War on terror
You’re going to lose. It is only you against many.
If, in the aftermath of an act of would-be terror, the people refuse to be terrorised does it still remain a terrorist act? Perhaps but there’s a sense, I think,… Continue reading
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William Hague: Somalia, Pakistan and Afghanistan is where the threat to the British homeland is coming from
On the Sunday Politics, William Hague confirmed that the greatest terrorist threat to the British homeland come from Somalia, Pakistan and Afghanistan. But he argued that without intervention, the Sahel… Continue reading
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The Americans accuse the French of being too ambitious in Mali as British involvement grows
It might have been pushed down the news agenda this week by David Cameron’s Europe speech and the bad economic news, but the situation in Mali is offering us a… Continue reading
39 Comments Can the West solve a problem like Mali?
I fear that we are all going to have to learn a lot about Mali and the Sahel—and fast. It is rapidly becoming the latest front in the war on… Continue reading
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Rand Paul: Leader of the US Senate's Tiny Awkward Squad - Spectator Blogs
Speaking of politicians worthy of your support, here’s Senator Rand Paul doing his thing: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is holding up a vote on the Defense Authorization Act until he… Continue reading
5 CommentsHitchens vs Galloway
Since he has previously been elected in Glasgow and London, I don’t know if it is so astonishing that George Galloway won a by-election in Bradford. Anyway, if you have… Continue reading
20 CommentsNo More Heaves in Helmand
Rory Stewart’s article on Afghanistan, published in yesterday’s Evening Standard, makes a succinct case for speeding up the west’s withdrawal from Helmand and the Hindu Kush. As he says, We… Continue reading
4 CommentsAfghanistan Isn’t Working
For years now, Afghanistan policy has been governed by a simple question: Do the unknown costs of leaving Afghanistan trump the known costs of staying in Afghanistan? Until now the… Continue reading
5 CommentsSir Simon Jenkins Is Peddling Weapons-Grade Tripe. Again.
Via Norm, I see that Sir Simon Jenkins is up to his old tricks, publishing yet another meretricious column on the Afghan war which, all too conveniently, manages to ignore… Continue reading
9 CommentsBeyond Gaddafi, America turns its attention to Pakistan
It’s hard to recall a more grisly complement of newspaper covers than those this morning. Only the FT refrains from showing either Gaddafi’s stumbling last moments or his corpse, whereas… Continue reading
4 CommentsThe randomness of al-Qaeda’s evil
After all the nerves and security in New York, Washington and London, the only attempted terror plot on the anniversary of 9/11 appears to have been foiled outside an arts… Continue reading
12 CommentsFrom the archives: 9/11
This Sunday marks the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001. Here is the article Stephen Glover wrote for The Spectator in response: "The terrorists want us… Continue reading
6 CommentsWill Pakistan’s politics help al-Qaeda’s new leader?
Just as any major employer would, al-Qaeda released a statement earlier to confirm the identity of its new boss. "Sheikh Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri, may God guide him," it read, "assumed… Continue reading
19 CommentsThe Good John McCain Surfaces
Every so often the good John McCain reappears. His recent Senate speech on torture and the hunt for Osama bin Laden is the best thing I’ve seen from him in… Continue reading
1 CommentOsama bin Laden at home
They may be mostly silent, and their content is rather mundane, but the five Osama bin Laden "home videos" released by the Pentagon today are still some of the most… Continue reading
16 CommentsOsama bin Laden Was Not America’s Useful Enemy
The Guardian is a great newspaper but, lord, does it ever print some claptrap. Via Messrs Geras and Worstall comes this dreadful piece by Adam Curtis. The headline, for which… Continue reading
14 CommentsAfter bin Laden
In this week’s Spectator, on sale today, we have an outstanding lineup on bin Laden’s death and its aftermath. I thought CoffeeHousers may be interested a preview of what’s in… Continue reading
12 CommentsStray Thoughts on the Execution of Osama bin Laden
Just as it’s difficult for death penalty opponents to be too upset by the verdicts of the Nuremberg tribunal, so it is hard to be upset by the assassination (let… Continue reading
8 CommentsCIA director blasts Pakistan’s intelligence service
"It was decided that any effort to work with the Pakistanis could jeopardise the mission. They might alert the targets." There have been few blunter, nor more high-profile, condemnations of… Continue reading
18 CommentsPakistan responds
The covers of our newspapers are emblazoned with Bin Laden this morning — but it is an article in a US newspaper that really catches the eye. Pakistan’s President, Asif… Continue reading
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