ALERT

Financial Crisis Called Top Security Threat to U.S. Says U.S. Intel Chief

“Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair told Congress yesterday that instability in countries around the world caused by the current global economic crisis, rather than terrorism, is the primary near-term security threat to the United States. . . But Blair also raised the specter of the high regime-threatening levels of violent extremism in the turmoil of the 1920s and 1930s along with instability if the economic crisis persists over a one-to-two-year period”  Read more

Israel, Iran Liable to Clash in 2009 Over Nukes, Says U.S. Intel Chief

 “Israel and Iran are liable to enter into a confrontation or a crisis sometime this year due to Tehran’s progress in its nuclear weapons program and Jerusalem’s determination to thwart it, the head of U.S. intelligence told lawmakers on Thursday. In a report to the Senate Intelligence Committee on the potential threats as foreseen by the 16 intelligence arms of the United States, Dennis Blair said that Hezbollah, the Lebanese-based Shi’ite group which is backed by Iran, has beefed up its weapons arsenal in preparation for another round of fighting with Israel.” Read more

Held at Heathrow, Geert Wilders Is Banned in Britain

 “Geert Wilders is an unlikely free-speech symbol, as the Dutch lawmaker wants to ban the Quran. And Britain is an unlikely country to suppress free speech, but police Thursday detained Mr. Wilders at Heathrow Airport to stop him from speaking at Parliament. . . the British Home Office said his presence would pose a serious threat to one of the fundamental interests of society, arguing that his statements on Islam would threaten community harmony and therefore public security in the U.K. A Home Office spokesman added: The government opposes extremism in all its forms.” Read more

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 14th, 2009 at 5:08 pm and is filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.