We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.
Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]
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Tom Grey writes in from Slovakia with a summary of a ten page article from the NY Times website about Sayyid Qutb, The Philosopher of Islamic Terror… It is a very reasonable explanation of the power of Islamic ideas – and it is, in its implications, quite scary.
The vigilant police in many countries, applying themselves at last, have raided a number of Muslim charities and Islamic banks, which stand accused of subsidizing the terrorists. These raids have advanced the war on still another front, which has been good to see. But the raids have also shown that Al Qaeda is not only popular; it is also institutionally solid, with a worldwide network of clandestine resources. This is not the Symbionese Liberation Army. This is an organization with ties to the ruling elites in a number of countries; an organization that, were it given the chance to strike up an alliance with Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath movement, would be doubly terrifying; an organization that, in any case, will surely survive the outcome in Iraq…
And at the heart of that single school of thought stood, until his execution in 1966, was a philosopher named Sayyid Qutb – the intellectual hero of every one of the groups that eventually went into Al Qaeda, he was their ‘Karl Marx’ (to put it that way), their guide… → Continue reading: The ideologicial roots of terrorism
Earlier this year, Britain refused to supply crucial parts for Israel’s aging Phantom aircraft. So what one might ask? Its hardly the most nimble of modern warplanes. It is, it should be noted. reputedly the backbone of Israel’s nuclear capability.
Tough call for Samizdatistas… I am a great supporter of Israel, but I am not sure Western interests would not be complicated by the mere potential of an Israeli nuclear offensive. However, something tells me that the Israelis would not be hampered by missing British ejector seats. There is the legendary tear jerking story of the request to the 1981 Israeli Air Force Academy intake for what was possibly a one-way ticket to bomb the Osiraq research reactor in Iraq. It was not certain whether the Phantom’s would have the range to return. The commanding officer called for volunteers for what he frankly admitted was possibly a suicide mission. When volunteers were asked to step forward, to a man, all did.
Paul Staines
An authoritative analysis of the ups and downs of the US-UK coalition campaign in Iraq. Puts all the dispiriting or bad news into perspective.
We’re winning, the Iraqis are losing, and the American people have executive seats for what may prove to be the most successful military campaign in history.
I do recognize that the majority of our journalists are doing their best to cover this war accurately and fairly. But, with a few admirable exceptions, even seasoned reporters lack the perspective needed to judge the war’s progress. Few have read military history. Even fewer have served in the military. They simply don’t understand what they are seeing.
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As long as the American people keep their perspective – which they will – it really doesn’t matter how many journalists lose theirs.
(via The Command Post)
For years now the British soldier-in-the-field has been bitching about the crappy Light Support Weapon version of the bug-ridden SA-80 rifle that they have been saddled with.
So I was delighted to see picture after picture of British Army and Royal Marines using the excellent Fabrique National Minimi Squad Automatic Weapon. British soldiers deserve proper weapons and at last they seem to be getting them.
Soldier of the 1st bn Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in action in Iraq, using the FN Minimi SAW
We are getting to the stage where the constant stream of news does not join the dots and leaves much unanswered. I found The Command Post warblog very good for instant updates with the kind of questions that I’d ask and the reporters don’t seem to, investigated. Instapundit is constantly linking to it too, so this is just for those who missed it.
Click for on-target news
In recent days there have been reports of ricin in France and a foiled attack in Germany.
This should be instructive to those who believe the danger will go away if we just close our eyes and believe three impossible things before breakfast.
If you are going to get hit either way you might as well stand and fight.
Surfing the cable TV channels has provided me with a glut of semi-useful information about the unfolding drama in Iraq, but has also astonished me with the wide qualitative differences between the news networks.
The coverage of SkyNews has been head and shoulders better that the rest, as was also the case during the fighting against the Taliban/Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. CNN and ITN are both fair to adequate, and the BBC is hovering between adequate and truly dire, with dreary hackneyed commentary filled with technical errors. Are the BBC incapable of finding a few ex-military people to employ who might know that there is no such thing as an ‘Abrahams’ battle tank?
It is also easy to see the institutional political biases of the different channels: SkyNews has been repeatedly showing an extended clip of bemused Royal Marines in Umm Qasr surrounded by exuberant Iraqi men welcoming them as liberators… I saw one clip of about 6 or 7 seconds long of this on the BBC. Once.
Before the war started I made the comment there might well be more media casualties in this war than are usual. I must admit I did not expect the media guys would be running a close second to the soldiers for death by enemy fire. It must be an historical first.
I’m fairly sure they will soon fall well behind the soldiers in this sad statistic. Even so, the total butchers bill has been incredibly low all around. I would like it to stay that way but the only thing one can say about the fortunes of war is that they are unknowable.
My condolences to all those brave (and sometimes foolhardy) journalists running about an extremely dangerous Iraq.
This is not altogether surprising but, nonetheless, it is a potentially serious complication:
A Turkish military source told Reuters about 1,500 commandos crossed Turkey’s southern border at three points late on Friday, aiming to secure access for subsequent, larger deployments.
“Turkish units have begun crossing into northern Iraq to take security measures at various points,” the official said.
The United States has told Turkey it would not welcome a unilateral incursion into northern Iraq, where local Kurds are suspicious of Turkish motives and have said such a move could lead to conflict.
Fighting between Kurds and Turks in the North of Iraq? Not impossible by any means.
I was just watching SkyNews and they showed a briefing for the Arab press by the Iraqi Defense Ministry: a rather humble low tech affair compared to the slick US Defense Department or UK MOD counterparts.
The spokesman in Iraqi military uniform was pointing at a large map of Iraq and giving the upbeat Iraqi version of the military situation when suddenly a bomb or cruise missile exploded very nearby, shaking the room and making the venetian blinds next to him jump about… several people in the room were clearly terrified and almost all flinched expect the spokesman, who continued his briefing without so much as batting an eyelid.
I cannot but admire his sang froid.
16:30 GMT: If my time-of-flight guestimate is correct, the B-52s which took off earlier from RAF Fairford in Britain will be over Iraq in the next hour.
Stand by for the promised ‘shock and awe’.
More information from the just finished Ministry of Defence briefing suggests the fighting in Umm Qasr was considerably harder that expected as the last section of the town containing some Iraqi die hards has only recently fallen.
Reports are also coming in that suggest forward elements of 7 (UK) Armoured Brigade and US mechanized forces have reached the outskirts of the very important city of Basra, scene of bitter fighting in the Iran-Iraq War and viewed by many Iraqis as their ‘Verdun’. It may prove to be very psychologically important if Basra can be taken quickly by the Allies, but I expect they will first encircle and isolate the city from the north rather than try a risky coup de main today.
Update: 17:20 GMT: …or then again, maybe they are indeed going for a daring coup-de-main against Basra! Reports on SkyNews just in are saying unconfirmed reports indicate the allies (unspecified which units) have already seized part of downtown Basra! Blimey!
For those who have not yet heard of Salam Pax, here is his latest entry:
the all clear siren just went on.
The bombing aould come and go in waves, nothing too heavy and not yet comparable to what was going on in 91. all radio and TV stations are still on and while the air raid began the Iraqi TV was showing patriotic songs and didn’t even bother to inform viewers that we are under attack. at the moment they are re-airing yesterday’s interview with the minister of interior affairs. THe sounds of the anti-aircarft artillery is still louder than the booms and bangs which means that they are still far from where we live, but the images we saw on Al Arabia news channel showed a building burning near one of my aunts house, hotel pax was a good idea. we have two safe rooms one with “international media” and the other with the Iraqi TV on. every body is waitingwaitingwaiting. phones are still ok, we called around the city a moment ago to check on friends. Information is what they need. Iraqi TV says nothing, shows nothing. what good are patriotic songs when bombs are dropping
Add another perspective to the real-time war on our screens…which is, by the way, an astounding technological feat.
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Who Are We? The Samizdata people are a bunch of sinister and heavily armed globalist illuminati who seek to infect the entire world with the values of personal liberty and several property. Amongst our many crimes is a sense of humour and the intermittent use of British spelling.
We are also a varied group made up of social individualists, classical liberals, whigs, libertarians, extropians, futurists, ‘Porcupines’, Karl Popper fetishists, recovering neo-conservatives, crazed Ayn Rand worshipers, over-caffeinated Virginia Postrel devotees, witty Frédéric Bastiat wannabes, cypherpunks, minarchists, kritarchists and wild-eyed anarcho-capitalists from Britain, North America, Australia and Europe.
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