If the whole world follows the example of what just happened in Kosovo we will end up with a world with 10,000 micro-states all having the freedom to carry out their hate feuds against each other. Kosovo could start a Hatfield and McCoy like tribalization of the world.

The Foreign policy of the Bush administration is so incredibly stupid that one might believe that they are just following some diabolical script leading the world to World War III.

With a stoke of his pen, President Bush, by heeding the State
Department’s bad advice to recognize a supposedly independent Kosovo,
has triggered the perfect international storm: shattering the principle
of the territorial integrity of sovereign nations, encouraging violent
separatists worldwide, provoking a needless confrontation with Russia
and other countries, boosting the jihad terrorist and organized crime
threat to Europe and America, and creating conditions for a human
rights and religious freedom nightmare. In terms of far-reaching
consequences, it may the worst blunder of his presidency. Which is
saying a lot.

Full article

Schippert does not paint a pretty picture in this interview. He implies we may be soon fighting a war in Pakistan but if al-Qaeda gets control of Pakistan that has 80 nukes what choice do we have?

FrontPage Magazine:

“Schippert: For the US going forward, we may be approaching a time where the US needs to determine if it is going to continue to support Musharraf wholly and stay largely out of Pakistan or confront the danger full-on and unleash a full assault on the tribal regions held by al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Perhaps a recognition that at the end of the day there truly is no defeating al-Qaeda within Pakistan by Pakistan, and that it will require American boots on the ground and assets in the air - whether convenient or not, pleasant contemplation
or not. We may be nearing that crucial decision point.”

History can tell us many things. But what it cannot tell us is often more
troubling. We are now in uncharted waters with an increasingly unstable nuclear power while a bloodthirsty international terrorist organization thrives within its borders. Not even the fall and breakup of the Soviet Union can compare in potential perils. The coming week is critical, and all events in Pakistan warrant the closest attention.

If that poll is anywhere near correct Pakistan is in big trouble and so are we.

“It may be that the assassination of Bhutto is part of this jihad, and part of a larger effort to institute Islamic rule in Pakistan. That movement has broad popular support. According to a September CNN poll, in Pakistan “bin Laden has a 46 percent approval rating. Musharraf’s support is 38 percent. U.S. President George W. Bush’s approval: 9 percent.”

It looks like the US has make plans to have forces in Pakistan by early next year to continue to fight World War III against the radical Islamic groups. With the Bhutto assignation that even looks more likely.

“Beginning early next year, U.S. Special Forces are expected to vastly
expand their presence in Pakistan, as part of an effort to train and support indigenous counter-insurgency forces and clandestine counterterrorism units, according to defense officials involved with the planning.”

Fred Thompson at least understands that the West is in a world war with Islamic groups that have declared war against us. That obviously is not the case with most of the candidates who think we can appease these people.

“This is an international war we are engaged in,” he emphasized. “Bhutto’s assassination is not a law enforcement matter. This is a global conflict, and al-Qaida wants to bring Western civilization to its knees.”

FrontPage Magazine: “Other analysts – John Bolton, Patrick Clawson, Valerie Lincy and Gary Milhollin, Caroline Glick, Claudia Rossett, Michael Rubin, and Gerald Steinberg – have skillfully dissected and refuted this shoddy, politicized, outrageous parody of a piece of propaganda, so I need not dwell on that here. Further, leading members of Congress are ‘not convinced’ of the NIE’s conclusions. French and German leaders snubbed it, as did the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and even the International Atomic Energy Agency expressed doubts. British intelligence believe its American counterparts were hoodwinked, while Israeli intelligence responded with shock and disappointment. “

“The debate most assuredly will continue to evolve and the influence of this NIE will fade and become just one of many appraisals, technical and non-technical, official and unofficial, American and non-American.
In short, with Option #1 undermined and Option #3 unacceptable, Option #2 – war carried out by either U.S. or Israeli forces – becomes the more probable. Thus have short-sighted, small-minded, blatantly partisan intelligence bureaucrats, trying to hide unpleasant realities, helped engineer their own nightmare.”

His assessment is probably correct. The main difference is the attack will now be delayed about two or three years after it should have taken place. At that time Iran will be in a better position and any attack on Iran could be far more deadly and it could lead to World War III. Also, the person in the White House at that time might be wearing a skirt or ought to be wearing a skirt. Israel is now also forced to do what it thinks is necessary for her survival even if she has to do it alone and that also can start World War III. This NIE report is the dumbest action since just prior to world II. In fact it probably trumps the miscalculations made at that time and it can have a more deadly outcome.

FrontPage Magazine: “President Bush agreed to establish a director of national intelligence. He then appointed a foreign-service officer, John Negroponte, to serve as the first DNI. Negroponte defied congressional expectations by building an empire — a bloated office with over 1,000 employees, many of them torn from their line responsibilities elsewhere in the community and the often-important work they were doing there. Worse yet, he put a coterie of fellow foreign-service officers, like Tom Fingar, in key leadership positions. A number of these displayed a visceral hostility to President Bush and his most robust policies, including Fingar and the national-intelligence officer for weapons of mass destruction (lead author of the new Iran NIE), Vann Van Diepen, and yet remain in place even since Negroponte’s move back home to the State Department as its deputy secretary. The result of these institutional and personnel choices — as evident in this NIE — has been an unmitigated disaster. The insights into the real problems that led up to 9/11 have gone uncorrected. The intelligence community remains ponderous, unimaginative, and yet given to wishful thinking. Where hard knowledge is unavailable, judgments are served up that are either unfounded or simply ludicrous. The idea that Iran has given up its quest for nuclear weapons is only one of the most glaring.”

Frank Gaffney makes many points in this article about the Iranian threat and how like prior to world war II we are being failed by the Intelligence community.

You might wonder why I am spending so much time documenting this one issue on this Blog? I think what we do or don’t do about Iran is the most important issue we will face in the next ten years. If Iran goes nuclear we will be in World War III by early next decade. If their facilites are taken out the whole world terrorist network might collapse and moderates and peace might prevail in the whole Middle East region until the end time events of Bible prophecy arrive.