http://www.inthesetimes.com/archives/tags/terrorism/ In These Times features award-winning investigative reporting about corporate malfeasance and government wrongdoing, insightful analysis of national and international affairs, and sharp cultural criticism about events and ideas that matter. en-us Expression Engine jessica@inthesetimes.com seamus@inthesetimes.com Mon, 12 Jun 2006 00:15:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2689/postmark_guantamo/ After the U.S. Senate voted last year to strip Guantánamo detainees of the right to habeas corpus, you'd think it would have dashed the hopes of the desperate prisoners that the world's greatest deliberative body would prove their salvation. But Saifullah Paracha is apparently an eternal optimist. In March, after 18 months in Guantánamo, Paracha, 58, decided to write a letter to 98 U.S. senators describing his plight. The senators haven't responded, though it's hard to blame them. They don't know the letters exist. The Department of Defense won't release them for delivery. "He lived in the United States," says Paracha's lawyer G. T. Hunt. "He's a pro-American person. He believes in American justice. He believes that if he can… Guanatanamo Terrorism Congress David Sirota Thu, 27 Jul 2006 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2735/a_terrifying_distraction/ The arrest of seven men in Miami last month on specious terrorism charges smells strongly like a case of governmental entrapment. The men, six of whom are of Haitian descent, allegedly planned to blow up various targets--including government buildings and the Sears Tower in Chicago--but officials found no plans, explosives or any equipment whatsoever that could be used to effect the plot. In fact, the FBI informant who infiltrated the group posing as an al-Qaeda representative is the one who initiated the idea of blowing up government buildings. The seven men are charged with two counts of conspiring to support a foreign terrorist organization, one count of conspiring to destroy buildings by use of explosives and one count of conspiring… Government Agencies Civil Liberties Terrorism Race David Sirota Wed, 30 Aug 2006 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2793/lets_be_realists_lets_demand_the_impossible/ One of the most repulsive moments of the present Middle East conflict occurred after one of Hezbollah's rockets killed two Israeli-Arab children: Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah pointedly apologized only for these deaths, thus making it clear that there is nothing to regret in the deaths of Israeli civilians. Doesn't this make clear the ethical difference between Hezbollah and the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), which always regret civilian casualties among the Lebanese, perceiving them as a necessary evil? However, upon a closer look, this clear opposition gets blurred. The IDF always emphasize how Hezbollah locates its headquarters and arms in the midst of densely populated areas, well aware that any attack on Hezbollah strongholds will thus lead to large numbers of… war and peace international affairs terrorism middle east David Sirota Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2816/fighting_the_larger_war/ While the fighting in Lebanon was still raging, many analysts claimed that Hezbollah's modern weaponry and use of civilian spaces for military purposes distinguished the war from any other. "Never before in history has a terrorist organization had such state-of-the-art military equipment, " an Israeli general was quoted as saying in the New York Times. And yet, "Hezbollah has no armor or easily visible storehouses or logistic lines," the Times continued, "and its members live among the civilian population of southern Lebanon, storing their weaponry in civilian buildings." Article after article mentioned the homes used as repositories for missiles, how the missiles were launched from village centers, and the way Hezbollah guerrillas, after firing the missiles, immediately blended back into… terrorism war and peace international affairs David Sirota Mon, 16 Oct 2006 05:00:01 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2864/abandon_hope_all_who_enter_here/ Moazzam Begg is a second-generation British Muslim. In 2002, he was arrested in Pakistan and held for two years by the United States as an "enemy combatant." Below, he describes his arrival and interrogation in Guantanamo after being held at both Kandahar and Bagram. He was released in 2005, and now lives in Birmingham, England, with his family. Today, Begg can lecture only in Britain because, despite the absence of charges against him, his passport was withdrawn as a condition of his release. He hopes to be able to travel and lecture more widely in the future. It is considered a sin in Islam to despair, but in Bagram, during the worst days of May 2002, I had been unable… Terrorism guatanamo criminal justice military David Sirota Tue, 24 Apr 2007 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3139/deconstructing_hezbollah/ When George W. Bush issued Executive Order 13224 on Sept. 23, 2001, presenting a protocol to combat al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations of "global reach," Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia organization, was not on the list, despite the fact that in 1997 the State Department had designated it a "foreign terrorist organization." Two weeks later, under congressional and external pressure, the administration amended the order and Hezbollah was added. The administration's initial omission indicates the complex nature of Hezbollah. How do you classify and develop policy toward an organization that has committed acts of terrorism in the past, that currently provides important social services such as health care, schools and financial services, that defends its country from occupation in the south,… middle east terrorism David Sirota Sat, 30 Jun 2007 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3244/entrapping_inflated_threats1/ Abdul Kadir, one of the four men charged in an alleged terrorist plot to blow up a pipeline that fed fuel tanks at John F. Kennedy International Airport, is a former member of the Guyanese Parliament and former mayor of Linden, Guyana. The fuel line the group allegedly planned to sabotage originates in Linden, N.J. This Linden-Linden axis heavily implicates Kadir. I am being facetious of course. However, had law enforcement officials made this connection during their announcement of the plot in early June, there is little doubt the national media would have incredulously reported it as a credible link. In fact, the actual announcement was just marginally more credible. "Had the plot been carried out, it could have resulted… intelligence national security terrorism David Sirota