Topic: Bruce Riedel

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Al Qaeda in Canada? Two men arrested, charged with terrorism.

Two men were charged with plotting a terrorist attack against a Canadian passenger train with support from Al Qaeda elements in Iran, police said Monday. The men are not Canadian citizens, but they had been in Canada a "significant amount of time," said police.
Can lessons from Iraq be applied to US-Iran tensions?

A declassified CIA report on Iraq says numerous intelligence lessons have been learned from the search for WMD. But the political dynamic around Iran's nuclear program is a different matter.
Global News Blog Good Reads: A lesson for democracy, lost and found on Google Earth, and the next Arab uprising

This week's good reads include words of wisdom from Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi, using the Internet and applied mathematics to find the long road home, and a profile of Egyptian courage.
Pakistan: Al-Qaida's second in command at house hit by US drone

US officials have said they were targeting Abu Yahya al-Libi in Monday's strike in Khassu Khel village in the North Waziristan tribal area and were 'optimistic' he was among those killed.
CIA targets Al-Qaeda No. 2 with drone strike

US officials are not sure if Abu Yahia al-Libi was killed in the strike in Pakistan.
Signs of hope in Pakistan – America's prickly ally

It's difficult to make sense of Pakistan's pulsating political chaos, corruption, and instability. Yet pessimistic views of Pakistan, while endemic in the West, differ considerably from the perspective of Pakistani analysts who cautiously point to half a dozen hopeful developments.
Cover Story What would happen if Iran had the bomb? (+video)

Even as Tehran signals an interest in nuclear talks, many experts have already envisioned what the world would look like if the country got nuclear weapons. It wouldn't be as dire as many fear, but it would unleash new uncertainties - and perhaps a regional arms race.
Anwar al-Awlaki strike: why it's important, but not a death-blow for Al Qaeda

Anwar al-Awlaki was one of Al Qaeda's idea men – a propagandist who inspired youth to jihad. The drone attack that killed him is a 'big setback,' but it doesn't hurt Al Qaeda's capacity.
Seized bin Laden cellphone provides possible link to Pakistani spy agency

A cellphone used by Osama bin Laden's courier contained contacts for commanders in a Pakistani militant group that has long been mentored by Pakistan's spy agency.
As Gen. David Petraeus shifts to CIA, nature of war shifts with him

Gen. David Petraeus is on Capitol Hill Thursday for his confirmation hearing for the CIA post. The US is moving away from his troop-heavy approach to war, including, to a degree, in Afghanistan.
The big lie that Obama can't lead is crumbling

Prizing bravado, we’ve undervalued President Obama's brand of quiet competence.
Decoding Obama's comments on war in Afghanistan: What did he really mean?

Obama’s citing of ‘fragile but reversible progress’ in his review of the war in Afghanistan is a signal to all the parties involved, including Americans, that the US withdrawal may go slowly.
US defends unmanned drone attacks after harsh UN report

UN special rapporteur Philip Alston on Wednesday called for a halt to US unmanned drone attacks, which he called a path to a 'Playstation' mentality towards killing.
Drone strike reportedly killed Al Qaeda No. 3 Mustafa Abu al-Yazid

Al Qaeda's central leadership says it lost Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, a founding member of the group, in a May 22 drone strike in Pakistan's tribal area.
NPT 101: Will the US accept a nuclear-capable Iran?

Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad restated his opposition to nuclear weapons at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) conference this week. But analysts say that an Iran capable of building a nuclear bomb is something that the US may have to get used to.
Half of Afghanistan Taliban leadership arrested in Pakistan

MONITOR EXCLUSIVE: Pakistan officials told the Monitor they have arrested nearly half – 7 of 15 – members of the Afghan Taliban's senior leadership council in recent days, including the Taliban head of military operations in Afghanistan.
Pakistan captures another top Afghan Taliban leader, Mullah Abdul Kabir

If reports are true, Pakistan's capture of Mullah Abdul Kabir would be fifth Afghan Taliban leader seized in recent weeks.
Yemen Al Qaeda group denies that airstrikes killed its leader

A Yemen-based militant group, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), on Monday denied that airstrikes ordered by the Yemeni government last week had killed its chief Qassim al-Raimi, along with five other top militants.
Obama at one year: new realism in foreign policy

Less ideological than Bush, Barack Obama pursues a more traditional approach to foreign affairs, marked by a narrower definition of US interests.
With US troop increase, is the Afghanistan war now America's war?

The 7,000 additional troops that 25 NATO countries have committed to the conflict help the Obama administration make the case that the Afghanistan war is an international effort.
Fine print of Obama's Afghanistan speech: it's about Pakistan

In his speech, Obama was careful to include Pakistan's borderlands with Afghanistan in his most dire warnings. His new strategy for Afghanistan also means a ratcheting up of resources for – and pressures on – Pakistan.
Will Taliban attacks in Pakistan sway Obama's war decision?

The spate of attacks by the Taliban in Pakistan is likely to factor into President Obama's ongoing review of Afghanistan policy. The attacks highlight the regional nature of the Taliban insurgency.
US 'Afpak' strategy troubles some in US and Pakistan

American lawmakers say they haven't been briefed on plans, as some in Pakistan describe the administration as 'confused.'
US troop buildup in Afghanistan could be a defining moment

Obama's order to send 17,000 more troops comes before US has set a clear strategy.
Obama redefines war on terror

The president focuses on Al Qaeda and on repairing America’s image in the Muslim world.