I missed this one when it was in the theatres this past summer, so I am excited to watch (DVR) this one tonight! May I point you to my friend Tommy Buck's excellent review of the film for a summary. Please take a moment and click over to it.
http://teebuck.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/film-review-restrepo/
FROM NAT GEO Website:
RESTREPO is a feature-length documentary that chronicles the deployment of a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. The movie focuses on a remote 15-man outpost, "Restrepo," named after a platoon medic who was killed in action. It was considered one of the most dangerous postings in the U.S. military. This is an entirely experiential film: the cameras never leave the soldiers; there are no interviews with generals or diplomats. The only goal is to make viewers feel as if they have just been through a 90-minute deployment. This is war, full stop. The conclusions are up to you.
Read more: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/restrepo-afghan-outpost-4808#ixzz16gDobImr
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Canary Islands: Gateway to Africa?
Interesting article on the possibilities that lie within the Canary Islands...I need to research this a little more.
U.S. Firms Should Invest in Canary Islands to Reach Africa, President Says
Washington, DC — In Europe, the Canary Islands may be best known as a nearby vacation spot with idyllic climate. Americans may have heard in history class that the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus provisioned and repaired his three ships in the Canaries before setting off on the journey that led him to Cuba. In Africa, the islands have been a popular transition point for those trying to enter Europe clandestinely to better their economic standing. The strategic location and its classification as an autonomous region of Spain, as well as an 'outermost region' of the European Union, are advantages. These attributes can be leveraged to boost engagement with Africa and with the United States, according to Paulino Rivero Baute, who has been president of the Canary Islands since 2007. During an interview at the offices of the Corporate Council on Africa following an address to CCA members, President Rivero outlined how U.S. companies that might be reluctant to tackle Africa's infrastructural and legal framework challenges can instead invest through his homeland.
Most of our readers probably know little about your home territory. Give us a snapshot.
Most of our readers probably know little about your home territory. Give us a snapshot.
The Canary Islands are situated 100 kilometers from the [west] African coast and 1,500 kilometers from Europe. I would also point out that it is the last territory between Europe and Africa to have access to the United States - and that's why the Canary Islands was so very important to Columbus's discovery of America.
President Paulino Rivero of the Canary Islands with Ambassador Robert Perry, vice president of the Corporate Council on Africa.
Because we are part of Spain, we have special status in Europe, along with other islands such as La Reunion, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Madeira and others. We have made great strides with regard to the wellbeing of our people, a population of two million. In the last 15 years the standard of living has made great strides. We have reached approximately the average income per capita of Spain, and we are getting close to the average income in Europe. We have wonderful infrastructure with regard to ports and airports, and we offer the services that are needed in the 21st century.
You are here speaking to U.S. companies. What are the opportunities for doing business in the Canary Islands?
The Canary Islands during the last 25 years have developed a very solid tourism sector. We welcome 12 million tourists a year. We are one of the most important tourism destinations in the world. There are other business opportunities in the local market. However, the real potential lies in Africa; in other words, using the Canary Islands as a safe platform to invest and do business in Africa.
How does that work?
The archipelago is geographically located in Africa even though its population may have European roots and has always oriented towards Europe. The Canary Islands enjoy a preferential relationship, a privileged relationship, with western Africa. Currently we have 200 companies doing business on the western coast of Africa, and also those of us from the Canary Islands are very well looked upon by Africans.
The U.S. government invests its own resources on the African continent and invests in co-operation and development because it is a way to generate security. Why is it that U.S. companies have not aligned their objectives with this co-operation and development policy? If we ask U.S. business people why they are not investing in Africa currently, they will tell you, first of all, there is legal uncertainty on the African continent and that the African continent does not offer the necessary airport and port infrastructures for easy transportation. They will also mention that human capital is severely limited and that health services, for example, are either non-existent or deficient. These obstacles are hindering U.S business people from investing in Africa. That's where the Canary Islands come in: we have an advantageous geographic position and we are looked kindly upon in Africa.
So you would like to see more partnerships between U.S companies and Canary Islands companies engaging in Africa?
Yes, we see this in two ways actually. First of all, we believe that U.S companies will take advantage of the tax benefits and incentives that the Canary Islands offer, so that they can actually establish a base there, for example preparing their products or preparing technology in order to invest in Africa.
It's also possible that U.S. businesses could establish partnerships with businesses from the Canary Islands that are already operating in Africa, although it may be too presumptuous to think that a large multinational company would want to have a partnership with a small business from the Canary Islands. They probably would be most interested in using the Canary Islands for the tax incentives and the legal certainties of our system.
You said 200 Canary Islands companies are operating in Africa. Can you give some examples?
Currently the Canary Island businesses that are most involved in Africa are those that have to do with tourism, construction and services, specifically. Other sectors also offer great opportunities, such as the water sector – anything to do with desalination, purification, the use of water – and the clean energy and technology sectors.
Tourism dominates your economy?
Heretofore, the most important economic sectors have been construction and tourism. However, we understand that we need to diversify. We have very limited physical territory on the islands, and so the construction sector cannot really continue as it did in the past. We are betting on the water sector, the clean energy sector and also trying to develop the Canary Islands as this logistical platform towards Africa.
We are considered a benchmark in these sectors in all of Europe because of the need we have had for desalination plants on the island since the 1970s and the need for clean energy. Interestingly enough, water and clean energy are two of the most important policies that need to be developed in Africa.
With your proximity to Africa, do you get involved in political issues affecting nearby states – ongoing tension between Morocco and Western Sahara, for example?
We try to manage with tact, prudence and responsibility. We have positive relationships with both parties, the Moroccans and the Polisario Front. We believe that managing with responsibility means compliance with UN resolutions.
How are you affected by problems in your region such as piracy and drug trafficking?
What has really impacted us in recent years is human trafficking, which, of course, is a tragic problem, clandestine human trafficking conducted by mafias. The problem of illegal immigration reached its peak some three or four years ago, with all these people dying at sea. It was, in my opinion, these deaths which finally coalesced European attention and brought it towards Africa.
Relevant Links
First of all, the European Union deployed controls throughout the mid-Atlantic – that was very helpful – and then furthermore the EU (European Union) attempted to seek commitments from the African countries of origin of the majority of these illegal immigrants, and they got a commitment that these countries would put into place stricter border controls. I frankly believe that the policy with regard to illegal immigration is development, co-operation and well-being. We can't just use law enforcement to staunch this human flow, so we need to develop Africa and also offer a standard of living to Africans whereby they will want to stay in their own countries.
With regard to piracy, our region is actually calm in that regard. There is a problem in drug trafficking. We are at a crossroads because of our geographical position and, of course, we pay a great deal of attention towards this.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Poet of the Week from Botswana: Baralong Seboni
Poet of the Week from Botswana: Baralong Seboni
Some of my favorite poetry books:
Happy Thanksgiving! This week's poet of the week is Baralong Seboni from Botswana! Following is a link in which the poet explains the reason he writes. I especially enjoyed his comment at the paper's closing in which he explains 'how' he writes: "I simply shut my mouth, open my mind and listen to my heart."
I thought that his poem below was one to which I could relate. I enjoyed that he didn't mask a straightforward message behind layers of metaphors. Sometimes it's enough just to say it.
Love that
Inner sense
Of innocence
That craves eternally
The momentary
Experience in
The oneness
Of
twosome
Seboni recites a poem on youtube
FUUO Past Poets of the Week:
http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2012/05/african-poets-of-week-compilation.html
FUUO Past Poets of the Week:
http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2012/05/african-poets-of-week-compilation.html
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Great article on THE investigative journalist of GHANA
Anas Aremeyaw is a Ghanaian investigative journalist who is unafraid and hungry in his unabashed pursuit of corruption and injustice. He’s also probably the journalist on the most people’s hit list at the moment. In short, I can’t wait for director Steven Soderbergh (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181865/) to get his hands on this story (perhaps the author of the Atlantic Monthly article, Nicholas Schmidle is working on a screenplay?!). If Schmidle’s not working on one, then perhaps I can finagle my way over there and start on it.
Take the ten minutes to read this article—it’s well-written and well-researched. My only disappointment was that it wasn’t about 50 pages longer!
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| Photo by Steven Voss |
I also wanted to give a plug for the author's book (To Live or to Perish Forever: Two Tumultuous Years in Pakistan) which is available at the link below:
http://nicholasschmidle.com/toliveortoperishforever.html#buythebook2
Aww Snap! You've just got served! Is there a FAO danceoff in our future?
Beyond Diversity and Tolerance: Reassessing Islam and Islamism in the United States Military Article
by Mark Silinsky (US Army civilian FAO- Eurasia, Russian language), was originally published in International Affairs Journal (http://www.faoa.org/) Oct 2010 edition. Evidently, Dr. Denny Howley (FAO) published a scathing rebuttal to this article. I have an email out to Mr. Silinksy to find this rebuttal which I have been unable to find online as of yet. Once I receive a link to the rebuttal I will publish it here.
The short of it all is that Silinsky is fired up and has challenged Dr. Howley to adanceoff FAOoff public debate on the subject of his article. He requests that the debate be held at a future FAO luncheon. Regardless of which side of the fence you stand, this type of rigorous public debate is great! It would certainly make the next luncheon a memorable one; and it pushes the FAO program further into the public arena.
I have provided Mr. Silinsky's original article below for those of you who are curious. FUUO will be monitoring the situation and keeping its readers updated.
Beyond Diversity and Tolerance: Reassessing Islam and Islamism in the United States MilitaryThe following article was printed in the May 2010 edition of International Affairs, which is the official publication of the Foreign Area Officers Association. The author, Mark Silinsky, is a civilian foreign area office (FAO), Eurasia/Russian language, for the United States Army. At least one FAO objected to the tone and substance of this article, which, in his view were bigoted and ignorant. His comments will be posted later. But, read the article and you can decide.
Beyond Diversity and Tolerance: Reassessing Islam and Islamism in the United States Military
“What is the next (after believing in God) greatest thing in the world? Mohammad replied, “To participate in Jihad.” Bukhari 1.2.25
“God is the greatest!” MAJ Hassan as he murdered fellow American soldiers
"Our diversity, not only in our Army, but in our country, is a strength. And as horrific as this tragedy was (Major Hassan’s murder spree), if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that's worse." A US general military officer
The US military has set national standards for promoting diversity and tolerance. Proclaiming end to archaic and counterproductive racial practices, President Harry Truman de-segregated the armed forces with the stroke of a pen after the Second World War. Changing deeply held opinions on race and religion in the services was more difficult, but not insurmountable. The military provided a sphere of US life in which people of all ethnicities, religions, and national origin could better themselves, prepare for their future, and prove their patriotism, upon pledging their allegiance to America and swearing to uphold the Constitution. The US military became more ethnically diverse and servicemen became more tolerant of this diversity.1 But, there is a new dynamic in the armed forces for which many officers and enlisted personnel have proven unprepared and ill equipped. This is the threat of militant Islam, or Islamism.
An Army psychiatrist at Fort Hood shoots indiscriminately on his fellow soldiers while yelling in Arabic that God is the greatest. Earlier, an Army non-commissioned officer is sentenced to death for the premeditated murder of two of his comrades and the intentional wounding of 14 others in Kuwait. Elsewhere, a middle-class convert to Islam from Washington State offers to sell secrets of US armed vehicles to give al Qaeda the tactical edge in killing US soldiers. Calmly, methodically, and very intelligently an Egyptian-born, commando-trained sergeant in the US Army indoctrinates US Army personnel and supplies al Qaeda with Army-related information and secrets. On desolate beaches in New Jersey, he trains fellow Muslims to kill Americans. A US Army chaplain engages in highly suspect activity with al Qaeda inmates at Guantanamo prison. Are these discrete events, or are they threaded together by a subversive ideology and homicidal hatred for the United States and those charged to protect its citizens?
Figure 1 Major Nidal Malik Hasan
This paper will argue three principles: First, Islam must be seen by security and counterintelligence operators in the armed forces in a different light than other religions, namely Christianity and Judaism. Second, the threat of Islamism in the US Armed Forces is widely misunderstood. Third, the armed forces and the Department of Defense (DoD) must establish a robust and unfettered capability to identify and neutralize hostile Islamic elements.
Islam must be seen by security and counterintelligence operators in the armed forces in a different light than other religious, namely Christianity and Judaism
Diversity in the US armed forces has its benefits. Earlier racial restrictions limited the pool of potential war fighters and the armed forces would be weaker without non-whites, But, their skin color says nothing of their personal beliefs, political affiliation, or loyalty. Similarly, the inclusion of women into military brought talent, improving the status of a wide-array of non-combat- intelligence, medicine, engineering, logistics, aviation- and increasingly combat fields. But women have no exclusive political, religious, or social belief systems distinct from those of their male counterparts.
Religion is different from race or ethnicity because it, by definition, is an expansive belief system. A person’s race, ethnicity, and gender say very little about their values. This cannot be said about religion. Islam is certainly a religion, but it is more. Its theological base, which centers on an extended dialogue between Mohammad, an ambitious fifth century warlord whom Muslims consider a prophet, and the angel Gabriel, who passed divine revelations, may be no more or less grounded in history or myth than Judaism or Christianity. And much of Islam’s sacred literature is innocuous and has no bearing on US national security. But Islam differs from the other two Abrahamic faiths because its metaphysical theistic beliefs are inseparable from the religion’s political and legal requirements.
For this reason, while it is accurate to define Islam as a religion, it is incomplete to define it as only a religion. It is a religion, a political body, and legal code, which mandates a certain life style.2 These political and legal requirements have profound and enduring implications for security in the US military. If Jesus said, “Render onto God what is God’s and unto Caesar what is Caesar’s,” Muhammad did not agree. His approach towards living as a Muslim contained no similar separation of the mosque and the state. Because Islam is as political as it is religious it offers a unique set of challenges to the military for several reasons.
First, many Islamic political and legal requirements conflict with democratic principles. Western norms that guide American law, customs, and values bear little resemblance to those of Islam. The biography of Mohammad, the most revered man in Islam, is equally problematic. If Muslims serving in US military uniforms believe that Mohammad was the perfect man, it is worth noting that much of his personal narrative celebrates mass murder, looting, laying waste to enemy villages, taking slaves, raping women, killing and ordering the death of those who criticized him, not to mention pedophilia. For all Mohammad’s battlefield acumen and dynamic political leadership, few American non-Muslims would welcome his legacy as a player in American politics.
Second, many Muslims believe that the Koran is the direct, undiluted, and fossilized word of God than cannot be modified or abrogated. This is not unique among religions, but it presents a basic problem for Muslim service members. Islam is a political system that sets Muslims in perpetual and unavoidable conflict with non-Muslims until judgment day. Many passages in the Koran demand war against non-Muslims,3 that non-believers be converted or subjugated to second-class status,4 and that non-Muslims not be taken as friends. There is no broad consensus among American Muslims that these passages are archaic and irrelevant relics of the past.
The third challenge is the command for ruthless violence. Much of Islam is predicated on violence, celebrates violence, and demands violence against non-Muslims. Verses in the holy Islamic text drip with the blood of beheadings, amputations, eye gouging, and mutilation. Myriad passages celebrate Caligula-like torture and sexual slavery. If Islam is a religion of peace it is also one of war. Although apologists for Islam in the US Armed forces declare that this violence is un-Islamic, the perpetrators themselves commit the violence in the name of Islam; recite Islamic verses to justify the violence; are often supported materially, financially, rhetorically, and spiritually by significant numbers of the Islamic global community. When they have killed American soldiers, they killed in the name of their God.
Fourth, the Koranic use of the word “tolerance,” as applied towards Jews, Christians, homosexuals, and women has a distinct meaning from its common use in contemporary American society. Islam tolerates other religions as long as their adherents accept an inferior status-the status of the dhimmi,5 pay financial tribute to Muslims, and agree to ritualistic humiliations. Women are valued primarily for their reproductive abilities, particularly their bearing and raising sons, and for maintaining the honor of the family. Homosexuals are not tolerated at all. In many places, the Koran does not teach tolerance towards Jews or Christians.6 In fact, there are passages that deny the Judaism of Abraham7 and the divinity of Jesus.
The fifth Islamist challenge allows for lying, or Takiya, in pursuit of Islamic causes. There is no blanket permission to lie in Islam. But a Muslim is given great license in dissimulating to protect himself and the Muslim community. There is much evidence of Takiya in American society, which has implications for the armed services.
A common takiya tactic is disingenuously creating a victim status for Muslims in American society and in the armed forces. Islamists are skilled at shifting scrutiny from the perpetrators of threatening comments, anti-US rhetoric, and anti-Semitism and onto those who protest these hate-filled statements. Islamists insist that there is a generalized misunderstanding of Islam’s true, peaceful nature and that criticisms of Islamism are manifestations of institutionalized “Islamaphobia.”8 Through this lens, the victimizers become the victims, a status sometimes supported by mainstream civil rights organizations.9
Islamism in the Armed Forces is Not Understood
Certainly, Islamism presents unique challenges to the armed forces that need to be confronted. But, before offering ways to grapple with these dangers, it is helpful to examine four dominant myths in the US armed forces, which need to be debunked. They are: violence has nothing to do with Islam; the killers and would-be killers are mentally ill; violence is driven by anti-Islamic harassment; and that the armed forces must accept, as inevitable, an accommodation with angry Islam.
The first central misunderstanding is that high-profile violence is un-Islamic. This argument holds violence committed by Muslims, in the name of Islam, to promote the interests of Islam, has nothing to do with Islam.10 In fact, in at least several cases violence had everything to do with Islam. Muslims, of course, are not the only servicemen who commit violence nor is there sufficient evidence to indicate that the aggregate level of violence committed by Muslims is any greater or less than that committed by Christians or Jews.
Figure 2 The Christian covert to Islam: Anderson
The second misunderstanding is that the killers are insane or extremely unbalanced. Ibrahim Hooper of CAIR asked a television commentator, in reference to the Hassan murders, “Why can’t these Muslims just be crazy?” Muslims can be crazy, just as Jews and Christians can be and sometimes are crazy. However, there is no evidence that the high-profile Army killers or would be killers - Akbar, Hassan, Anderson - were mentally ill. Nor has history demonstrated that evil men who commit their crimes in the name of an ideology are necessarily insane.12 Were the Muslims who committed and tried to commit violent crimes against their fellow Americans driven to do so by irresistible impulses, uncontrollable voices, or ghostly apparitions seen only by them? In fact, those who knew these homicidal soldiers spoke of their devotion to Islam and conviction that the US is at war with Islam.13
The third misunderstanding of Islam is that its killers in the US armed forces have been driven to violence because of anti-Muslim persecution. Once again, the victimizers are victims. In fact, there is no evidence that those who violently turned against US servicemen were targeted extensively for anti-Muslim harassment. Islamic outreach and public relations organizations such as CAIR and MPAC have cast Muslims in the role of victims of an intolerant, ignorant, and mean-spirited American society. In fact, FBI statistics do not support claims of that Muslims have been disproportionately targeted in hate crimes.
The fourth misunderstanding is fatalism. There is nothing the armed forces can to do about Islamism and so it must be accommodated. This unnecessary fatalism surrenders the integrity, security, and future of the US Armed forces to a hostile ideology without a fight. It also surrenders the dignity of the armed forces.
If the threat of Islamism is so profound, why isn’t it well known and when it is recognized, why is it often misunderstood? There are five reasons that help explain this. They are disagreement, confusion, deception, fear, delusion.
First, there is disagreement over the threat of Islamism in the armed forces. Reasonable men and women can observe the same facts and circumstances and draw different conclusions. Many university professors, civil rights activists, theologians, journalists, and DoD analysts read the same data as this author, but do not agree that political Islam, which encourages or requires violence, is the primary causal agent of these killings and betrayals.
The second reason for misunderstanding the threat of Islamism in the armed forces is the skull-crashing confusion about Islam, diversity, and civil rights. It is difficult for servicemen not to be confused when they are encouraged to believe that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance and yet see evidence of daily Islamic violence and a broad-based, seething hatred of the West. This confusion, even among the most educated and intelligent servicemen, helps to explain why Major Hasan’s often-repeated expressions of anger against the United States went largely unreported. Observers of his behavior, even fellow physicians, did not know what to make of it.
The third reason is deception. Some leaders in US Muslim organizations adopted a janus-faced pattern of telling civilians and servicemen that theirs is a peaceful religion while rallying American Muslims to Jihad.14 For example, a leading expert on US Islamism, Steven Emerson, exposed Edina Lekovic, of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), as praising the greatness of Osama bin Laden to fellow Muslims students at UCLA15 and later claiming "Nobody has fought--working harder to fight terrorism and extremism than the Muslim American community. We work with all levels of law enforcement, we work with our communities." Another example comes from Mahdi Bray of the Muslim American Society who condemns the Islamic violence surrounding the cartoon controversy in public but later exhorts Muslims to enter Jihad and attack Jews. There are many other examples.
A fourth factor is fear. Some of those who understand the Islamist threat in the Armed Forces are afraid to voice their opinions. To some extent, this reflects a generalized fear in Western society. It is difficult to predict what comment, satire, novel, or cartoon will set Islamic passions aflame. An Indian-British novelist is sentenced to death by one of the world’s most influential Islamic clerics for satirizing the life of Mohammad. Cartoonists living in European countries hide in fear of their lives. Dutch parliamentarians require 24-protection for fear of having their throats cut. An artist is slaughtered in the streets of Amsterdam like a sacrificial animal. And Europe has taken note. Some statesmen, artists, and intellectuals have stood and fought, most keep silent. Many of the Continent have reluctantly, but nonetheless firmly, embraced a new “Vichy Syndrome.”16
The fear of Islamic anger haunts America, too.17 It exists in editorial offices of leading newspapers, universities,18 and government offices. In the armed forces there is an ambient fear- the concern of making an inappropriate statement, asking the wrong question, writing a potentially misunderstood article- which lowers readiness in the ranks. At work in the armed forces is a quiet Jihad,19 which is not the stuff of guns and bombs. Persistent and patient, Islamic leaders have built connections in the armed forces. Some of these connections are completely legitimate and are similar to those built by Christian and Jewish leaders. Others are duplicitous and are designed to promote Islamism. In fact, the one of the most influential Islamic leaders, the individual most responsible for giving Islam equal representation in the Armed Forces Chaplaincy, was sentenced to many years in prison for his role in financing Islamic terrorism.
Figure 3 A Satirical Look at the Fear of Criticizing Violent Islam in a Democracy20
The fifth and final factor generating a misunderstanding of Islamism in the US armed forces is self-delusion. Confronting the enormity of the Islamist threat in the services, the nation, and the world tries the intellects and the souls of Christians and Jews who simply want to live in peace with Muslims. Faith McDonnell of the Institute of Religion and Democracy notes that “many churches are obsessed with making themselves likeable to Islamists…such churches opt for sessions of feel-good dialogue with the local mosque, gushing about how much Christianity and Islam have in common, and never challenging Muslims to serious debate on those so-called commonalities.”21 Jews, particularly those of the left of the political spectrum, sometime prefer accommodation to confrontation.
The first component is screening and vetting candidates for the US Armed forces. There is no right to serve in this country’s services. In some circumstances, men are required to serve if drafted. It is a privilege to serve, and this privilege can be revoked at the discretion of security officials.
Because the political and religious elements of Islam cannot be separated, the mosque, social organization, and other elements of a Muslim’s participation in civil society must be scrutinized. It is vital for security officials to understand which Islamic organizations promote ideologies hostile towards the US. For example, military recruiters on high schools or university campuses should understand any connections that the Muslim Students Associate has or had with terrorist organizations. Further, the literature and the rhetoric associated with the organization should be examined in the context of national security. If a candidate for the armed forces is a member of a campus or local organization that articulates a generalized contempt for American society; American religions, other than Islam; American foreign policy; and American leaders, he may not be an asset in the military services.
The second component is recognizing the traits of an Islamist. Daniel Pipes has coined the term “sudden Jihad syndrome” to refer to a mosaic of warning signs that a Muslim has become dangerously, and often very quickly, radicalized. Servicemen should understand some of these warning signs. These are five questions:
The third and fourth components, warning and monitoring, are inseparable. If a serviceman is concerned about an Islamist in the ranks, he should know whom to contact in the chain of command and he should follow-up with his concerns. This requires monitoring the behavior of the possible Islamists but it also requires that service officials act adequately on the information.
The fifth and final component is cashiering, or firing, the Islamist. If a serviceman’s behavior is consistent with any other five questions about Islamist behavior he needs to be investigated. Sometimes he needs to be fired.
Develop a Master Strategy against Islamism in the Armed Forces
Beyond these immediate, tactical steps, the armed forces must adopt a comprehensive strategy to combat Islamism. They must change the way they look at Islam, particularly its violent political component- Islamism.
First, the prism through which US armed forces view Islam must shift. Islam is treated as a religion indistinguishable from other religions. But Islam brings with it Islamism, which threatens the values of the US armed forces and the safety of it men and women. The political component of Islam should be stressed in security awareness briefings. Soldiers, airmen, sailors, and Marines must understand the political and legal basics of Islam and Islamism.23
Second, the services must act decisively on this new perspective. Muslim chaplains, Muslim outreach speakers and university professors and contractors who influence servicemen on Islamic issues must be given increased scrutiny. Annual officer evaluations must be revisited to ensure those officers who suspect and report incidents or concerns of Islamism are not penalized for doing so.
Finally, the armed forces must continue to recognize that there many Muslims who have fought the trend of radicalization in American Islam. The armed forces must partner with Muslim activists who love America and are eager to defend it, rather than with pseudo-patriots who use takiya to infest its ranks. Dr. M. Zhudi Jasser of the American Forum for Islam and Democracy and Dr. Ali Ayami, executive director of the Washington, DC-based, Center for Human Rights and Democracy in Saudi Arabia are two of the best sources of information on democratic, humanistic-oriented Islam. They are sources that have not been sufficiently tapped.
Leaders in the US armed forces- men and women of good will and good intentions- have promoted diversity and tolerance in the ranks. Sometimes diversity brings varied technical and intellectual skills that boost military capabilities.24 But is it militarily beneficial or ethically virtuous to promote diversity when it corrodes morale in the armed forces; injects religious bigotry, particularly anti-Semitism; denigrates the status of women; alienates and threatens homosexuals; and increases the threat of subversion? Jews and Christians who promote a hostile political ideology have no place preaching their messages to servicemen. Should the US armed forces use a different standard for today’s Muslims?
Tolerance is another fashionable word in American society and its armed forces. Why should the armed forces tolerate any literature or speech, whether in the Koran or the Talmud or the New Testament, whether spoken in a mosque, or a church, or a synagogue that promotes violence, anti-western supremacy, and primary allegiance to a religion rather than to America.
The great novelist and humanist Thomas Mann said, “Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil,” and the Supreme Court justice Robert Jackson said, “The Constitution is not a suicide pact.”25 Men and women wearing the uniforms of their country’s services have pledged to defend this Constitution, and their country has an obligation to protect them.
Many have commented on the tragedy of Fort Hood. But they are wrong. Fort Hood was not a tragedy; it was an atrocity. The tragedy contained in this atrocity was that there were ample warnings signs that were not understood in the ranks. It would be a continuing tragedy if this threat continues to incubate unchallenged. And this tragedy will, undoubtedly, lead to more atrocities.
About the Author: Mark Silinsky is a 26-year veteran of the defense intelligence community. He has served as a senior analyst in US Army intelligence; an Army civilian foreign area officer (FAO) for Eurasia, Russian language; an Africa analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency; an action officer for the Joint Staff, J5; and a research fellow at the National Defense Intelligence College, as part of the Exceptional Analyst Program. He was graduated, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Southern California; received an M. Phil. in international relations from Oxford University, under the supervision of Sir Michael Howard, and took an MS in international development from Tulane University, where he currently is a Ph.D. candidate. He was graduated from the Naval War College, intermediate level, and the National Defense University, senior level, where he earned the prize for the outstanding thesis. He is also a 2008 graduate of the Afghanistan Counterinsurgency Academy, located near Kabul.
by Mark Silinsky (US Army civilian FAO- Eurasia, Russian language), was originally published in International Affairs Journal (http://www.faoa.org/) Oct 2010 edition. Evidently, Dr. Denny Howley (FAO) published a scathing rebuttal to this article. I have an email out to Mr. Silinksy to find this rebuttal which I have been unable to find online as of yet. Once I receive a link to the rebuttal I will publish it here.
The short of it all is that Silinsky is fired up and has challenged Dr. Howley to a
I have provided Mr. Silinsky's original article below for those of you who are curious. FUUO will be monitoring the situation and keeping its readers updated.
Beyond Diversity and Tolerance: Reassessing Islam and Islamism in the United States Military
Beyond Diversity and Tolerance: Reassessing Islam and Islamism in the United States Military
Beyond Diversity and Tolerance: Reassessing Islam and Islamism in the United States Military
“What is the next (after believing in God) greatest thing in the world? Mohammad replied, “To participate in Jihad.” Bukhari 1.2.25
“God is the greatest!” MAJ Hassan as he murdered fellow American soldiers
"Our diversity, not only in our Army, but in our country, is a strength. And as horrific as this tragedy was (Major Hassan’s murder spree), if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that's worse." A US general military officer
The US military has set national standards for promoting diversity and tolerance. Proclaiming end to archaic and counterproductive racial practices, President Harry Truman de-segregated the armed forces with the stroke of a pen after the Second World War. Changing deeply held opinions on race and religion in the services was more difficult, but not insurmountable. The military provided a sphere of US life in which people of all ethnicities, religions, and national origin could better themselves, prepare for their future, and prove their patriotism, upon pledging their allegiance to America and swearing to uphold the Constitution. The US military became more ethnically diverse and servicemen became more tolerant of this diversity.1 But, there is a new dynamic in the armed forces for which many officers and enlisted personnel have proven unprepared and ill equipped. This is the threat of militant Islam, or Islamism.
An Army psychiatrist at Fort Hood shoots indiscriminately on his fellow soldiers while yelling in Arabic that God is the greatest. Earlier, an Army non-commissioned officer is sentenced to death for the premeditated murder of two of his comrades and the intentional wounding of 14 others in Kuwait. Elsewhere, a middle-class convert to Islam from Washington State offers to sell secrets of US armed vehicles to give al Qaeda the tactical edge in killing US soldiers. Calmly, methodically, and very intelligently an Egyptian-born, commando-trained sergeant in the US Army indoctrinates US Army personnel and supplies al Qaeda with Army-related information and secrets. On desolate beaches in New Jersey, he trains fellow Muslims to kill Americans. A US Army chaplain engages in highly suspect activity with al Qaeda inmates at Guantanamo prison. Are these discrete events, or are they threaded together by a subversive ideology and homicidal hatred for the United States and those charged to protect its citizens?
Figure 1 Major Nidal Malik Hasan
This paper will argue three principles: First, Islam must be seen by security and counterintelligence operators in the armed forces in a different light than other religions, namely Christianity and Judaism. Second, the threat of Islamism in the US Armed Forces is widely misunderstood. Third, the armed forces and the Department of Defense (DoD) must establish a robust and unfettered capability to identify and neutralize hostile Islamic elements.
Islam must be seen by security and counterintelligence operators in the armed forces in a different light than other religious, namely Christianity and Judaism
Diversity in the US armed forces has its benefits. Earlier racial restrictions limited the pool of potential war fighters and the armed forces would be weaker without non-whites, But, their skin color says nothing of their personal beliefs, political affiliation, or loyalty. Similarly, the inclusion of women into military brought talent, improving the status of a wide-array of non-combat- intelligence, medicine, engineering, logistics, aviation- and increasingly combat fields. But women have no exclusive political, religious, or social belief systems distinct from those of their male counterparts.
Religion is different from race or ethnicity because it, by definition, is an expansive belief system. A person’s race, ethnicity, and gender say very little about their values. This cannot be said about religion. Islam is certainly a religion, but it is more. Its theological base, which centers on an extended dialogue between Mohammad, an ambitious fifth century warlord whom Muslims consider a prophet, and the angel Gabriel, who passed divine revelations, may be no more or less grounded in history or myth than Judaism or Christianity. And much of Islam’s sacred literature is innocuous and has no bearing on US national security. But Islam differs from the other two Abrahamic faiths because its metaphysical theistic beliefs are inseparable from the religion’s political and legal requirements.
For this reason, while it is accurate to define Islam as a religion, it is incomplete to define it as only a religion. It is a religion, a political body, and legal code, which mandates a certain life style.2 These political and legal requirements have profound and enduring implications for security in the US military. If Jesus said, “Render onto God what is God’s and unto Caesar what is Caesar’s,” Muhammad did not agree. His approach towards living as a Muslim contained no similar separation of the mosque and the state. Because Islam is as political as it is religious it offers a unique set of challenges to the military for several reasons.
First, many Islamic political and legal requirements conflict with democratic principles. Western norms that guide American law, customs, and values bear little resemblance to those of Islam. The biography of Mohammad, the most revered man in Islam, is equally problematic. If Muslims serving in US military uniforms believe that Mohammad was the perfect man, it is worth noting that much of his personal narrative celebrates mass murder, looting, laying waste to enemy villages, taking slaves, raping women, killing and ordering the death of those who criticized him, not to mention pedophilia. For all Mohammad’s battlefield acumen and dynamic political leadership, few American non-Muslims would welcome his legacy as a player in American politics.
Second, many Muslims believe that the Koran is the direct, undiluted, and fossilized word of God than cannot be modified or abrogated. This is not unique among religions, but it presents a basic problem for Muslim service members. Islam is a political system that sets Muslims in perpetual and unavoidable conflict with non-Muslims until judgment day. Many passages in the Koran demand war against non-Muslims,3 that non-believers be converted or subjugated to second-class status,4 and that non-Muslims not be taken as friends. There is no broad consensus among American Muslims that these passages are archaic and irrelevant relics of the past.
The third challenge is the command for ruthless violence. Much of Islam is predicated on violence, celebrates violence, and demands violence against non-Muslims. Verses in the holy Islamic text drip with the blood of beheadings, amputations, eye gouging, and mutilation. Myriad passages celebrate Caligula-like torture and sexual slavery. If Islam is a religion of peace it is also one of war. Although apologists for Islam in the US Armed forces declare that this violence is un-Islamic, the perpetrators themselves commit the violence in the name of Islam; recite Islamic verses to justify the violence; are often supported materially, financially, rhetorically, and spiritually by significant numbers of the Islamic global community. When they have killed American soldiers, they killed in the name of their God.
Fourth, the Koranic use of the word “tolerance,” as applied towards Jews, Christians, homosexuals, and women has a distinct meaning from its common use in contemporary American society. Islam tolerates other religions as long as their adherents accept an inferior status-the status of the dhimmi,5 pay financial tribute to Muslims, and agree to ritualistic humiliations. Women are valued primarily for their reproductive abilities, particularly their bearing and raising sons, and for maintaining the honor of the family. Homosexuals are not tolerated at all. In many places, the Koran does not teach tolerance towards Jews or Christians.6 In fact, there are passages that deny the Judaism of Abraham7 and the divinity of Jesus.
The fifth Islamist challenge allows for lying, or Takiya, in pursuit of Islamic causes. There is no blanket permission to lie in Islam. But a Muslim is given great license in dissimulating to protect himself and the Muslim community. There is much evidence of Takiya in American society, which has implications for the armed services.
A common takiya tactic is disingenuously creating a victim status for Muslims in American society and in the armed forces. Islamists are skilled at shifting scrutiny from the perpetrators of threatening comments, anti-US rhetoric, and anti-Semitism and onto those who protest these hate-filled statements. Islamists insist that there is a generalized misunderstanding of Islam’s true, peaceful nature and that criticisms of Islamism are manifestations of institutionalized “Islamaphobia.”8 Through this lens, the victimizers become the victims, a status sometimes supported by mainstream civil rights organizations.9
Islamism in the Armed Forces is Not Understood
Certainly, Islamism presents unique challenges to the armed forces that need to be confronted. But, before offering ways to grapple with these dangers, it is helpful to examine four dominant myths in the US armed forces, which need to be debunked. They are: violence has nothing to do with Islam; the killers and would-be killers are mentally ill; violence is driven by anti-Islamic harassment; and that the armed forces must accept, as inevitable, an accommodation with angry Islam.
The first central misunderstanding is that high-profile violence is un-Islamic. This argument holds violence committed by Muslims, in the name of Islam, to promote the interests of Islam, has nothing to do with Islam.10 In fact, in at least several cases violence had everything to do with Islam. Muslims, of course, are not the only servicemen who commit violence nor is there sufficient evidence to indicate that the aggregate level of violence committed by Muslims is any greater or less than that committed by Christians or Jews.
For servicemen of all religions, there are bar fights, brawls over women, violent outbursts prompted by arduous training and the nerve-shattering fatigue associated with combat. The fog of war sometimes clouds judgment and wears down self-restraint. Further, it is true that there have been only several incidents of Islamist-inspired murder or accessory to murder in the ranks. But the murders committed by Sergeant Hassan Akbar11 and Major Hasan and the conspiracy to help murders of US troops, Sergeant Ali Mohammad, Specialist Ryan Anderson were born of Islamist rage at America and its services. In his own words, MAJ Hassan was a “soldier of Allah” and not a soldier of America.
Figure 2 The Christian covert to Islam: Anderson
The third misunderstanding of Islam is that its killers in the US armed forces have been driven to violence because of anti-Muslim persecution. Once again, the victimizers are victims. In fact, there is no evidence that those who violently turned against US servicemen were targeted extensively for anti-Muslim harassment. Islamic outreach and public relations organizations such as CAIR and MPAC have cast Muslims in the role of victims of an intolerant, ignorant, and mean-spirited American society. In fact, FBI statistics do not support claims of that Muslims have been disproportionately targeted in hate crimes.
The fourth misunderstanding is fatalism. There is nothing the armed forces can to do about Islamism and so it must be accommodated. This unnecessary fatalism surrenders the integrity, security, and future of the US Armed forces to a hostile ideology without a fight. It also surrenders the dignity of the armed forces.
Reasons Why the Threat of Islamism in the US Armed Forces is Widely Misunderstood
First, there is disagreement over the threat of Islamism in the armed forces. Reasonable men and women can observe the same facts and circumstances and draw different conclusions. Many university professors, civil rights activists, theologians, journalists, and DoD analysts read the same data as this author, but do not agree that political Islam, which encourages or requires violence, is the primary causal agent of these killings and betrayals.
The second reason for misunderstanding the threat of Islamism in the armed forces is the skull-crashing confusion about Islam, diversity, and civil rights. It is difficult for servicemen not to be confused when they are encouraged to believe that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance and yet see evidence of daily Islamic violence and a broad-based, seething hatred of the West. This confusion, even among the most educated and intelligent servicemen, helps to explain why Major Hasan’s often-repeated expressions of anger against the United States went largely unreported. Observers of his behavior, even fellow physicians, did not know what to make of it.
The third reason is deception. Some leaders in US Muslim organizations adopted a janus-faced pattern of telling civilians and servicemen that theirs is a peaceful religion while rallying American Muslims to Jihad.14 For example, a leading expert on US Islamism, Steven Emerson, exposed Edina Lekovic, of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), as praising the greatness of Osama bin Laden to fellow Muslims students at UCLA15 and later claiming "Nobody has fought--working harder to fight terrorism and extremism than the Muslim American community. We work with all levels of law enforcement, we work with our communities." Another example comes from Mahdi Bray of the Muslim American Society who condemns the Islamic violence surrounding the cartoon controversy in public but later exhorts Muslims to enter Jihad and attack Jews. There are many other examples.
A fourth factor is fear. Some of those who understand the Islamist threat in the Armed Forces are afraid to voice their opinions. To some extent, this reflects a generalized fear in Western society. It is difficult to predict what comment, satire, novel, or cartoon will set Islamic passions aflame. An Indian-British novelist is sentenced to death by one of the world’s most influential Islamic clerics for satirizing the life of Mohammad. Cartoonists living in European countries hide in fear of their lives. Dutch parliamentarians require 24-protection for fear of having their throats cut. An artist is slaughtered in the streets of Amsterdam like a sacrificial animal. And Europe has taken note. Some statesmen, artists, and intellectuals have stood and fought, most keep silent. Many of the Continent have reluctantly, but nonetheless firmly, embraced a new “Vichy Syndrome.”16
The fear of Islamic anger haunts America, too.17 It exists in editorial offices of leading newspapers, universities,18 and government offices. In the armed forces there is an ambient fear- the concern of making an inappropriate statement, asking the wrong question, writing a potentially misunderstood article- which lowers readiness in the ranks. At work in the armed forces is a quiet Jihad,19 which is not the stuff of guns and bombs. Persistent and patient, Islamic leaders have built connections in the armed forces. Some of these connections are completely legitimate and are similar to those built by Christian and Jewish leaders. Others are duplicitous and are designed to promote Islamism. In fact, the one of the most influential Islamic leaders, the individual most responsible for giving Islam equal representation in the Armed Forces Chaplaincy, was sentenced to many years in prison for his role in financing Islamic terrorism.
Figure 3 A Satirical Look at the Fear of Criticizing Violent Islam in a Democracy20
The fifth and final factor generating a misunderstanding of Islamism in the US armed forces is self-delusion. Confronting the enormity of the Islamist threat in the services, the nation, and the world tries the intellects and the souls of Christians and Jews who simply want to live in peace with Muslims. Faith McDonnell of the Institute of Religion and Democracy notes that “many churches are obsessed with making themselves likeable to Islamists…such churches opt for sessions of feel-good dialogue with the local mosque, gushing about how much Christianity and Islam have in common, and never challenging Muslims to serious debate on those so-called commonalities.”21 Jews, particularly those of the left of the political spectrum, sometime prefer accommodation to confrontation.
Tactical Steps to Mitigate the Islamist Threat in the Armed Forces
What should be done about the Islamist threat in the armed forces? The armed forces and the Department of Defense must establish a robust and unfettered capability to identify and neutralize hostile Islamic elements. This effort must consist of five components. They are screening and vetting, recognizing, warning, monitoring, and firing Islamists..The first component is screening and vetting candidates for the US Armed forces. There is no right to serve in this country’s services. In some circumstances, men are required to serve if drafted. It is a privilege to serve, and this privilege can be revoked at the discretion of security officials.
Because the political and religious elements of Islam cannot be separated, the mosque, social organization, and other elements of a Muslim’s participation in civil society must be scrutinized. It is vital for security officials to understand which Islamic organizations promote ideologies hostile towards the US. For example, military recruiters on high schools or university campuses should understand any connections that the Muslim Students Associate has or had with terrorist organizations. Further, the literature and the rhetoric associated with the organization should be examined in the context of national security. If a candidate for the armed forces is a member of a campus or local organization that articulates a generalized contempt for American society; American religions, other than Islam; American foreign policy; and American leaders, he may not be an asset in the military services.
The second component is recognizing the traits of an Islamist. Daniel Pipes has coined the term “sudden Jihad syndrome” to refer to a mosaic of warning signs that a Muslim has become dangerously, and often very quickly, radicalized. Servicemen should understand some of these warning signs. These are five questions:
1. Does he, a suspected Islamist, demonstrate a generalized and extraordinarily high level of anger at US society, domestic or foreign policy, or at US participation in wars in which the US is engaged? Is the intensity of the anger and the frequency with which it is expressed significantly greater than shown by other servicemen.
2. Does he suggest that his primary loyalty rests with another country or social construct other than the United States? Does he say or suggest that he is a Muslim before he is an American?
3. Does he express satisfaction or pleasure when Americans forces are killed or defeated by Muslims? Does he show inappropriate rage at criticism of Islam?
4. Does he read or suggest that other service members read violent Islamic literature that promotes world Islamic conquest or the subjugation of Christians and Jews?22
5. Is he associated with Islamist organizations?
Prompting servicemen to ask these questions requires improving the way security information is delivered to the forces. A first step would be to develop an annual, hard-hitting briefing to give servicemen a framework to understand Islamism. This should be done on a DoD level and should be required annually.The third and fourth components, warning and monitoring, are inseparable. If a serviceman is concerned about an Islamist in the ranks, he should know whom to contact in the chain of command and he should follow-up with his concerns. This requires monitoring the behavior of the possible Islamists but it also requires that service officials act adequately on the information.
The fifth and final component is cashiering, or firing, the Islamist. If a serviceman’s behavior is consistent with any other five questions about Islamist behavior he needs to be investigated. Sometimes he needs to be fired.
Develop a Master Strategy against Islamism in the Armed Forces
Beyond these immediate, tactical steps, the armed forces must adopt a comprehensive strategy to combat Islamism. They must change the way they look at Islam, particularly its violent political component- Islamism.
First, the prism through which US armed forces view Islam must shift. Islam is treated as a religion indistinguishable from other religions. But Islam brings with it Islamism, which threatens the values of the US armed forces and the safety of it men and women. The political component of Islam should be stressed in security awareness briefings. Soldiers, airmen, sailors, and Marines must understand the political and legal basics of Islam and Islamism.23
Second, the services must act decisively on this new perspective. Muslim chaplains, Muslim outreach speakers and university professors and contractors who influence servicemen on Islamic issues must be given increased scrutiny. Annual officer evaluations must be revisited to ensure those officers who suspect and report incidents or concerns of Islamism are not penalized for doing so.
Finally, the armed forces must continue to recognize that there many Muslims who have fought the trend of radicalization in American Islam. The armed forces must partner with Muslim activists who love America and are eager to defend it, rather than with pseudo-patriots who use takiya to infest its ranks. Dr. M. Zhudi Jasser of the American Forum for Islam and Democracy and Dr. Ali Ayami, executive director of the Washington, DC-based, Center for Human Rights and Democracy in Saudi Arabia are two of the best sources of information on democratic, humanistic-oriented Islam. They are sources that have not been sufficiently tapped.
Leaders in the US armed forces- men and women of good will and good intentions- have promoted diversity and tolerance in the ranks. Sometimes diversity brings varied technical and intellectual skills that boost military capabilities.24 But is it militarily beneficial or ethically virtuous to promote diversity when it corrodes morale in the armed forces; injects religious bigotry, particularly anti-Semitism; denigrates the status of women; alienates and threatens homosexuals; and increases the threat of subversion? Jews and Christians who promote a hostile political ideology have no place preaching their messages to servicemen. Should the US armed forces use a different standard for today’s Muslims?
Tolerance is another fashionable word in American society and its armed forces. Why should the armed forces tolerate any literature or speech, whether in the Koran or the Talmud or the New Testament, whether spoken in a mosque, or a church, or a synagogue that promotes violence, anti-western supremacy, and primary allegiance to a religion rather than to America.
The great novelist and humanist Thomas Mann said, “Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil,” and the Supreme Court justice Robert Jackson said, “The Constitution is not a suicide pact.”25 Men and women wearing the uniforms of their country’s services have pledged to defend this Constitution, and their country has an obligation to protect them.
Many have commented on the tragedy of Fort Hood. But they are wrong. Fort Hood was not a tragedy; it was an atrocity. The tragedy contained in this atrocity was that there were ample warnings signs that were not understood in the ranks. It would be a continuing tragedy if this threat continues to incubate unchallenged. And this tragedy will, undoubtedly, lead to more atrocities.
About the Author: Mark Silinsky is a 26-year veteran of the defense intelligence community. He has served as a senior analyst in US Army intelligence; an Army civilian foreign area officer (FAO) for Eurasia, Russian language; an Africa analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency; an action officer for the Joint Staff, J5; and a research fellow at the National Defense Intelligence College, as part of the Exceptional Analyst Program. He was graduated, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Southern California; received an M. Phil. in international relations from Oxford University, under the supervision of Sir Michael Howard, and took an MS in international development from Tulane University, where he currently is a Ph.D. candidate. He was graduated from the Naval War College, intermediate level, and the National Defense University, senior level, where he earned the prize for the outstanding thesis. He is also a 2008 graduate of the Afghanistan Counterinsurgency Academy, located near Kabul.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Pentagon Protesters, I implore you! Step up your game!
NOTE: For those who don't know, every Monday morning the Pentagon allows only the biggest idiots best and brightest dissenters to post up on the grassy area by the Metro entrance escalators and display their signs.
A column that I began with considerable vigor and gusto has deflated. There will be no protester of the week this week. For the past several weeks I have readied my Iphone voice memo app as I ascended the Pentagon metro escalator, eager to record my thoughts on thejaded warped interesting protester signs. But each week I have been met not with new and timely demands of the Department of Defense. Nay, instead I am met with yellowed, smudged, tired old signs that don’t appear to have been updated in decades. This surprises me because you would think if you were motivated enough as a protester to go through ALL the effort of showing up every Monday morning, you would also be motivated enough to create new signs that would garner the attention of the rank and file Pentagon employees.
A column that I began with considerable vigor and gusto has deflated. There will be no protester of the week this week. For the past several weeks I have readied my Iphone voice memo app as I ascended the Pentagon metro escalator, eager to record my thoughts on the
Amid such tedium my only option would be to comment on the interesting protester choices of attire—such as the older gentlemen sporting the classic “Birken-socks” look and the other middle-aged man wearing the moose ears stocking cap. But really, I feel like this is reaching a bit and that my readers deserve more. They deserve witty biting commentary on the ridiculous insanity different signs. And as such, I am only as good as the material with which I work. Therefore:
I am boycotting YOU protesters! Until you bring me something new, some original thought, I will cease to comment on your efforts.
Friday, November 19, 2010
For my reservists friends- 3 year orders to USNA
It's times like these that I wish I was in the reserves...two dream jobs just popped on the reserve tickeer!
#1
Point of Contact: Dr. Boyd A. Waite, Associate Dean for Faculty
A. Grade: Any (O-3/O-4 desired)
B. Rating/Designator: Any
C. Report Date: No later than 1 August 2011
D. Duration: Not to exceed 3 years
E. Clearance: None
F. Location: U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD
G. Type of Orders: 3 year active duty recall
H. Description: The U.S. Naval Academy has a need for qualified Navy Reserve officers with at least a master's degree in an appropriate academic discipline to instruct in designated academic departments beginning Fall 2011 and to serve as outstanding military role models for midshipmen. Recall Opportunities will be considered for the following disciplines: mechanical engineering, naval architecture and ocean engineering, electrical and computer engineering, aerospace engineering, and control systems engineering; political science, economics, English, history, and foreign language (Spanish, French, German, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, or Japanese); mathematics, chemistry, physics, computer science, and oceanography. The deadline for submission of applications is 15 December 2011. Refer to
#2
Application Deadline: 15 December 2010
The United States Naval Academy has opportunities for Officer Instructors in all academic areas, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The Naval Academy has billets for 30 reservists, 10 per year, to serve as Officer Instructors for a three-year tour. Although there is a desire for Officer Instructors to be at the rank of LT or LCDR, all ranks will be considered based on qualifications and suitability. This flier provides background and application information for recall to USNA.
Being an Officer Instructor is a great opportunity to teach Midshipmen, conduct research, and participate in both academic and brigade activities. In most ways, an Officer Instructor position is indistinguishable from other Faculty and Teaching Staff positions; in fact, officers with a PhD effectively serve as an Assistant Professor in all regards other than having to deal with promotion and tenure.
Beyond teaching and research, reservists have served as:
• Deputy Division Director.• Course coordinator/creator.• Department Chair/Associate Department Chair.• Offshore Sailing Commanding Officer.• Degree/Program Officer Representative.• Club Officer Representative.• Executive Assistant for Superintendent.•
The Naval Academy has great facilities and resources (including both equipment and labs as well as Faculty, Staff, and Midshipmen) for conducting research part-time during the school year and full time during the four summer months. There are also opportunities for performing research at Navy, other DoD, and National Laboratories. One excellent option is to attract bright Midshipmen (including Trident and Bowman Scholars) for Senior Projects and summer internships.
The application provides the information to Dean Waite and the relevant Department(s) to determine whether there is a likely match with a current academic need. Should there be a match, you will likely have a phone interview to discuss your fit with the department’s needs. If selected and approved, recall orders as an Officer Instructor would include PCS to Annapolis, MD, and are preferred to be for a three-year tour to commence 01 July 2010. While on active duty, all active duty benefits are provided including eligibility for the new transferrable Post-9/11 GI Bill. However, although on active duty, recalled Officer Instructors continue to compete for promotion with their reserve colleagues.
To submit a preliminary application, mail, fax, or email the following to Dean Waite:
The strongest applicants will meet these requirements: Member of Faculty Senate.• Cover letter to include:•
LT or LCDR.– Personal/professional information summary.•
MS or PhD.– Reporting department(s), availability, duration.• Will not reach 6 years continuous active duty.• Current resume/CV.• Not twice FOS.• Full-length Khaki photo.•
For more information about an Officer Instructor recall position or general questions about teaching and research at the Naval Academy, feel free to contact: Not exceed 1095 days active in 1460 days. http://www.usna.edu/AcDean/offpos/officerfaculty.html#Reserve <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTAxMTE5LjMzMTQzMSZtZXNzYWdlaWQ9TURCLVBSRC1CVUwtMjAxMDExMTkuMzMxNDMxJmRhdGFiYXNlaWQ9MTAwMSZzZXJpYWw9MTI3NjY3NTA1MiZlbWFpbGlkPWpvaG4ua3J1c2VAbmF2eS5taWwmdXNlcmlkPWpvaG4ua3J1c2VAbmF2eS5taWwmZmw9JmV4dHJhPU11bHRpdmFyaWF0ZUlkPSYmJg==&&&100&&&http://www.usna.edu/AcDean/offpos/officerfaculty.html#Reserve> for application requirements and submission details.
#1
Point of Contact: Dr. Boyd A. Waite, Associate Dean for Faculty
A. Grade: Any (O-3/O-4 desired)
B. Rating/Designator: Any
C. Report Date: No later than 1 August 2011
D. Duration: Not to exceed 3 years
E. Clearance: None
F. Location: U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD
G. Type of Orders: 3 year active duty recall
H. Description: The U.S. Naval Academy has a need for qualified Navy Reserve officers with at least a master's degree in an appropriate academic discipline to instruct in designated academic departments beginning Fall 2011 and to serve as outstanding military role models for midshipmen. Recall Opportunities will be considered for the following disciplines: mechanical engineering, naval architecture and ocean engineering, electrical and computer engineering, aerospace engineering, and control systems engineering; political science, economics, English, history, and foreign language (Spanish, French, German, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, or Japanese); mathematics, chemistry, physics, computer science, and oceanography. The deadline for submission of applications is 15 December 2011. Refer to
#2
Application Deadline: 15 December 2010
The United States Naval Academy has opportunities for Officer Instructors in all academic areas, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The Naval Academy has billets for 30 reservists, 10 per year, to serve as Officer Instructors for a three-year tour. Although there is a desire for Officer Instructors to be at the rank of LT or LCDR, all ranks will be considered based on qualifications and suitability. This flier provides background and application information for recall to USNA.
Being an Officer Instructor is a great opportunity to teach Midshipmen, conduct research, and participate in both academic and brigade activities. In most ways, an Officer Instructor position is indistinguishable from other Faculty and Teaching Staff positions; in fact, officers with a PhD effectively serve as an Assistant Professor in all regards other than having to deal with promotion and tenure.
Beyond teaching and research, reservists have served as:
• Deputy Division Director.• Course coordinator/creator.• Department Chair/Associate Department Chair.• Offshore Sailing Commanding Officer.• Degree/Program Officer Representative.• Club Officer Representative.• Executive Assistant for Superintendent.•
The Naval Academy has great facilities and resources (including both equipment and labs as well as Faculty, Staff, and Midshipmen) for conducting research part-time during the school year and full time during the four summer months. There are also opportunities for performing research at Navy, other DoD, and National Laboratories. One excellent option is to attract bright Midshipmen (including Trident and Bowman Scholars) for Senior Projects and summer internships.
The application provides the information to Dean Waite and the relevant Department(s) to determine whether there is a likely match with a current academic need. Should there be a match, you will likely have a phone interview to discuss your fit with the department’s needs. If selected and approved, recall orders as an Officer Instructor would include PCS to Annapolis, MD, and are preferred to be for a three-year tour to commence 01 July 2010. While on active duty, all active duty benefits are provided including eligibility for the new transferrable Post-9/11 GI Bill. However, although on active duty, recalled Officer Instructors continue to compete for promotion with their reserve colleagues.
To submit a preliminary application, mail, fax, or email the following to Dean Waite:
The strongest applicants will meet these requirements: Member of Faculty Senate.• Cover letter to include:•
LT or LCDR.– Personal/professional information summary.•
MS or PhD.– Reporting department(s), availability, duration.• Will not reach 6 years continuous active duty.• Current resume/CV.• Not twice FOS.• Full-length Khaki photo.•
For more information about an Officer Instructor recall position or general questions about teaching and research at the Naval Academy, feel free to contact: Not exceed 1095 days active in 1460 days. http://www.usna.edu/AcDean/offpos/officerfaculty.html#Reserve <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTAxMTE5LjMzMTQzMSZtZXNzYWdlaWQ9TURCLVBSRC1CVUwtMjAxMDExMTkuMzMxNDMxJmRhdGFiYXNlaWQ9MTAwMSZzZXJpYWw9MTI3NjY3NTA1MiZlbWFpbGlkPWpvaG4ua3J1c2VAbmF2eS5taWwmdXNlcmlkPWpvaG4ua3J1c2VAbmF2eS5taWwmZmw9JmV4dHJhPU11bHRpdmFyaWF0ZUlkPSYmJg==&&&100&&&http://www.usna.edu/AcDean/offpos/officerfaculty.html#Reserve> for application requirements and submission details.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
How to make $300,000 in 10 hours
I meant to post this a couple of days ago...
Here's what you should take away from this article:
This new/additional shift in the drug smugglers' strategy may mean that efforts in West Africa to counter maritime narcotics trafficking are working...or it might mean that cocaine subs are coming next.
This story also highlights the need for a continent-wide, coherent air traffic control infrastructure.
Thoughts?
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. prosecutors in a series of court cases say they are beginning to unravel the latest innovation in drug smuggling: South American gangs that are buying old jets and other planes, filling them with cocaine and flying them more than 3,000 miles across the ocean to Africa.
At least three gangs have struck deals to fly drugs to West Africa and from there to Europe, according to U.S. indictments.
"The sky's the limit," one Sierra Leone trafficker boasted to a Drug Enforcement Administration informant, according to court documents.
Most of the cocaine flown to Africa is bound for Europe, where demand has been rising over the last decade. South American gangs are turning to airplanes because European navies have been intercepting more boat shipments along the African coast, trafficking experts say.
"We started stopping the maritime traffic, basically, so then they started going to air traffic more and more," said Theodore Leggett, a smuggling expert with the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna.
The U.N. agency began warning about trans–Atlantic drug planes after Nov. 2, 2009, when a burned–out Boeing (News - Alert) 727 was found in the desert in Mali. Drug smugglers had flown the jet from Venezuela, unloaded it and then torched it, investigators said.
In the last year, arrests in Africa have begun shedding light on how the air routes work. The cases are being prosecuted in a New York federal court because some of the cocaine was supposed to have been sent to the United States.
"The quantity of cocaine distributed and the means employed to distribute it were extraordinary," prosecutors wrote in one case. They warned of a conspiracy to "spread vast quantities of cocaine throughout the world by way of cargo airplanes."
Recent U.S. court cases involving trans–Atlantic flights include:
— The Valencia–Arbelaez Organization, broken up by undercover U.S. agents after it bought a $2 million plane to run monthly flights between Venezuela and Guinea. The group claimed to have six aircraft already flying.
— A ring based in Colombia and Liberia, arrested after one of its planes was seized in May with two tons of cocaine as it prepared to leave Venezuela. Prosecutors say the group was planning to fly shipments twice a month. One defendant claimed to manage five other aircraft making similar hauls.
— Three Sierra Leone men, accused of scouting out airstrips and arranging for a four–ton flight of cocaine from South America in March.
Two other recent cases have involved cocaine and cargo jets, though investigators have not revealed yet whether the flights were going to Africa:
— Francisco Gonzalez Uribe, a Colombian trafficker due to be sentenced this month. He was recorded while trying to purchase large aircraft including a DC–8.
— Walid Makled–Garcia, who prosecutors say controlled airstrips in Venezuela used to launch drug flights. Prosecutors say Makled–Garcia was behind one of the biggest drug plane shipments in recent years: a DC–9 that landed in Mexico in 2006 with more than 12,300 pounds of cocaine on board.
Smugglers are able to fly large planes across the ocean undetected because most of the Atlantic is out of the range of radar, said Scott Decker, a criminology professor at Arizona State University who studies smuggling methods. Even commercial airliners crossing the ocean must periodically update air traffic controllers about their positions because they do not appear on radar screens.
"Going that way, especially from South America, really gets you outside the majority of the security envelope for air traffic," said Decker.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's decision to sever ties with most U.S. law enforcement agencies in 2005 has made it easier to bring cocaine to staging sites on the Venezuelan coast, said Vanda Felbab–Brown, a fellow at The Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank.
"The DEA is not present there, the Venezuelan military is making money off it, and much of the territory is just not controlled by the government," Felbab–Brown said.
The global economic slump also has idled hundreds of aircraft. Ads on websites such as Planemart.com offer DC–8s for as low as $275,000.
The Valencia–Arbelaez gang was caught after it contacted an undercover DEA agent in the aviation business in 2007. The group wanted to buy a plane in Moldova and needed help setting up a front company in Cyprus to complete the deal.
The gang was already running flights across the Atlantic, members told DEA agents. One member, Manuel Silva–Jaramillo, said the group had six aircraft, each worth $1.5 million to $1.8 million, and was delivering cocaine both by air–dropping and unloading it on the ground.
"I sold airplanes to these people so I knew what was going on," Silva–Jaramillo, an American aeronautical engineer, told a New York judge earlier this year. "I knew that they were bringing the drugs to the United States."
A plane seized in Sierra Leone in July 2008 with 600 kilograms (1,323 pounds) of cocaine belonged to the group, the DEA says. The gang's leader, Jesus Eduardo Valencia–Arbalaez, said he was paying pilots $200,000 to $300,000 per trip.
Planning sessions for the newly acquired plane were held in Denmark, Spain, Romania and Virginia and at a Best Western hotel in Manhattan. At one meeting, Valencia–Arbalaez sketched a map of West Africa showing points where the drugs would be delivered. The plane could carry seven tons of cocaine, Valencia–Arbalaez said.
The gang used detailed spreadsheets to compute flight costs and distributed codebooks to conceal their plans.
Fuel and pilots were paid for through wire transfers, suitcases filled with cash and, in one case, a bag with $356,000 in euros left at a hotel bar. The gang hired a Russian crew to move the newly purchased plane from Moldova to Romania, and then to Guinea.
Most of the cocaine was destined for Europe, but part of each shipment was supposed to go on to New York.
The European drug market was hugely profitable. Silva–Jaramillo claimed the gang had as much as $82 million in euros stashed in Spain that it needed to launder, according to court documents.
The gang also discussed setting up a methamphetamine lab in Liberia and exporting the drug to Japan and the United States.
The gang had access to a private airfield in Guinea, was considering buying its own airport and had sent a team to explore whether it could send direct flights from Bolivia to West Africa, Valencia–Arbelaez said in recorded conversations.
Valencia–Arbelaez was arrested in Romania in June 2009. He pleaded guilty to cocaine trafficking in New York court and was sentenced in July to 17 1/2 years in prison. Another conspirator, Javier Caro, received 3 1/2 years. Silva–Jaramillo pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
Drug trafficking is especially dangerous to West Africa because of the corrupting effect it has on already weak governments, said Felbab–Brown, of The Brookings Institution.
In the Liberia case, traffickers offered bribes to Fumbah Sirleaf, the head of the Liberian security agency and son of the country's president. Sirleaf was secretly coordinating with the DEA. He did not respond to requests for comment about the case.
The flights were to come from Venezuela and Panama. The ring had already sent aircraft into Liberia, Guinea and Guinea–Bissau, one of the traffickers was recorded saying.
The case has attracted attention in Russia because one of the defendants, Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, says he was tortured by Liberian police before being handed over to the DEA. He and the other five defendants have denied the charges against them.
The Russian foreign ministry accused the United States of "kidnapping" Yaroshenko and failing to tell the Russian government. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called his arrest an example of the United States overstepping its bounds.
The DEA denies Yaroshenko was abused. The U.S. Department of State said it mistakenly faxed Yaroshenko's arrest notice to the wrong embassy.
___
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Happy Birthday Marine Corps (from a Marine Corps B.R.A.T.)
While I ended up joining the Navy (6 weeks of Leatherneck during the summer after my junior year of college was enough for me to know that I was not cut out for the Marines) I have always had a profound respect and admiration for the Marine Corps. There is no greater, ruthless and expedient fighting force on the planet.
My father is a Marine (and my grandfather and grandmother, as well as an Uncle and Cousin on his side are also Marines). I always felt a point of personal pride to call myself a Marine Corps B.R.A.T. growing up. Those of you my age may recall the movie entitled The BRAT Patrol (1986 starring Sean Astin) in which the kids of military service members save the world (more or less). Of course BRAT stands for Born Raised And Trapped. I can remember running around the neighborhood as an 9 year old singing the BRAT Patrol songs and conducting "missions" with my fellow USMC BRATs. Below are two links to the movie for those of you who are curious:
My father is a Marine (and my grandfather and grandmother, as well as an Uncle and Cousin on his side are also Marines). I always felt a point of personal pride to call myself a Marine Corps B.R.A.T. growing up. Those of you my age may recall the movie entitled The BRAT Patrol (1986 starring Sean Astin) in which the kids of military service members save the world (more or less). Of course BRAT stands for Born Raised And Trapped. I can remember running around the neighborhood as an 9 year old singing the BRAT Patrol songs and conducting "missions" with my fellow USMC BRATs. Below are two links to the movie for those of you who are curious:
"The BRAT Patrol" youtube excerpt (first ten minutes of the film)
IMDB link: The BRAT Patrol
I'll close out this column with two quotes, one from a modern day marine maestro of quotable quotes( http://www.theatlanticwire.com/features/view/feature/16-Most-Hair-Raising-General-Mattis-Quotes-1573/) :
"I come in peace, I didn't bring artillery. But I am pleading with you with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I'll kill you all.
Marine General James Mattis, to Iraqi tribal leaders
and the other from my favorite Marine Corps Commandants (yes, Marine kids have favorite Commandants...I had a poster of this one) Gen 'Lou' Wilson (MOH recipient). Having a plethora of Marine buddies I can personally vouch for the veracity of the sentiments he expresses in his closing lines:
The wonderful love of a beautiful maid,
The love of a staunch true man,
The love of a baby, unafraid,
Have existed since time began.
But the greatest of loves, The quintessence of loves.
even greater than that of a mother,
Is the tender, passionate, infinite love,
of one drunken Marine for another.
"Semper Fidelis"
General Louis H. Wilson
Commandant of the Marine Corps
Toast given at 203rd Marine Corps Birthday Ball
Camp Lejueune, N.C. 1978
The love of a staunch true man,
The love of a baby, unafraid,
Have existed since time began.
But the greatest of loves, The quintessence of loves.
even greater than that of a mother,
Is the tender, passionate, infinite love,
of one drunken Marine for another.
General Louis H. Wilson
Commandant of the Marine Corps
Toast given at 203rd Marine Corps Birthday Ball
Camp Lejueune, N.C. 1978
Monday, November 8, 2010
PGON-ism of the week- Circle the Wagons
It's been a while since I've put out a Pentagon-ism of the week and I would be remiss if I didn't mention the ubiquitous battle cry to "Circle the Wagons!"
I always chuckle to myself when I hear this melodramatic term used. I mean, really, are we truly 'pioneers' under attack from vicious natives...outnumbered and outgunned but ready to make a dramatic stand for victory by banding together?! Or are we just gonna have a slightly busier than usual week?
While this term is obviously meant to inspire these pioneer-esque type of thoughts within those of us in the audience, it is often misused as a call for cooperation and communication. As in:
"Alright guys, we need to circle the wagons this week, and figure out how we are going route this info memo about the French CNO's favorite red wine to our CNO."
or:
"We need to circle the wagons and figure out where we are going to have coffee this morning, the dunkin donuts is a bit of a walk, but that have some great new mocha flavored coffee."
For the intellectually curious:
Origin of Circle the Wagons
Circle the Wagons: The History of US Army Convoy Security Book
I always chuckle to myself when I hear this melodramatic term used. I mean, really, are we truly 'pioneers' under attack from vicious natives...outnumbered and outgunned but ready to make a dramatic stand for victory by banding together?! Or are we just gonna have a slightly busier than usual week?
While this term is obviously meant to inspire these pioneer-esque type of thoughts within those of us in the audience, it is often misused as a call for cooperation and communication. As in:
"Alright guys, we need to circle the wagons this week, and figure out how we are going route this info memo about the French CNO's favorite red wine to our CNO."
or:
"We need to circle the wagons and figure out where we are going to have coffee this morning, the dunkin donuts is a bit of a walk, but that have some great new mocha flavored coffee."
For the intellectually curious:
Origin of Circle the Wagons
Circle the Wagons: The History of US Army Convoy Security Book
Today the FAO Lat Transfer Board Meets!
So today the biannual Lateral Transfer/Redesignation Board meets. I am hoping that it will be: fourth times a charm...(to be fair, on one of the previous three applications I wasn't eligible yet but applied anyway hoping for a waiver from the aviation community---fat chance there).
Supposedly they are going to be picking close to 20 people this board which is good. The bad part is I haven't seen this year's quota sheet (Last year's quota sheet) so I don't know what my chances really are. In case you didn't know, the quota sheet has the number of people each community (HSC, VFA, submarine, surface warfare) will let go broken down by year group (year you graduated college-basically). This kind of sucks because even if you don't owe your community any more time, they might still not be letting anyone from your year group go for a variety of reasons (they need Department heads, billets filled etc...)...so they would rather I get out of the Navy because I don't want to stay in the community than let me stay in the Navy doing something else. And then there's a whole ranking of which communities get to pick people for their community broken down by year groups just to add a little more black magic to the scenario...ugh.
So personally, I think the whole system leaves a little something to be wanted but then again, I don't have a solution either so I am loathe to linger on the subject too much.
All you can really do is put together the best application you can, and then just hope and pray...and wait two months for the results. Stay tuned...
Supposedly they are going to be picking close to 20 people this board which is good. The bad part is I haven't seen this year's quota sheet (Last year's quota sheet) so I don't know what my chances really are. In case you didn't know, the quota sheet has the number of people each community (HSC, VFA, submarine, surface warfare) will let go broken down by year group (year you graduated college-basically). This kind of sucks because even if you don't owe your community any more time, they might still not be letting anyone from your year group go for a variety of reasons (they need Department heads, billets filled etc...)...so they would rather I get out of the Navy because I don't want to stay in the community than let me stay in the Navy doing something else. And then there's a whole ranking of which communities get to pick people for their community broken down by year groups just to add a little more black magic to the scenario...ugh.
So personally, I think the whole system leaves a little something to be wanted but then again, I don't have a solution either so I am loathe to linger on the subject too much.
All you can really do is put together the best application you can, and then just hope and pray...and wait two months for the results. Stay tuned...
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Global Views on China vs. Global Views on U.S. or "Wow, Egypt and Pakistan really don't like us!"
(I am on vacation for a week so I probably won't be keeping this as updated as normal)
Click the link below for the entire report which is wide-ranging and interesting. I originally came across this report because I regularly read another great blog called China in Africa: The Real Story
If you are interested in Africa, you cannot ignore the role of China there and this is a smart, academic, thorough look at the issues by a professor, author and expert.
Below are just two of the many charts in the report. Clink the link below to view whole report which is worth a good 15 minute scan.
Entire Pew Global Attitudes Report (30 pages +)
I only wish they had gotten data for a few other African nations such as Angola, South Africa and Tanzania. Of particular note though is how popular they are in Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan. The USA is more popular in Kenya and Nigera, but Pakistan and Egypt do NOT like us...this is unfortunate when you consider how much aid and preferential treatment we give them...but this just goes to show You Can't Buy Me Love . And while I don't think that we should base our foreign policy or diplomatic engagement on polling numbers, I do think it's important to have that insight into attitudes within a nation. If we had numbers on a few other African countries we could perhaps see regions/nations where we could do a little better on the public perception front.
On a side note, I wonder how the numbers will change after President Obama's trip through Asia.
Click the link below for the entire report which is wide-ranging and interesting. I originally came across this report because I regularly read another great blog called China in Africa: The Real Story
If you are interested in Africa, you cannot ignore the role of China there and this is a smart, academic, thorough look at the issues by a professor, author and expert.
Below are just two of the many charts in the report. Clink the link below to view whole report which is worth a good 15 minute scan.
Entire Pew Global Attitudes Report (30 pages +)
I only wish they had gotten data for a few other African nations such as Angola, South Africa and Tanzania. Of particular note though is how popular they are in Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan. The USA is more popular in Kenya and Nigera, but Pakistan and Egypt do NOT like us...this is unfortunate when you consider how much aid and preferential treatment we give them...but this just goes to show You Can't Buy Me Love . And while I don't think that we should base our foreign policy or diplomatic engagement on polling numbers, I do think it's important to have that insight into attitudes within a nation. If we had numbers on a few other African countries we could perhaps see regions/nations where we could do a little better on the public perception front.
On a side note, I wonder how the numbers will change after President Obama's trip through Asia.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Poet of the Week from Libya: Khaled Mattawa or The Sad Truth of the matter
So here's the sad truth of the matter: it's no easy task to find a great African poet each week for this blog. Well, that's not exactly precise. Google has made it plenty easy to a great African poet, but it is a task of African proportions to find the author's actual poems. Now some of this may be due to copyright restrictions but usually for most american/british/anywhere else poets, you can at least find a smattering of samples. I am all for financially supporting great poets...BUT if all I can find are bios saying what a great poet you are without evaluating one my own...well yeah, it makes it difficult. And by featuring a great poet's writing, this will expose him/her to others who may one day buy their work.
ANYWAY, but this is all no longer a problem as I finally ordered and received
The Penguin Book of Modern African Poetry: Fourth Edition (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) [Paperback]
So this will be the last poet I feature for a long while that doesn't come from the anthology. Below you will find an excerpt of Khaled Mattawa, a Libyan poet with a gift for crafting descriptions that you can close your eyes and picture:
"...while the sea and sky ache to become
a moment to peel itself like skin off fruit, and let us in
on its sweetness as we wait,.."
"Khaled Mattawa was born in Libya but has lived in the United States most of his adult life. He stays in touch with the Libyan literary scene and is revered there. His newest book, Amorisco, is due next month from Ausable Press, and one of its long poems, “East of Carthage: An Idyll,” is set at another ruined Roman city along the Libyan coast, Sabratha."
I also wrote a paper on the recent Libyan revolution: A Coalition to What End.
EAST OF CARTHAGE: AN IDYLL
1.
Look here, Marcus Aurelius, we’ve come to see
your temple, deluded the guards, crawled through a hole
in the fence. Why your descendent, my guide and friend
has opted for secrecy, I don’t know. But I do know
what to call the Africans, passport-less, yellow-eyed
who will ride the boat before me for Naples, they hope.
Here the sea curls its granite lip at them and flings a winter
storm like a cough, or the seadog drops them at Hannibal’s
shores, where they’ll stand stupefied like his elephants.
What dimension of time will they cross as the Hours loop
tight plastic ropes round their ankles and wrists?
What siren song will the trucks shipping them back
to Ouagadougou drone into their ears? I look at them
loitering, waiting for the second act of their darkness
to fall. I look at the sky shake her dicey fists.
One can be thankful, I suppose, for not being one of them,
and wrap the fabric of that thought around oneself
to keep the cold wind at bay. But what world is this
that makes our lives sufficient even as the horizon’s rope
is about to snap, while the sea and sky ache to become
a moment to peel itself like skin off fruit, and let us in
on its sweetness as we wait, smoking or fondling provisions,
listening to the engine’s invocational purr. In an hour
that will dawn and dusk at once, one that will stretch
into days strung like beads on the horizon’s throat,
they will ride their tormented ship as the dog star
begins to float on the water, so bright and still,
you’d want to scoop it out in the palm of your hand.
Simple questions
Are these birds or caravans
swimming through the air?
Neither the blueness nor those seated on beds in warm rooms will say.
Are these houses in a mirage or Bedouins
fleeing from ancient winds?
The sand and foxes alert for centuries will follow their trails.
Are these shadows of a city or a quavering flute?
A scene and visions emerge from its darkness.
FUUO Past Poets of the Week and Other Links:
http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2012/05/african-poets-of-week-compilation.html
http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2012/04/libya-coalition-to-what-end-and.html
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2008/11/libya-dont-look-away/
Some of my favorite poetry books:ANYWAY, but this is all no longer a problem as I finally ordered and received
The Penguin Book of Modern African Poetry: Fourth Edition (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) [Paperback]
So this will be the last poet I feature for a long while that doesn't come from the anthology. Below you will find an excerpt of Khaled Mattawa, a Libyan poet with a gift for crafting descriptions that you can close your eyes and picture:
"...while the sea and sky ache to become
a moment to peel itself like skin off fruit, and let us in
on its sweetness as we wait,.."
"Khaled Mattawa was born in Libya but has lived in the United States most of his adult life. He stays in touch with the Libyan literary scene and is revered there. His newest book, Amorisco, is due next month from Ausable Press, and one of its long poems, “East of Carthage: An Idyll,” is set at another ruined Roman city along the Libyan coast, Sabratha."
I also wrote a paper on the recent Libyan revolution: A Coalition to What End.
EAST OF CARTHAGE: AN IDYLL
1.
Look here, Marcus Aurelius, we’ve come to see
your temple, deluded the guards, crawled through a hole
in the fence. Why your descendent, my guide and friend
has opted for secrecy, I don’t know. But I do know
what to call the Africans, passport-less, yellow-eyed
who will ride the boat before me for Naples, they hope.
Here the sea curls its granite lip at them and flings a winter
storm like a cough, or the seadog drops them at Hannibal’s
shores, where they’ll stand stupefied like his elephants.
What dimension of time will they cross as the Hours loop
tight plastic ropes round their ankles and wrists?
What siren song will the trucks shipping them back
to Ouagadougou drone into their ears? I look at them
loitering, waiting for the second act of their darkness
to fall. I look at the sky shake her dicey fists.
One can be thankful, I suppose, for not being one of them,
and wrap the fabric of that thought around oneself
to keep the cold wind at bay. But what world is this
that makes our lives sufficient even as the horizon’s rope
is about to snap, while the sea and sky ache to become
a moment to peel itself like skin off fruit, and let us in
on its sweetness as we wait, smoking or fondling provisions,
listening to the engine’s invocational purr. In an hour
that will dawn and dusk at once, one that will stretch
into days strung like beads on the horizon’s throat,
they will ride their tormented ship as the dog star
begins to float on the water, so bright and still,
you’d want to scoop it out in the palm of your hand.
Simple questions
Are these birds or caravans
swimming through the air?
Neither the blueness nor those seated on beds in warm rooms will say.
Are these houses in a mirage or Bedouins
fleeing from ancient winds?
The sand and foxes alert for centuries will follow their trails.
Are these shadows of a city or a quavering flute?
A scene and visions emerge from its darkness.
FUUO Past Poets of the Week and Other Links:
http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2012/05/african-poets-of-week-compilation.html
http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2012/04/libya-coalition-to-what-end-and.html
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2008/11/libya-dont-look-away/
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