http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/ FDD is an anti-terrorism think tank, located in Washington DC committed to education about terrorism and promoting democracy in the Middle East. Writers include Cliff May, Walid Phares, Claudia Rosette, Ambassador Richard Carlson and others. Thoughtful commentary & news alerts about terrorism. Topics: al-manar, iraq, iran, democracy, middle east and more. en-US Sun, 26 Apr 2009 12:31:11 -0400 http://www.typepad.com/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification noFDD is an anti-terrorism think tank, located in Washington DC committed to education about terrorism and promoting democracy in the Middle East. Writers include Cliff May, Walid Phares, Claudia Rosette, Ambassador Richard Carlson and others. Thoughtful coFDD is an anti-terrorism think tank, located in Washington DC committed to education about terrorism and promoting democracy in the Middle East. Writers include Cliff May, Walid Phares, Claudia Rosette, Ambassador Richard Carlson and others. Thoughtful commentary & news alerts about terrorism. Topics: al-manar, iraq, iran, democracy, middle east and more. http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2009/04/phares-featured-in-al-watan-of-the-gulf-us-must-support-liberals-in-the-region-as-an-alternative-to-.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2009/04/phares-featured-in-al-watan-of-the-gulf-us-must-support-liberals-in-the-region-as-an-alternative-to-.html Dr Walid Phares, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and who advises members of the US Congress and the European Union was featured in the daily al Watan of the Gulf discussing US and international security: "The US must support the liberal movement in the region to balance with the Jihadists: this will be the only viable long term policy to confront the mounting threats." He underlined that the top security priority of Washington is to address nuclear threats in Pakistan and North Korea and preempt the expansion of nuclear military material to Iran." Read the article... Walid Phares Sun, 26 Apr 2009 12:31:11 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2009/03/interview-in-dn-india-revciew-on-the-jihadi-threat-in-swat-valley.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2009/03/interview-in-dn-india-revciew-on-the-jihadi-threat-in-swat-valley.html Dr Walid Phares was interviewed by Venkatesan Vembu in DN India Review on the Jihadi threat in Swat Valley. Read Here Download 09 Feb Pakwar DNA A link can be found here Swatt Analysis A full version can be found here DNA Interview An article by Indian journalist Venkatesan Vembu commenting on the interview can be found here Vembu article Walid Phares Fri, 06 Mar 2009 10:23:31 -0500 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2009/02/comment-on-the-obama-plan-to-withdraw-from-iraq.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2009/02/comment-on-the-obama-plan-to-withdraw-from-iraq.html In an interview on 850 FM WFTL I commented on President Obama's plan to withdraw from Iraq as of August 2010. Listen here Download 2009 wftl 2-27 Walid Phares Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:10:36 -0500 noIn an interview on 850 FM WFTL I commented on President Obama's plan to withdraw from Iraq as of August 2010. Listen here Download 2009 wftl 2-27In an interview on 850 FM WFTL I commented on President Obama's plan to withdraw from Iraq as of August 2010. Listen here Download 2009 wftl 2-27 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2009/01/interview-on-the-randy-tobler-show-on-the-gaza-war.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2009/01/interview-on-the-randy-tobler-show-on-the-gaza-war.html Dr Walid Phares, Director of the Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies interviewed on the Randy Tobler radio show on the Iranian sponsored Hamas war in Gaza. Download Randy...1-3-09[1] Walid Phares Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:21:46 -0500 noDr Walid Phares, Director of the Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies interviewed on the Randy Tobler radio show on the Iranian sponsored Hamas war in Gaza. Download Randy...1-3-09[1]Dr Walid Phares, Director of the Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies interviewed on the Randy Tobler radio show on the Iranian sponsored Hamas war in Gaza. Download Randy...1-3-09[1] http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2009/01/projecting-the-conflicts-into-2009-lessons-from-2008.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2009/01/projecting-the-conflicts-into-2009-lessons-from-2008.html Dr Walid Phares interview on the Rright Balance Radio show on December 31, 2008. "Projecting the Conflcits into 2009: Lessons from 2008. Download 123108trb_hour2_0600 Walid Phares Thu, 01 Jan 2009 18:29:18 -0500 noDr Walid Phares interview on the Rright Balance Radio show on December 31, 2008. "Projecting the Conflcits into 2009: Lessons from 2008. Download 123108trb_hour2_0600Dr Walid Phares interview on the Rright Balance Radio show on December 31, 2008. "Projecting the Conflcits into 2009: Lessons from 2008. Download 123108trb_hour2_0600 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/12/message-to-lebanons-civil-society-keep-the-hope-high.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/12/message-to-lebanons-civil-society-keep-the-hope-high.html Message from Dr Walid Phares to Lebanon's Civil Society during the Holidays Season: Keep the Hope High, for Democracy is coming no matter what.. Download Weekly-Special-28-12-08 (In Lebanese Language). December 27, 2008 Walid Phares Sat, 27 Dec 2008 14:12:41 -0500 noMessage from Dr Walid Phares to Lebanon's Civil Society during the Holidays Season: Keep the Hope High, for Democracy is coming no matter what.. Download Weekly-Special-28-12-08 (In Lebanese Language). December 27, 2008Message from Dr Walid Phares to Lebanon's Civil Society during the Holidays Season: Keep the Hope High, for Democracy is coming no matter what.. Download Weekly-Special-28-12-08 (In Lebanese Language). December 27, 2008 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/09/fdds-new-websit.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/09/fdds-new-websit.html Thank you very much for visiting the FDD blog. FDD has a new website (www.defenddemocracy.org) which compiles the blog postings from our writers in one convenient location. As a result, we will no longer be updating this site. We hope you continue to find the new site to be a useful resource for analysis and information on war against militant Islamist terrorism. We welcome your feedback -- please write to us at info@defenddemocracy.org Sincerely, The Editors Blog Editor Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:40:11 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/08/jihadism-identi.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/08/jihadism-identi.html Phares to the Majority Party of the European Parliament in Paris on Jihadi Terrorism EFD Scholar Phares at the EPP Conference in Paris Video of the remarks offered by Professor Walid Phares, Visiting Scholar at the European Foundation for Democracy, at the opening session of the European Popular Party -European Democrats- in Paris in July 2008. Phares' lecture focused on the necessity for Europe to educate its public about the ideology, movements and strategies of the Jihadists and support reformists within Muslim communities to impact the debate and contain and reverse radicalization To view the short Video of Professor Walid... Walid Phares Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:11:37 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/07/europe-must-dis.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/07/europe-must-dis.html Phares: The European Public Must Learn to Distinguish Between Islam as a religion and Jihadism as an Ideology In an interview with the Slovak News Agency, Professor Walid Phares visiting scholar at the European Foundation for Democracy said Europeans must begin to distinguish between Islam as a religion and Jihadism as an ideology. "European Governments and Union must allow and encourage debates between Jihadists counter Jihadists in the Muslim communities. Phares was interviewed by Monika Polakova of the Slovak News Agency (TASR) on 30-Jun-2008. The interview was published later. The interview original posting can be found here [ Visit Website... Walid Phares Sat, 26 Jul 2008 20:13:26 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/07/radicalization.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/07/radicalization.html Phares at the European Policy Center Brussels, the European Parliament, European Foundation for Democracy, Future Terrorism Project. June 30, 2008 As part of his tour under the auspices of the European Foundation for Democracy, Professor Walid Phares gave a lecture at the European Policy Center (EPC) under the title of "Radicalization of Muslim Youth: se self fulfilling prophecy." In partnership with the King Baudouin Foundation, the EPC describes itself as an independent Think Tank at the cutting edge of European Union affairs. The lecture series is under the EU integration and Citizenship program. The event was chaired by Mrs Shada... Walid Phares Sat, 05 Jul 2008 08:09:56 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/07/iranian-visa-of.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/07/iranian-visa-of.html Secretary of State Rice is considering opening a US passport Visa office in Tehran, Iran. We have no embassy in that country, and haven’t had one since the Iranians seized our embassy, and took American hostages, almost 30 years ago. Last I was in Tehran, a few years ago, the embassy compound had been turned into a military camp. Sloppy peasant soldiers walked the brown clay walls around the huge compound. An anti-CIA book store for tourists was at the main gates. So here is Iran trying to build a nuclear weapon, maybe to use on Israel and the West,... Blog Editor Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:03:00 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/07/zimbabwes-probl.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/07/zimbabwes-probl.html I am back once again on the subject of Crazy Bob Mugabe, the 84 year old dictator of the once lovely country of Zimbabwe, a man who just won’t go away. As you now know, he has been sworn in for a sixth term as president. You may have seen the picture of him, holding a bible of all things, claiming victory in a one-man race, after he killed and maimed the leadership of the opposition, driving 200,000 of them from their homes until his rival quit the race. Morgan Tsvangirai, head of that opposition –The Movement for Democratic Change,... Africa Blog Editor Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:02:16 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/phares-briefs-o.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/phares-briefs-o.html Phares Briefs Officials and Academics in Rome June 22, 2008 As part of his activities as a Visiting Fellow at the European Foundation for Democracy, Dr Walid Phares delivered a lecture on the "Future of Salafi Jihadi Terrorism" at the Italian Institute of International Affairs in Rome, Italy's leading strategic think tank. Dr. Phares, who was introducing his new book The Confrontation: Winning the War against Future Jihad, analyzed the global trends of the Jihadist movement, focusing on the Salafi networks. The event was attended by the Chief of Staff of the Italian Armed Forces General Vincenzo Camporini and the... Walid Phares Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:44:54 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/female-jihadist.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/female-jihadist.html Al Qaeda is using the internet to rally Muslim women to their cause. A long piece in the New York Times profiles a 48 year old Belgium woman named Malika el Aroud. She uses a French pseudonym, “Oum Obeyda,” and is a prominent internet Jihadist, so to speak. The Times story quotes her as denying she spreads bomb-making instructions and she says she won’t take up arms, but she sees her job as encouraging Muslim men to go out and kill Westerners and to rally other Muslim women as cheerleaders for Jihad. “Writing is also a bomb”, says El Aroud,... Blog Editor Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:01:00 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/the-eu-and-cuba.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/the-eu-and-cuba.html Led by Spain, the European Union is now debating whether to drop sanctions against Castro’s Cuban government. The talks were going on while the EU was hosting President George Bush recently. Spain is a cheer-leader for the repressive Cuban government and wants to drop all restrictions now that the cross-dressing Raul Castro, Fidel’s odd-ball younger brother, is holding the reins (along with Fidel.) The Czech Republic, which has a lot of experience with oppressive dictatorships of the kind practiced in Cuba, has been demanding that human rights conditions be put on any lifting of sanctions. Unlike the US, the EU... Blog Editor Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:00:00 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/discussion-of-t.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/discussion-of-t.html Dr Walid Phares discusses the War of Ideas on the Right Balance with Greg Allen on June 18, 2008. Take a Listen Download trb_hour2_0600.mp3 . It is about definign or not defining the enemy and its ideology. Walid Phares Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:56:28 -0400 noDr Walid Phares discusses the War of Ideas on the Right Balance with Greg Allen on June 18, 2008. Take a Listen Download trb_hour2_0600.mp3 . It is about definign or not defining the enemy and its ideology.Dr Walid Phares discusses the War of Ideas on the Right Balance with Greg Allen on June 18, 2008. Take a Listen Download trb_hour2_0600.mp3 . It is about definign or not defining the enemy and its ideology. http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/pakistani-lawye.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/pakistani-lawye.html Thousands of lawyers in Pakistan are on a heated campaign to oust Gen Pervez Musharraf from the presidency. You probably saw those lawyers on the news a few months back in Kerachi and Islamabad, parading around in white shirts and black ties, their uniforms. They are at it again and drawing huge, supportive crowds, making the Musharraf government exceedingly nervous. An aside: Lawyers may be more popular in Pakistan than in the US with the general public, but they still tell jokes about them there. I heard this when I was in Islamabad: Do you know why Pakistani lawyers don’t... Blog Editor Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:57:13 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/no-coverage-of.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/no-coverage-of.html There were a few small news stories the other day about all criminal charges being dropped against US Marine Lt. Colonel Jeffrey Chessani. His troops had been charged in the supposed murder of Iraqi civilians a couple of years ago. Those stories were puny compared to the media firestorm the original charges created. Isn’t that invariably the case when the facts begin to get in the way of a juicy story. You’ll recall the huge furor over a “massacre” by US Marines from the 3rd Battalion First Marines in the city of Haditha two and a half years ago. Twenty... Blog Editor Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:19:46 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/discussion-of-h.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/discussion-of-h.html Discussion of Hezbollah and Iran strategies in Lebanon on the Right Balance Radio show with Greg Allen. Download 2008_trb_june_15.mp3 Hezbollah Walid Phares Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:45:30 -0400 noDiscussion of Hezbollah and Iran strategies in Lebanon on the Right Balance Radio show with Greg Allen. Download 2008_trb_june_15.mp3Discussion of Hezbollah and Iran strategies in Lebanon on the Right Balance Radio show with Greg Allen. Download 2008_trb_june_15.mp3Hezbollah http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/jihadism-war-on.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/jihadism-war-on.html Another radio interview with Mark Carbon out of California discussing the Jihadist strategy of using America's Justice system to score victories in their War on Democracies. Take a Listen: Download 2008_carbon_06_12_08.mp3 Walid Phares Sat, 14 Jun 2008 10:11:40 -0400 noAnother radio interview with Mark Carbon out of California discussing the Jihadist strategy of using America's Justice system to score victories in their War on Democracies. Take a Listen: Download 2008_carbon_06_12_08.mp3Another radio interview with Mark Carbon out of California discussing the Jihadist strategy of using America's Justice system to score victories in their War on Democracies. Take a Listen: Download 2008_carbon_06_12_08.mp3 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/dont-bring-the.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/dont-bring-the.html In an interview on the Mitch Albom show out of Detroit I argued that the United States should not bring the Jihadists detainees from Guantanamo into the American Justice system, but to send all the best stipulations this system has to rneder Justice to them in Guantanamo. Chekc it here: Albom Walid Phares Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:20:05 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/brigitte-bardow.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/brigitte-bardow.html Sad and bizarre end to a story you may have noticed a few weeks ago. That beautiful actress from the 1960’s, Brigitte Bardot was convicted this past week of “racial hatred” in a French court. She is now 73 years old. The charge: “insulting Muslims.” The specifics: As an animal rights activist she raised hell about some Muslims treatment of animals, called them “dirty” and cruel, and complained publicly in an interview about Islamic immigration into France. She said she really didn’t like their habit of cutting the throats of sheep during ritual feasts or radical Islam’s cruel treatment of... War of Ideas Blog Editor Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:45:00 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/good-news-about.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/good-news-about.html Some good news about the last group, al-Qaeda. They have been suffering serious setbacks. Their stronghold in Mosul in Northern Iraq has been decimated. They have suffered big losses in Somalia. The al-Qaeda leader there was killed in a US bombing raid on May Day. Arab fighters and al-Qaeda itself has practically disappeared from Afghanistan as a force with teeth, even though Osmama Bin Laden has used the country as his home base for 12 years. Contrary to false or distorted media reports over the years, OBL has no personal fortune from his construction company family which he can draw... Blog Editor Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:44:00 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/and-bad-news-fo.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/and-bad-news-fo.html You’ll be pleased to know that things are also going poorly for the “Shining Path” Maoists in Peru as well. “Sendoro Luminoso.” There’s a name from the past. You may have thought that this Communist guerilla group was long gone since they have disappeared from the media screen but they are still around. In the 1980’d they terrorized the entire country. . Their founder, a deranged university philosophy professor, once happily predicted that more than “one million” Peruvians would have to die before the rebels took over the country and turned it into a Communist state. He was wrong, and... Blog Editor Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:42:00 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/bad-news-for-fa.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/bad-news-for-fa.html Some welcome bad news for three bad groups and some good news for liberty and the Rule of Law. The FARC in Columbia is doing poorly. Lately, everything seems to be coming up as dead daisies for them. The FARC has made huge amounts from Cocaine smuggling but the money hasn’t filtered down to the troops and quotidian life in the steaming jungles has been miserable. Karina has now turned on her former comrades publicly telling them to quit and come in before it is too late. There are a lot of FARC defectors, hundreds, and Uribe puts them on... Blog Editor Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:41:00 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/more-trouble-in.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/more-trouble-in.html The situation in Zimbabwe continues in crisis mode. Morgan Tsvangirai, the brave opposition leader struggling against the despot Crazy Bob Mugabe, was seized by police and locked up this past week, charged with “illegal campaigning. The Presidential runoff is set for the end of June and Morgan was driving to a campaign stop in the western part of Zim when he was stopped at a police roadblock and grabbed, along with a couple of his party’s other leaders, They were released in about eight hours after charges were lodged. Morgan has been arrested, and often beaten and bused, time and... Africa Blog Editor Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:37:00 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/from-beijing-to.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/from-beijing-to.html Chinese security officials are gearing up for the possibility of radical Islamic terrorist attacks against the Olympic Games in Beijing in late summer. There is a fear of the use of radioactive material being used in the form of a “dirty bomb”. The head of nuclear security at the International Atomic Energy Agency, based in Vienna, said last week that “there is a threat at some level” that this could happen. The International Atomic Energy Agency has been providing training and technical expertise to the Chinese as a normal preventative measure. The next games are in London in 2012 and... Intelligence Blog Editor Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:36:15 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/interview-on-th.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/interview-on-th.html Please find an unterview on the Right Balance radio show on the book The Confrontation and al Qaeda's defeats with Greg Allen. Download right_balance_june_5_2008.asf War of Ideas Walid Phares Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:45:53 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/counterterroris.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/counterterroris.html Take a look, if you are so inclined, at a terrific and intellectually substantial blog on terrorism. It is aptly called the” Counter Terrorism Blog” and can be found at counterterrorismblog.org. It is a multiple-expert gateway for policymakers and serious researchers in national security, designed to provide real time information about terrorism and policy developments that relate to terrorism. It is run by a fellow I know named Andy Cochrane. He features as bloggers many others of my FDD confreres like Dr. Walid Phares, author of “Future Jihad: Terrorist Strategies Against America, and other books on national security; Daveed Gartenstein-Ross,... National Security Blog Editor Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:03:00 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/cyclone-fallout.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/06/cyclone-fallout.html The disastrous cyclone Nargis, and the destruction in Burma, or if you prefer, Myanmar, which I don’t prefer, is setting in motion a crisis reaching far beyond the tens of thousands of people who have died or are missing and the hundreds of thousands more who are homeless or threatened by disease. More than one million people are directly affected by the fallout from the storm. Food shortages and the rising prices of food suggest chaos and hunger around the world. Burma was supposed to begin exporting its rice harvest this year, counted on by neighboring countries like Sri Lanka... War of Ideas Blog Editor Mon, 02 Jun 2008 09:01:00 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/05/the-new-lexicon.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/05/the-new-lexicon.html I had an email the other day from my friend Buck Revel, the former top FBI official. Buck spent 30 years in the Bureau. It was a remarkable career. Among other things he ran all Criminal Investigations, as well as Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Intelligence. He was furious about a dumb move by the current administration. It is this: The US government is quietly dropping the words “jihad” and any reference to “radical Islam” or the word “Islam” in public statements by its officials when they talk about terrorism. They also do not want the word “liberty”, referring to a social and... War of Ideas Blog Editor Sat, 31 May 2008 14:59:00 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/05/iran-still-deve.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/05/iran-still-deve.html Iran will likely have the means to produce nuclear weapons before the end of this year, says Israeli Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz. Mofaz is a former Israeli Defense Minister and was once chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Force. He said, at a speech at Yale University, that Iran could possibly build nuclear arms within months. He also said that any means of ensuring that Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons are valid. “Israel will not tolerate a nuclear Iran, and I'd like to believe that the rest of the world will not allow it to happen.” “All is... Iran Blog Editor Fri, 30 May 2008 09:58:00 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/05/ahmadinejad-and.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/05/ahmadinejad-and.html The mouthy Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has once again said that Israel will "be soon swept away." It is the second time in the last couple of years that the Iranian president has predicted the eradication of the Jewish state. Ahmadinejad seems to be playing with a shortage of marbles. He has recently claimed his country is being secretly led by the Islamic “Mahdi”, who has mysteriously returned across the centuries. As I recall, he is to make his appearance by popping out of a well. About Israel’s 60th anniversary celebration, Ahmadinejad said last week: "This terrorist and criminal state... Iran Blog Editor Thu, 29 May 2008 08:57:00 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/05/the-us-in-zimba.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/05/the-us-in-zimba.html The US ambassador to Zimbabwe, who has been at his post for only six months, deserves his nation’s congratulations for a recent fierce display of guts and integrity. The State Department and the US Foreign Service should be proud. Our diplomat’s name is Jim McGee. He has been the US envoy to Zimbabwe since November, replacing Ambassador Chris Bell who moved from the frying pan into the fire as our new ambassador to Afghanistan. McGee, who is African-American, is 59 years old and has had a distinguished career. He is from Chicago. He flew in the Vietnam War for which... Africa Blog Editor Wed, 28 May 2008 12:13:18 -0400 http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/05/notes-and-com-1.html http://fdd.typepad.com/fdd/2008/05/notes-and-com-1.html BROUHAHA: What a curious quarrel: President Bush, in Israel, describes the policy of appeasement that led to World War II and the Holocaust, and Senator Barack Obama and his supporters take umbrage, claiming he has been viciously insulted. Instead of protesting that Bush has implied that Obama would be soft on terrorist masters (because Obama has said he would meet - personally and without preconditions - with Iranian terrorist master Mahmoud Ahmadinejad even as Ahmadinejad's regime is killing Americans in Iraq, squashing freedom in Lebanon, developing nuclear weapons and threatening Israel with genocide), Obama might simply have said: "On this... Notes and Comments Blog Editor Thu, 22 May 2008 07:34:04 -0400 nonadult