News Topic - Lebanon
Articles 51 - 60 of most recent articles
Tackling al Qaeda Where It Thrives — Online
During the Cold War, each side had a frighteningly effective deterrent against nuclear first strikes: Threaten to launch an apocalyptic nuclear retaliation. The strategy — aptly named MAD, for mutual assured destruction — paradoxically cemented peace. Such "thinking about the unthinkable" still works well against Russia, China, and North Korea and likely would even deter Iran. But it obviously has little effect on Islamist terrorists.They have no state to protect and pose no threat warranting nuclear payback. They can't build a hydrogen bomb, and even a crude Hiroshima-style fission bomb would be a technological stretch. So brandishing the vast US military arsenal over al Qaeda is a little like holding a .44 Magnum on a buzzing mosquito: It won't discourage the bug from drawing blood. After seven years of wishing al Qaeda was more like the Soviet Union, it's time US antiterrorism experts muster the same creativity that the great nuclear strategists marshaled to stave off Armageddon.When it comes to military tactics, Osama bin Laden is hardly an innovator. The most he and his minions can do is improvise with old techniques, like using a hijacked plane as a cruise missile. Yet jihadists are righteously wired. They have turned the Net into what Israeli expert Reuven Paz calls an "open university for Jihad studies," covering everything from indoctrination to DIY car bombs.America's current counterterrorism measures can do no more than tenuously contain a threat whose radical ideology spreads like a virus through cyberspace. We should be launching our counterattack on their turf — online.The problem is that our ham-fisted policies, centering on a reckless war of choice and forced democratization, have eviscerated US public relations efforts. So Washington leads its Web campaigns on tiptoe. The Pentagon has begun launching foreign-language news sites to counter jihadist propaganda, but their sponsorship is intentionally obscure. The name of the site for Iraq (Mawtani.com) references the Iraqi national anthem, and its DoD provenance is revealed only when you click on the About link. These kinds of unattributed information ops will never create a decisively positive view of the West.Whoever wins the White House in November should take the opportunity to give US foreign policy a makeover, which would allow us to emerge from the cybercloset. From there, the path is clear: harness the Net's unique combination of community and privacy to shape the debate within Islam about the best mechanisms for political change. A new tone in Washington could make moderate Muslims less averse to linkages with the US, which might in turn quietly provide support for anti-jihadist clerics — like Abdul Haqq Baker of the Brixton mosque in London — encouraging them to speak up in the blogosphere.But here's where the creative thinking can really kick in: A bolder strategy, driven by ideas as counterintuitive and ostensibly distasteful as MAD, should also be deployed in cyberspace. US-sponsored Web sites need to acknowledge that radicalism remains highly appealing — thanks in part to the Bush administration — and, unthinkable as it may sound, we'd be well advised to manifest greater tolerance for radical Muslims.Of course, no official US site should sing the praises of Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Muslim Brotherhood. But recognizing that such organizations have gained some legitimacy by participating in nonviolent politics would signal to potential recruits that there's an effective and honorable third way between capitulation and terrorism.Muslims seem increasingly receptive to such efforts. Polls indicate that only 10 percent of Saudis view al Qaeda favorably and that in Indonesia, Lebanon, and Pakistan, support for suicide bombings has dropped dramatically. Showing jihadists an alternate path to a stake in a functioning government — as opposed to the chaos that currently reigns — could make them easier to deter and influence. But more immediately, it might keep some of them from clicking on the link to that build-your-own IED site.Jonathan Stevenson (jhs.wired@gmail.com) is a professor of strategic studies at the US Naval War College. His book, Thinking Beyond the Unthinkable: Harnessing Doom From the Cold War to the Age of Terror, is due out in August.
Wired News – Jul 22, 2008 01:00 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology
During the Cold War, each side had a frighteningly effective deterrent against nuclear first strikes: Threaten to launch an apocalyptic nuclear retaliation. The strategy — aptly named MAD, for mutual assured destruction — paradoxically cemented peace. Such "thinking about the unthinkable" still works well against Russia, China, and North Korea and likely would even deter Iran. But it obviously has little effect on Islamist terrorists.They have no state to protect and pose no threat warranting nuclear payback. They can't build a hydrogen bomb, and even a crude Hiroshima-style fission bomb would be a technological stretch. So brandishing the vast US military arsenal over al Qaeda is a little like holding a .44 Magnum on a buzzing mosquito: It won't discourage the bug from drawing blood. After seven years of wishing al Qaeda was more like the Soviet Union, it's time US antiterrorism experts muster the same creativity that the great nuclear strategists marshaled to stave off Armageddon.When it comes to military tactics, Osama bin Laden is hardly an innovator. The most he and his minions can do is improvise with old techniques, like using a hijacked plane as a cruise missile. Yet jihadists are righteously wired. They have turned the Net into what Israeli expert Reuven Paz calls an "open university for Jihad studies," covering everything from indoctrination to DIY car bombs.America's current counterterrorism measures can do no more than tenuously contain a threat whose radical ideology spreads like a virus through cyberspace. We should be launching our counterattack on their turf — online.The problem is that our ham-fisted policies, centering on a reckless war of choice and forced democratization, have eviscerated US public relations efforts. So Washington leads its Web campaigns on tiptoe. The Pentagon has begun launching foreign-language news sites to counter jihadist propaganda, but their sponsorship is intentionally obscure. The name of the site for Iraq (Mawtani.com) references the Iraqi national anthem, and its DoD provenance is revealed only when you click on the About link. These kinds of unattributed information ops will never create a decisively positive view of the West.Whoever wins the White House in November should take the opportunity to give US foreign policy a makeover, which would allow us to emerge from the cybercloset. From there, the path is clear: harness the Net's unique combination of community and privacy to shape the debate within Islam about the best mechanisms for political change. A new tone in Washington could make moderate Muslims less averse to linkages with the US, which might in turn quietly provide support for anti-jihadist clerics — like Abdul Haqq Baker of the Brixton mosque in London — encouraging them to speak up in the blogosphere.But here's where the creative thinking can really kick in: A bolder strategy, driven by ideas as counterintuitive and ostensibly distasteful as MAD, should also be deployed in cyberspace. US-sponsored Web sites need to acknowledge that radicalism remains highly appealing — thanks in part to the Bush administration — and, unthinkable as it may sound, we'd be well advised to manifest greater tolerance for radical Muslims.Of course, no official US site should sing the praises of Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Muslim Brotherhood. But recognizing that such organizations have gained some legitimacy by participating in nonviolent politics would signal to potential recruits that there's an effective and honorable third way between capitulation and terrorism.Muslims seem increasingly receptive to such efforts. Polls indicate that only 10 percent of Saudis view al Qaeda favorably and that in Indonesia, Lebanon, and Pakistan, support for suicide bombings has dropped dramatically. Showing jihadists an alternate path to a stake in a functioning government — as opposed to the chaos that currently reigns — could make them easier to deter and influence. But more immediately, it might keep some of them from clicking on the link to that build-your-own IED site.Jonathan Stevenson (jhs.wired@gmail.com) is a professor of strategic studies at the US Naval War College. His book, Thinking Beyond the Unthinkable: Harnessing Doom From the Cold War to the Age of Terror, is due out in August.
Wired News – Jul 22, 2008 01:00 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology
Lebanon Officials Looking To Conserve LandTown officials say they have developed a way to preserve the town's character, but farmers said they're worried the town is after their land.
WFSB.com – Jul 22, 2008 12:35 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Connecticut: Hartford
Heavy trucks to be banned from Conn. River bridge
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Heavy trucks are going to be banned from the U.S. Route 4 bridge over the Connecticut River between White River Junction and Lebanon, N.H. Officials say inspectors have found significant corrosion on the bridge.
BurlingtonFreePress.com – Jul 21, 2008 3:24 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Vermont: Burlington
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Heavy trucks are going to be banned from the U.S. Route 4 bridge over the Connecticut River between White River Junction and Lebanon, N.H. Officials say inspectors have found significant corrosion on the bridge.
BurlingtonFreePress.com – Jul 21, 2008 3:24 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Vermont: Burlington
Hezbollah's Role In Lebanon's New Government
For a year and a half, Lebanon's government was paralyzed by a power struggle between a Western-backed faction and a bloc led by Shiite militant Hezbollah. The deadlock broke in May, when Hezbollah defeated its rivals in several days of fighting. Now a new government has formed, and Hezbollah appears more powerful then ever.
NPR.org – Jul 21, 2008 2:49 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in World: Middle East
For a year and a half, Lebanon's government was paralyzed by a power struggle between a Western-backed faction and a bloc led by Shiite militant Hezbollah. The deadlock broke in May, when Hezbollah defeated its rivals in several days of fighting. Now a new government has formed, and Hezbollah appears more powerful then ever.
NPR.org – Jul 21, 2008 2:49 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in World: Middle East
Weekend gas main break forces evacuation of about 500 homes
LEBANON, Ohio (AP) -- A broken gas main that forced the evacuation of about 500 homes in a southwest Ohio community probably won't be fixed until next week, but at least residents are back in their homes.
WSYX ABC 6 – Jul 21, 2008 11:54 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Ohio: Columbus
LEBANON, Ohio (AP) -- A broken gas main that forced the evacuation of about 500 homes in a southwest Ohio community probably won't be fixed until next week, but at least residents are back in their homes.
WSYX ABC 6 – Jul 21, 2008 11:54 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Ohio: Columbus
Ohio astronaut, '69 moon landing vividly recalled
WAPAKONETA, Ohio - On July 20, 1969 - exactly 39 years and one day ago -the world stood still.Around the globe, people watched in wonder as a grainy image crackled on their television screens: Neil Armstrong, almost 250,000 miles away, was taking his first steps on the moon.The Armstrong Air & Space Museum in Wapakoneta, Ohio, is a tribute to the adrenaline and awe that coursed through American veins during the years of the space race, with a particular focus on Ohio's contributions.The museum, a massive white dome that looms over the landscape along I-75 in Wapakoneta, is designed to represent a futuristic lunar base, half above ground and half under ground."If we were to go to the moon and build a building, this is what it would look like," said Becky Macwhinney, historic site manager for the museum.The museum belongs to the Ohio Historical Society and is funded by the state and by donations and contributions from the community and neighboring areas.Much of the museum focuses on the experiences of Mr. Armstrong, who was born in Wapakoneta. He donated many of the museum's artifacts.The exhibit includes items from Mr. Armstrong's youth, including a stack of his books, and features the sturdy black boots he wore in the Korean War. The rest of the museum essentially chronicles NASA's efforts to chart the vast unknowns of outer space, with passing nods to the former Soviet Union's parallel efforts.A highlight is the spacecraft flown during the Gemini 8 mission in 1966, when Mr. Armstrong and pilot David Scott performed the first manned docking of two spacecraft."People are always amazed when they see how tight it was in there and hear that the astronauts were up there for hours or even weeks at a time," Ms. Macwhinney said.Nearby is Mr. Armstrong's Gemini space suit, which is made of fire-resistant material designed to withstand the extreme temperatures of outer space. The glove's fingertips include miniature flashlights so that the astronaut could easily see the spacecraft's controls.A focal point of the museum is a brief film that is projected in the cavernous, star-spangled dome. The movie chronicles Mr. Armstrong's career and details the Apollo 11 moon-landing mission.An authentic moon rock, brought back to Earth by the Apollo 11 crew and about the size of a golf ball, is on display. "Here, you're inches away from a piece of the moon rather than a quarter million miles," said Andrea Waugh, the museum's education specialist.Children who visit tend to be particularly enthralled by the "Living in Space" portion of the exhibit, Ms. Macwhinney said. Here, visitors can examine the tools that astronauts used for personal hygiene - mostly long hoses with rubber fittings - and the dehydrated food that astronauts ate in space.The museum also features several interactive displays, such as a computerized lunar landing simulator and a surface resembling an air hockey table that simulates the way in which satellites are kept in orbit.In the "infinity room," which is designed to give visitors the sensation that they are suspended in outer space, dizzying constellations of lights are reflected in a dark hallway."What I've been impressed with is just the courage of the people that did this," said Cindy Stein of Toledo, who watched the movie twice with her husband, Mike Stein.Above all, the museum summons the anxiety and possibilities of those years, even for those for whom the moon landing is just a scene from a movie.Doug Turpin of Lebanon, Ohio, brought his 10 year-old son, Mitchel, to see the exhibit."I was 6 years old when the moon landing happened," said Mr. Turpin, who is now a pilot."I remember thinking that anything that you wanted to be when you grew up was possible."Contact Laura Bennett at:lbennett@theblade.comor 419-724-6728.
ToledoBlade.com – Jul 21, 2008 10:54 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Ohio: Toledo
WAPAKONETA, Ohio - On July 20, 1969 - exactly 39 years and one day ago -the world stood still.Around the globe, people watched in wonder as a grainy image crackled on their television screens: Neil Armstrong, almost 250,000 miles away, was taking his first steps on the moon.The Armstrong Air & Space Museum in Wapakoneta, Ohio, is a tribute to the adrenaline and awe that coursed through American veins during the years of the space race, with a particular focus on Ohio's contributions.The museum, a massive white dome that looms over the landscape along I-75 in Wapakoneta, is designed to represent a futuristic lunar base, half above ground and half under ground."If we were to go to the moon and build a building, this is what it would look like," said Becky Macwhinney, historic site manager for the museum.The museum belongs to the Ohio Historical Society and is funded by the state and by donations and contributions from the community and neighboring areas.Much of the museum focuses on the experiences of Mr. Armstrong, who was born in Wapakoneta. He donated many of the museum's artifacts.The exhibit includes items from Mr. Armstrong's youth, including a stack of his books, and features the sturdy black boots he wore in the Korean War. The rest of the museum essentially chronicles NASA's efforts to chart the vast unknowns of outer space, with passing nods to the former Soviet Union's parallel efforts.A highlight is the spacecraft flown during the Gemini 8 mission in 1966, when Mr. Armstrong and pilot David Scott performed the first manned docking of two spacecraft."People are always amazed when they see how tight it was in there and hear that the astronauts were up there for hours or even weeks at a time," Ms. Macwhinney said.Nearby is Mr. Armstrong's Gemini space suit, which is made of fire-resistant material designed to withstand the extreme temperatures of outer space. The glove's fingertips include miniature flashlights so that the astronaut could easily see the spacecraft's controls.A focal point of the museum is a brief film that is projected in the cavernous, star-spangled dome. The movie chronicles Mr. Armstrong's career and details the Apollo 11 moon-landing mission.An authentic moon rock, brought back to Earth by the Apollo 11 crew and about the size of a golf ball, is on display. "Here, you're inches away from a piece of the moon rather than a quarter million miles," said Andrea Waugh, the museum's education specialist.Children who visit tend to be particularly enthralled by the "Living in Space" portion of the exhibit, Ms. Macwhinney said. Here, visitors can examine the tools that astronauts used for personal hygiene - mostly long hoses with rubber fittings - and the dehydrated food that astronauts ate in space.The museum also features several interactive displays, such as a computerized lunar landing simulator and a surface resembling an air hockey table that simulates the way in which satellites are kept in orbit.In the "infinity room," which is designed to give visitors the sensation that they are suspended in outer space, dizzying constellations of lights are reflected in a dark hallway."What I've been impressed with is just the courage of the people that did this," said Cindy Stein of Toledo, who watched the movie twice with her husband, Mike Stein.Above all, the museum summons the anxiety and possibilities of those years, even for those for whom the moon landing is just a scene from a movie.Doug Turpin of Lebanon, Ohio, brought his 10 year-old son, Mitchel, to see the exhibit."I was 6 years old when the moon landing happened," said Mr. Turpin, who is now a pilot."I remember thinking that anything that you wanted to be when you grew up was possible."Contact Laura Bennett at:lbennett@theblade.comor 419-724-6728.
ToledoBlade.com – Jul 21, 2008 10:54 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Ohio: Toledo
Syrian minister in Beirut talks
Syrian FM Walid Mouallem visits Beirut, a week after Damascus agreed to establish formal diplomatic ties with Lebanon.
BBC News – Jul 21, 2008 10:53 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in World
Syrian FM Walid Mouallem visits Beirut, a week after Damascus agreed to establish formal diplomatic ties with Lebanon.
BBC News – Jul 21, 2008 10:53 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in World
Syrian FM arrives in Beirut for talksAP - Syria's foreign minister has arrived in Lebanon on the first such visit by a senior Syrian official in more than three years.
Yahoo! – Jul 21, 2008 09:01 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in World
Killer's welcome cuts deep
In the four days since Israel released Samir Kuntar as part of a controversial prisoner swap between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant has become an emblem of the uneasy political unity in Lebanon and the unresolved divisions cutting across the broader Middle East.
The News & Observer – Jul 21, 2008 05:30 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: North Carolina: Raleigh-Durham
In the four days since Israel released Samir Kuntar as part of a controversial prisoner swap between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant has become an emblem of the uneasy political unity in Lebanon and the unresolved divisions cutting across the broader Middle East.
The News & Observer – Jul 21, 2008 05:30 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: North Carolina: Raleigh-Durham
UK court to rule on Islamic law case
AP - Britain's highest appeals court is scheduled to decide this week whether a divorced woman and her son should be deported to Lebanon, where she claims her abusive husband will gain custody under Sharia law.
Yahoo! – Jul 21, 2008 05:20 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in World
AP - Britain's highest appeals court is scheduled to decide this week whether a divorced woman and her son should be deported to Lebanon, where she claims her abusive husband will gain custody under Sharia law.
Yahoo! – Jul 21, 2008 05:20 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in World