John Kiriakou’s essay on “Iran’s Latin Inroads” is a must read for all concerned with homeland security and international relations. Iran’s influence in Central Eurasia is well documented but did you know:
At the invitation of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Iran has established an ammunition factory, cement factory, and a car assembly plant in Venezuela. Iran Air has established direct air service between Tehran, Syria, and Caracas, Venezuela.
History will judge the Bush administration, but I suspect, when it comes to the “war” on terrorism, the evaluation will be positive. Many Presidents talked about the “war” on terrorism, George W. Bush was the first one to fight it.
That is why it is now more important than ever to renew this commitment with the change of administration. The “war” on terrorism was not “Bush’s War” (as portrayed by many in the media), but civilization’s war.
The United States is considering admitting Israel into the Visa Waiver Program, announces a recent news article. Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit stated the reasoning behind this consideration when he said, “It is absurd that the U.S. requires Israelis to have visas, when Americans are exempt from the need for a visa to Israel, and in many states around the world Israelis enter without visas,” Both Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and Under Secretary of State William Burns are in agreement regarding this step toward Israel.
While skeptics of enhanced intelligence-gathering tools attack as “fear mongers” anybody who suggests that the FISA reform legislation needs to be passed quickly in the name of national security, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton makes clear that politicizing the war on terror can and will be a bipartisan effort when it suits the political temper. Check out her latest ad.
There is a need for Americans to redirect the debate over GITMO, since an answer that involves merely closing the facility in Cuba does not mean that a similar compound here in the United States would be immune to criticism. Instead, the focus at the heart of the debate over Guantanamo should be on how the U.S. government treats its detainees and how we prosecute the war on terrorism. If America succeeds in this respect, location will prove to be an ancillary concern.
Sponsored by:
