March 08, 2005

The Warning Cycle: Former CIA officer and vocal critic of the War On Terror Michael Scheuer is wondering if recent comments from Osama bin Laden and right-hand-man Amyan Al-Zawahiri fit a recognizable pattern. Specifically, Scheuer suggests that bin Laden has established a routine of releasing a fairly direct threat against the US, followed by several more, non-specific sets of remarks, when an attack is imminent. [via robot wisdom]

Something that I find striking about Scheuer is that he's actually attempting to understand "The Terrorists," which seems very smart and important - and for some reason, all too uncommon. Most of the mainstream media treatments of the terror issue are focused on ways for the US to defend itself from or respond to terror attacks, with scant attention paid to how terrorists think, or what political pressures shape their actions, as if such things were useless or unknowable.

posted by Lagged2Death 19 years ago
  • Blah. You know when an attack is imminent when shortly thereafter there is an attack. This is like colour-coded warnings -- what do we do different? -- nothing -- no wait, buy more. Seriously, will you avoid airports? Tall buildings? Bridges? I agree with what you're saying L2D, but for American critics to actually discuss the motivations of uncle Al, they have to talk openly about the I-word -- all reference to which was removed from the original translations of Laden's tapes, if you recall. Better to think "they hate our freedom".
  • It's been 14 years of silence 14 years of paaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin
  • Never mind all that... when did Jorn reappear? And just as mysteriously as he vanished. Sorry for the mefi link, but it is a primary source for this.
  • Rorschach: This is like colour-coded warnings -- what do we do different? Oh, absolutely, it's of virtually no practical value for John Q. Public. I'm more interested in the know-thy-enemy angle. It's true that mainstream American media don't seem to bring up Islam much. I guess I had assumed that most of the news was simply too dumbed-down to deal with it, but you're suggesting that there is a specific aversion to discussing Islam in particular?
  • I'm surprised nobody has said this yet... Before the Attack: The Warning Cycle After the Attack: The Spin Cycle So when do I add fabric softener?
  • I think it's fabrication softener we need, wendell, so we can prevent more people from being duped by the lies constructed to misdirect and confuse the situation.
  • I guess I had assumed that most of the news was simply too dumbed-down to deal with it, but you're suggesting that there is a specific aversion to discussing Islam in particular? Ah, now I was actually talking about the other I-word, Israel, but certainly there is an aversion to talking about Islam, also, at least in non-fanatical terms. That is what was redacted from the original Bin Laden tapes, but some astute Arab-Americans picked up on it and made a fuss. Better, someone must have decided, to let America think it's all about "freedom" and not at all about Israel, whether it really is or if that's just an excuse.
  • Israel and Saudi Arabia originally. Now Israel and Iraq. I against I, as it were.
  • Wow, no one wants to touch this thread, it seems...
  • Yes, I *do* enjoy talking to myself. sigh.