We have a lot of topics to hit as the calendar turns over once more, so let’s jump right into it. From the heavy to the light, these are the stories which have jumped out at our staff at the end of 2013:
Al-Qaeda Takes back Fallujah. . .Sort Of?
Over the past few weeks we have been hit by terrifying and sensational headlines informing us that Al-Qaeda has “retaken” the Iraqi cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, cities which have been made synonymous with the US war effort in Iraq. Most of the reporting has been focused on the terrible injustice done by the new Iraqi government by allowing what our troops fought so hard for to fall back to “the enemy.” We are told that Al Qaeda is firmly in control of the city, that their flag is flying freely, and that they are on the verge of overtaking Baghdad. The situation on the ground, however, looks a lot more complicated than that.
Al Qaeda looks to be in control neither in Ramadi, where local security forces are fighting alongside the Iraqi army in order to expel them, nor in Fallujah, where local Sunni communities are taking up arms to defend their city from the Shia-controlled central government.
The conflict in Fallujah stems from the Maliki government’s persecution of Iraq’s Sunni minority. The Iraqi security forces under the new US-approved regime are no less heavy-handed than in Saddam’s days, and have a tendency to break up any public gathering with bullets. Now, many of the same tribal leaders who threw their support behind the initial US invasion are fed up with Maliki’s betrayals, and are no longer playing nice. ISIS has tried to insert themselves into this resistance, but has been largely sidelined by tribal authorities. A much-reported ISIS flag which was raised in the city was ordered down 5 minutes later by tribal leaders, an order which ISIS quickly obeyed.
Rather than Al Qaeda undoing the work of our warfighters, it looks like our guy Maliki has undone our state-building efforts, and is pushing his country back into civil war.
In Ramadi, the situation looks different. ISIS-linked fighters have launched a major offensive in the city, hoping to inspire an uprising like the one in Fallujah. However, they appear to have failed to convince local authorities that the central government is the enemy, and local police and security forces have joined with Iraqi army units in battling the militants.
The tide seems to be turning against Al Qaeda and ISIS across the Arab world. Across the boarder in Syria, al-Nusra fighters have joined with Free Syrian Army forces in attacking ISIS positions, hoping to prevent the foreign fighters from hijacking their local struggle. The Arab Spring looks to have left the Islamic world with a greater sense of nationalism, in contrast to the internationalist philosophies espoused by terror groups such as Al Qaeda.
Egyptian Military Comes for the Liberals!
When the Egyptian military stepped in earlier this year to depose the democratically elected civilian government, they were able to do so only because a group of liberal activists known as the Tamarod had opened the door for them. When General Abdel Fata al-Sisi initiated a bloody crackdown on “Islamists,” most of society locked their doors tight and muttered “good riddance.” And now that the military has hamstrung the most credible threat to their power, they are ready to turn their attention towards their short-lived allies, the liberals.
Activists, bloggers, lawyers, journalists and even a TV puppet have been detained, arrested, or prosecuted in the run-up to Egypt’s upcoming Constitutional referendum, a vote which promises to be neither free nor fair. Egyptian army units patrol the streets in order to “get out the vote,” and people have been arrested for campaigning for an “against” vote.
Al-Sisi plans to ride his bloody massacres all the way to the Presidency, jailing and “disappearing” anyone who talks of freedom, transparency, or voting against the army. And Egypt seems ready to let him.
Duck Dysfunction!
You know that affluent, suburban duck call salesman who pretends to be a redneck on TV? The one who got everyone so upset with his anti-gay bigotry? He said some pretty shitty things about black people, too. No one seemed to get too worked up about that.
The whole thing is looking more and more like a publicity stunt.
Eff you, Dolphin!
I'm sick and tired of all the sensationalist and xenophobic reporting on the Japanese fishing industry. Western society has no place wagging a finger at Japan, with all the cows, sheep and pigs that we torture, slaughter, and eat every day. How come I never see anyone harassing and endangering European whale fishermen the way they go after the Japanese?
If you are not a complete vegetarian, you really have no place opening your mouth about Japan's dolphin fishing. Even if you are, you still need to realize how much animal and human suffering goes into almost every aspect of the things you enjoy, and spend less time pointing the finger at others.
Nuke Commander Sacked!
A few months back Navy Vice Admiral Tim Giardina was fired from his post as the No. 2 officer at US Strategic Command after he was found to have passed counterfeit chips in a poker game at the Horseshoe Council Bluffs Casino, a popular destination on the World Series of Poker circuit.
I understand how this kind of thing leaves the man open for coercion, but am I the only one who wants a guy like this in my corner if things ever go tits-up? Who better for such a high-stakes position as No. 2 Nuke Commander?
And that’s the last word on 2013! Keep those hands up and protect yourself at all times as we move into 2014, and keep and eye out for the next Rabbit Punch!
