| November 26, 2007 Edition |
On Iraq, a State of DenialWashington PostCharles Krauthammer It does not have the drama of the Inchon landing or the sweep of the Union comeback in the summer of 1864. But the turnabout of American fortunes in Iraq over the past several months is of equal moment -- a war seemingly lost, now winnable. The violence in Iraq has been dramatically reduced. Political allegiances have been radically reversed. The revival of ordinary life in many cities is palpable. Something important is happening. Full Story |
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| QUOTE OF THE WEEK |
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Energy and persistence conquer all things. Benjamin Franklin |
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| PROFESSIONAL ARTICLES, EDITORIALS AND OPINIONS |
The Tribal OptionLessons Learned in Iraq Might Help in PakistanNew York PostPeter Brookes The US Special Operations Command is considering a forward-leaning plan to aid and train Pakistani tribes for operations against both al Qaeda and the Taliban that have found safe haven along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. It's a great idea, but it's easier said than done. The publicly leaked details of the plan indicate it's at least partly modeled on the operation in Anbar province and other parts of Iraq - where US forces (in close cooperation with Iraqi military and police) have persuaded local Sunni tribes to take up arms against al Qaeda. Full Story How India Views Pakistan's TurmoilTimeMadhur Singh Having fought three wars against Pakistan, India pays close attention to the turbulent politics of its neighbor. And none of Pakistan's many coups and periods of martial law has caused as much apprehension in New Delhi as the recent actions of President Pervez Musharraf. India's security establishment views Musharraf's political troubles from the perspective of regional stability, sharing with Washington the concern that priority be given to the campaign against the forces of Islamist fundamentalism in Pakistan. To the extent that enforcing emergency rule occupies the security forces, Indian security experts say, the danger increases of escalating infiltration into India of militants from Pakistan. Full Story The Soft Underbelly of EuropeGermany presents a tempting target for the jihadists and others.Wall Street JournalMark Helprin Though no longer the chief delinquent of Europe, and though not much thought is given to its strategic position, Germany is still Europe's center of gravity, territorially contiguous to more nations than any state other than Russia, with compact interior lines of communication, Western Europe's largest population, and Europe's leading economy. Facts like these assert themselves through every kind of historical fluctuation, even if America now sees Germany, the way stop for airlifters en route to Iraq and Afghanistan, as a kind of giant aircraft carrier with sausages. But Germany is no doubt the subject of far deeper consideration on the one hand by Russia and on the other by Jihadists. Full Story 
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| BREAKING NEWS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL |
Baghdad Comes AliveFor the first time in years, the Iraqi capital is showing signs of life. But the calm is all too fragile, and it's an opportunity the government cannot afford to miss.NewsweekRod Nordland For someone who has returned periodically to Baghdad during these past four and a half years of war, there has been one constant: it only gets worse. The faces change, the units rotate, the victims vary, but it has always gotten worse. Brief successes (elections, a unity government) collapse as still greater problems rear up (death squads, Iranian-made bombs). The country's sects grow ever more antagonistic; the killings become more depraved; first a million, then 2 million, then 4 million Iraqis flee their homes. Al Qaeda loses its leader when Jordanian Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi is killed. But it steadily replenishes its ranks of suicide bombers, and morphs from a largely foreign force into a far more dangerous indigenous one. And so on. For the first time, however, returning to Baghdad after an absence of four months, I can actually say that things do seem to have gotten better, and in ways that may even be durable. Full Story A Rose by Any Other NameThe wheels come off in Georgia.The Daily StandardMichael Weiss Not even Pervez Musharraf has the gall to invoke one of the most hackneyed excuses of the megalomaniacal tyrant who pounds his people into submission: "This hurts me just as much as it hurts you." Yet when Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili's announced a state of emergency last Wednesday, after tens of thousands of citizens took to the streets in defiance of his rule and were tear gassed and shot with rubber bullets for their troubles, it was as if history itself were inviting comparison between the Caucasus and the subcontinent. Full Story Iran's secret Syrian planMiddle East TimesOlivier Guitta Israel has been providing intelligence and satellite images to the U.S. about a secret Syrian nuclear program for several months, according to media reports. Discussions between Israel and the United States took place last summer regarding a possible strike. But when Israel found the matter so pressing that when they realized the U.S. was not ready to act, on September 6 they attacked a Syrian nuclear site. Hence the question: what is Syria really up to or more to the point what is Iran up to? First, let's start with an underreported explosion that occurred in a Syrian military base outside Aleppo on July 26. Jane's Defense Weekly reported, citing Syrian defense sources, as saying the explosion took place during a test to fit a "Scud C" missile with a mustard-gas warhead. Full Story Chavez under fireThe Washington TimesHelle Dale How refreshing. After years of this man's odious and idiotic ranting on the international stage, someone finally told Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to put a sock in it. At last week's Ibero-American summit in Santiago, Chile, King Juan Carlos of Spain was outraged by Mr. Chavez's attacks on former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar as a "fascist." The king angrily told Mr. Chavez "Why don't you just shut up!" Yes, indeed. It would have been nice if someone had told Mr. Chavez to "shut up" when he called President Bush "the devil" at the U.N. General Assembly last year. It is past time the international community starts challenging Mr. Chavez's shenanigans. Full Story B-2 bombers practice on US targetsB-2 stealth bombers use Hawaii, Alaska ranges for target practice for first timeAssociated PressAudrey McAvoy More than 18,000 feet above the mountains on Hawaii's biggest island, two B-2 stealth bombers drop six 2,000-pound inert bombs on a training range below. It's a scene being repeated monthly as the Air Force's sleek, boomerang-shaped planes use Hawaii for target practice. The aim is to make sure pilots are trained and ready to act if needed. The bombers have been assigned to Guam to deter North Korea and to fill gaps in the regional U.S. military presence created by deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. "There are very few potential adversaries in the world that don't understand and respect what this bomber capability can bring," said Col. Timothy Saffold, deputy commander of the 613th Air and Space Operations Center in Hawaii. Full Story |
| THE WEEKLY CARTOON |
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| JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PROFESSIONAL |
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To view the latest contract opportunities at Blackwater, visit our Contract Web Page. TO FILL OUT AN APPLICATION AND SUBMIT YOUR RESUME CLICK HERE Questions regarding Security Consulting or Training at Blackwater (252) 435-2488 or email webmaster@blackwaterusa.com. |
| SECURITY FOR THE PROFESSIONAL |
Choking the ChannelsMusharraf is tightening his grip on Pakistan's independent news outlets. Not all are going quietly.NewsweekFasih Ahmed Shahid Masood's voice cracked during his last live appearance on Geo News. Broadcasting from Dubai, the Pakistani pundit and talk show host was defiant over the news that his nation's most popular private news channel had been ordered off the air. "We are proud of this moment," said a visibly shaken Masood, as a clock counted down the minutes to shutdown. Blaming the Musharraf government for pressuring the "government of the friendly country that is hosting us" into evicting the news channel, Masood added, "We did not buckle. We are going out fighting." Then, last Saturday at 1 a.m. Pakistan time, Geo News went black. Full Story Turkey and Azerbaijan Strengthen Economic, Security TiesWorld Politics ReviewMarianna Gurtovnik The early-November visit to Azerbaijan of the newly elected President of Turkey, Abdullah Gul, highlighted the strategic importance of the Turkey-Azerbaijan relationship and the two countries' common economic and security interests. As such, it attracted much attention in the Azerbaijani media, where analysts happily noted that Azerbaijan was the first country visited by the Turkish leader since he assumed his post in July. As Azerbaijaini political scientist Rustam Mammadov suggested in the wake of the trip, Gul's visit even had implications for the complex political situation unfolding in the Middle East. Speaking to the News - Azerbaijan agency, Mammadov said "the situation in Iran and Iraq as well as Turkey's deteriorated relations with the United States and the European Union require careful consideration on the part of the Turkish leader and his Azerbaijani counterpart." Full Story Venezuela's path to self-destructionVoters are on the verge of handing President Hugo Chavez the power to turn their country into a dictatorship.Los Angeles TimesWilliam Ratliff On Dec. 2, Venezuelans will be asked to vote on a whopping 69 constitutional amendments that would greatly reduce the country's democratic governance, strip citizens of still more individual liberties and thus expand President Hugo Chavez's power even beyond what it is today. The sad reality is that voters will probably approve the amendments, as Chavez's opponents have been bumbling around, discredited, disorganized and intimidated. The vote will be bad not only for Venezuela but for the rest of Latin America. Chavez-style demagogues -- Chavistas -- are taking control throughout the region, persuading frustrated voters to jettison their often unresponsive democratic governments for the promise of something better, even if that something is a populist dictatorship. Full Story Looking Toward Zimbabwe's FutureWashington PostMichelle Gavin When Zimbabwe became an independent country in 1980, it was a focal point for international optimism about Africa's future. Today, Zimbabwe is a basket case of a country. Over the past decade, the refusal of President Robert Mugabe and his ruling party to tolerate challenges to their power has led them to systematically dismantle the most effective workings of Zimbabwe's economic and political systems, replacing these with structures of corruption, blatant patronage and repression. The resulting 80 percent unemployment rate, hyperinflation, and severe food, fuel and power shortages have created a national climate of desperation. Estimates suggest that roughly one-quarter of the entire population has fled the country. Meanwhile, the government's violent crackdown on voices of dissent has left the opposition divided and eroded public confidence in the prospects of peaceful political change. Full Story Interpol Raises The StakesNewsweekMichael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball With little fanfare, tension between Iran and the Bush administration escalated earlier this month when Interpol, the world police organization, voted to issue "red notices" for the arrest of three Iranian government officials, including Deputy Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi. The three men have been charged in Argentina with conspiring alongside notorious Hizbullah terrorist Imad Mughniyeh to blow up a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in July 1994 - an attack that killed 85 people. Iranian delegates challenged the vote by Interpol's General Assembly, labeling it a "Zionist plot." Nevertheless, it was a key victory for the United States and Argentina. Full Story |
| TACTICAL TRAINING & INTELLIGENCE RESOURCES FOR THE PROFESSIONAL |
Mirror Image Training: Training to Combat TerrorismMirror Image is a tactical and strategic training course developed and owned by the Terrorism Research Center. TRC instructors have trained hundreds of military personnel that are subsequently deployed to active combat operations, as well as large numbers of first responders, law enforcement, and security professionals. Mirror Image is an intensive one-week classroom and field-training program, designed to realistically simulate terrorist recruiting, training techniques, and operational tactics. During the course, participants will receive insight into the mindset and rationale of the terrorist through hands-on experience with the methods and means terrorist employ, education about terrorist ideologies and the cultural dimensions that influence their decision making process. Military, law enforcement, intelligence, and security professionals will, in turn, be able to see themselves as the terrorists see them and understand the weaknesses in their own environment that the terrorists will seek to exploit, and which all too often they miss. Armed with these insights participants will leave the course better able to anticipate, prevent and respond to multiple terrorist threats.
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| FRANKS REVIEW |
Tactical Equipment EvaluationTac-Pack First AidWhen I went down to Blacksburg after the Virginia Tech tragedy one of the things I heard quite a bit was that the SWAT Medics did a LOT of good providing medical care to victims and that the Rescue/EMS service was nearly overwhelmed. What I learned was just how important it is for every officer to be able to 1) provide emergency first aid to himself, and 2) provide emergency first aid to others. The supplies needed to provide such aid are often disputed but the need for those supplies to be pre-packaged in easily stored and carried systems isn't. Tac-Pack Emergency First Aid supply kits provide a simple solution.Full Story Can Be Viewed At: http://www.borelliconsulting.com/evals/tacems/tacpackfa.htm
Recreational Equipment ReviewTwo Packs from BlackHawkBlackHawk Products Group, and all of its sub-companies, has long been a leader in developing new and innovative products for Law Enforcement and the Military. Just a couple years ago they took their experience in design and construction and crossed over the line into the outdoor recreational field. They did it right. The two backpacks we're going to look at this week are excellent examples of what they've done and continue to do. The BlackSummit and BlackTimber would serve any hunter or other outdoorsman well. Let's look at why:Full Story Can Be Viewed At: http://www.borelliconsulting.com/recevals/huntfish/2bhpacks.htm |
| CHAPLAINS CORNER |
PROBLEMS... OPPORTUNITIESProblems come into our lives so that we will work on the challenge and find solutions, better methods to do things and growth in ourselves. Problems are opportunities.I have a problem for which I am requesting a solution from you... I need to hear from a Peace Keeper in Afghanistan that would be willing to receive a shipment of books titled NAVAJO HEAT by a dear friend, Mary-Helen Madrid Null. I read the book last year and found it to be very interesting. It is about a Police Chief of a law enforcement department on a Navajo Indian Nation in the southwest of the USA. He is a Viet Nam vet, former Navy Seal and CIA Black Ops and a very interesting character. The other major character in the book is a female Forensic Psychologist/Prison Chaplain/local physician with whom the Chief works on criminal cases. I greatly enjoyed the characters and their inter-action. If someone is interested in receiving and distributing the books they will be shipped to you as quickly as possible. It would be great if we had someone in Afghanistan with an APO or a contractor with contacts that could get them shipped by air to Afghanistan and then quickly distributed. The books are a gift to Peace Keepers to bring some pleasure into their lives as they serve in foreign fields This week has been another of those interesting weeks that brought numerous challenges. Some of these challenges are mine to solve. Still others are mine to point out to others because I have neither power nor position to bring the solutions. I have discovered the problems... I have described the problems... I have requested and recommended solutions and passed it on up the chain-of-command to see what will transpire. Now I must have patience and perseverance while I wait. http://www.blackwaterusa.com/btw2007/article/112607chaplain.htm |
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Black Five (http://www.blackfive.net) Please continue to submit your suggestions to btw@blackwaterusa.com. |
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The Blackwater Tactical Weekly is a free weekly e-publication. The BTW provides readers valuable information from diverse sources regarding tactical and strategic security issues. Editor-in-Chief – Gary Jackson (btw@blackwaterusa.com) Questions regarding Security Consulting or Training
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