:: Da' Militant One's Lair ::

:: Friday, October 19, 2007 ::

Why is Senator Schumer a member of the Board of Advisors for the organization, The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies? The organization is a front group for Bill Kristol, Clifford May, Frank Gaffney, and the rest of the gang that lied us into Iraq. I am including in this email, an email that I sent to the group, as well as its organization structure and some of its views from the website:

My Email to the FDD:

I have viewed some of the information on your website and I am stunned by several articles that classify the "old left's" scorn for Joe Lieberman and George Bush as polarization politics and hatred. While many democrats may harbor these sentiments the dislike of the two gentlemen stems to a large degree from the frustration of watching Bush take the country down the tubes with little opposition with Lieberman serving as his eager supporter. The short-term (positive?) effects of the “surge” are illusory and comments to the contrary belie a misunderstanding of the dynamics at play. The Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds are ancient people who have long memories and see the current situation in Iraq as an opportunity to gain power, land, and wealth. Their “blood feud” will not be solved by the U.S. , Bush, or the Congress. The surge is working because the Sunnis understand that the only way they will be able match strength with the Shiites and the Kurds is to, at least, for the moment form an alliance with the U.S. military. The Kurds are poised to form a sovereign nation, and the Shiite have no incentive to negotiate in good faith with either the Sunnis or the Kurds since they hold the seat of power. The Shiites are willing to cede northern Iraq to the Kurds because they have no choice. The Kurds are ready to defend any attempts by any party to confiscate the lands, or limit the sovernty that they have enjoyed since the decision by Saddam Hussein to cut his losses and accept the realization that the Kurds could not be conquered without overwhelming military force.

Also, the Kurds have millions of recruits in southern Turkey, which by the way is ready to strike at those Kurds in the south. Any attempt by the Shiites to force the Kurds to acquiesce will most certainly result in significant bloodshed and death. If the Kurds do not comply with the Shiites what will the U.S. do? What is the strategy for diffusing the tension between Turkey and its belligerent citizenry, the Kurds? Turkey has been a valued ally, but is angered by the positive relationship between the Kurds and the U.S. The U.S. is not in a position to make any demands to Turkey that turkey is obligated to accept. Any U.S. military confrontation with Turkey or the Kurds is foolhardy. Most Americans fail to realize that the history of the Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, and Turks runs thousands of years consisting of overwhelming bloodshed subjugation, domination, self interest, and self preservation. A review of Arab culture would reveal that barter and deal making are hallmarks of their history and neither the Shiites, the Sunnis, the Kurds, nor the Turks will ever accept any arrangement or agreement that leaves them on the short end. Many other variables are in play that some in your organization do not seem to acknowledge. Iraqi Shiites have a big brother in Iran. Iran is covertly supporting the insurgents against the U.S. military for fundamental reasons centering on its ability to protect itself against any military aggression by the U.S., Israel, or any other country.

Iran’s current strategy with respect to Iraq is to ensure that the U.S. military is degraded as much as possible to prohibit its ability to wage war against it, effectively. Also, Iran’s Iraq strategy is predicated on the country’s efforts to develop nuclear weapons with limited opposition by the U.S. Israel’s capacity to militarily respond to Iran’s nuclear objectives is also questionable given these results of its conflict with Hezbollah last year. Any attack by Israel on Iran could be seen as an opportunity by Hezbollah to launch missile attacks on Israel as the group has replenished its stockpile of weapons. What about Hamas? Can Israel fight a two-front war? What about Iran’s response to any provocation by Israel? If Iran responds militarily to Israel how will the U.S. respond? What will be the role of the carrier task forces already in the Persian Gulf? While the weaponry possessed by the carrier groups is more than sufficient to decimate Iran as a country is this strategy operable? How will further conflict in the region affect the “war on Terrorism?” How will further conflict in the region affect the democratic government of Lebanon?

Already, southern Lebanon has been ceded to Hezbollah and its survivability is predicated on the relationship with Hezbollah. Lebanon has no desire to wage any type of military campaign against Hezbollah given that each conflict results if destruction of its infrastructure and the death of its citizens. What was the U.S. response to Israel’s bombing of Lebanon in 2006 given that pacified areas of the country with nominal military value were destroyed: lukewarm rebukes and empty rhetoric. How does the U.S. response to the bombing of a democratic Lebanon by Israel aid the Bush Administration’s strategy of promoting democracy in the region? What incentives did the U.S. give to aspiring Arab democracies? The same can be said for the U.S. response to the travails of the current Iraqi government given its already tenuous position. Iraq President El-Maliki can not achieve any political objectives unless deals are made with the various Shiite groups. The political pressure being applied by the U.S. forces Maliki to establish closer ties with both Iran and Syria to strengthen the legitimacy of theShiite-dominated Iraqi government to its Arab neighbors. The failure of the Bush Administration to anticipate and plan for such a scenario borders on dereliction of duty.

Speaking of Syria, how will it respond to a widening of a regional conflict? Additionally as a staunch supporter of Hezbollah the likelihood of Syria providing military and financial support as well as a huge reserve of manpower is unquestionable. Any deals with the Kurds will not call for any ceding of land or oil fields. The Sunnis are the odd man out because they have nothing to barter, or negotiate. Not only are the Iraqi Sunnis angered, but so too is the Sunni-dominated nation of Saudi Arabia, who by the way has been supporting the Sunni Insurgency, both financially and with ready and willing recruits. Why has the U.S. allowed this treachery to go unpunished? Why is the U.S. planning to sale tens of billions of dollars in military arms and aircraft to Saudi Arabia and other Arab states while also selling even more weaponry and aircraft to Israel? How does arming mutual enemies to-the-teeth advance the Bush Agenda? Why does the U.S. continue to support a Saudi Arabian despotic regime that supports our enemy in Iraq? What about Saudi oil policy which creates a huge transfer of wealth from the U.S. to the Arab state which then uses the money to purchase U.S. military armaments and weaponry and finance groups hostile to U.S. interests.



Foundation for the Defense of Democracies http://www.defenddemocracy.org/

Organizational Structure:

Board of Directors

Steve Forbes, Board Member, CEO Forbes Magazine

Dr. Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, Founding Member, 2001-2006, Fmr. Ambassador to the UN

Jack Kemp, Chairman Emeritus, Fmr. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Distinguished Advisors

Judge Louis J. Freeh, Fmr. Director of the FBI

Sen. Joseph Lieberman(D-CT), U.S. Senate

Newt Gingrich, Fmr. Speaker of the House

R. James Woolsey, Fmr. Director of the CIA

Board of Advisors

Gary Bauer, President, American Values

Bill Kristol, Editor, Weekly Standard

Donna Brazile, Campaign Manager, Democratic strategist, Gore 2000

Hon. Richard D. Lamm, Fmr. Governor, Colorado

Rep. Eric Cantor, Chairman (R-VA), Task Force on Terrorism

Rep. Jim Marshall, (D-GA), U.S. House of Representatives

Rep. Eliot Engel, (D-NY), U.S. House of Representatives

Sen. Zell Miller, (D-GA), Former U.S. Senator

Frank Gaffney, President, Center for Security Policy

Richard Perle, Former Chair of the Defense Policy Board and FDD Advisor

Amb. Marc Ginsberg, Fmr. Ambassador, Morocco

Steven Pomerantz, Former Assistant Director, FBI

Charles Jacobs, President, American Anti-Slavery Group

Oliver "Buck" Revell, Former Associate Deputy Director, FBI

Charles Krauthammer, Syndicated Columnist

Sen. Charles E. Schumer, (D-NY), U.S. Senate

Senior Fellows

Khairi Abaza
Middle East and Democracy Expert

Andrew C. McCarthy
Director, FDD's Center for Law and Counterterrorism

Avi Jorisch
Terrorism Expert

Barbara Newman
Investigative Reporter and Author

Samer Libdeh
Middle East and Democracy Expert

Dr. Walid Phares
Director, FDD's Future of Terrorism Project

Mario Loyola
Visiting Fellow: Diplomacy and Defense

Victoria Toensing
Fmr. Chief Counsel to Sen. Intelligence CommitteeBoard of Directors

Adjunct Fellows

Dr. Jonathan Adelman, Professor, University of Denver

Michael I. Krauss, Professor of Law, George Mason University School of Law

Richard Z. Chesnoff, Journalist

Agota Kuperman, U.S. Foreign Service (ret.)

Paul Crespo, Former Marine Corps Officer and Military Attaché

Joel Mowbray, Journalist

Tanya Gilly, Member of the Iraqi National Assembly

Dr. J. Peter Pham, Director of the Nelson Institute for International and Public Affairs, James Madison University

Ethan Gutmann, Adjunct Fellow, The Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Dr. Frederic Smoler, Professor, Sarah Lawrence College

Orde Kittrie, Law Professor, Arizona State University

Staff

Tony Badran, Research Fellow, Levant, The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Jessica Risch, Research Associate, The Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Amb. Richard W. Carlson, Vice Chairman, The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Cara Rosenthal, Senior Manager, Development, The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Kyle Dabruzzi, Summer Fellow, The Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Claudia Rosett, Journalist-in-Residence, The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Mark Dubowitz, Chief Operating Officer, The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Stephanie Schwartz, Communications and Special Projects Coordinator, The Center for Liberty in the Middle East

Sasha Eckstein, Special Assistant, The Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Jonathan L. Snow, Research Fellow, Coalition Against Terrorist Media

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Vice President of Research, The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Jean Thurman, Manager, Operations, The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Joshua Goodman, Director of Research, Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Caitlyn Walters, Coordinator, Campus Programs, The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Eleana Gordon, Senior Vice-President, The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Dan Wilson, Communications Coordinator, The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Clifford D. May, President, The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Brian Wise, Director of Media Relations, The Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Bill McCarthy, Vice-President, Communications, The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Adela A. Zachariades, Coordinator, Future of Terrorism Project, The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Media and Publications

The Danger Zone
(10/14/2007)
Sunday's WMAL show featured Richard Landes, a professor of Medieval History at Boston University; and syndicated columnist Arnaud de Borchgrave.

Clifford May Discusses Counterinsurgency Strategy on WAMU 88.5 FM
(10/10/2007)
On Wednesday, October 10, FDD President Clifford May recorded a three-minute audio commentary on WAMU 88.5 FM, describing how the war in Iraq has prompted the U.S. military to reconsider many of the tactics and plans that strategists thought would be the blueprint for all modern day conflicts.

FDD Submits Amicus Brief in Enemy Combatants Case
(10/11/2007)
FDD's Center for Law & Counterterrorism (CLC), together with the Committee on the Present Danger and the Center for Security Policy, has filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in Boumediene v. Bush, an important case the Supreme Court will consider this term.

Claudia Rosett Testifies on Corruption in Iraq
(10/04/2007)
FDD Journalist-in-Residence Claudia Rosett testified on Thursday, October 4, before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, on the status of corruption in the Iraqi government and whether U.S. government efforts to address this continuing problem have been adequate.

Peter Pham Testifies On Human Rights In Horn of Africa
(10/02/2007)
FDD Adjunct Fellow Dr. Peter Pham testified on Tuesday, October 2, 2007, at a hearing of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He discussed democracy and human rights in Ethiopia.

Gartenstein-Ross Briefs Congressional Staff on US-EU Counterterrorism Cooperation
(09/21/2007)
On Friday, September 21, Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, FDD's vice president of research, briefed congressional staff on the use of terror lists to combat individuals and organizations involved in planning and conducting acts of terror.

Palestinian Authority to Shut Down Hamas' al-Aqsa TV
(09/21/2007)
Reports from the West Bank that the Palestinian Authority has chosen to shut down Hamas' al-Aqsa TV operations were met with praise from a group of Muslims, Christians and Jews who are part of the Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM).

Clifford May Discusses Iranian Threat at AEI Event
(09/10/2007)
FDD President Clifford May discussed U.S. strategy toward Iran at a book forum organized by the American Enterprise Institute on Monday, September 10, 2007.

Internet Battle Rages over the Petraeus Report, Future of the US Mission in Iraq
(09/10/2007)
The debate over whether the Iraq mission led by General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker deserves continued support is raging not only in Washington but also in the blogosphere. Now, a grassroots petition supporting General Petraeus and his troops is making its way around the Internet.

Gartenstein-Ross Featured on CNN's "God's Warriors"
(08/22/2007)
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, FDD's vice president of research, was featured in the second installment of CNN's three-part series on politics and faith, “God's Warriors,” hosted by Christiane Amanpour.

FDD Welcomes Freedom's Watch to the Iraq Discourse, Announces New Resources
(08/23/2007)
As the debate over our nation's future course in Iraq continues, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) today welcomed Freedom's Watch, a new non-partisan organization dedicated to winning the war in Iraq, to the national discourse.

:: DM1 10/19/2007 07:29:00 PM [+] ::
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