The al Qaeda terrorists are not attacking “our way of life” or “our freedom.” Their goals are strategic war plans.
On the same day as the London bombings the Egyptian Ambassador to Baghdad Ihab al-Sherif, kidnapped for a week, was killed. Egypt is an Arab powerhouse, and Iraq needs its support. This conflict will isolate Iraq from the Arab world. Egypt is recalling its diplomats from Iraq.
The killing of the Egyptian top envoy has been condemned around the world. Egypt was on the verge of elevating its diplomatic mission to an embassy in Baghdad. This week, the insurgents have also fired on envoys from Bahrain and Pakistan, and Turkey has condemned the terrorist attacks against diplomats in Iraq.
Al-Sherif’s case also may have strained Iraqi-Egyptian relations at a time when Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari’s government needs the cooperation of its Arab neighbors, primarily to stop the flow of Arab militants seeking to join the insurgency.
LINK
The strategic plans of al Qaeda are to isolate the USA from its allies and to isolate Iraq from Arab and Muslim support. This has been bin Laden’s stated goal all along, Militant Islam vs the United States.
Little Badhdad girl weeps after her home is destroyed by a car bomb.
to a Washington Post article on the killing of the Egyptian envoy.
LINK
This made me cry
Norman Solomon’s new book War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death LINK
Invading and occupying Iraq has become a trap and it benefits Osama bin Laden and Militant Islam. Bombing the Iraqi people will not find bin Laden nor defeat al Qaeda.
That’s incredibly moving and sad. Do you have Solomon’s book, Sybil?
Our little girl is back. I’d give anything if we could group-adopt her, even if just to send her cards and gifts.
Susan, I don’t have the book but am thinking about getting it, along with Chris Hedges’ two anti-war books.
“What Every Person Should Know About War”
“War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning”
Not that I’m a pacifist, oh no. 😉
Greg Palast’s review of War Made Easy
Spewing platitudes like the ‘what we hold dear’ goes along with the ‘war on terror’, meaningless phrases and ones that can never be accomplished. With bush adding yesterday in his speechifying about ‘spreading the idealogy of hope’…
As long as the public doesn’t know or isn’t told what bin ladens real reasons are for all this horror than they’ll never understand how to actually stop or fight against him with a real and comprehensive plan.
And as long as the ‘idealogy’ of bushco is in full force we’ll never see any progress in Iraq that is for sure.
I’ve been yelling about this for almost 4 years now. These simplistic and jingoistic platitudes have cost us support in the world community, lack of understanding amongst non-politically-savvy Americans, and, most importantly, further acts of terror. The reality is that the Bush administration does not want the American people to understand why groups like al Qaeda use terror because, the people may come to an epiphany and start demanding changes in how we conduct ourselves on the world stage…and they simply can’t have that. I came across the following snippet of the translation of the speech OBL released the week of the election the other day and, after really thinking about it, emailed it everyone on my list with a caveat outlining why al Qaeda and other militant groups hate us so much. I think it’s a pretty illuminating speech as it comes, as it were, directly from the source.
world Islam.
He is multi-national when it comes to countries.
At what point does GWB become more dangerous to the people
of the USA than bin Laden?
Good post, thanks.
Thank you!
At what point does GWB become more dangerous to the people
of the USA than bin Laden?
I think this, in fact, has been the case for some time now.
I posted your bin Laden quote over on the
“What does al Qaeda want?”
Diary.
Check it out.
I saw it late last night. Thanks!
That point has passed. I suppose in the literal sense, because of this view, I am a traitor, but my government has commited treason against all. It is a sad day when the one who attacked us speaks more clearly to the causes of the attack, than our own President. Then again, Bush isn’t interested in exploring root causes, let alone having the capacity to grasp them. He is only interested in the conquest.
As you say, meanwhile:
Dulaimi said Iran had offered $1 billion in aid to show its support for Iraq’s quest for postwar recovery. He did not give further details.
Asked about possible U.S. opposition, Shamkhani said, “No one can prevent us from reaching an agreement.”
[LA Times/Reuters, 7/8/05].
Better to watch/read what the new government of Iraq is doing (it is their country) than the good ol’ persons in D.C.
.
Sybil I couldn’t add this post anymore to your archived diary @EuroTrib.
Never hit the international headlines, I found this while googling for specific attack on US International school in Saudi Arabia during the seventies. It’s one of the reasons why all expatriates now live in guarded quarters in Saudi Arabia. In addition perhaps, to avoid exchange of bad western habits of drinking and reading a bible, I’m not sure whether the two are connected.
Nairobi Kenya July 13, 2005 — At least 22 schoolchildren have reportedly been shot dead in a brutal raid on a remote village in northeastern Kenya. A total of 66 were killed in what is believed to be the country’s worst-ever single episode of inter-clan violence, a local politician said.
Bonaya Godana, the member of parliament for North Horr district in which the attack took place, said that 56 villagers, most of them young children and their mothers, had been killed in yesterday’s raid on Turbi village.
Police said earlier that 10 of the attackers had also been killed.
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