World Threats

UPDATE: Video here.

Of the killer. Disturbing.

UPDATE: Video here. Photo here.

Some disturbing news coming out of Great Britain. A British soldier was beheaded by two crazed men wielding a machete. They were reportedly shouting “Allahu akbar.”

Eyewitnesses said the victim, who a local MP said was believed to be a soldier, was hacked to death, with some suggesting his attackers tried to behead him. Unconfirmed reports said they also filmed the attack.

UK Home Secretary Theresa May said: “I have been briefed by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner and the Director General of the Security Service.

“It has been confirmed to me that a man has been brutally murdered this afternoon in South East London. Two other men were shot by armed police and they are currently receiving treatment for their injuries.

Live coverage from the BBC here.

The reaction to a recent Muslim robbery of a priest in France is a sad indication of where the country is headed. A Catholic official pointed out, “If it had been an imam or rabbi, he [the Interior Minister] would already been on the spot.” This is no surprise, as Socialist President Hollande’s pandering to the Muslim population played a large role in his election.

The incident began when four Muslims surrounded the priest and told him to hand over his cell phone. One thief knocked him unconscious. The attack may have been motivated by criminality and not jihad, but the two are part of a common trend.

Click here to read the rest of my article.

The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR) has published a report that brands “Europe’s Counter-Jihad Movement” as a threat. The document, much like the studies of the so-called “Islamophobia Network” in America, treats valid concerns about Islamists as evidence of extremism.

According to the Gates of Vienna blog, the ICSR is affiliated with “the Swedish Ministry of Defence, the current U.S. secretary of defense, several American universities, Saudi sheikhs and a think tank in Jordan.” It is also affiliated with the Interdisciplinary Center Herzilya in Israel and Georgetown University, home of the Saudi-funded Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. Its founding director isJohn Esposito, one of the top allies of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood network.

The executive summary of the report says the “European Counter-Jihad Movement” is a “form of far-right extremism in its portrayal of Muslims as a threat to European culture, an ‘enemy within,’ and in its proposed, highly illiberal responses to this perceived responses to this perceived threat.”

Rather than focusing on specific groups or individuals, the entire anti-Islamist movement is portrayed as extreme.

Click here to read my entire article.

The Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Azhar University want to shake hands with the new Pope Francis. One of the first pledges he has made is to embrace interfaith dialogue with the Muslim world. Will he become the latest dupe of the “moderate” Islamists?

Pope Francis is a critic of Pope Benedict’s 2006 speech in Germany where he quoted a Byzantine Emperor that said “show me just what Mohammed brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”

Click here to read my entire article.

Yesterday afternoon the Cypriot Parliament rejected the European Union proposal to tax all bank deposits within the one-million strong island nation between six and nine percent, depending on income, in order to secure a much needed $13 billion bailout for the near bankrupt government. The vote was unanimous, and the citizenry cheered loudly with its approval.

Europe is upset because Cyprus will go bankrupt, and they will weaken Europe’s economic house, and they will likely need another, far bigger bailout in the future if they do not approve this one, and they are now both sitting, or more accurately drowning, ducks in financially unstable waters.

Which is the reason why Europe wanted to include this tax on deposits in the first place, because the few nations that actually followed the rules (okay, the one nation – Germany) are sick and tired of paying up a couple billion here, a few more there to cover for their loose spending EU compatriots, and want them to start putting some of their own skin in the game now.

And now that Cyprus has stood defiantly against this proposal, the EU is likely to cave and offer a bailout proposal with fewer strings and the Cypriot government’s response is to reach out to Russian officials for their possible financial support, which would likely involve leasing of Mediterranean Sea natural gas and oil deposits to the Kremlin in exchange.

So the Cypriot government’s rejection of this measure, which is essentially confiscation of citizen’s wealth, was led by communist and socialist members of parliament who are now seeking help from a nation that already has Europe in a stranglehold by its control of oil and natural gas lines, and which will want repayment in precious national resources to bail them out even though its essentially just trading one form of confiscation for the other.

Guess you can say it’s all Greek to me.

The small island nation of Cyprus is threatening European economic stability and potential bankruptcy as their Parliament put off a crucial vote this afternoon in securing $13 billion in emergency rescue money for financially depressed Cypriots.

The vote, which was postponed for some unknown reason after the nation’s President requested a delay, would approve a tax levy on all bank deposits in exchange for European creditors loaning the nation the necessary funds, which has led to a frantic run on atm machines, and a feared negative global reaction by world markets due to the uncertainty of Cyprus.

Cypriot lawmakers are furious over the proposal, as the levy would dip into the savings accounts of one million citizens in order to recapitalize the nations banks and service their crushing debts, and almost half already have signaled their opposition to the vote – which could potentially make or break the fragile and near catastrophic nature of their fiscal situation.

While I certainly understand the reasons behind opposing a six to ten percent levy on citizen’s deposits, I cannot help but think Cyprus has to choose between accepting the terms of this European bailout and be financially safer, or head into bankruptcy, and perhaps have to accept an even stricter bailout some point down the road.

What say you?

The British consul general to Jerusalem, Lord Vincent Fean, was scheduled to address Birzeit University – a leader within the realm of Palestinian education and located near Ramallah in the West Bank – where he was to deliver a speech in favor of Palestinian statehood and Britain’s commitment to the urgency of peace.

He never got the chance.

As Lord Fean was inside the university talking to the president of the institution, Palestinian students gathered outside the building and when the consul departed from his meeting was besieged by the angry crowd, which protested and pushed against campus security which escorted the Lord to his damaged car.

Thankfully the Lord was unhurt, but the stupidity of this entire situation is most unbelievable: here we have a high-ranking member of the British delegation to the Middle East speaking in support of statehood for these “occupied people,” and their students response is to assault the man and his means of transportation and not allow him to deliver his speech at all.

I do not believe the students at this highly esteemed university have quite learned the basics of dialogue and statesmanship, and rather than praise an ally in their fight for statehood, resorted to typical mob tactics, and assaulted him for no legitimate reason.

What say you?

HT: CNN

French President Francois Hollande visited the fabled City of Timbuktu yesterday after a joint coalition of French and Malian soldiers liberated the ancient city from Islamist terrorists earlier in the week.

Local residents, thrilled at their liberation and France’s decision to intervene, danced in the streets with jubilation and even offered Mr. Hollande a camel as thanks for his leadership on this conflict, which has gone on in Mali for almost nine months, with western involvement starting just 3 weeks ago.

Although the French led counter-assault against the Islamist aligned Tuareg rebels has successfully pushed back the brutal sharia compliant oppressors, liberating several ancient and important cities, there is still much to do as the Islamists simply ran into the Sahara rather then oppose the French.

But Mr. Hollande is definitely well within his right to celebrate in Timbuktu – his decision freed the good people of that city from a living hell on earth – and it likely prevented the collapse of Mali into complete oblivion and absolute islamist control where terror camps would rule with free reign and a former bulwark against Al-Qaeda would be transformed into our greatest foe in the War on Terror.

What say you?

HT: Time.com

Now, there’s a headline I thought I’d never write…

With the threat of Mali descending entirely into al-Qaeda’s allies and essentially becoming a jihadist training ground to assault other African nations, Europe and the United States, the French took the initiative and intervened on behalf of the crumbling Malian government – using air assault and now ground forces to eliminate the threat.

And this came as the French launched an unsuccessful attempt to rescue a member of their special forces that had/has (there is still uncertainty as to his status) been held by al-Shabab jihadists in Somalia for over three years.

All of this, including the French’s promise of remaining in Mali until the jihadists are defeated and order is returned to the once thriving Saharan nation, has quickly turned the usually timid and anti-interventionist French into enemy number one for Al-Qaeda, as the United States has taken a back seat to the decade old War on Terror.

I’m at a loss of words on how the French under socialist president Hollande have now become a stronger Western power in the fight on global jihad then the United States… who led the conflict after devastating attacks on our homeland just over eleven years ago. The role reversal is a shock.

HT: Time.com

Now, there’s a headline I thought I’d never write…

With the threat of Mali descending entirely into al-Qaeda’s allies and essentially becoming a jihadist training ground to assault other African nations, Europe and the United States, the French took the initiative and intervened on behalf of the crumbling Malian government – using air assault and now ground forces to eliminate the threat.

And this came as the French launched an unsuccessful attempt to rescue a member of their special forces that had/has (there is still uncertainty as to his status) been held by al-Shabab jihadists in Somalia for over three years.

All of this, including the French’s promise of remaining in Mali until the jihadists are defeated and order is returned to the once thriving Saharan nation, has quickly turned the usually timid and anti-interventionist French into enemy number one for Al-Qaeda, as the United States has taken a back seat to the decade old War on Terror.

I’m at a loss of words on how the French under socialist president Hollande have now become a stronger Western power in the fight on global jihad then the United States… who led the conflict after devastating attacks on our homeland just over eleven years ago. The role reversal is a shock.

What say you?

Perhaps this is Assad’s retaliation:

“An explosion occurred in a passenger’s bus with Israeli citizens at the Burgas Airport,” Mayor of Burgas Dimitar Nikoliv announced for Radio FOCUS.
According to unofficial data there are casualties.

Update:

Unfortunately, there are casualties. 3 dead, 20 wounded.

As rough as economic conditions are in the United States, and as intense our presidential election is gearing up to be, I wouldn’t want to be in the shoes of Greek voters heading to the polls next month: keep the current government in charge, and the harsh EU austerity controls, or bring in a new voice, which could bust the entire EURO.

Now, I don’t exactly believe the EURO is economically healthy for Europe, due to the fact it ties the entire continent to each other and doesn’t allow for fair competition between nations, but right now a faction within the currency could lead to complete upheaval of the global economy.

On the flip side, I can understand the underlying nationalist sentiment fueling the Greeks radicalism: they have had nothing but pain come from the EU and the international community making them into the scapegoat for Europe’s economic woes, and the return to the drachma.

However, and this is a big one, as painful as this is for me to write – Greece has to keep their current course in regards to the EURO and especially with the ongoing austerity measures because it isn’t just their future that’s effected by their economy’s performance, but the entire continent, and in some ways, the entire world.

They cannot roll the dice and risk Europe; they must stay the course and they must, for the time, keep the EU united and strong. This is not the time for brash decisions, but calm, cool, steady leadership in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

What say you?

The NATO summit currently ongoing in Chicago has some great news to report this afternoon - the American-European defense coalition agreed to construct a missile defense shield protecting Europe and the United States from any potential launches that may threaten our security. The defense shield should be completed within the decade.

Russia, unsurprisingly, is on high alert as they fear this defense shield would eliminate their nuclear advantage over Europe and have previously threatened to attack such shield as dangerous to Russian security. However, the construction of this protective shield is luckily out of Russia’s hands.

It is nice to see some backbone come out of NATO as recently they have adopted a weaker stance on international affairs due to anti-war citizenry’s across the organization’s member states and a crushing economic crisis that has strangled defense budgets across the alliance.

This is a strong step forward in both standing up to Iran’s nuclear ambitions with a protective hand and in confronting with Russia with the reality we will not allow them to terrorize Eastern Europe any longer with the threat of nuclear annihilation or political occupation.

What say you?

Yesterday the 2012 parliamentary and presidential elections were held in Serbia, which offered the electorate two uninspiring choices to lead the Balkan pariah into the future: Boris Tadic, the highly inept, corrupt president or Thomislav Nikolic, the nationalist, anti-U.S. Milosevic ally.

Geez, I’m just giddy with excitement for Serbia’s future.

Tadic received 26.7% of the vote and Nikolic received 25.5%, forcing a run-off later this month to decide the presidency. On the parliamentary side, Nikolic’s party won the most seats (73), but most analysts don’t expect him to successfully form a majority coalition.

The big surprise was the Serbian Radicals failing to win one seat in parliament, which is the result brought upon by Nikolic’s departure several years ago and the general failing direction of the party.

Regardless of who wins the run-off, neither will be able to restore Serbia’s economy from the 25% unemployment hell they are currently enduring, or successfully conclude the Kosovo nightmare on favorable terms. What Serbia needs is a new type of party, one that recognizes alliance with us and the west is vital to their future, but that doesn’t sacrifice their heritage, particularly in regards to the Kosovo territory.