U.S. Witness Protection Lost Track Of 'Known Or Suspected Terrorists'

U.S. Lost Track Of Two With Known Or Suspected Terror Ties -- CNN

Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. Marshals Service lost track of two former participants in the federal Witness Security Program "identified as known or suspected terrorists," according to the public summary of an interim Justice Department Inspector General's report obtained by CNN.

The Marshals Service has concluded that "one individual was and the other individual was believed to be residing outside of the United States," according to the summary.

A Justice Department official said in response to follow up questions about the matter by reporters on Thursday that the pair had left the program years ago and had been accounted for.

Read more ....

More On The Witness Protection Program Losing Two Former "Known Or Suspected Terrorists"

Terrorists given new identities allowed to board commercial flights, watchdog finds -- Washington Post
Watchdog: Witness protection lost track of 'known or suspected terrorists,' let others board planes -- FOX News
Justice Dept. Lost Track of 2 Former Terrorists, Report Says -- New York Times
Justice Department Lost Track of Terrorists in Witness Protection -- US News and World Report
US govt 'lost' terror suspects in witness program -- AFP
Handling of terrorists in witness protection questioned -- USA Today
US Marshals Service loses two terrorists -- The Hill
US loses track of terrorists in witness protection: Poor data sharing blamed -- Christian Science Monitor

Pentagon's Special Operations Chief Sees 10 To 20 More Years Of War Against al-Qaida

Photo: Michael A. Sheehan. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict. US Department of Defense

Pentagon Spec Ops Chief Sees ’10 to 20′ More Years of War Against al-Qaida -- Spencer Ackerman, Danger Room

The war in Afghanistan may be winding down. But the Pentagon’s chief of irregular warfare still sees a war against al-Qaida that will last decades, all over the world — a prospect that prompted astonishment and constitutional debate in the Senate.

Asked at a Senate hearing today how long the war on terrorism will last, Michael Sheehan, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, answered, “At least 10 to 20 years.”

It was just two months ago that the top U.S. intelligence official testified that al-Qaida had been battered by the U.S. into a state of disarray. A year ago, the current CIA director, John Brennan, said that “For the first time since this fight began, we can look ahead and envision a world in which the al Qaeda core is simply no longer relevant.” Just this week, the commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, Army Lt. Gen. Joseph Votel, told a Florida conference that he was looking at missions beyond the counterterrorism manhunt.

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My Comment: So much for President Obama saying that Al Qaeda is irrelevant, and former US Defense Secretary Panetta saying that Al Qaeda has been decimated at the top.

Can Syria's Civil War Last 10 More Years?

Free Syrian Army fighters in the al-Ziyabiya area in Damascus. Photograph: Reuters

Why The Syrian War Could Last Ten Years -- Michael J. Totten, World Affairs

I wouldn’t be surprised if Bashar al-Assad falls sometime soon, but I also will not be surprised if the year 2020 rolls around and Syria has all but ceased to exist as a nation state and he’s still ruling fragments of the ex-country like a Somali-style warlord. Lebanon’s Levantine sectarian war lasted fifteen long years. That doesn’t mean Syria’s Levantine sectarian war will last as long, but it could.

Take a look at the new piece by Gary Brecher (the self-described War Nerd). His use of the Northern Ireland analogy is apt. I’ve used it myself to describe Lebanon’s war, and due to Lebanon’s lack of a sectarian majority, it’s the reason no one, not even Hezbollah, can ever win an offensive war in that country.

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My Comment: Michael Totten makes a very good case. Read it all.

Is Iraq Spiralling Out Of Control?

Yes, Iraq Is Unraveling -- Michael Knights, Foreign Policy

And it's about to become Obama's problem all over again.

As American troops were pulling out of Iraq in 2010, the U.S. effort to stabilize the country resembled the task of an exhausted man who had just pushed a huge boulder up a steep hill. Momentum had been painstakingly built up and the crest approached. Was it safe to stop pushing and hope that the momentum would take the boulder over the top? Or would the boulder grind to a halt and then slowly, frighteningly roll back toward us?

Now we know -- and to be honest, the answer is hardly a surprise. Iraq is a basket case these days, and none of its problems came out of the blue. In the latest bout of sectarian and ethnic bloodletting, coordinated bomb attacks ripped through Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad and also northern Iraq, killing more than 30 people. The spasm of violence followed clashes between the Iraqi army and Sunni protesters and insurgents last month, where the federal government temporarily lost control of some town centers and urban neighborhoods in Kirkuk, Nineveh, and Diyala provinces.

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My Comment: Yes .... Iraq is slowly unraveling along sectarian lines. If it is not the war in Syria spilling into Iraq, we have Baghdad itself helping to stoke these tensions. The trend is for more violence .... with a real possibility of approaching 2007-2008 conflict levels. And as for the role of the U.S. in (maybe) providing assistance to stop this slide .... for the moment I see zero interest (fortunately) in Washington and in the U.S. public to re-engage in Iraq.

Six Global Hotspots to Watch

Aircraft from the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group fly in formation during a demonstration above the USS John C. Stennis underway in the Pacific Ocean, April 20, 2013. The group is returning from an eight-month deployment to areas of responsibility for the U.S. 5th and 7th fleets. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Katarzyna Kobiljak

Six Global Hotspots to Watch: The Next War -- Real Clear World

While the Middle East has a powerful claim on the world's attention (or at least Washington's), the world has no shortage of potentially explosive hotspots. Whether it's conflicting claims on vital resources, or waterways and borders whose demarcation remains unsettled and contested, the world's hotspots are simmering. Some are dangerously close to the boiling point; others are heating up gradually.

We've identified six to watch for 2013 and beyond.

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WNU Editor: The six 'hotspots' are .... East China Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Congo, India China border, the Arctic, and the Caspian Sea.

Are Washington's Scandals Stopping The White House From Issuing Orders To The U.S. Military To Attack Those Responsible For Benghazi?

An armed gunman reacts as the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is seen in flames September 11, 2012. REUTERS/Esam Al-Fetori

U.S. Options To 'Capture Or Kill' Benghazi Suspects -- CNN

The U.S. military has updated plans to "capture or kill" alleged perpetrators of the deadly terror attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, CNN has learned.

The development comes amid growing pressure on the White House to show progress in the effort to catch those who killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans last September 11.

Officials emphasize that military planning has been underway since the immediate aftermath of the armed assault.

One part of the plan calls for potentially putting U.S. military personnel on the ground inside Libya, if ordered by President Barack Obama.

Read more ....

My Comment: If true .... this is a blockbuster story. The key lines in this CNN report are the following ....

.... The military has a list of several targets including some inside Benghazi and others in outlying areas. There are specific individuals named who are believed associated with the Benghazi attack as well other militants the United States wants to get. There are also militant camps or stronghold areas on the list that could be attacked.

One military official said the military is well aware that if it is ordered into action now by the White House, it could be viewed as a political move in light of the ongoing controversy over Benghazi. But he noted that initial planning began shortly after the attack last year.

This probably explains why 200 US marines were positioned nearer to Libya this week. In short .... and this is just speculation .... the U.S. military and the CIA already have their targets, but the controversies and scandals in Washington are making the White House nervous on how it would be perceived if the orders for a strike were issued now. Everyone will be screaming "Wag the Dog" .... and they will be right (to a point).

Update: U.S. upgrades Benghazi mission to ‘capture or kill’ -- Washington Times

Map: The World’s Most And Least Racially Tolerant Countries

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Data source: World Values Survey

A Fascinating Map Of The World’s Most And Least Racially Tolerant Countries -- Max Fischer, Washington Post

When two Swedish economists set out to examine whether economic freedom made people any more or less racist, they knew how they would gauge economic freedom, but they needed to find a way to measure a country’s level of racial tolerance. So they turned to something called the World Values Survey, which has been measuring global attitudes and opinions for decades.

Among the dozens of questions that World Values asks, the Swedish economists found one that, they believe, could be a pretty good indicator of tolerance for other races. The survey asked respondents in more than 80 different countries to identify kinds of people they would not want as neighbors. Some respondents, picking from a list, chose “people of a different race.” The more frequently that people in a given country say they don’t want neighbors from other races, the economists reasoned, the less racially tolerant you could call that society. (The study concluded that economic freedom had no correlation with racial tolerance, but it does appear to correlate with tolerance toward homosexuals.)

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More News On The World’s Most And Least Racially Tolerant Countries

World's 'Most Racially Intolerant' Countries Mapped -- The Telegraph
Map shows world's 'most racist' countries (and the answers may surprise you) -- Daily Mail
World's 'most racially intolerant' countries mapped -- New York Daily News
Britons are World's Most Racially Tolerant People -- International Business Times
Painting India red: Why the global racism map is wrong -- First Post