The Political Conundrum!

Servicemembers and most runners probably would not be very impressed with a mile run in just over 10 minutes. But add to the equation a 75-pound bomb suit made of stiff material, factor in the added heat from wearing it and add a pair of rubber over-boots, and it becomes a different story.

Russia will modernize its icebreaker fleet and station more researchers in the Arctic as part of its push to stake its claim to the vast resources of the disputed polar region, a presidential envoy said Thursday.

For the second day in a row, the U.S. Navy has captured suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden after a merchant ship sent a distress call.

A Navy supply chief was charged this week in federal court with stealing more than $366,000 worth of computers, televisions and other items using a government-issued credit card.

Every recruiter in the Army is taking a time out tomorrow. And between mid-March and mid-July, pretty much every other command in the Army will be taking one, as well, all in an effort to help troops, Army civilians and their families deal with the stresses of Army life.

January and February are a popular time for VBIEDs and suicide bombers (SBs) becuase the snow and weather keeps the enemy from moving freely about the country. It was January and February of 2007 that we saw several VBIEDs and SBs in Paktika province and more specifically Sharana (the town we were at). Well it appears that the Taliban continue to do what works, over and over.

http://story.afghanistansun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/6e1d5c8e1f98f17c/id/465812/cs/1/

A suicide bomber with explosives strapped to his body attacked the provincial police headquarters Thursday in southeastern province of Paktika, killing one policeman, the interior ministry said in a statement.

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We are very pleased to welcome, as our newest Contributing Expert, Michael Braun, who recently retired after 33 years in law enforcement as Chief of Operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration. He was responsible for DEA's 227 domestic and 87 foreign offices and several divisions. Mr. Braun was the first interim director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Intelligence Fusion Center and was responsible for leading the development of that multi-agency, national drug intelligence center that supports the national drug strategy and the war on terrorism.

Mr. Braun joined the DEA in 1985, where he served as a Special Agent in the St. Louis Division. In 1991, he was promoted to the rank of Supervisory Special Agent and was assigned to a special enforcement project in Latin America. He led host nation counterparts and DEA Special Agents on drug enforcement operations in the jungles of South and Central America to disrupt the production and transportation systems supporting the cocaine industry. After serving in senior roles in DEA offices in Houston, Los Angeles, Detroit, and DEA headquarters, Mr. Braun was detailed in June 2003 to the Department of Defense to serve on special assignment in Iraq as the Chief of Staff for the Interim Ministry of Interior, Coalition Provisional Authority. He assisted in creating the new Iraqi National Police Service and Customs and Borders agencies, and with developing plans to rebuild the public safety segment of the Iraqi security infrastructure.

Mr. Braun served in the U.S. Marine Corps served from 1971 to 1973 as an infantryman, including limited service in Vietnam. He received a B.S. degree in Criminal Justice in 1977 from Southeast Missouri State University, and he has attended a number of government, military, and private leadership courses, including the Senior Managers in Government Program at Harvard University and the National Executive Institute.

Michael Braun is a leader in investigating the criminal-terrorist nexus, and his lecture last year at the Washington Institute is included in WINEP's latest volume on countering transnational threats, edited by Matthew Levitt and Michael Jacobson. He is now a security consultant and officer at Spectre Group International, LLC in northern Virginia. We look forward to his contributions.

The NEFA Foundation has released a new report by NEFA Contributor Antje Kraschinski analyzing the Al-Qaida video "A Bailout Plan for Germany." The January 2009 video features German citizen Bekkay Harrach and is the third German-language video issued by Islamic terror groups since October 2008. Displaying a deep and detailed knowledge of the political background of the German military engagement in Afghanistan, Harrach repeats his central message several times: Germany must pull its troops out of Afghanistan. To advance that goal, Harrach appeals to the German people to vote for a party in the upcoming elections that supports the withdrawal. Harrach’s video has alarmed German officials. On January 25, German Interior Ministry State Secretary August Hanning commented: "For the first time we are seeing that Germany is addressed very clearly, and namely from someone who knows our home affairs, who knows the internal conditions here and who grapples very specifically with us here in Germany. We regard this as a new quality of threat." This paper provides extensive context to Harrach's message and offers a snapshot of Harrach's life in Germany and the Pak-Afghan area.

The report can be downloaded from the NEFA Foundation website.

The NEFA Foundation has obtained a new communiqué from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban) claiming responsibility for the coordinated February 11, 2009 attack on the Ministry of Justice, the Directorate of Prisons, and the Ministry of Education in Kabul, which killed at least 26. According to the statement, "16 mujahideen from Al-Hamzah martyrdom group in Afghanistan Islamic Emirate launched a revengeful campaign for the prisoners who were killed by the hands of the crusaders and their mercenary agents in Pol-e-Charki prison during the days of the recent Eid Al-Adha. " Further, the statement claims that "8 mujahideen were martyred and 8 mujahideen went back without harm to their stations.”

An English translation of the Taliban claim can be downloaded from the NEFA Foundation website.

A series of recent articles have cited a US decision to rehabilitate Syrian Boeing 747 airplanes as a sign that in an effort to repair relations with Damascus, the Obama Administration has jettisoned the Syria Accountability Act (SAA) sanctions enacted during the Bush Administration.

The 2004 Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act (Law 108-175) mandated that the Administration level a series of sanctions against Damascus in response to Syrian support for terrorism, its role in undermining stability in Iraq, its continued meddling in Lebanon, and the regime’s ongoing development of WMD and ballistic missile programs.

Sanctions included a prohibition on the export of munitions and dual-use items, as well as (1) the prohibition of exports other than food or medicine to Syria, and (2) the prohibition on Syrian aircraft landing or taking off from the U.S.

These sanctions were not particularly effective. Indeed, because they did not affect food and telecommunications equipment—the primary U.S. commodities purchased by Syria—bilateral trade actually tripled between Washington and Damascus since the passage of the measure. Still, the sanctions have an important symbolic impact and are an annoyance to Syria’s Asad regime.

Clearly, the Obama Administration is going to take a different tack with Damascus. It’s likely that Washington will resume a dialogue with Syria, repost an ambassador, and perhaps even get involved in Syrian-Israeli peace talks. But the characterization of airplane parts sales as a signal of a warming of ties is misleading and premature.

Under the terms of the 1944 International Civil Aviation Conference convened in Chicago, Washington is obligated to sell airplane parts for U.S. equipment to ensure “safety of flight.” Because the Syrian planes are U.S. origin, the Administration is compelled to do so. In fact, the U.S. has extended the same courtesy to Tehran. Because Iran has a 747 in military service, however, Washington has indicated that to ensure that the parts are not being utilized for non-civilian purposes, the repairs should be made in Germany.