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About Contact Us CT Blog Experts in the Media CT Library Counterterrorism Foundation Websites & Centers RSS & PDA Feeds Archives Counterterrorism Blog Panels: The Future of Turkey-U.S. Strategic Partnership, May 19 Iran and the United States: Outlook for the Next Decade?, April 15 Compañeros de Armas ("Friends in Arms"): Chavez, FARC & South America, March 19 Meta-Terror: Terrorism & the Virtual World, Feb. 29 The Evolution of US Counterterrorism Policy, Feb. 12 Terrorism Litigation After Boim Decision, Jan. 28 Holy Land Foundation & Muslim Brotherhood, Dec. 11 ------------ Special Hyland-Roul Series on India Contributing Experts
Steven Emerson & The Investigative Project on Terrorism
Dennis Lormel Douglas Farah, Site Editor Bill West Evan Kohlmann Michael Cutler Victor Comras Michael Kraft Dr. Zachary Abuza Dr. Walid Phares Daveed Gartenstein-Ross Olivier Guitta Kenneth Conboy Aaron Mannes David Schenker Jeffrey Imm Animesh Roul Matthew Levitt Jonathan Winer Michael Jacobson Frank Hyland Roderick Jones Paul Cruickshank Farhana Ali Lorenzo Vidino Madeleine Gruen James Gordon Meek, Guest Expert Andrew Cochran, VP of GAGE Founder & Site Editor Phillip Smyth & Brett Wallace, Asst. Newslinks Editors EXPERTS' ARCHIVES & BIOS Recent Posts
Europe's most dangerous terrorist released to house arrest
U.S. Troops Dying on Afghan Border With ... IRAN? Questions About the Rescue in Colombia Gap in Tracking Terrorist Financing Through Money Service Businesses? The Importance of the Colombian Rescue Mission Indonesian Police Raids in Sumatra Yield Suspects, Bombs Details on Colombia Hostage Operation Right Out of Spy Thriller FARC is FARC'd: Assessing the Hostage Rescue Colombia Rescues Ingrid Betancourt and Three US Hostages Crossroads in History: The Struggle against Jihad and Supremacist Ideologies Experts' Books
Walid Phares: The Confrontation and "The War of Ideas: Jihadism against Democracy" and “Future Jihad: Terrorist Strategies Against America”
Michael Kraft & Yonah Alexander (Editors): "Evolution of U.S. Counterterrorism Policy" Douglas Farah & Zachary Abuza in Countering the Financing of Terrorism Douglas Farah: "Merchant of Death" and "Blood From Stones: The Secret Financial Network of Terror" Michael Jacobson: "The West at War: U.S. and European Counterterrorism Efforts, Post–September 11" Daveed Gartenstein-Ross: "My Year Inside Radical Islam: A Memoir" Steven Emerson: "Jihad Incorporated: A Guide to Militant Islam in the US" and "American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us" Victor Comras & Matthew Levitt (contributors): "Terrorism Financing and State Responses," Stanford University Press Matthew Levitt: "Negotiating Under Fire: Preserving Peace Talks in the Face of Terror Attacks" and "Hamas: Politics, Charity, and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad" and "Targeting Terror: U.S. Policy toward Middle Eastern State Sponsors and Terrorist Organizations, Post-September 11" Zachary Abuza: "Political Islam and Violence in Indonesia" and "Militant Islam in Southeast Asia: Crucible of Terror" Lorenzo Vidino "Al Qaeda in Europe: The New Battleground of Global Jihad" Kenneth Conboy: "The Second Front: Inside Asia’s Most Dangerous Terrorist Network" Evan Kohlmann: "Al-Qaida's Jihad in Europe: The Afghan-Bosnian Network" Credits
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Douglas Farah Archives
The Importance of the Colombian Rescue MissionBy Douglas FarahAs my colleagues Jonathan Winer and Aaron Mannes have written on the Counterterrorism Blog, the spectacular operation by the Colombian military to rescue 15 high-profile hostages was a tremendous blow to the FARC in Colombia. In the interest of full... Why Mugabe WonBy Douglas FarahThe tragic failure of the African Union to take any steps to sanction the fraudulent and violent regime of Robert Mugabe was a given as soon as the despot sat at the table. Because Mugabe knew his audience, or what... NEFA Foundation: "The FARC in Transition: The Fatal Weakening of the Hemisphere's Oldest Guerrilla Movement"By Douglas FarahToday the NEFA Foundation published a paper I wrote on the overall weakening of the FARC in Colombia and the likely options for its future development. The new paper, "The FARC in Transition: The Fatal Weakening of the Hemisphere's Oldest... Two Worrisome TrendsBy Douglas FarahThere are two stories today that point to ongoing problems and the future contours of the conflicts in which we will be emerged in coming years. The first is the extensive New York Times piece on who lack of resources,... More Evidence of the Criminal-Terrorist NexusBy Douglas FarahThose who are skeptical of the growing ties between drug trafficking organizations and terrorist groups-which I think will be the real war we will be fighting for many years, given the resources obtainable by drug trafficking organizations-should read the latest... Dangerous Times in Colombia and IraqBy Douglas FarahAmong the most dangerous times in a counter-insurgency campaign, inherent in asymmetrical warfare, is when the insurgency is close to being defeated. Desperate to remain relevant and to motivate its followers as the situation becomes more trying, the groups grasp... Africa's Shame and Zimbabwe's Greater ThreatBy Douglas FarahThe recent assault by armed government gangs, leading to dozens of deaths and hundreds of encarcerations, has led the opposition in Zimbabwe to withdraw from the electoral process. The striking inability of Tabo Mbeki in South Africa and other sub-Saharan... Treasury Moves on Hezbollah in VenezuelaBy Douglas FarahThe Treasury Department's Office fo Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today several entities tied to Hezbollah and operating in Venezuela. This is the first time I can find of the U.S. government directly and publicly linking Hezbollah funding activities to Venezuela.... The Nuclear NetworkBy Douglas FarahThere were several reports, led by the Washington Post, on the rogue international smuggling network that managed to acquire blueprints for an advanced nuclear weapon. No one knows where those blueprints were sold, or to whom. My sources in the... Monzar al Kassar, the Prince of Marbella, Extradited to the United StatesBy Douglas FarahWell, time finally ran out for Monzar al-Kassar, a weapons merchant and friend of various terrorist organizations. Today, after months of legal wrangling, he was extradited to the United States to stand trial. Al-Kassar was arrested in a DEA operation... The Drug-Terrorist Link Means Wars can Last IndefinitelyBy Douglas FarahThe Brits are finally willing to lay out some of the truths about the war in Afghanistan, truths that apply in many other parts of the world, in a pattern that we continue to see growing. According to the Daily... Chavez's Abrupt About-Face on the FARCBy Douglas FarahWhat does Hugo Chavez's abrupt call for the FARC to end its war and free all its hostages mean for the Colombian rebels? And what does it mean for Chavez? Chavez, who earlier this year repeatedly called for the world... Wael Julaidan, Founder of al Qaeda, Back in Action in Saudi Arabia?By Douglas FarahIs Wael Julaidan, founder of al Qaeda and one of only two Saudis ever designated as terrorist financiers by the Saudi regime and supposedly out of circulation, back in the public spotlight? It would seem so. According to the English... Viktor Bout is Apparently Worth Quite a Bit to the RussiansBy Douglas FarahWell, from my sources in Thailand and elsewhere it seems that Viktor Bout, weapons merchant extraordinaire, is worth quite a bit to the Russians. Bout, in prison in Thailand awaiting extradition to the United State, may not make it back,... Why The War in Afghanistan Cannot be WonBy Douglas FarahUnder current conditions, the NATO-led war against the Taliban in Afghanistan cannot be won. The most graphic reason is described in New York Times article on the reality of the Taliban control in Tribal Territories. While the Pakistani army goes... Iran Moves Banking Facilities to VenezuelaBy Douglas FarahIn a little-noticed move, Venezuela and Iran are joining forces not just in petroleum-relate ventures, but in banking ventures. The move toward joint banking is likely to boost Tehran's ability to circumvent U.S.-led sanctions against its financial structure that supports... The Death of Marulanda and the Future of the FARCBy Douglas FarahThe FARC's announcement this weekend that its top leader, Manuel Marulanda (AKA Tirofijo, or "Sureshot") had died of a heart attack means the end of an era for the Marxist-inspired group that is now more criminal enterprise than insurgency. Marulanda,... A Needed Push in the Intelligence CommunityBy Douglas FarahMike McConnell, the director for national intelligence, recently announced a significant revision in how members of the Intelligence Community will be paid. Rather than rewarding employees for simply putting in time, the new pay system seeks to reward performance. As... Good News on the Libel FrontBy Douglas FarahToday there was good news on freedom of speech front, as the Wall Street Journal won a complete victory in a libel case involving terror finance issues. The lead reporter, the venerable Glenn Simpson, is now 4-0 since 9/11 in... Is Hezbollah the Premier Non-State Threat?By Douglas FarahThere is some serious re-evaluation of priorities in parts of the U.S. and European intelligence communities as to the who now poses the greatest strategic threat to the West-al Qaeda or Hezbollah. Hezbollah has publicly emerged in recent days the... The Criminal-Terrorist Nexus and the DEABy Douglas FarahIt is interesting to note the first major conviction in the United States in a drug case tied to radical Islamist movements, in this case, the Taliban. (Many more case documents can be found here.) “As an enemy of the... Handover of Terrorist Paramilitaries Could be Turning Point in ColombiaBy Douglas FarahColombian president Alvaro Uribe's decision to extradite 13 leaders of the paramilitary, terrorist-designated United Self Defense Forces (AUC) to the United States could be a milestone in Colombia's efforts to erradicate terrorism from all sides of the political spectrum. Uribe's... Jeff Breinholt Returns to DOJ and Bows Out of CTBBy Douglas FarahJeff Breinholt, who took a leave from the Department of Justice to serve as Director of National Security Law at the International Assessment and Strategy Center has now returned to active government service in DOJ. The board and contributors of... More on the FARC Documents Come to LightBy Douglas FarahLittle by little more of the thousands of documents captured from the FARC rebels in Colombia are coming to light and the picture is not pretty. While INTERPOL is reportedly set to declare the contents of the computers captured after... A Murder in MexicoBy Douglas FarahThe murder of Mexico's police chief signals just how serious the Mexican drug trafficking organizations are about taking on the Mexican state. And just how weak the Mexican state is. "This could have a snowball effect, even leading to the... Bad Omens in Latin AmericaBy Douglas FarahThe Associated Press today reports on how thinly spread U.S. Special Forces are in many parts of the world, including Latin America, at a crucial time. "We're going to fewer countries, staying for shorter periods of time, with smaller numbers... The Tragedy of the USS Cole CaseBy Douglas FarahThe Washington Post this weekend carried an extensive and depressing look at how the main suspects in the USS Cole bombing have gone free. The most infuriating piece is on the freedom of Jamal al-Badawi, who helped organize the October... An Interesting Pairing at an MB ConferenceBy Douglas FarahIt is interesting to note that CAIR director Nihad Awad will soon be sharing center stage in a major conference with Mohammad Akram al-Adlouni, the probable author of the most damning documents made public during the Holy Land Foundation trial.... AG Mukasey's New Organized Crime CrackdownBy Douglas FarahAlmost as soon as my last post on the transnational threat of cigarette smuggling was posted, several alert friends sent me the recent speech by Attorney General Michael Mukasey at CSIS, where he announced a new effort to understand and... Cigarettes and the Criminal/Terrorist NexusBy Douglas FarahThe minority staff of the House Committee on Homeland Security has, as first reported by Fox News, posted an interesting report on the ties between cigarette smuggling and terrorism. The report focuses primarily on smuggling in New York and the... Deep Divisions in the Islamist WorldBy Douglas FarahOne of the more interesting things to me in the recent spate of statements by Ayman al-Zawahiri and other al Qaeda leaders is al Qaeda's need now to constantly and viciously attack other Islamist tendencies, particularly Iran and Shities, the... The Muslim Brotherhood and the Electoral ProcessBy Douglas FarahIf one wants to get a more realistic picture of how the Muslim Brotherhood and its international legacy organizations view voting and the democratic process than the usual platitudes of their public discourse, it is well worth reading the Guide... New Insights on the MB Convictions in EgyptBy Douglas FarahA few days ago Jeff Breinholt, my colleague on the Counterterrorism Blog noted a valuable new web resource, the Global Muslim Brotherhood Report, open to responsible researchers who are willing to provide a name and institutional affiliation. Today the site... A Deeply Disturbing Report on the Lack of Strategic ThinkingBy Douglas FarahThe General Accounting Office recently released a devastating reporton the lack of a coherent strategy governing the U.S. approach to dealing with the terrorist threat from Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATAs). This is true FIVE YEARS after the development... Somali Jihadists Clarify Stance on the United StatesBy Douglas FarahFor many months there was a debate inside the State Department and elsewhere in the policy community on how seriously to take the _jihadist_ threat from al-Shabaad al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia, and whether the group was really linked to al... Europe's Road Ever More DifficultBy Douglas FarahSeveral pieces today tie together to forma disturbing mosaic. The first two are the growing threat of radical Islam in Great Britain and the penetration of the structures of several elite universities there. The second is the new report by... The Atomization of Terrorist EffortsBy Douglas FarahAn interesting report by ABC News talks about the myriad ways terrorists are now trying to build explosives so they will be undetectable. It reminds me of two thing. The first is that, like the drug cartels, these folks are... What Does Iran Want From Latin America?By Douglas FarahYesterday I spoke at a program sponsored by the Hudson Institute's Latin America center on the growing ties among Iran, Venezuela, and non-state armed actors such as the FARC, and the strategic challenges these alliances pose for the United States.... Chavez's Sudden Interest in Combatting Drug TraffickingBy Douglas FarahThe Washington Post today brings word of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez's suddenly intensified efforts to crack down on the booming drug trade through his country. Elite troops have been dispatched primarily to blow up rudimentary airstrips near the Colombian border.... Saudi Arabia's Terror Finance ProblemBy Douglas FarahThere is little willingness to tackle the Saudis anymore on the issue of cracking down on terror finance. Intelligence services here and in Europe know most of the money for the mujahadeed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere still come from... NATO and Afghanistan-The Cost of FailureBy Douglas FarahFew in NATO, including U.S. leaders, appear willing to face the fact that the war in Afghanistan is growing to be one of the longest in our history and could be one of the costliest. Not just in economic terms,... "Fitna" and the Need to RespondBy Douglas FarahThe controversial Dutch film "Finta" by Geets Wilder, a member of parliament, has been released in English and is causing quite a stir. This includes the expected outcry from many quarters, including many Muslim groups. Riots are predicted in Pakistan,... Danger, Again, in SomaliaBy Douglas FarahAfter the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) was driven from power in Somalia by Ethiopian troops 15 months ago, the region, and its ongoing turmoil, largely fell from public view and the the official policy agenda. That is a serious mistake.... Danger Signs on the BorderBy Douglas FarahA tip of the hat (actually, two tips) to Todd Bensman of the San Antonio Express-News for two articles (one in his paper and one one his website) on the reality that Islamist terrorists have crossed the U.S. border, and... Bin Laden's New MessageBy Douglas FarahThere are several interesting aspects to Osama bin Laden's first, albeit brief, message of 2008, transcribed here by the NEFA Foundation. Clearly the senior al Qaeda leadership thought the issue was important enough to have bin Laden address it, something... Qaradawi: Bin Laden May Not be Responsible for 9/11 AttacksBy Douglas FarahThanks to Yousef al-Qaradawi, the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood who still enjoys speaking publicly, we gain added insight into the group's thinking. In a recent interview with the al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper Qaradawi demonstrated the continued ambiguity of the... Russia Appealing to State Department to Free BoutBy Douglas FarahWell, that did not take long. According to my sources, confirmed by Bill Gertz in the Washington Times, Russia is actively seeking to get the State Department to help spring Viktor Bout from his Thai prison home. One of the... Chiquita Sued By U.S. Families for Support of the FARCBy Douglas FarahThe relatives of five American missionaries who were abducted and murdered by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have filed suit against Chiquita Brands International Inc., accusing the banana company of secretly financing and arming the rebel (and terrorist)... What the FARC Documents ShowBy Douglas FarahFirst, a clarification. The documents taken from the laptop of FARC senior commander Raul Reyes when Reyes was killed had nothing to do with the arrest of arms merchant Viktor Bout in Thailand. My sources involved in the operation said... Now The Fun Begins With Russia Over Bout's ArrestBy Douglas FarahIt did not take the Russian government long to the Russian government friends and lawyers for the recently-arrested Viktor Boutto begin working to protect him again. The tactic now is to seek the extradition of Bout, arrested in Thailand in... Viktor Bout ArrestedBy Douglas FarahViktor Bout, the subject of my book with Steve Braun has been arrested in Thailand on charges of supplying weapons to the FARC in Colombia. Here is the complaint spelling out the details of the charge of conspiracy to provide... Qaradawi, Mughniyeh and QutbBy Douglas FarahFor those who retain doubts about the the true thinking and attitude of the international Muslim Brotherhood toward violence, it is always useful to look to Shiekh Yousef al-Qaradawi, their spiritual leader. While often portraying himself as a non-violent moderate... Chavez, FARC, Threaten Wider Regional ConflictBy Douglas FarahThe reaction of presidents Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Rafael Correa of Ecuador to the killing of FARC commander Raul Reyes is now threatening to plunge South America into a disastrous conflict. "This could be the start of a war... Are We Really Just Beginning to Talk About "Soft Power" Now?By Douglas FarahA series of talks I have had recently echoed this Walter Pincus story in the Washington Post about the sudden recognition that "soft power" must be a vital component of any successful strategy to fight terrorism. "How do we and... NEFA Report: An Analysis of Spain's January's Suicide Bombers CaseBy Douglas FarahThe NEFA Foundation has published an paper looking at the January indictment of nine Pakistani and one Indian citizen for allegedly planning terrorist attacks near Barcelona, Spain. The paper looks at the case in the context of the rise in... Qaradawi Embraces Rt. Rev. Williams Call for Start of Sharia Law in BritainBy Douglas FarahThe basic, public premise of the Muslim Brotherhood's strategy for the conquest of Europe hinges on creating Muslim enclaves that are exempt from national laws and under sharia law-then steadily expanding those areas. So it is not surprising the group... Some Needed Congressional Questions on Saudi InfluenceBy Douglas FarahThe Investigative Project has just reproduced an important letter from Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va) requesting information from the Saudi-funded Center For Muslim Christian Understanding of Georgetown University. It is worth recalling that Saudi prince Alaweed bin Talal donated $20 million... Al Qaradawi on Violent Jihad and Revolts Against GovernmentsBy Douglas FarahIn a recent appearance al Jazeera, Muslim Brotherhood theologian Yousef al-Qaradawi took an interesting, but not unusual line on violent jihad-it is not wrong, but it is ineffective. In the midst of a discourse on the Caliphate, the need to... The Importance of Imad MughniyehBy Douglas FarahThe assassination of top Shite militant Imad Mughniyeh is important for many reasons, not the least of which was his long-standing ties to Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda network and his crucial role as a link between the... Beware the Morphing of Al Qaeda in IraqBy Douglas FarahOne of the fundamental truths of dealing with networks, terrorist or otherwise, is that they will morph quickly to survive and adapt as the environment around them changes. This seems to be the case in Iraq, where, as we know... Acting In One's Own Self InterestBy Douglas FarahOne thing about extremist groups, particularly those that are based on religion, is that their members so believe that they are the exclusive possessors of the truth that they almost inevitably go to far, especially if they have power. The... One Step Forward, Several Back, in Efforts to Define the EnemyBy Douglas FarahAs my colleague Jeffrey Imm has recently noted, there has been a alarming few steps back in identifying the Salafist/jihadist threat we face in any way with a growing current of Islam. The new threat assessment, the State of the... Al-Libi's Life and Death Show Interesting ConnectionsBy Douglas FarahThe recent death of Abu Laith al-Libi in Pakistan shows several interesting things about the _jihadist_ groups operating in the Pakistan-Afghanistan region, and their ties to Iraq. The first is the prominent role that Libyans have been playing in recent... Another Drug Baron Found (Dead) in VenezuelaBy Douglas FarahOne of Colombia's main drug lords, who had a $5 million U.S. bounty on his head, has been found dead in Venezuela, where he had been living for some time. Wilber Varela, AKA "Soap," was a leader of the massively... Qaradawi and U.S. Organizations?By Douglas FarahThe International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), one of the main entities under federal investigation in Northern Virginia, is hosting its annual conference this year in Cape Town, South Africa. What is interesting is that the press release from the... Al Arian Loses Appeal on SubpoenaBy Douglas FarahThe ongoing legal saga of Sami al Arian, the former University of South Florida professor who confessed to working with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, continues, this time with a victory for the government. The NEFA Foundation has just posted... State Actors in Criminal/Terrorist PipelinesBy Douglas FarahStateless regions and/or failed states have become a hot, if often-shoddily- investigated topic in the counter-terrorism world. In my conception of the criminal/terrorist pipelines, there are important holes in general literature. One of the primary ones is the limited ability... The Jihadist Encryption CampaignBy Douglas FarahOne finds interesting articles in unexpected places these days. Recently Computerworld looked at the use of Jihadi encrytion on their websites. Shows how much the world has changed, when computer magazines start paying attention to this stuff. This includes... The Real Issue on the Latin American LandscapeBy Douglas FarahMy colleague Andrew Cochran's post on the threat (or not) to the Panama Canal seems to me to miss the larger picture of the threat from Latin America. That threat is contained in the recent statements by Adm. James Stavridis,... Another Indictment Shows Sophistication of Charity OperationsBy Douglas FarahThe Justice Department's announcement of the indictment of an Islamic charity for financially aiding a terrorist tied to al Qaeda and the Taliban, as well as a former U.S. congressman for lobbying on behalf of the group with money stolen... NEFA Report: The Criminal/Terrorist Nexus and Its PipelinesBy Douglas FarahThe NEFA Foundation has just published a paper looking at the criminal-terrorist nexus and the concept of "pipelines" to help frame new ways of looking at the threats and opportunities posed by the twin phenomena of global integration and global... |