National Security Online Resource Center

RFE/RL’s Radio Free Iraq has covered several groundbreaking debates and forums throughout Iraq during the campaign leading up to the March 7 parliamentary elections.

In Diyala province on February 26, a local NGO hosted a debate intended to train citizens on how to question candidates. Candidates were given the opportunity to present their election programs to the public, and then faced questions from voters about their proposals and platform. Candidates from several lists and coalitions participated in the debate, and many citizens said they were eager for the opportunity to closely engage with the candidates. “This is a groundbreaking debate, and an important step for civil society,” one citizen told RFI after the debate. “Passionate, active discussion is good for civil society, and for unity in Iraq. It is good to have interaction between the candidates and the people, who can ask the candidates challenging questions about their proposals. This is essential for the building of democracy in Iraq.”

Other citizens took the opportunity to challenge the candidates to give specifics on how they planned to fulfill their campaign promises. A young man named Osama Ghazi said that he asked candidates how they intended to bring the services they had promised to Diyala province after they won the election. “I asked the candidates a question about how they intended to fulfill all of these promises in such a short time after they were seated in the next parliament, God willing,” he explained.

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Twentieth century Libyan history can be divided into four major periods: Italian colonization from 1911-1943, a British caretaker government from 1943-1951, independent constitutional monarchical rule under King Sayyid Idris I from 1951-1969, and the current military dictatorship of Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi from 1969 to the present. Such clearly-defined eras allow us to analyze the state of Libyan affairs in any given time period, which provides us with the opportunity to assess the extent to which colonialism is responsible for Libya’s current political, economic, and social ills. more

The dangers of a failed state are multi-faceted, ranging from regional power-vacuum to breeding ground for terrorism. It is relatively recent, however, that the utterly imploded state of Somalia began to present the seemingly outmoded threat of piracy. To understand the nature of the modern threat, as well as the recent victory by the US Navy, it is necessary to understand the recent history of Somalia.

Long story short, Somalia isn’t a very nice place to live. There hasn’t been a functional, central government since 1991, when the Somali Civil War broke out. This Civil War was the cause of the instability and ultimate famine that forced international intervention in 1992, during Operation Restore Hope. Many Somalis resented the foreign intervention, however, and there was large scale resistance to the UN presence, culminating in the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993 (the famous “Blackhawk Down” incident). After US forces withdrew in the aftermath of the battle, the UN was forced to severely scale-back operations until the UN withdrew altogether in 1995. more

Watchmen, written by Alan Moore, is considered the premiere work in the graphic novel genre, so its film release has been highly anticipated since production began in 1989. Overall, the film is very entertaining, and worth shelling out a few extra dollars to see it with the full IMAX effects. Like his other noted film, 300, director Zack Snyder displays his skill in depicting violence, sex and superhero tricks in some of the most visually-appealing ways imaginable. The opening credits are particularly spectacular, making comic book panels come alive, something you might find on one of those newspapers from the Harry Potter films.

Despite the entertainment value, do not see Watchmen if you are looking for some escapism and a happy ending. That being said, it is not very clear what the message is, as one is expected in such a dark and dense work.

Moore has said that Watchmen is meant to be a message of “anti-Reaganism” but one is hard press to see it in the film. This alternative reality is a true bizarro world, set (and written) in 1985. Vietnam is the 51^st state after America’s success in Southeast Asia, thanks primarily to Dr. Manhattan, a nuclear physicist-turned-god/Blue Man Group member. With this great victory, President Richard Nixon is still in office after term limits are repealed. Yet at the start of the film, we see a faux McLaughlin Group segment featuring “Pat Buchanan” and “Eleanor Clift” as they debate why Russia is amassing troops in Afghanistan as the Cold War continues. more

After being under the thumb of the Soviet Union for decades, some may find it hard to believe that the Czech Republic is now embroiled in an international dispute by entering in an agreement with the United States and becoming an intimate part of its international security policy. Recently, Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice was in Prague standing alongside her Czech counterpart to sign the first of two treaties to allow the US to establish a radar station 55 miles outside the capital. The radar base is a key element of the missile defense shield that, when completed, is meant to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles aimed at Europe and the United States.

Though the right-leaning government has jumped at the opportunity to ally with the United States on this issue, two-thirds of the population opposes the treaties. Some concerns include environmental impact on the region. More importantly, the Czechs have major concerns on the international scene when it comes to the placement of the radar on their soil. The first is Russia and its rhetoric.

“There is a paranoia of the west,” in Russia, said Yuri Fedorov of the Association for International Affairs in Prague. Fedorov understands Russia’s need to be perceived as a dominant state despite its loss of superpower status. “Russia thinks that if they say ‘no’ it should just be accepted,” said Fedorov. It is that superiority complex that makes Russia appear so aggressive, when they are really more pragmatic. more

by Edesha Basa

This study seeks to determine the top ten al Qaeda targets in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area. Through careful investigation of current widely accepted assessment methodologies and case studies of al Qaeda attack trends, the CESAT (C=Casualties, E=Economic damage, S=Symbolic effect, A=Accessibility, and T=Threat history) assessment is developed to determine the top ten targets. The study finds that the University of California, Los Angeles is the number one target for al Qaeda in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area because it is one of the softest targets with great potential for a large amount of casualties. The outcome of the study does not align with the results of current widely accepted assessment methodologies. The study finds that the current widely accepted assessment methodologies focus primarily on critical infrastructures rather than terrorist target preferences.

Read the complete paper by clicking here.

Edesha Basa is a Polictical Science and North African Studies major at the University of California, Los Angeles.

by Tristan Abbey

On April 8-9, Gen. David Petraeus, commander of American forces in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker will testify to Congress on the state of the war. Over the past year, Coalition and Iraqi forces have implemented a “clear, hold, and build” strategy, nicknamed “the surge” due to the increase of roughly 30,000 troops that made it possible.
Concurrent with counterinsurgency operations, Sunni tribes that were previously at war with the Coalition have banded together in “Awakening Councils” to fight al Qaeda in Iraq. Casualties and terrorist attacks have decreased nationwide ever since.

To give our readers a preview of Gen. Petraeus’ testimony, we consulted a range of informed sources on the situation in Iraq. We asked them what they thought he should and would say. more