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Colonel Gian Gentile on the War in Afghanistan

Malou Innocent

Last Friday, Colonel Gian Gentile, an award-winning historian, associate professor of history, and director of the military history program at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, spoke at the Cato Institute about the misapplication of counterinsurgency in Afghanistan for the purpose of destroying al Qaeda. In a new Cato video, conducted with Cato multimedia director Caleb Brown, Colonel Gentile elaborates on America’s narrow aim of defeating al Qaeda. He also explains how that aim can be pursued without a costly, multi-decade, troop-heavy campaign, and puts the application of counterinsurgency doctrine in a historical context.

On a slightly different note, mainly for those readers concerned about leaving the Taliban unmolested, the United States and its coalition allies have come to accept the region’s geopolitical landscape, in which it seems there is no way to avoid the Taliban and other anti-Afghan government forces becoming part of some future political order. Consider this statement by Philip Mudd, the former deputy director of the CIA’s Counterterrorist Center and the FBI’s National Security Branch: “On September 12, 2001, can you imagine asking the question: Is the Taliban really a threat? Today, 12 years later, I’d say, well clearly it’s not a threat!”

Food for thought. Check out the video below.

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International News • Colonel Gaddafi ‘gave French President Nicolas Sarkozy £42M

Nicolas Sarkozy received up to £42million from Colonel Gaddafi to fund his election as president, it was claimed yesterday.
Evidence made public in Paris is said to prove that the two men had an illegal financial arrangement that helped Mr Sarkozy to power in 2007.
A governmental briefing note published by Mediapart, an investigative website, points to numerous visits to Libya by Mr Sarkozy and his colleagues that were aimed at securing funding.

One, which is referred to in the note as having taken place on October 6, 2005, led to ‘campaign finance to NS (Nicolas Sarkozy)’ being ‘totally solved’.

At the time Mr Sarkozy was an ambitious interior minister raising money for his presidential election campaign. Taking cash would have broken political financing laws.
Mediapart claims that 50million euros referred to in the note was laundered through bank accounts in Panama and Switzerland.

Close: Extraordinary evidence made public in Paris is said to prove that the two former close allies had an illegal financial arrangement which propelled Mr Sarkozy to power in 2007
The Swiss account was opened in the name of the sister of Jean-Francois Cope, the leader of Mr Sarkozy’s ruling UMP party, and the president’s right-hand-man.
The money was then allegedly distributed through an arms dealer called Ziad Takieddine, who acted as a middle man between Arab despots and French politicians.
Gaddafi’s son and former heir, Saif, last year stated unambiguously that Libya had financed Mr Sarkozy. Saif, who was arrested after the fall of his father’s regime, said: ‘Sarkozy must first give back the money he took from Libya to finance his electoral campaign. We funded it.
‘We have all the details and are ready to reveal everything.

Betrayal: But ultimately Nicolas Sarkozy (left) turned on Colonel Gaddafi (right) as French jets were the first to attack Libya
‘The first thing we want this clown to do is to give the money back to the Libyan people. He was given the assistance so he could help them, but he has disappointed us. Give us back our money.’ In December 2007, eyebrows were raised when Colonel Gaddafi was honoured with a state visit to Paris.

Revelations: Gaddafi’s son Saif-Al Islam said last year that Libya had financed Mr Sarkozy’s election but did not say what the figure was
He was referred to as the ‘Brother Leader’ by the French, and allowed to pitch his Bedouin tent next to the Elysee Palace.
The incriminating evidence came in a thorough investigation of Takieddine’s activities. His doctor, Didier Grosskopf, told judges in Paris that he went on many of the trips to Libya and witnessed negotiations about political funding.
The discussions involved Brice Hortefeux, one of Mr Sarkozy’s closest allies, who has confirmed to Mediapart the meetings took place, but would not comment further, beyond denying any wrongdoing.
The incriminating note, which is in the hands of the French police, was leaked to Mediapart along with other documents. These include at least three letters sent from Mr Sarkozy and his colleagues to the Libyan leader in 2005 and details of ‘one-on-one negotiations’ between Mr Sarkozy and Gaddafi.
‘If these allegations are proved then those involved face prison sentences,’ said political analyst Yves Thibier.
‘There are frequent funding scandals involving domestic donors, but a Gaddafi funding scandal is something else.’ The Elysee Palace made no comment.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article … z1p1pYMKwW

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article … paign.html

Statistics: Posted by yoda — Tue Mar 13, 2012 1:55 pm


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