There are three good report at theDailyBeast and CNN on the attack on the Libyan embassy tragedy. The first provides a reconstruction of the embassy attack and the now ongoing investigation. The fundamental problem in Libya is that after the disposal of the Qaddaffi regime, a national army and the disbanding of the different factional militias never took place. Here are the consequences:
Some American and Libyan officials say the attack that led to the death of four diplomats and the wounding of several others was more coordinated than originally thought but they cautioned much still needs to be pieced together.
There were some indications of advanced planning mixed in with opportunism, they say, pointing to the fact that the heavily-armed assailants came well equipped with rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns and were able to maintain sustained firefights with Libyan and American security guards at two separate locations—the main consulate compound, a walled-off villa in an upscale district in the city that housed the small temporary mission, and another building a mile away where some staff ran for to escape the attack….
The fact the militant militiamen were competent fighters able to hold their own against reinforcements from the Shield Force and show mobility during a fire-fight may surprise some politicians in Washington, D.C.. But it is the story of Libya now: powerful and battle hardened young fighters with heavy weaponry are the bane of the country and can out-gun and out-match the forces available to the government….
“We still have information to assemble and to sift through,” says an American intelligence official. He declined to be identified for this article. “One of the problems is that those involved—from mission staff to Libyan guards and security—have different recollections, which is not unusual, several are traumatized. You also have to take into account that some Libyan officials are eager to pass the buck and cover for their inadequacies in defending the mission. We also have folks in D.C. who would like to turn this into an Al Qaeda-type conspiracy to make up for the really weak security arrangements set up for that mission. Others feel more comfortable pointing the finger at a bigger conspiracy to account for the loss of a U.S. ambassador—they don’t feel happy thinking that this was a lucky shot.”
The report has an “on the scenes” authenticity that is hard to discredit because a wide range of hypotheses are being processed and the evidence is being looked for to be weighed. But this reviewer believe this is more than a co-incidence and the link to 9/11, the quickness of the reaction to Egyptian riots, the tenuous popular uprising idea against the anti-Muslim Film, the nature of the armed militant forces brought to bear on the embassy attack and these remarks by the Libyan armed faction leaders whose members took part in the “protests”:
The Benghazi assault involved dozens of gunmen from the Islamist Ansar al-Sharia militia, a brigade of fighters who fought in the rebellion that ousted Gaddafi. Unit leaders have admitted that some of their fighters took part but said in a statement issued late Wednesday that they “were not officially involved and were not ordered to be involved.”
I have placed a yellow highlight around the assumed Big Lie.
Second Report:The Sam Bacile Story
Sam Bacile as the Israeli producer and director of the film looks like an imbecile story – full of huge holes and flaws. The fictional name, the ever changing story, the even different voices. This has all the hallmarks of a setup – an “Israeli” producer director. The cast not knowing what was going on – and shocked by the redubbed English audio. Just as vigorous an investigation should take place in the US on Sam Bacile as in Libya on who were the “outraged” militants. It smells of the 9/11 Arab pilots taking airplane flying lessons in the US prior to the attacks. Or just dumb luck for the Libyan extremists to havie a cover story.
The DailyBeast – Sam Bacile is psuedonym for Nakoula Bassely Nakoula a Coptic Egyptian Christian not an Israeli.
CNN – Contradictory details continue to emerge on anti-Islam film producer
So in a bizarre twist we find the perpetrator of the junk movie Innocence of Islam is a criminal, a fraudster, and an deliberate instigator of ill will. And just 1 minutes into the movie and you can tell its just schlock- literally God awful. I would riot if I were made to watch it for more than 2 minutes.
The Recrimination Cycles
Two reports gets at the cycle of recriminations that the small segment of al-Qaeda and jihadists feed on. They are still a small group despite the following 3 factors in many Mideast countries. First consider that greater than 30% unemployment and rising food prices are the norm across the MidEast from Morocco to Pakistan. These are the underlying conditions for social unrest which sparked the Arab Spring but now have festered since problems have continued and gotten worse in some cases. Think of it as the protest kindling.
Second, the US continues to give absolute guarantees to Israel despite the fact that Israeli leadership finds one reason after another to delay and forestall the emrgence of a Palestinian state.Not only that, under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli settlements on UN designated Palestinian territory in the West Bank has grown from 100’s of thousands to nearly 1 million “settlers”. And in the skirmishes between Palestinian and Israeli radicals, a higher than 10-1 casualty ratio is inflicted while perpetuating the rigid control of Palestinian borders, air and sea ports/space. Israel has been acting in increasingly bad faith since the assassination of Yitzak Rabin.
Third, Islam itself is fragmented into several antagonistic groups – Sunni, the largest number of adherents, with Saudia Arabia being the spiritual center. Shia being the second largest with Iran being the spiritiual center but large communities in Iraq and parts of Syria. Sufi, is the smallest but also one of the more influential with its emphasis on discovering the tru nature of Islam faith. Sufi minorities are cattered throughout the Muslim world with larger communities in Turkicmid-Central Asian states and SouthEast Asia. The problem is that there is no Caliphate [similar to Rome in the Catholic church]as in past where matters of faith and morals are ultimately and uniformly decided.Jihadists and other militant groups take advanatge of this to wage jihad against infidels and inernecine warfare as they see fit.
So the cycle of recriminations between the West and Muslims, in which each side says the other a)doesn’t understand or worse badly maligns their faith and policy and b)tries to impose on their sovreignity and power – Iran in the case of the Shah and now their “peacful” Nuclear program or Palestinians who see their territory unafirly given away by the British in the balfour accords and then the UN and the West and particularly the US in continually supporting the Israelis. This leads to opportunities for etremists to thrive.
CNN – Extremists don’t speak for Libya
Jihadists will want the world to believe that the attack is just a part of the protests against an amateur film produced in the U.S., which includes crude insults regarding the Prophet Mohammed. They will want the world to think that their actions represent a popular Libyan and wider Muslim reaction; thus, reversing the perception of jihadists being outcasts from their own societies. Since there were similar protests in Egypt against the film, it is possible that more protests may erupt in Muslim-majority countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Who are the jihadists in Libya? This attack was committed by a small group of extremists who do not represent the Libyan population. They seek to destroy any reconstruction attempts in my mother country. As often is the case, extremists try to take advantage of the absence of security in a country that has just gotten out of a civil war. They try so hard to destabilize the peace that the majority of the population have fought so hard to establish.
Ambassador Stevens himself was well known for advocating peace and stability in Libya. The recent election results in the country are testament to his conviction that Libya can achieve progress. That Libyans did not vote the radicals into office in the elections proves that Libya is not a nation of extremists. The extremists’ response to their electoral defeat comes in a language they relish: Violence
theDailyBeast – How alQaeda and Muslim extremists feed off of discord
The 2012 al Qaeda 9/11 message is about ideology. Al-Zawahiri acknowledges that al Qaeda can not match the “material power” of the Zionist-Crusader “evil empire.” But, he argues, it is winning the ideological war. Every new martyr gives the “call of jihad new life.” Al Qaeda’s real mission, he claims, is to “incite the ummah” (the Islamic world) to fight the Crusaders. He points to the success of al Qaeda in establishing footholds in Yemen, Libya, Syria, Iraq, Mali, Egypt’s Sinai, and elsewhere since the Arab Awakening began in 2011 as signs the movement is winning the ideological struggle.
The death of Chris and three other colleagues is a critical reminder that the ideological war is the main arena. Al Qaeda and its associated movements want the struggle to be a clash of Islam against America and its allies. When foolish people attack the prophet Muhammad, they have become al Qaeda’s partner. When movies are distributed to demonize Islam, they are actually helping it win its war. When it becomes fashionable to suggest that American Muslims are not really Americans or “us,” then we are the loser. When it is implied a Muslim cannot be President of the United States, then al Qaeda gains.
This is the essential cycle that a minority extremists survive on. By brutal attacks and terror, provoke extreme reactions from Westerners. Use Western vituperative and insulting reactions to stir the flames of indignation among the 25-35% Arab unemployed or dispossed. They in turn will riot against the Western dupes maybe throw in some real terror actions which fan the flames even more. And the vicious cycle of violence is renewed. Unfortunately the Free Speech Laws in the US and Western countries allow “Sam Baciles, Reverend Jones and their ilk to go to the brink in hateful displays and media which plays right into the terrorists hands.