I'm not sure how to read this, but the judge presiding over the Lynndie England Abu Ghraib trial threw out her guilty plea and entered a not guilty plea in the books.

Via Llama Butchers, WAPO:

A military judge Wednesday threw out Pfc. Lynndie England's guilty plea to prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, saying that he was not convinced that she knew that her actions were wrong at the time.

Col. James Pohl entered a plea of not guilty for England to a charge of conspiring with Pvt. Charles Graner Jr. to maltreat detainees at the Baghdad-area prison.

She didn't know her actions were wrong implies that she's less than competent.

Is it standard practice for judges to throw out guilty pleas unless they think the defense lawyer is inadequately representing their clients interests because there is a strong likelihood that the accused will be found not-guilty?

The action came after Graner testified at England's sentencing hearing that pictures he took of England holding a naked prisoner on a leash at Abu Ghraib were meant to be used as a legitimate training aid for other guards.

When England pleaded guilty Monday, she told the judge she knew that the pictures were being taken purely for the amusement of the guards.

Pohl said the two statements could not be reconciled.

"You can't have a one-person conspiracy," the judge said before he declared a mistrial and dismissed the jury.

UPDATE: Check it out, Greg might be right for once. Only the person who ordered England was her boyfriend and not exactly high on the totem pole. CNN:

Graner testified Wednesday that he placed a dog leash around an Iraqi prisoner's neck and asked England to lead him out of his cell -- a legitimate technique for doing so, he said. England, who was photographed holding the leash, was just following orders, Graner said.

After that, Judge Col. James Pohl excused the jury and gave defense attorneys a tongue-lashing. Graner's testimony, he pointed out, contradicted England's guilty plea Monday to seven criminal counts -- each of which was represented by a photograph of her posing next to naked Iraqi prisoners in humiliating positions. In making that plea, she admitted her participation and said she knew it was wrong. If she was just following orders, Pohl said, she should be pleading not guilty.

Following a recess, defense attorneys told Pohl that England wished to enter a plea of not guilty, and Pohl declared a mistrial.

UPDATE: I'm scouring the blogosphere trying to make sense of this.....a few comments, but no real explanation

Others: Blogs of War

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I was watching WMD: The Murderous Reign of Saddam Hussein last night. It's a great little flick and I highly recommend you pick up a copy of it (I actually got the video before they became a sponser). I always knew Saddam Hussein was a thug and a sadistic SOB, but one of the things I learned in WMD is that the Baathists used beheadings to intimidate prisoners and terrorize populations.

Let me repeat that, Saddam's secular Baathist party used beheadings to intimidate prisoners and terrorize populations.

Let that sink in for just a moment.

Via Captain Ed we learn the excellent news that one of the leaders of the insurgency was captured and that he *shock* is a relative of Saddam Hussein. AP:

Iraqi security forces captured a son of one of Saddam Hussein's half brothers, who allegedly financed the insurgency, in a raid on suspected militants near the ousted dictator's hometown, the government said Wednesday....

Ayman Sabawi is the son of Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan, a half brother of Saddam's, who served as a presidential adviser before the U.S.-led invasion. Al-Hassan was captured Feb. 26 this year.

Ayman Sabawi "played a particularly active role in sustaining the terrorism by providing financial support, weapons and explosives to terrorist groups," the statement said.

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Chad sens me a link to the letter in which al Qaeda in Iraq's propaganda minister whines about low morale. I'm posting it below for your reading pleasure and so that an archived copy of it will be available in the future. more...

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This is the time at The Jawa when we dance! Abu Farraj al-Libbi apeared in a flyer listing Pakistan's most wanted terrorists last year. A $10 million dollar reward was offered for his capture. How much money is being offered by the U.S. for the capture of the terrorist scumbags holding Roy Hallums, Dean Sadek, or Jeffrey Ake?

TRADERROB sends along this ABC story:

Abu Farraj al-Libbi, a senior al-Qaida suspect wanted in two attempts to assassinate President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, has been arrested in Pakistan, the government said Wednesday.

Al-Libbi, a native of Libya who authorities say is a close associate of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden and acted as al-Qaida's operational chief in Pakistan, was arrested earlier this week, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told The Associated Press.

"This is a very important day for us," Ahmed said. He would provide no details on where al-Libbi was captured or where he is being held.

Ahmed said the Pakistani government had been offering a $1 million reward for information leading to al-Libbi's capture, though it was not immediately clear if it would be paid. ....

Al-Libbi is accused of masterminding two bombings against President Gen. Pervez Musharraf in December 2003. The military leader escaped injury but 17 others were killed in one of the attacks.

He is accused of taking over as al-Qaida's operational chief in Pakistan after the March 1, 2003, arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the terror network's alleged number three. Mohammed was later handed over to U.S. custody and his whereabouts are unknown.

UPDATE: This case is a perfect illustration of why the European & Leftist model of foreign policy is so bankrupt. Greg, in the comments, makes the good point that he has never heard of Abu Farraj al-Libbi, which is actually a good point. However, it misses the larger point.

The flyer below is Pakistan's most wanted terrorists, not America's most wanted terrorists. Meaning, these are the people Pakistan sees as the biggest threat to their national interests.

The idea of collective security ensured through international institutions such as the U.N. is based on the false premise that nations have a shared security interest. B-O-G-U-S.

Pakistan only became our ally when they saw how quickly the Taliban fell to the U.S. Because they were sponsors of the Taliban regime, they saw just how stupid it would be to go up mano-i-mano with the U.S. Our alliance was strengthened when al Qaeda saw the abandonment of the Taliban as an act of heresy. Thus, the plot to Musharraf.

Capturing Abu Farraj al-Libbi was important for Pakistan because the man threatened their national security.

Nations do not do things for other nations becaue they are friends. Nations act in unison only when their interests mesh.

It doesn't matter if the French love or hate us one iota. They help us to the extent that they help themselves. Nothing more nothing less.

They help us fight al Qaeda because al Qaeda threatens them. They oppose us in Iraq because Iraq did not threaten them and they had an interest in seeing the Hussein regime propped up.

Malkin has Bush's reaction, but notice Bush comments on the capture in terms of how it affects America's interests.

UPDATE II: What is the deal with this guys runny mascara?

UPDATE III: Scared Monkey's notes that Pakistan is only lukewarm at helping us find the al Qaeda bad guys. I think the national interest theory pretty much explains why..... more...

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Sad news. I heard nothing about this until someone e-mailed the story to me. Two F-18 jets were first reported missing, then it was reported that theywere involved in a middair collision over Iraq. No doubt we will hear from The Islamic Army in Iraq claiming they downed the planes ABC News:

The body of a pilot from one of two missing Marine jets from the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier was found Tuesday, the U.S. command said. The jets had gone missing Monday night while flying in support of operations in Iraq, but there was no immediate word on the fate of the aircraft.

The brief military statement did not specify how many people were aboard the two F/A-18 Hornet aircraft when contact was lost with them. There were no immediate indication of hostile fire in the area at that time

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UPDATE: A copy of the letter is below.

Zarqawi is depressed....so...so...sad. Newsday:

U.S.-led forces have recovered a letter they believe was addressed to Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi complaining about low morale among his followers and the incompetence of leaders in his terror network, the military said Tuesday.

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1 Well, kidnapping a bunch of children and forcing their fathers and brothers to carry out suicide attacks should do just the trick needed to raise morale. Onward Muslim Soldiers...

Posted by: Editor at May 03, 2005 01:19 PM (adpJH)

2 Or placing machine guns behind your own troops, like the Soviets did in WW2. Oh, wait, that did work. Nevermind.

Posted by: Bill Dautrive at May 03, 2005 01:30 PM (G95Uf)

3 "U.S.-led forces have recovered a letter they believe was addressed to Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi complaining about low morale among his followers and the incompetence of leaders in his terror network, the military said Tuesday." "The Pentagon said it may be an indication of growing weakness" "In Washington, Bryan Whitman, a spokesman for the Pentagon, said the letter was believed to be authentic." "The letter gives the indication that his (Zarqawi's) influence and effectiveness are deteriorating," he said. "It describes low morale and weak and incompetent leadership." "But Whitman said Zarqawi's organization can still carry out significant attacks and said this letter should only be regarded as once piece of data suggesting weakness in his organization and dissension in the ranks." Believe, May, possibly, not sure, could be, we really don't know anything, we're speculating. This really explains why bombings and attacks are back to over 400 a week. The White House has been spewing this line of BS for over a year now. sniff, sniff, do you smell that?

Posted by: David Eccles at May 03, 2005 01:42 PM (UCtX/)

4 Sounds like a bad "Dear Apu Letter"

Posted by: Ob Snooks at May 03, 2005 01:47 PM (yBHNA)

5 Another unlikely story. Maybe if we keep making up these ridiculous stories and click are red slippers three times it'll all just go away.

Posted by: greg at May 03, 2005 01:49 PM (/+dAV)

6 Greg the Hitler has red slippers. Figures.

Posted by: Ob Snooks at May 03, 2005 01:58 PM (yBHNA)

7 Now Greg we all know how evil the Wicked witch of the West was but was the Wicked Witch of the EAST not worse

Posted by: sparky at May 03, 2005 01:59 PM (F1nba)

8 Sparky, What's a nice Bonnie Lass like you doing supporting this disgusting war?

Posted by: greg at May 03, 2005 02:14 PM (/+dAV)

9 Greg I just support the people who need our help

Posted by: sparky at May 03, 2005 02:18 PM (F1nba)

10 You mean like the Palestinians?

Posted by: greg at May 03, 2005 02:38 PM (/+dAV)

11 Yes

Posted by: sparky at May 03, 2005 02:45 PM (F1nba)

12 Well, good for you.

Posted by: greg at May 03, 2005 02:49 PM (/+dAV)

13 David, Of course it's BS. I wouldn't bet my dinner on its authenticity. Either they planted the letter thinking they can fool us or we planted the letter thinking we could fool them. Either way it's a dumb idea. If only MSM (including al-Jazeera) would lay off the reporting for a while it would weaken them considerably. They thrive on the coverage for recruiting purposes and morale more than anything.

Posted by: Oyster at May 03, 2005 03:21 PM (fl6E1)

14 shorter greg: Please god don't let this be true! waahaa!

Posted by: Carlos at May 03, 2005 05:16 PM (paKD6)

15 Oyster, The Al Jazeera line doesn't work anymore. They were bought out buy the Neocon News Network, otherwise known as FOX in February of this year. Now Rupert can swill his crap to the people he hates the most.

Posted by: deccles at May 03, 2005 06:44 PM (UCtX/)

16 So greg, what does "click are red slippers" mean? Don't tell me that an elite member of the intelligentsia like you can't differentiate between the words "our" and "are"? Dumbass.

Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at May 04, 2005 08:22 AM (0yYS2)

17 Oops. My mistake.

Posted by: greg at May 04, 2005 08:24 AM (/+dAV)

18 What? just an "oops"? No threats? No propaganda? No hate-filled diatribe against the ignorant proles? Are you sick or something? And where did you find ruby slippers in your size?

Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at May 04, 2005 08:38 AM (0yYS2)

19 There's nothing sadder than to watch a man who thinks he's being funny when he's not. I'm embarrassed for you.

Posted by: greg at May 04, 2005 08:55 AM (/+dAV)

20 http://roulette.chefare.org/rnrrovdsm/ camdenjawspecker

Posted by: island at September 16, 2005 06:30 AM (4TwQo)

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Muslim heretics imprisoned in Yemen, bodies drug through streets.

Malaysian Prime Minister, "There is an Islamic Civilization."

31 Misunderstanderers sentenced in Oman for attempting to overthrow government, institute Islamic rule.

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Which is worse: The U.S. military recruitment problem or the al Qaeda recruitment problem? Via The Dread Pundit Bluto this from American Forces Press Service:

Task Force Baghdad soldiers this morning rescued a man apparently blackmailed into a suicide-bombing mission by terrorist master Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

The man exploded his red Kia sedan roughly 15 feet from a barrier to a coalition base in east Baghdad, Iraq. The car bomb failed to detonate properly and the vehicle caught on fire. Soldiers manning the gate reacted quickly and saved the driver, coalition officials said in a release.

An initial investigation revealed that terrorists had kidnapped the driver's family and that he was forced to carry out this suicide-bombing mission to protect his wife and children, coalition officials said.

No soldiers were injured in the attack. The driver is being treated at a military hospital and is cooperating with authorities.

"This is another case where Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has to extort men to carry out his indiscriminate slaughtering," said Army Col. Joe DiSalvo, commander of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. "He can't recruit volunteers. (So) he is resorting to forcing Iraqi civilians to carry out these mission by threatening harm to kidnapped family members."

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Serial 'torturer' Pfc. Lynndie England is set to plead guilty for her part in the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal which consisted of playing human pyramid with naked men and for pointing out the already well known fact that next to a giant American penis, no one can really compare.

USA Today via Blogs of War:

Pfc. Lynndie England, the Army reservist shown in some of the most notorious photos in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, will plead guilty to abusing Iraqi detainees in a case that sparked global outrage against the United States and its military.

England, 22, faces a maximum sentence of 11 years in prison as part of the plea deal, which still must be accepted by a military judge, her attorney, Rick Hernandez, said Friday. She had been facing up to 16 years.

The plea deal came four days before England was scheduled to go on trial in a military court in Fort Hood.

"This is in her best interests," Hernandez said.

England was one of seven members of the Maryland-based 372nd Military Police Company charged with humiliating and assaulting Iraqi detainees at the prison near Baghdad. She became a focal point of the scandal after photos of her surfaced, including one that showed her smiling and posing with nude prisoners stacked in a pyramid.

In another picture, she is smiling and pointing at a naked detainee's genitals while a cigarette dangles from the corner of her mouth.

England will plead guilty Monday to seven of the nine counts against her: two counts of conspiracy, four counts of maltreating prisoners and one count of dereliction of duty, Hernandez said. The other charges — committing indecent acts and failure to obey a lawful order — will be dropped, he said.

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Jane of Armies of Liberation and I are engaged in a discussion on whether or not what is going on in Yemen is 'ethnic cleansing' by the Sunni majority against the Zaidi Shia minority or if it's just simply 'really bad repression' coupled with flare-ups of disgusting acts of violence. I'm in the latter camp.

Either way, things are not going that well for the Zaidis of Southern Yemen.

Jane has more. Jane is well on her way to getting her first death fatwa issued before I do.

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Those crazy Mennonites are almost as bad as those suicide bombing Amish we keep hearing about.

Thanks to Reliapundit for e-mailing me this. BBC:

Algerian authorities say they have arrested the leader of an Islamic rebel group suspected of killing 14 civilians in an ambush earlier thismonth.

Boulenouar Oukil of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), the interior ministry said in a statement.

It said the security forces also seized a large arms cache in the operation.

Dozens of people have died in recent attacks by militants who oppose the policy of reconciliation of Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

The interior ministry statement also said that another GIA member - Mohamed Chama - was also captured during the operation.

The civilians were ambushed by suspected militants on 7 April, when their cars were stopped at a fake roadblock near the town of Larba, about 30km (18 miles) south of the capital, Algiers.

The passengers were then forced out and shot dead. One driver escaped and alerted the security forces.

The attack happened soon after President Bouteflika had told Algerians that security had been "largely restored across the country".

The GIA and other militant groups waged a decade-long campaign of violence, following the annulment in 1992 of elections which Islamic groups were poised to win.

An estimated 150,00 people are thought to have been killed in the violence.

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Fill in the blank: As a matter of mainstream and historical doctrine, _____________ does not allow the testimony of women in rape cases and ____________ countries routinely put rape victims in jail.

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Michael Totten sends me this news that Lebanon will hold elections on time. He even goes so far as to say:

Chalk up another, final, victory for the Cedar Revolution.

Thanks for the babe photo man, but nevertheless it's not over until it's over. The fat lady has definitely not sung.

For instance, check out the Lebanon Star today:

Regarding the Christian opposition's chances of success in the upcoming polls, Abi Nasr said: "The Christian opposition in particular expects the same marginalization experienced in previous elections with the same exclusion, but this time under an international supervision."

Totten does have some beautiful photos from Lebanon, though. Sorry, no babes.

UPDATE: He who will not be named has similar thoughts. Only, you know, more pithy.

UPDATE II: Not so fast Kevin, there may be more babe pics to come. I agree with Right Pundit's assessment and again with Willisms.

I would also warn that it is not wise to gauge the prospects for democracy in a country by measuring enthusiasm for democracy at, well, an encampment of pro-democracy advocates.

Lebanon was, at one time, the Paris of the Middle East. But those were the days when Christians were in the majority and still in the shadows of French colonialism. Today, Lebanon has a majority Muslim population. History shows that no Muslim nation has ever granted equal status to non-Muslim populations. Will Lebanon be the first? Let's hope.

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Ok, it's DEBKA, so take it for what it's worth. As I reported yesterday, this has been sort of circulating on the jihadi message boards. The expectation was the Bush would make the announcement, but that didn't happen. Again, this is still speculation based on rumors started at Islamic message boards.

But as Ace said yesterday, "if the media is chattering about it behind closed doors, why shouldn't the public know what they're chattering about?"

DEBKA:

An announcement of Osama bin LadenÂ’s death appears Friday in one of his close aidesÂ’ most credible Web sites. It has sparked a storm of controversy in al Qaeda circles, some of whom claim notice is false.

Signed by the Pen of Jihad Warriors, the site provides no information on circumstances of death, only asks:

Where are those who break out of borders? Where are the lamenters? Where are those who throw themselves from the tops of towers and skyscrapers? Where are the heart-rending cries?

Egyptian bin Laden adherent, Yasser Sari, calls notice a lie and promises new videotape soon in which leader announces end of al Qaeda truce in Europe. Other followers credit the announcement as “authentic and Islamic.”

UPDATE: In the 'don't count your chickens before they hatch category TRADERROB e-mails with this Sky News story:

An Islamist website has inadvertently triggered rumours that Osama bin Laden is dead.The article about the al Qaeda leader carried a headline suggesting the Saudi fugitive had died.It prompted flutters on the financial markets and triggered rumours on internet sites of bin Laden's demise.

However, closer reading of the article revealed that the author was simply suggesting the 9/11 architect could die at any time and Muslims should be prepared for his death.

Yasser al-Siri, an Egyptian dissident who ran the Islamic Observation Centre in Britain and who is considered close to al Qaeda, told the Al Sharq al Awsat newspaper that bin Laden is alive.

On a related note, as long as we're speculating, I'm gonna say we're looking for Osama on the wrong continent. Try Africa.

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I somehow missed this over at LGF the other day, but Gaijin Biker e-mails me with the news that PBS is set to air an interview with Haj Ali Shallal Abbas, who alleges he is the man in the photo above. How do we know he's full of crap? Check out what he says:

"They made me stand on a box with my hands hooked to wires and shocked me with electricity," Ali recalls through an interpreter in his first in-depth American TV interview. "It felt like my eyeballs were coming out of their sockets. I fell, and they put me back up again for more."

Abuses happen at every major prison on the planet. Abu Ghraib was not exception. While such abuse is deplorable, it is routine. Let's not forget what kind of abuse happened at that same prison, as a matter of policy, before the U.S. occupation. For a comparison, see my post Torture vs. Torture [warning: graphic images].

Gaijin Biker also takes Haj Ali Shallal Abbas to task for changing his story over time. Check it out.

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Several e-mails have come in saying the Osam bin Laden is dead. No verification yet and this would not be the first time such rumors have circulated.

Developing.....

UPDATE: I'm officially calling this a false alarm. Not so fast.......

Ok, here is a link to the same rumor overheard by K.J. Lopez over at The Corner (hat tip to Reliapundit):

Was chatting with Jim Robbins. He keeps hearing this morning that the president might have some OBL news tonight? A new Islamist website is reporting that bin Laden is dead...and Musharraf has for the first time said publicly that OBL is in his country.

UPDATE III: Well, it was fun while it lasted, right? And some of you were having too much fun with this.....

UPDATE IV April 29th: DEBKA now reporting bin Laden dead. New post here.

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A series of articles written by Hassan al-Haifi accuses the anti-American insurgency in Iraq of being financed and run by, who else, the American government. Because, you know, it's the American Military Industrial Complex that benefits the most from all this. Yemen Times:

No this is not a genuine struggle for freedom. One might find it easier to believe that this insurgency is working for the benefit of the occupier....

The most intriguing thing is that it does not even seem that the Americans are even looking for the people behind all the senseless killings Iraq. One wonders, if they are really interested in finding them or even if there isnÂ’t a clandestine link between the occupation and their energetic and deadly presence in Iraq....

It is often proven that people who tend to follow an agenda based on vested interests, rather than real moral motives to justify their actions, will never look seriously at the negative consequences of their actions. This seems to be the case in Iraq. An invasion was undertaken for the vested interests of the American military-industrial complex, which is reportedly recording record earnings these days (even if at the expense of a huge budget deficit)....Iraqis can keep on dying forever as far as the Washington war lords are concerned, as long as the bottom line is in the black for the machine that thrives on war and bloodshed.

And here's some more from the same author, if you can stomach it. Notice the impeccable logic. Islam=Peaceful, Just; Insurgency is Not Peaceful, Just; therefore Insurgents Not Muslim:

...most Moslems are bound to question the genuine motives behind those “insurgents” in Iraq, who claim to be protectors of the faith, but in fact have violated religious dictates by their wanton disregard of Islamic teachings that place great value in the sanctity of the lives of innocent unarmed civilians and in the tolerance that Islam teaches of other faiths existing in the midst of Moslem domains....

These insurgents are neither guided by Islamic jurisdiction or ordinances and are more likely serving the interests of non-Moslem forces that have found so called Moslems to carry out their designs for distorting the image of Islam....

Who are they? What are they really doing there in the first place?...many Iraqis and most observers would agree that the occupiers could not be pleased more by anything than to have an ugly (non-Islamic) portrayal of the insurgency in Iraq, so as to give the occupation some degree of legitimacy, as part of the “war on terror”.

Most observers cannot help but assume that these insurgents are encouraged by the real forces that have been behind the push for the American invasion of Iraq. The facts are proving more and more that the Zionist lobby in the United States was very active in encouraging the Bush Administration to occupy Iraq. There is also strong evidence that the Israeli intelligence organ, the Mosad is working discreetly in Iraq to create the venue that will encourage any acts that will lend credence to the soundness of the American invasion of Iraq. The idea behind this is that all these acts of barbarity would cover up for the real motive behind the uncalled for invasion of Iraq, in terms of serving the Zionist agenda and providing a buffer that secures Israel from what Israelis fear is a potential “menace” in Iran.

Many observers (even Western observers) would not hesitate to suggest that there is logical reasoning to believe that there is a strong link between these mysterious fly-by-night operations, carried out by bogus gangs, that operate under Islamic names, and the energetic activities of the Mosad in Iraq. There are well over 100 Israeli companies operating in Iraq and most are owned or headed by “former” Israeli military or security officers....

So, how could the bombings of Christian churches be logically associated with Islamic teachings or viewed as sound acts of truly believing Moslems? May God cleanse the Moslem world from these dangerous elements of a fifth column that has been implanted among Moslems.

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Why did Charles Duelfer's Iraq Survey Group end their investigations into Iraq's WMD program when they did? Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Chad at In The Bullpen sends me this Independent article:

The American who led the hunt for Iraq's missing weapons of mass destruction has revealed that the investigation was cut short after he was targeted by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the militant leader in an attack that left two people dead. The head of the Iraq Survey Group, Charles Duelfer, has reported that his investigation into the possible transfer of WMD to Syria had been wound up because of the "declining security situation".

But, in an interview with The Independent, Mr Duelfer said that Zarqawi had claimed responsibility for the car-bomb attack on his convoy on 6 November 2004. "A car-bomb tried to get me and my follow car," Mr Duelfer said. "Two of my guards were killed and one was badly wounded. My hearing's not been right since."

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Whether or not Iraqi WMDs were moved to Syria is the least of our worries. The Syrians produce their own WMD and they are not allies in the GWOT.

Does the ISG report really claim that there were no transfers of WMD from Iraq to Syria? No, it does not. What it does claim is that:

ISG judged that it was unlikely that an official transfer of WMD material from Iraq to Syria took place.

ISG was unable to complete its investigation and is unable to rule out the possibility that WMD was evacuated to Syria before the war

So what the ISG report tells us is simply, "we don't know". I am not claiming that Syria has Iraq's WMD nor am I claiming the Iraq actually had substantial amounts of WMD before the invasion. Just that 'we don't know', that is all.

But whether or not WMD were moved out of Iraq and into Syria is really the least of our worries. Why? Because Syria produces WMD and because at least some elements of the Syrian military and Baathist establishment are directly tied to the Iraqi insurgency.

For instance:

Since the 1970s Syria has pursued what is now one of the most advanced Arab state chemical weapons (CW) capabilities. It has a stockpile of the nerve agent sarin that can be delivered by aircraft or ballistic missiles, and has engaged in the research and development of more toxic and persistent nerve agents such as VX....

Syria has a combined total of several hundred Scud and SS-21 SRBMs, and is believed to have chemical warheads available for a portion of its Scud missile force. Syria has also developed a longer-range missile -- the Scud D -- with assistance from North Korea. SyriaÂ’s missiles are mobile and can reach much of Israel from positions near their peacetime garrisons and portions of Iraq, Jordan, and Turkey from launch sites well within the country. Damascus is pursuing both solid- and liquid-propellant missile programs and relies extensively on foreign assistance in these endeavors. North Korean and Iranian entities have been most prominent in aiding SyriaÂ’s recent ballistic missile development. Syrian regional concerns may lead Damascus to seek a longer range ballistic missile capability such as North KoreaÂ’s No Dong MRBM....

So while the jury is still out on the Iraqi WMD question, let us not forget that the Syrian Baathists are in no way less dangerous. The point of the Iraqi WMD investigatioin is largely political: was the Iraq War justified? But that question is moot. The more pressing point is the extent to which present and future dangers are prepared for and met.

Captain Ed has more as does Jack Lewis.

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UNILATERALISM A FAILURE. CREATING MORE TERRORISTS. BUSH=HITLER. yada yada yada......

The whole article is fascinating and gives a brief history of Baathism in Syria and how that country, like Hussein's Baathist Iraq, modelled their political system after the Soviet Union. Here are some key points about the expected move to multi-party elections and the parties that might be allowed to compete.

The article ends by claiming the move to multi-party elections are a response to a the 'Assistance to Support a Transition to Democracy in Syria Bill' which passed on March 8th. That Bill authorizes the President "to provide assistance and other support for individuals and independent non-governmental organizations to support transition to a freely elected, internationally recognized democratic government in Syria." The Baathists apparently believe that their decades of monopoly power and propaganda will be enough to keep them in power. We shall see.

Asia Times:

A new Ba'ath Party law is to be created in Syria, breaking the socialist parties' monopoly over politics in that country, in place (with the exception of the years 1961-63) since 1958. The move is a calculated gamble on the part of the government, and will also challenge a US bill against Syria calling for "Assistance to Support a Transition to Democracy in Syria"....

For various reasons, that did not happen in 2001, but today it is almost certain in Damascus that a new party law will be created, and announced at the upcoming Ba'ath Party Conference in June, breaking the socialist parties' monopoly over politics in Syria. President Bashar Assad was very clear about that when speaking to Spanish journalists in Syria in March. He said, "The coming period will be one of freedom for political parties" in Syria....

Under the new party law expected in June, parties not affiliated with the NPF will be permitted to operate as long as they are not Islamic, or encourage sub-national loyalties (eg Kurdish, Circassian, Armenian, etc). The first party expected to receive a license is the SSNP. It is also the party expected to obtain the widest popularity in Syria.

Founded in Beirut in 1932, originally as a secret society of five intellectuals, by the revolutionary philosopher Antune Saada, it grew into an official party and became immensely popular in Syria from the 1940s onward. A radical and secular party, it originally flourished among students at the American University of Beirut and spread to other intellectual centers in Lebanon and Syria, calling for the unification of Greater Syria (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and Jordan), and challenging the ideas of modern Arab nationalism that became popular in the 1950s under Nasser of Egypt. Meaning, the SSNP was uninterested in North Africa (Egypt included) or the Arab Gulf region....

Other parties expected to emerge are the Coalition for Union and Democracy, a Nasserite organization, and the Arab Socialist Union of Jamal al-Atasi, a party that is Arab nationalist in outlook, pro-Nasser, relatively popular in Syria, which deviated from NPF ranks for ideological reasons in the 1970s.

If the arrested Damascus parliamentarian Riyad Sayf is released from jail (his prison term ends in 2007), he will strive to re-establish his Movement for Social Peace. An unofficial party, it was created and abrogated in 2000, lobbying for the creation of a multi-party system, a release of political prisoners, and an end to socialism in Syria. If no legal obstacle prevents him from getting a license (he might be stripped from his civil rights), then Sayf might succeed and his party would win during election time, because he is popular in Damascus.

A moderate Islamic party might be permitted to operate under the leadership of Dr Mohammad Habash, the regime-friendly Islamist deputy in the Syrian parliament, but no license will be given to the Muslim Brotherhood, which tried and failed to topple the Assad regime in 1982, inflicting a lot of blood in Syria....

Probably, in a healthy political environment, independents will strive to re-establish the National Party of Damascus, loyal in the 1950s to Syria's late president Shukri al-Quwatli, who died in 1967, and others will work for the People's Party of Aleppo, whose president and co-founder Nazim al-Qudsi died in 1998. Both parties were non-ideological, unlike the Ba'ath and communists, but rather mirrored the socio-political interests of their respective communities, and promised to represent them adequately in parliament during the 1940s and 1950s....

In 2000, Paris-based Syrian businessman Umran Adham tried to re-establish Quwatli's National Party, but the project was delayed "because the state was unenthusiastic". A legal team was put in charge of paperwork, and the National Party's 1946 constitution was updated to apply to modern Syria. Adham had explained that the party should be ready by late 2001 and able to take part in the parliamentary elections of 2002. He then spoke to the Beirut-based Daily Star and said the project had been delayed "for another three to four years". He added that he had "sent out signals" showing that the project was ready and awaiting approval, and received "an extremely passive response" from senior state officials, showing that no Ba'athist leaders wanted to resurrect the National Party in 2001.

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