Terrorism


Stewart a known friendly media source for AFP

That the Australian Federal Police has used Oz journalist Cameron Stewart as a friendly media source to spin their view of the accused in a terrorism trial is not without precedent.

Somali politics is just as much about clan as it is religion

Some reporting and analysis of today’s raids in The Oz of an alleged terrorist group showed a laughable ignorance of Somali and/or Muslim cultures.

What does a terrorist look like?

Today’s foiling of a terror plot in Melbourne demonstrates that racial profiling is now a fairly useless tool for finding potential terrorists, writes Paul Colgan

Australian terror plot foiled

A group of Islamic extremists in Melbourne have been arrested over plans for a suicide attack on an Australian Army base, according to The Australian.

Spain’s ‘war on terror’ a different ball game

Basque terrorist group ETA has stubbornly survived for 50 years. Spain’s government must remain calm, even with recent deadly attacks, writes Peter Preston.

Terrified of terrorism?

Does the threat of terrorist attacks in Australia actually merit further changes to our anti-terror laws? We need to be careful not to overact, writes Robert Merkel.

Terrorism in Indonesia has nothing to do with Afghanistan

Imagine a politician claiming that the best response to a bombing in Indonesia was to invade Afghanistan. We’d think they were perfectly mad.

How the Jakarta bombers did it

Jakarta’s Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels are reputed to have tight security since the bombings there six years ago. Not tight enough, it turns out. Time looks at how the latest gang of bombers slipped in.

Bombings reboot Indonesia’s vicious political circle

Just two weeks ago, observers were congratulating Indonesia for a presidential election that was seen to consolidate that country’s process of democratisation. Now the country again appears to be on the edge of political turmoil.

CIA planned to deploy teams of assassins

More information about the CIA’s secret plans to knock-off Al Qaeda leaders has been revealed, with news they were planning to train and deploy anti-terrorist hit squads.

TV producers hunt ratings, terrorists

The latest reality TV concept: hunt down suspected terrorists and war criminals, film it and sell the finished product to the highest bidding TV stations around the world. We’d watch it.

The final nail in the CIA’s coffin?

The CIA is “finished. It’s done. It’s over.” says former operative Robert Baer, following revelations the agency withheld details of a counterterrorism program from Congress. Others are less extreme, but warn that too much probing by politicians could jeopardise national security.

New dirty words: war on terror

Nearly eight years on from the 9/11 attacks, the Federal Government is launching a review of the official language used to discuss terrorism, and terms like ‘jihadist’ are within their sights.

Time to acknowledge North Korea’s terror

A year has passed since George Bush removed North Korea from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism. It’s time we put them back on it, says Joshua Stanton .

Holocaust Museum shooting: the commentariat weighs in

In April, the US Department of Homeland Security issued a report warning the climate was ripe for a domestic terror attack by right-wing extremists. Have their fears been vindicated? New York Mag looks at what the pundits are saying.

Why isn’t Scott Roeder being charged as a terrorist?

On the face of it, abortionist assassin Scott Roeder ticks all of the boxes of a terrorist, so why isn’t he being charged as one? Asks Jeff Sparrow.

Obama on Guantanamo and terrorism: the full speech

The full text of US President Barack Obama’s speech, “Protecting Our Security and Our Values”.

NY terror plot suspects arrested

Real life Law & Order: watch as the NYPD and FBI swoop in on terror plot suspects.

Al-Qaida today: a movement at the crossroads

What is happening to al-Qaida: does it still constitute a threat to its adversaries, and if so how grave? Fawaz A Gerges examines the evidence.

First world narcissism

To deal with international terrorism, first world countries need to stop being so consumed by their own problems, argues Peter Hartcher.

The new war in Dagestan

Russia’s North Caucasus has been plagued with violence since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Its capital Dagestan is a hotbed for terrorism and has become a new outpost for Chechen rebels.

Behind the mayhem lies the real Mumbai

Kim Dovey, Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at he University of Melbourne, says the tragic events in Mumbai mirror the failures of a country struggling to cope:

Mumbai terrorist attack: a Crikey wrap

Mumbai has been attacked by terrorists with guns and grenades, holding 200 people hostage in the Taj Hotel, killing at least 80 people and injuring 900. The latest from the global newsroom.

Acquittal of Thomas another blow for the war on terror

The acquittal by a Melbourne jury yesterday of Jack Thomas, who was alleged to have had a plant ticket paid for with funds from Al-Qaeda, is another blow to the multi billion dollar ‘war on terror, writes Greg Barns.

Terrorism and politics in Australia: an absurd farce

Meantime, Greg Sheridan, who has only recently been surgically removed from Alexander Downer, weighed in today to laud our success in the War Against Stuff, writes Bernard Keane.