Mission Creep and Its Discontents

by Amitai Etzioni
Middle East Quarterly

Washington's persistent difficulties in Afghanistan are due to the Obama administration's mission creep. Within a matter of months, U.S. operations expanded from counterterrorism measures designed "to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan and to prevent their return to either country in the future"[1] to a counterinsurgency strategy viewing nation-building and democratization as prerequisites to military success—a highly unrealistic goal in a country that is as poor, illiterate, corrupt, and conflicted as Afghanistan.

Having made the Afghan war the edifice of his battle against violent extremism, President Obama, here with U.S. troops in Afghanistan, December 3, 2010, has been struggling to shape a coherent strategy. His frequent juggling of goals and his lack of clarity on what they are has reduced public support for the war and hindered U.S. efforts to disengage. Photo by Michael Sparks, CJTF-101

The mission creep and confusion in Afghanistan has greatly hindered U.S. efforts to find a way to complete its campaign and to disengage. As the target keeps changing and enlarging, public support for the intervention both in the United States and in other nations is declining while the human and economic costs of the war are mounting. A return to the original goal and to some version of the "Biden approach"—advocating reliance on drones, Special Forces, and the CIA to ensure that Afghanistan will not again become a haven for terrorists after the U.S. departure—may provide an answer.

 

 

Full story: http://www.meforum.org/2879/afghanistan-mission-creep

Quran-Burning Pastor Terry Jones Requests Jury Trial in Dearborn Court

Florida Pastor Terry Jones was in court in Dearborn Thursday afternoon. He asked for a jury trial to see whether he needed a peace bond to proceed with a demonstration he planned in the city Friday. Stay tuned for updates.

By Jessica Carreras | Email the author | 3:56pm

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Wayne Sapp and Terry Jones talk with lawyers from the prosecutor's office. Natasha Dado

 

Photos

Credit Jessica Carreras

Credit Jessica Carreras

Credit Natasha Dado

Credit Natasha Dado

Credit Jessica Carreras

Florida Pastor Terry Jones and his associate Wayne Sapp appeared at the 19th District Court Thursday afternoon in Dearborn to decide whether he will be legally permitted to demonstrate in the city on Good Friday.

At the 3 p.m. hearing, Judge Mark Somers gave Jones and Sapp the option to have the need for a peace bond determined by either a jury, or by judge. Both men indicated that they would prefer a jury trial.

Because of the late timeframe of the Thursday hearing and need to select a jury, the trial will not be held until 9 a.m. Friday morning.

Judge Somers, however, noted that "justice delayed is justice denied," and that he would make every effort to have a decision made in his court before 5 p.m. Friday–the time Jones had originally planned to demonstrate.


Full story: http://dearborn.patch.com/articles/quran-burning-pastor-terry-jones-gets-jury-trial-in-dearborn-court?ncid=breaking_news

Sean Hannity, Keith Ellison Have Fiery Clash About Muslims (VIDEO)

The Huffington Post  Jack Mirkinson  First Posted: 04/21/11 09:14 AM ET Updated: 04/21/11 10:13 AM

Sean Hannity and Rep. Keith Ellison engaged in a heated debate about Muslims on Hannity's Wednesday show.

The conversation touched on several very contentious issues, such as the proposed Islamic center near Ground Zero, the 9/11 attacks and the notion that America is "at war" with "radical Islam." Ellison, the first Muslim to be elected to Congress, and Hannity spent much of their time talking over each other.

The debate lasted around 15 minutes, but the most fiery clashes came in the second half. Hannity asked if Ellison thought the Nation of Islam should be "investigated" by the government. "I'm more of a constitutionalist, Sean," Ellison said. "You and I must agree that we wouldn't just investigate a group because we don't agree with them. We gotta have more than that. You'd agree with that, right? Wouldn't you agree with that?"

"Relax," Hannity said, adding that it seemed "reasonable" in light of 9/11 to investigate certain groups in the country.

Full story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/21/sean-hannity-keith-elliso_n_851971.html

Camp of the Saints: A Strategy for Surrender

Thursday, April 21, 2011

The initial burst of the current wave of migrations northwards across the Mediterranean began in January after an uprising in Tunisia forced the ouster of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. In the wake of the fighting, refugees fleeing violence and destitution crossed the narrow straits between the Tunisian coast and the islands of Lampedusa, Malta, Pantelleria, and Sicily.

After the Egyptian crisis broke and the first unrest appeared in Libya, a more general flow of refugees began. Refugees moved both east and west, depending on the intensity of the fighting in a given location, and accumulated in refugee camps near the Egyptian-Libyan border or the Libyan-Tunisian border. The largest camps are in Tunisia just across the border from Libya, where hundreds of thousands of displaced persons are being held. Many of them are planning to cross the Mediterranean to what they hope will be a better life in Italy.

 

Full story: http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2011/04/camp-of-saints-strategy-for-surrender.html

Where Does NBC’s Andrea Mitchell Get Her News? ‘Al Jazeera’

Posted on April 20, 2011 at 1:34pm by Jonathon M. Seidl

NBC reporter and MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell sat down with The Atlantic to talk about where she gets her news. Would you be surprised that she gets it from the same place as Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and the White House? Would you be surprised if that “place” was Al Jazeera?
The is what Mitchell, NBC’s chief foreign affairs correspondent, admitted:

I think Al-Jazeera has become indispensable. There’s a big difference between Al-Jazeera overseas and Al-Jazeera English but they are clearly part of the story and I rely on them very heavily, as does the State Department. I think the channel ought to be available more widely in the U.S. given the work they’ve been doing in Tunisia, Libya and certainly Egypt.

Indispensable? Al Jazeera? The network that loves to love the Muslim Brotherhood?


Full story: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/where-does-nbcs-andrea-mitchell-get-her-news-al-jazeera/

Illinois: Muslim teen ran away to avoid arranged marriage (and ‘honor’ killing?)

Posted on April 21, 2011 by creeping

 

Here we go again. Hat tip Gates of Vienna



Missing Skokie Teen Zaineb Chaudhary Found Safe:

 

Chicago – Police said missing Skokie teen Zaineb Chaudhary, 16, was found Wednesday.

She was turned into the Skokie Police Department at 2 a.m. by an unidentified individual. Police said the person saw a report of her disappearance on FOX Chicago News and convinced Chaudhary to turn herself in.

Police said she was in good health but “tired emotionally and physically.” They believe she stayed in the local area, though she may have made plans to leave Chicago and go to California.

When she was reported missing, there was a concern she ran away fearing her dad was setting up an arranged marriage with someone in her native Pakistan.

Chaudhary was in the care of social services Wednesday and undergoing extensive counseling. Police could not say when she would be turned over to her parents, but did say her health and wellbeing were their top concern.

Full story: http://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/illinois-muslim-teen-ran-away-to-avoid-arranged-marriage-and-honor-killing/

Sharia Trumps Constitution in Michigan: Terry Jones Denied Permit to Rally, Could Face Arrest

Dearborn, Michigan has become a sharia enclave much like those populating many European countries. The city of Dearborn, Michigan denied a permit yesterday for Pastor Terry Jones' planned protest outside the Islamic Center of America on Good Friday. Islamic supremacists were handed a victory for their violent intimidation and threats.

What happened to freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, freedom of expression? Terry Jones is prohibited from rallying in Michigan for fear of Islamic violence. Is that how far down the sharia rabbit hole we have gone. Why is it anytime American law comes into conflict with Islamic law, it is American law that has to give way?

How dare they prohibit this march? Nazis marched in Skokie. Americans better stand up to this enforced sharia. The idea that Muslims in America would get violent because of Jones speaks volumes about Muslims in America, does it not? Why don't we don't see Muslims taking to the streets every time there is an honor killing, or church bombing, or act of jihad, jihad piracy, forced marriage, child slavery,  -- where are they?


Full story: http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2011/04/sharia-trumps-constitution-in-michigan-terry-jones-denied-permit-to-rally-could-face-arrest.html