Need to Know Weekend Edition: 11/07/2009
by John Little on 7/11/2009The Wall and the end of the Cold War: Video and Commentary
As the Cold War was coming to an end, it seemed as though the world might wake up. There were great hopes for a renewed era of international collaboration among states. Many hoped that the United Nations could now play a role more akin to what its framers had desired. Indeed, some saw the creation of a “New World Order,” in which the international system would become more peaceful and orderly and just. This optimism was, of course, before Srebrenica, and Somalia, and Rwanda, and 9/11 . . . .
China and India, Quantum Computing’s Two Slumbering Giants
Chinese and Indian performance in the QC race is, so far, very low spirited. Considering that both countries have about 1.3 billion inhabitants, quantum computing YAPs (for this year, up to Oct 31) of 31 for China and 15 for India, are indefensibly low. Also, some of the Chinese YAP is of poor quality because it involves their efforts to build a boondoggle quantum Internet and quantum cryptography.
U.S. Army Chief Says More Troops Needed In Afghanistan
“I believe that we need to put additional forces into Afghanistan to give General McChrystal the ability to both dampen the successes of the Taliban while we train the Afghan civilian forces,” Casey said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on November 8.
When Muslims Commit Violence
I am not arguing, of course, that American Muslims, as a whole, are violently unhappy with America (I’ve argued the opposite, in fact). But I do think that elite makers of opinion in this country try very hard to ignore the larger meaning of violent acts when they happen to be perpetrated by Muslims. Here’s a simple test: If Nidal Malik Hasan had been a devout Christian with pronounced anti-abortion views, and had he attacked, say, a Planned Parenthood office, would his religion have been considered relevant as we tried to understand the motivation and meaning of the attack? Of course.
Remembrance runs deep from Afghanistan to London
At bases in Afghanistan and on Royal Navy ships, RAF stations and Army barracks around the world, the British Armed Forces community honoured their colleagues who have fallen in recent weeks and across the decades, today, Remembrance Sunday, 8 November 2009.
Dipnote
The U.S. Embassy in Algiers, Algeria just launched a new YouTube channel.
Saudis ‘retake captured territory’
Saudi Arabia began air raids and artillery bombardments against the Houthi group after its fighters crossed from northern Yemen and reportedly took control of the area called Jebel al-Dukhan.
NSFW: After Fort Hood, another example of how ‘citizen journalists’ can’t handle the truth
…none of us think we’re being selfish or egotistic when we tweet something, or post a video on YouTube or check-in using someone’s address on Foursquare. It’s just what we do now, no matter whether we’re heading out for dinner or witnessing a massacre on an Army base. Like Lord of the Flies, or the Stanford Prison Experiment, as long as we’re all losing our perspective at the same time – which, as a generation growing up with social media we are – then we don’t realise that our humanity is leaking away until its too late.
China’s Premier Pledges $10 billion in Loans to Africa
Chinese companies have invested billions of dollars in Africa to feed China’s appetite for raw materials. Trade between China and the continent has grown significantly over the past five years.
U.S. readies plan to ID departing visitors
The plan, which would take effect within two years, would collect fingerprints at airport security checkpoints, departure gates or terminal kiosks, allowing the government to track when roughly 35 million foreign visitors a year leave the country and who might be overstaying their visas, DHS officials said. The department plans to send the proposal to the White House as soon as next month for review and inclusion in President Obama’s next budget.
Mobile Spy For Android Released
Yesterday Mobile Spy released the Android version of their Mobile Spy application. It, as you can see above, keeps records of all SMS and calls made on the device. What you say? They are quick to delete everything as soon as it happens? No worries – it uploads the information immediately after the event takes place. Every 30 minutes their GPS location (assuming the devices GPS is enabled) is sent up as well.
Ambush of the Common Sort
The ambush happened around 0845 or so on the west side of the Duranta Tunnel. Steve and I rolled out to look – the fuel convoy had security escorts from Compass security and they plus some ANP are who you see up in the ridges. Three tankers were burning and three more were shot up and leaking fuel all over the place. There was a section of OH-58′s up and after about 20 minutes of figuring out who was who on the ground they started in on the bad guys with rockets and mini gun.
The Conet Project
This Quadruple CD is an important historical reference work for research into this hitherto unreported and unknown field of espionage. The CDs contain 150 recordings spanning the last twenty years; taken from the private archives of dedicated shortwave radio listeners from around the world.
Intelligence websites worldwide
List via The Intelligence System for the Security of the Republic (Italy)
Israelis unsure of U.S. support
Ten months into the Obama administration, persistent tension with Mr. Netanyahu has eroded the president’s standing among Israelis. They are giving him low grades for his initial, unsuccessful foray into Middle East peacemaking and feel slighted that he hasn’t shown them as much empathy he has shown their Arab neighbors.
Wanted: A War on Terrorist Media
The Long War against radical Islam is a war of ideas as much as a war of arms. Yet, for much of the past decade, the incitement and violent propaganda emanating from satellite television stations, radio outlets, and Internet platforms operated by violent Islamist extremists has too often gone unnoticed and unanswered.
A Virtual World for Amputees
The Amputee Virtual Environment Support Space (AVESS) project will research the needs of soldiers who suffered wounds that resulted in amputation and establish protocols and prototypes for addressing those needs in a virtual environment.
USS New York (LPD-21) Public Ship Visits
USS New York (LPD-21) arrived in New York City on Monday, Nov. 2. She is berthed at Pier 88 on Manhattan’s west side — 12th Ave. at W. 48th St.
Is DHS being left behind in the public affairs space?
DHS actually blocks access to social networking sites. It has the standard social media links on its main site, but in blocking social media access for everybody throughout the department it sends a clear message to its employees: Stay away from social media.
The Rise of Public Diplomacy 2.0
..in numerous countries mobile phones and cell phone technology are as important, if not more important, than the Internet. Text messaging is cheaper and more prevalent in places with no or low BlackBerry connectivity or other mobile means to access e-mail. Many embassies are well aware of this, and use text distribution lists to contact journalists with breaking news or to notify them about an interview opportunity. Some of the more innovative PAOs have created networks by, for example, setting up subscriptions for English idioms-of-the-day as a way of creating a network of English-language-learners and potential new friends of the embassy.
The war in Afghanistan is necessary, so why aren’t we trying harder to win?
As for President Obama, he has a general in the field whom he appointed. General Stanley McChrystal duly tells Mr Obama what he needs – 40,000 more troops and a surge in Kandahar – but the President’s favourite response is to set up a professorial working group and argue the case round Washington for months. And Pakistan remains in chaos. Our leaders maintain the rhetoric, but not the aim, the momentum, the will.
Afghanistan hits back at U.N. and foreign criticism
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that comments made by the top U.N. envoy in Kabul at a news conference on Thursday had “exceeded international norms and his authority.”
Overseas Turf War Between the CIA and DNI Won’t Die
At issue in the pair’s long-running tension is the right to name the chief intelligence officer in any U.S. mission abroad. A typical embassy has representatives from several intel agencies — CIA, FBI, NSA, military intelligence, et al. — and one of them is designated the top dog, responsible for liaising with the intelligence agencies of the host country, among other things. For decades, that job has fallen automatically to the CIA station chief. But after the DNI was created in 2004, a question arose: As head of 16 intelligence agencies, should the DNI have the right to name someone other than the CIA station chief as the top intel officer in each mission?
Wheelchairs for Children Injured by Land Mines in Afghanistan
There are many land mines left over from military activity in the area prior to US and Coalition forces arriving. The children who are injured by mines are treated at the Egyptian hospital near Bagram Airfield and need the chairs to help them as they heal and learn to cope with life after their mine accident. Many of these children have lost limbs. The chairs provide them with the mobility they need and improve their quality of life immensely.
Kazakhstan: Old Stalinist Repression in a New CyberWar Wrapper
Under the guise of “protecting citizens from terrorists and porn,” the government in Kazakhstan is eliminating freedom of speech and of the press via a particularly toxic cocktail of Old Stalinist School beatings, jailings and intimidation – and cutting-edge CyberWar attacks.
First pillar of cyber warfare: Intelligence
This is the first of four blog posts that elaborate just how the US, or any nation, would engage in cyber war. By understanding these factors IT security practitioners can gauge the threat to their own organization from cyber war and perhaps take steps to prepare for either direct attacks or the fallout from an outbreak of cyber hostilities between nations.
African Media Urged to Embrace Digital Revolution
Mr. Amadou Mahtar Ba, executive director, African Media Initiative noted: “By convening the forum in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous democracy, we are sending a message that the strengthening of mass media systems is an urgent imperative for societal advancement, and needs the support of governments, business leaders and civil society.”
Youth lured to fight in Somalia
Somalis living in northern Kenya have accused the government in Nairobi of secretly recruiting and training youths from the region as soldiers to go to fight for the transitional Somali government against al-Shabaab fighters.
U.N. Says U.S. Delays Led to Aid Cuts in Somalia
United Nations officials said Friday that the supply of critical food aid to Somalia had been interrupted and that rations to starving people needed to be cut, partly because the American government had delayed food contributions out of fears that they would be diverted to terrorists.
Two takes on Cyberwarfare:
Estonian President http://bit.ly/2DfAaj vs Cambridge Professor of Security Engineering http://bit.ly/37g8bq.
Two 82nd Airborne Division Paratroopers missing in Afghanistan
Two Paratroopers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division went missing Wednesday in a routine resupply mission in Western Afghanistan. Afghan and coalition forces are currently involved in an extensive search for the service members.
Worth Watching: Colleen Graffy,
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