomes a real possibility. [more...]


What’s Undermining the War in Afghanistan?

General Petraeus is replacing General McChrystal as the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and he has his work cut out for him. On the battlefield, he faces the problems of Pakistani and Iranian support for the Taliban and other radical Islamic militants and tough conditions that have forced the offensive into Kandahar to be delayed. At home, he faces rising anti-war sentiment and President Obama’s July 2011 deadline for when troops must begin coming home. These four problems are undermining the war in Afghanistan and must be dealt with soon for success to be possible. [more...]


The Next Osama?

Anwar al-Awlaki is a name unfamiliar to most Americans, but it is one well known in the jihadist world. This American member of Al-Qaeda used to serve as a prominent imam in the U.S., and is doing wonders for the terrorist group’s efforts to recruit Westerners and inspire homegrown terrorists. At this rate, he is well on his way to becoming the next Osama Bin Laden. [more...]

National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

Dissent in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards

A new documentary interviews four former members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps testifying that the regime's top security force isn't as united behind the regime as it may appear. Dissent in the IRGC poses a mortal threat to the regime, and a former member that spied for the CIA tells FrontPage that they can no longer be relied upon. The regime is finding itself unable to trust even its top operatives as one of the pillars holding it together starts to crumble. [more...]


Will Turkey Turn Back Toward the West Next Year?
Prime Minister Erdogan is in trouble, as the opposition takes aim at his foreign policy.

Turkey is lost under Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP). They are firmly in the camp of Iran despite their competition over the title of reigning anti-Israel champion. Israel has labeled the IHH - the group that tried to break the Gaza blockade with the Marvi Marmara - a terrorist group, which indirectly labels Turkey a state sponsor of terrorism because of the AKP and Erdogan's close ties to the IHH. Luckily, this may only last for a year. [more...]


Burma Goes for the Nuke

A major in Burma's army has defected and delivered hundreds of secret documents and photographs to the Democratic Voice of Burma, an opposition group that has tried for years to convince the West that the ruling military junta is pursuing nukes to no avail. The information provided by the defector, Sai Thein Win, shows that Burma is going for nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles and has joined a growing list of rogue nations and the world will have to handle another region in crisis. [more...]

National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

Extremist Conference in Chicago

Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamic extremist group working for uniting the world under Sharia law, chose to hold its second annual conference on July 11 at the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook. The hotel has caved under public pressure and has just decided not to host the event, but HUT is still promoting the conference and can be counted on to look for other venues in the area. The organization has chosen the home of President Obama, the leader of the free world, to pursue its anti-democratic agenda by taking advantage of the freedoms it seeks to vanquish. [more...]


Shifting Sands

The U.S. position in the Middle East is quickly slipping as an image of Western weakness is convincing important actors that it is in their best interest to invest their future with the bloc of Iran and Syria. While some Arabs are choosing to embrace Israel backstage, this is because of the fear that an Israeli strike on Iran is their last hope before being forced to capitulate. If Tehran is viewed as the new dominant power, Israel will find itself alone and the West will have to contend with a region of countries too afraid to resist the demands of Iran and Syria. [more...]


U.S. Government Needs to Prepare for Coming Leak of Damaging Video

The U.S. government needs to brace itself for an outcry in Afghanistan and around the world. WikiLeaks, a website founded by an Australian ex-hacker named Julian Assange and devoted to releasing secret information regardless of consequence, is expected to release videotape of a U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan last year that will be framed as a deliberate or reckless massacre of civilians. Expect protests, condemnations, and outrage - expressions of anti-Americanism that Assange and his cohorts are trying to provoke. [more...]


Jon Stewart Mocks Obama, Calls Afghanistan "A Losing Battle"

That's how Jon Stewart began his introduction to his coverage of the decision to replace General McChrystal with General Petraeus. Apparently, Stewart is pulling a Harry Reid and is declaring the war lost before the new counter-insurgency campaign can be fully implemented. [more...]

Faisal Shahzad's Truth Exposes Obama's Treachery

By Joy Tiz

Times Square bomber, Faisal Shahzad is one of the few Jihadis who has been truthful about his motivations. His terrorist colleagues generally concoct outlandish fabrications to explain their behavior, endearing them to Obama and Holder's justice department which has deemed Islamic terrorism non-existent. [more...]

National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

McChrystal Versus Obama? Rolling Stone Attacks the War Through Divide and Conquer

So you're a rabidly leftwing, anti-war publication with a wide audience and you want to take down a war. What do you do? You take down the general leading it. And you do it by causing a scandal. The Rolling Stone story full of quotes from General McChrystal and his inner circle isn't about the reckless running of mouths and disrespect towards the civilian administration - it's about these officials falling into a trap. [more...]


Saudis: Green Light for Israeli Attack on Iran

The Iranian regime does not just seek the destruction of Israel, but seeks to overthrow the pro-American Sunni Arab regimes, ushering in an era of Shiite dominance of the region. These Arab countries, despite their public denials, are wishing for the very scenario that the Obama Administration is trying to prevent: An Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. And there are growing signs that such a strike is being prepared for. [more...]


Toothless Sanctions on Iran, Part 47

One area the resolution has been successful in is compelling Russia to not deliver the advanced S-300 air defense system to Iran, which would severely complicate any aerial attack. There was originally much confusion about this - it was reported that Russians had agreed not to sell the S-300, but then the foreign minister said that the sanctions did not apply to the system. [more...]

Times Square Bomber's Day in Court

By Brigitte Gabriel

"One has to understand where I am coming from. I consider myself ... a Muslim Soldier." This is the statement of Faisal Shahzad as he pleaded guilty yesterday to attempting to blow up Times Square by exploding a car bomb.

How many other Faisal Shahzads dressed in suits - working in professional jobs, living in middle class neighborhoods, their kids playing with yours - are plotting at this very moment to commit terrorist acts against Americans? In the last twelve months alone, the U.S. has arrested over 55 homegrown Islamic terrorists who were plotting to kill Americans, all either born into Islam or converts.

Faisal Shazad said his plot was to retaliate against the U.S. and other forces for attacking Muslims in Afganistan and Pakistan. When the judge questioned him, saying: "But not the people who were walking in Times Square that night. Did you look around to see who they were?"

Shazad responded: "Well, the people select the government. We consider them all the same." He added, "I am part of the answer to the U.S. terrorizing the Muslim nations and the Muslim people. And, on behalf of that, I'm avenging the attack."

This brings up an important point about just who Jihadists consider to be innocent. We hear Muslim talking heads such as those at CAIR and other Islamic organizations in America condemning the killing of innocent people. What Americans do not understand is that in the Islamic mind, citizens who participate in the democratic election of a government are not considered to be innocents. They are as much a part of a military force that participated in the war with their votes as the soldiers serving in the Middle East.

Shahzad's statement should be a rude awakening for Americans.

National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

Viva Palestina: Islamist Ally

When Israeli commandos recently raided a terrorist-laden “relief” ship, they came into deadly contact with so-called “peace” activists who were aiding the terrorist cause of Gaza’s Hamas rulers. Among them were representatives of Viva Palestina, an organization founded by the anti-American former member of Britain’s parliament, George Galloway. Viva Palestina portrays itself as a humanitarian group dedicated to helping the people of Gaza. In reality, the group has longstanding ties to terrorism - one its members was once a senior leader in Hamas - and prolongs the Gazans’ suffering by supporting Hamas; by aiding its jihad to destroy Israel; and by working closely with the Turkish Islamist group that sponsored the recent Gaza flotilla.
[more...]


The Green Revolution Isn’t Over

The media is giving the pro-democracy Green Movement in Iran less and less attention as the regime prevents the assembling of massive headline-generating crowds. The Iranian people remain just as opposed to the regime as ever, boldly protesting and clashing with security forces on the first anniversary of Ahmadinejad’s so-called “re-election” on June 12. [more...]


The Call for a 'Greater Iran' Is Old News

Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1788: “An enemy generally says and believes what he wishes.” In trying to decipher the agenda of our adversaries, we need to assume that they believe what they are saying. Much like Hitler stated his goals in Mein Kampf, the Iranian regime is today stating its goals. And as with Hitler, they are being ignored as the words of an otherwise rational leader of a nation-state playing to a domestic audience. [more...]

National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

Satellite Photos Support Testimony That Iraqi WMD Went to Syria

The history books on this issue shouldn't be written just yet.

Ha'aretz has revived the mystery surrounding the inability to find weapons of mass destruction stockpiles in Iraq, the most commonly cited justification for Operation Iraqi Freedom and one of the most embarrassing episodes for the United States. Satellite photos of a suspicious site in Syria are providing new support for the reporting of a Syrian journalist who briefly rocked the world with his reporting that Iraq’s WMD had been sent to three sites in Syria just before the invasion commenced. [more...]


FARC Cashes in on Mexican Drug War

Mexico’s drug war is still raging, with over 22,000 people having been killed since 2006. Now, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, often referred to as the FARC, are teaming up with the drug lords. The Marxist terrorist group’s ties to Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and other organizations make the conflict to the south a major threat to the United States. [more...]


Another Intel Report Says OBL in Iran

The evidence is getting thicker and thicker, as you know if you read this Web site regularly. If you’re just coming across it now, I suggest searching through the archives for more information on Bin Laden’s safe haven in Iran. Now, the Israeli intelligence Web site Debkafile (which is very hit-or-miss) says that a Kuwaiti newspaper called Al-Siyassa is reporting that Osama Bin Laden has been in northwestern Iran, specifically Khorasan Province’s town of Savzevar, which is 220 kilometers west of Mashhad. Bin Laden has been reported by other sources to have been at or near Mashhad, and the place is a well-known Al-Qaeda transit point. Makes sense. [more...]


Ryan Speaks at Eagles Wings' Ministry's Jerusalem Prayer Banquet in NYC to raise money for the Israel Experience Program.

National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

Promoting a Free North Korea

The crisis with North Korea is escalating and will continue to escalate for as long as the regime is in power. Kim Jong-Il made a calculated decision that he needed a dramatic confrontation in order to appear strong, set the stage for his youngest son to take over, and to create a pretext with which to stop Western influence from reaching the country’s increasingly knowledgeable population. Until the regime collapses under the weight of its failures, it will need to periodically up the ante with a series of increasingly frightening provocations. [more...]

Report: IRGC General in Damascus Killed May 16

The Israeli Web site Debkafile reports that Khalil Sultan, a top Revolutionary Guards general that oversaw the support for terrorists, was assassinated in Damascus on May 16. The Syrian regime claimed he was killed by robbers. But, Debka says, only documents and laptops were stolen, not cash or minerals. [more...]

Analysis of Israeli Sub Deployment to Gulf

Go here for my latest NRB post about Israel’s sending of three nuclear-armed subs to the Iranian coast. This is a calculated leak meant to deter the Iranians and is part of a tit-for-tat strategy in response to the shipment of Scuds to Hezbollah. It appears that the Scuds did not go to Lebanon but are instead operating by Hezbollah at a Syrian military base. This may have been the excuse the U.S. gave to reject Israel’s request for permission to bomb the missile convoy, arguing that they were technically still under Syrian control. [more...]

National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

Al-Awlaki Says He Was Tipped Off by Washington Post

Go here for my latest NRB post. The Al-Qaeda leader in Yemen, Anwar al-Awlaki, is saying that he learned from the Washington Post that he was being tracked, so he stopped communicating and left his location, which allowed him to escape air strikes targeting him. [more...]

Homeland Security Alert: Somali Terrorist on the Loose in Texas?

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security warned Houston law enforcement that a Somali terrorist named Mohamed Ali could be in their area. Ali is a member of al-Shabaab, the terrorist group currently fighting for control of Somalia. Al-Shabaab has proven to be frighteningly effective at recruiting Westerners, including Americans. [more...]

The Israeli-Arab Alliance Against Iran

The unlikeliest of alliances has been created. Many Arab states, including ones who do not even recognize Israel’s right to exist, are finding themselves in the same corner as the Jewish state their populations are taught to hate. Radical Shiite Iran is seen by Sunni Arab governments as more aggressive and a greater threat than Israel. They understand that Iran has the desire to overthrow their regimes. [more...]

National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

A Bogus Deal on Iran

Both Turkey and Brazil have grown much closer to Iran in recent years and have voiced their opposition to further sanctions. So it is not surprising that they have now come to the Islamic Republic's rescue, handing it a lifeline on its nuclear program just as the Obama administration, after a year of failed diplomacy, had begun to contemplate the possibility of new sanctions. [more...]

See No Radical Islam, Hear No Radical Islam

On May 13, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) confronted Attorney General Eric Holder about whether radical Islam was the motivating factor in the terrorist plots against the United States over the past year. Rather than acknowledge the religious-ideological threat posed to us, Holder continued the Obama Administration’s pattern of trying to avoid using terms like "radical Islam" and "Islamic terrorism." [more...]

Russia to Build Nuclear Power Plant in Syria?

For the first time since the Bolshevik Revolution, Russia’s president visited Syria. Of all the things to discuss and announce, Dmitri Medvedev and Bashar Assad held a press conference afterward where they announced that they had talked about nuclear cooperation, including the potential construction of a nuclear power plant in Syria. Any effort by Syria to get nuclear weapons capability must be seen as an extension of Iran’s own efforts. [more...]

Part-Time Allies

President Bush famously said after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that every country had to decide whether they were with us or against us. Unfortunately, several so-called allies have decided to tackle some terrorist groups and not others, believing that the U.S. has no other option but to accept their half-hearted collaboration. Recent news from Yemen and Pakistan show that these two countries are double-dealing and need to be held accountable. [more...]