6-2-11 National Security Updates

By Ryan Mauro

Obama: Regime-Changing Neocon?

Like his predecessor, the president has embraced the concept of spreading democracy in the Middle East.

Everyone was so focused on the part of President Obama’s Middle East speech about a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders that his transformation into a democracy-spreading, regime-changing neocon was missed. He proclaimed the goal of American foreign policy in the Middle East is “to promote reform across the region, and to support transitions to democracy.” Those are more polite words for incremental regime changes of all the undemocratic governments. [more...]

The Second Egyptian Revolution?

Egypt’s top prosecutor has announced that former President Hosni Mubarak will be prosecuted, possibly in a military court, for ordering the killing of protesters and corruption. The ousted leader may face the death penalty. This will be a test of Egypt’s experiment with democracy, as there is a high potential for a show trial. The decision came as major protests are planned for Friday against the military leadership. They are being called the "Second Egyptian Revolution." [more...]

A Changing Al-Qaeda

It’s been almost a month since Osama Bin Laden was killed, and Al-Qaeda still has not officially named his successor. There are contradictory reports about whether his second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri or a top operational commander, Saif al-Adel, has taken the helm. Whatever the case may be, Saif al-Adel’s influence will increase and his ties to Iran and criticism of his colleagues could lead to significant changes in Al-Qaeda’s strategy. [more...]

"Tsunami of September"

The Israeli Defense Minister is warning of the "tsunami of September" when the U.N. will vote on recognizing an independent Palestine. Spain will recognize a Palestinian state even before then. International pressure against Israel is ratcheting up, and at the same time, Fatah has buried the hatchet with Hamas and seeks to do the same with Palestinian Islamic Jihad. [more...]