LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 28/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 20,2-8. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him."So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.

Duns Scotus Erigena (?-c.870), Irish Benedictine
Homily on the Prologue to Saint John's Gospel, §2
«What was from the beginning..., what we looked upon..., we proclaim now to you» (1Jn 1,1-3)
Peter and John both run to the tomb. Holy Scripture is the tomb of Christ where the darkest mysteries of his divinity and humanity are defended, if I might put it that way, by a surrounding wall of rock. But John runs faster than Peter because the power of a wholly purified contemplation penetrates the secrets of the divine work with more piercing and sharp a gaze than the power of action still in need of purification. Nevertheless, Peter enters the tomb first; John follows him. Both run, both enter. In this case Peter is an image of faith, John stands for intellect... For faith must be the first to enter the tomb, which is an image of Holy Scripture, and intellect follows... Peter, who also represents the practice of virtue, sees by the power of faith and the action of the Son of God, ineffably and wonderfully confined within the limitations of the flesh. But John, who represents highest contemplation of the truth, marvels at the Word of God, who is perfect in himself and infinite in origin, that is to say in his Father. Peter, led by divine revelation, simultaneously considers both eternal things and the things of this world, united in Christ. John contemplates and proclaims the eternity of the Word so as to make it known to believing souls. Thus I would say that John is a spiritual eagle with rapid flight, who sees God and I will call him 'theologian'. He is lord over all creation, visible and invisible, he exceeds all the faculties of the mind, and he enters divinised into God who gives him a share in his own divine life.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
WMD Strikes highly or less likely over the next five years? US Report discussed.By Walid Phares 28/12/08
The waiting game-Al-Ahram Weekly 28/12/08
Obama the Neocon-New York Times 28/12/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for December 28/08
Lebanon, Syria close to opening first embassies since 1943-Monsters and Critics.com
Aoun's Christmas Greeting to Sfeir-Naharnet
Waves of Israeli Jets Pound Hamas in Gaza, 150 Killed, 100 Wounded-Naharnet
Lebanese Christian leader refuses solving Gaza tragedy at Lebanon's expense-www.chinaview.cn
Shiite MP denies Hezbollah's involvement in south Lebanon rockets ...Xinhua
Israel Attacks Hamas in Gaza-Wall Street Journal
Lebanese Team to Set Up Damascus Embassy-Naharnet
Hizbullah Renews Attempt to Expand Conference on National Dialogue-Naharnet
Geagea against Solving Gaza Tragedy at Lebanon Expense-Naharnet
Chinese, Lebanese Men among 13 Dead in DR Congo Crime Wave-Naharnet
Syrian Flag Flies Over First Embassy in Lebanon-Naharnet
Assad: The Longer the Border, the Bigger the Peace-Naharnet
Lebanese Bask in Long Respite From Violence, But Party Mood Tinged With Concern For 2009-Naharnet
Scattered Violence in Sidon Wounds Six People-Naharnet

WMD Strikes "highly or less" likely over the next five years? US Report discussed
By Walid Phares
An intelligence assessment, the "Internal Homeland Security Threat Assessment for the years 2008-2013, obtained by the Associated Press projected several "dramatic" developments. Among these projections that Terrorism directed against the US will "continue to be driven by instability in the Middle East and Africa." The report asserted that WMD attacks "could be carried out against America" but then added that "these threats are also the most unlikely because it is so difficult for al-Qaida and similar groups to acquire the materials needed to carry out such plots." The report reasserts a number of predictions made before and noted that increasing numbers of individuals will pose as refugees or asylum seekers.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081225/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/homeland_threat_forecast
While the report doesn't add much to previously projected assessments over the past few years it deserves a thorough evaluation by the Counter Terrorism community in general and the experts studying the strategies and tactics of the Jihadists. For as we are moving under a new US Administration, with the expectation that new directions are to be set, a review of the past five to seven years in terms of War on Terror strategies is now a must. In other words the Counter Terrorism community in the public and private sectors need to draw conclusions as to policies and strategies adopted under the departing Administration. A serious review of US Government reports issued since the beginning of the War on Terror must be undertaken and compared and contrasted with developments in the real world and on the battlefields. For some of the assertions repeated by these reports contradicted each other such as the issue of WMD. For example while many national security reports underlined the "ineluctability" of a non conventional attack, other reports (and sometimes the same assessment) found the Terrorists ability to obtain these weapons as "less likely." We hope the global review of the War on Terror would be conducted as soon as possible at a national scale, involving the US Congress, former and forthcoming US officials as well as private sector analysts.
Commenting on some aspects of the AP released report, I made several points in an interview to Fox News today.
Addressing the report's assertion that in the next five years, America will be hit by a bio (or other MD) attack, I advanced another focus to the analysis, that is the intention and the identity of the perpetrators of such attacks. Indeed over the past five years US reports concentrated on the "weapons" not on the "users." Thus I am arguing that in the next five years we need to focus more on the "users" to project their capacity and their intentions. For example al Qaeda and other Jihadists most likely haven't yet (to this hour) acquired such capacity inside the US for the simple reason that they would have used them already. While Iran's regime and Hezbollah have access to WMDs but their decision to use them follow another logic. Thus if we project the use of such weapons by all potential users over the next five years, the possibility is still high.
Al Qaeda and its ilk would be looking to have access to such weapons in Pakistan. However Homegrown Jihadists have access to scientific labs here in the US and in the West.
The report raises the issue of Internet recruiting. I agree with this point but we need to keep in mind that a mass of already radicalized Jihadis have already moved to the US over the past 18 years and they in turn are radicalizing others here. Cyber attacks are possible because it is very difficult (not impossible) to regulate the Internet. Some projects available now assert a counter cyber warfare is possible.
Last but not least point made by the report declares the borders-control crisis as a source for Terrorism in the next five years. Here again I agree and stated to Fox News that if a cell is really determined to cross the Mexican border and insert itself into the US, at this stage it can. But I added that many among those who may engage in actions in the future have already crossed not only through the Mexican but also the Canadian border years ago. In other words, the "pool" is already here.
More discussions of the global assessment will be posted soon.
To watch the short interview go to
http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html?playerId=videolandingpage&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=3370032&referralPlaylistId=949437d0db05ed5f5b9954dc049d70b0c12f2749
**Dr Walid Phares is the Director of the Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and the author of The Confrontation: Winning the War against Future Jihad
December 26, 2008

The waiting game
Bassel Oudat
Syria is looking forward to Obama taking the reins of US power, hopeful he will end its isolation, writes Bassel Oudat from Damascus
Syrian-US relations plummeted over the past five years into depths unseen since 1967. Differences ensued over the US military invasion of Iraq in 2003, which Syria -- sitting on the UN Security Council at the time -- strongly opposed. Following the occupation of Iraq, Syria cooperated with the US in fighting terror. It prevented volunteers from Arab and foreign countries from using its territories to reach Iraq, arresting some and deporting others. It exchanged security information with the US and pledged to tighten its borders with Iraq even more. But this wasn't enough. Washington continued to accuse Syria of sponsoring terror and facilitating the passage of "terrorists" into Iraq.
In summer 2004, Syria helped obtain a three-year extension for Lebanese President Emile Lahoud. The move divided Lebanon and alienated the Americans. Relations hit rock bottom when Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Al-Hariri was assassinated in February 2005. Acting under pressure from France and the US, Syria pulled out of Lebanon within months, ending 29 years of military presence in that country. With Paris and Washington insisting that Damascus had a hand in Al-Hariri's murder, the UN Security Council ordered an investigation into the case. Washington pulled its ambassador to Syria out and called for a change in Syria's "conduct".
To press the point, Washington imposed sanctions on Syria's main commercial bank and airliner, prohibited the supply of spare parts to Syrian companies, froze the assets of two private companies, including one owned by Rami Makhlouf, the cousin of President Bashar Al-Assad, and refrained to talk to officials suspected of terror connections. Furthermore, Washington urged its European allies to do the same. As a result, the European Commission declined to sign a partnership deal with Syria that was initiated in 2004. It became clear that Syria needed a way out of rapidly approaching isolation. But first it had to change its policies on Iraq, Lebanon, Palestinian organisations and Iran.
Tensions between Syria and the West remained high until French President Nicolas Sarkozy suggested that dialogue with Syria might prove more fruitful than pressure and threats. Eventually, Syria began to revise its policies. It accepted a settlement in Lebanon, agreed to a calming-down period in Palestine, tightened its borders with Iraq against possible infiltrators and, in April, launched Turkish-mediated indirect talks with Israel. During a visit to Paris, President Al-Assad suggested that the talks with Israel would become more successful if Washington were to sponsor them. For a while, it seemed that the Bush administration would have no excuse for keeping the heat on Syria. Some optimists even predicted a return of the US ambassador. But this wasn't to be.
In April 2008, Washington accused Syria of cooperating with North Korea in nuclear production. US officials claimed that the Kibar facility in northeast Syria (bombed in December 2007 by the Israelis) was the site of a nuclear reactor intended to enrich plutonium. The International Atomic Energy Agency sent experts to Syria but couldn't reach a firm conclusion. Syria dismissed the accusations as part of a negative publicity campaign.
Things took a turn for the worse when US troops landed near Abu Kamal on the Syrian-Iraqi borders and launched an attack against what the US claimed were terrorists. The Syrians said that eight people died, all civilians, including women and children. Damascus retaliated by pulling its guards from the Iraqi borders and shutting down the American Cultural Centre and the American School in Damascus.
Despite his pro-Israeli statements, Syria hopes that relations with Washington will improve once Obama takes over as US president. Syria's information minister said that Obama's election would give a push to peace and help alleviate the region's problems. A delegation of Obama aides visited Damascus to discuss regional matters within weeks of Obama's victory. Syrian diplomats took the occasion to voice resolve in fighting "terror", keeping things quiet in Palestine, encouraging stability in Lebanon and Iraq, and keeping up talks with Israel. In particular, Damascus seemed eager to have Washington mediate in talks with Israel.
In December, former US President Jimmy Carter visited Damascus and said that he expected Syrian-US relations to warm once Obama takes over. Carter added that Washington is likely to become involved in Syrian-Israeli talks.
Obama's choice of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state dampened Syrian hopes, however. Clinton is known for her pro-Israeli views and her dislike for Hamas and Iran. But one of Clinton's associates, Martin Indyk, said that the "gap can be bridged" between Damascus and Washington.
Despite their discomfort with Clinton, Syrian leaders hope that the next US administration will improve ties between the two countries, mainly through returning the US ambassador to Damascus, lifting sanctions, and sponsoring Syrian- Israeli talks. Syrian diplomats believe that Obama's administration will recognise the importance of the Syrian role in the region and stop pushing Damascus around. In return, Damascus is willing to be more accommodating in its regional policies.
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