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.
Terrorism
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.
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.
Faris v. Barns: Terrorism is not a thought crime
Greg Barns has the right to crusade against these laws but it is a brave thing to do when his client has yet to be sentenced, writes Peter Faris.
Melbourne terror trial sets a very scary precedent
If we allow men to spend decades in gaol for acts that they might have committed in the future, we’re establishing a very scary precedent, writes Jeff Sparrow.
How a Sufi spiritual pledge becomes an act of terrorism
According to a report in today’s Australian, my simple act of formally pledging allegiance to a Sufi order (known in Arabic as a “bay’ah”) has just been declared a “Muslim terrorist vow”, writes Irfan Yusuf.
Herald Sun‘s West Gate terror bomb never made it to court
The defence lawyer for several recently convicted terrorists has slammed The Herald Sun for today’s front page story which states that at least two of the men had targeted Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge for attack, writes Andrew Dodd.
Oz government sort of, but not really, opposes the death penalty
Does the Australian government openly opposes the death penalty, but at the same time doesn’t oppose it? It really depends on who is doing the dying, writes Irfan Yusuf.
The End Of The Age Of Oil
An analysis
Bush’s A-G says no to death penalty for terrorists
US Attorney-General Michael Mukasey believes the death penalty shouldn’t be utilised in terrorist cases because “many of them want to be martyrs,” writes Greg Barns.
Prejudging Haneef
Innocent until proven guilty… but of course that has to be weighed against the threat to national security in the age of terror. The rule of law has been given a workout over the past few weeks. A Crikey timeline.
