tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78047622024-03-05T04:47:46.815-08:00Middle East Perspectives by Rick FranconaAn acknowledged Middle East expert, dynamic speaker, author of "Ally to Adversary - An Eyewitness Account of Iraq's Fall from Grace," and CNN military analyst, retired intelligence officer Lt Col Rick Francona offers his thoughts and opinions on various Middle East topics. Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comBlogger1219125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-54431525218686662252023-02-13T10:23:00.000-08:002023-02-13T10:23:48.289-08:00Interesting Syrian Air Force Flight Activity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlf-nj0UTKzhYSBWhnlsJuQB_-pVtfTtO0VoebFcDbp1d9p6z0-0bQztcMhnzQZ4rKjxqSfmDaHv9IJCAS0-kK3Tmt0rWEYJRi7QSXhLcZcZklTyMBA2Y0dQZY1r-43TFwaUKJAXnjqSG3HkY52qt_otVAnTWoDb2uUeomZsOKdRB4jiQXXgw/s640/YK-ATA.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="640" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlf-nj0UTKzhYSBWhnlsJuQB_-pVtfTtO0VoebFcDbp1d9p6z0-0bQztcMhnzQZ4rKjxqSfmDaHv9IJCAS0-kK3Tmt0rWEYJRi7QSXhLcZcZklTyMBA2Y0dQZY1r-43TFwaUKJAXnjqSG3HkY52qt_otVAnTWoDb2uUeomZsOKdRB4jiQXXgw/w400-h268/YK-ATA.jpg" title="Syrian Air Force IL-76 YK-ATA" width="400" /></a><br /><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Syrian Air Force IL-76 YK-ATA<br /><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Syrian Air Force (SYAF), officially the Syrian Arab Air Force, operates three Ilyushin IL-76T (NATO: Candid) heavy lift transport aircraft: YK-ATA, YK-ATB, and YK-ATD (shown top to bottom). A fourth aircraft (YK-ATC) has not been operational for almost 30 years.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguJQtrvNDc9NDVhSB3Z7n_W30DVmEPjE21NLHY_pfDLITXq5JdqLSB1gWopmH0aiT4X_ijCREtJ5UjCwF8eBkYkR0GzB7c2g4PKUQ6oB2FHWN1qDpxmyjDrZIWAYNepxuDlJ6xc67rgAIpkh4n0estWlDeLnrJ40z6N3FArCzaAyXUS8oJog/s704/planes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="677" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguJQtrvNDc9NDVhSB3Z7n_W30DVmEPjE21NLHY_pfDLITXq5JdqLSB1gWopmH0aiT4X_ijCREtJ5UjCwF8eBkYkR0GzB7c2g4PKUQ6oB2FHWN1qDpxmyjDrZIWAYNepxuDlJ6xc67rgAIpkh4n0estWlDeLnrJ40z6N3FArCzaAyXUS8oJog/w385-h400/planes.jpg" width="385" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">These are older photos – all three aircraft are in need of depot-level maintenance, upgrade, and overhaul. This
is done at at the Ilyushin facility in Ramenskoye, Russia. Based on publicly available flight tracking information, YK-ATD was overhauled in 2016, YK-ATB in 2018, and YK-ATA in 2019. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I suspect that YK-ATD is in dire need of major maintenance - it has not flown since November 24, 2022, and then only for a short domestic flight. It appears to have become what we in the U.S. Air Force refer to as a “hangar queen.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Do not let the colorful livery of SYRIANAIR (Syrian Airlines) fool you – I have flown on both SYRIANAIR and with the SYAF - they’re different. One is a second-tier Middle East airline with great passenger service, and the other is a third-rate air force transport operation that worried me. I have flown on SYAF Antonov AN-24 (NATO: Coke), Tupolev TU-134 (NATO: Crusty), and Yakovlev YAK-40 (NATO: Codling) aircraft – the condition of the YAK-40 and AN-24 was far below U.S. Air Force standards.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The three IL-76 aircraft are actually assigned to the 585th Transport Squadron of the Syrian Air Force 29th Air Transport Brigade, based at Damascus International Airport. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The military ramp at the airport is southwest of the civilian terminal. I have been on the 29th Brigade ramp a few times to catch attaché flights on the extremely rare occasions when the Syrians included American officers in official attaché trips.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPe4J4nnucyzLIGOPmt7_fHUpH5zByoAzl4UHruA3IH7MaNoXkXqU6J9HMBM916u7eWs9LuXew3lubZCX5puiYJpBuZa1dSmRVsYJjk4NN7hxItD60biRtP8Ctpfnj1WDfMsj1b3OV1H5DD7caZ_MOvvanAJg9j_WWpLRAQOoioE2gKZgUXXE/s747/29th%20brigade.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="747" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPe4J4nnucyzLIGOPmt7_fHUpH5zByoAzl4UHruA3IH7MaNoXkXqU6J9HMBM916u7eWs9LuXew3lubZCX5puiYJpBuZa1dSmRVsYJjk4NN7hxItD60biRtP8Ctpfnj1WDfMsj1b3OV1H5DD7caZ_MOvvanAJg9j_WWpLRAQOoioE2gKZgUXXE/w400-h235/29th%20brigade.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">These transports were built in 1980 (YK-ATA and YK-ATB) and 1981 (YK-ATD) – I remember them in the original IL-76MD (military) configuration, complete with tail guns. In the early 2000s, all were converted to their current IL-76T configuration.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Over the past few years, the Syrian IL-76’s made almost daily resupply flights to the regime-controlled enclave of </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">al-Qamishly in </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">northeast Syria, and almost daily flights to Mehrabad airport in Tehran, Iran. Once in a while, one of the aircraft would fly to/from Moscow. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">That pattern has changed a bit.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I have noticed a massive increase of SYAF IL-76 flights between Damascus International Airport (read that as 29th Air Brigade) and Benghazi/Beninah International Airport (coincidentally also an air base at which SYAF fighter pilots were assigned to support Mu’amar al-Qadhafi </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">in the 1970s</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">). It is in the area of Libya controlled by Field Marshal Khalifah Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA). </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Syrian media reported that Haftar’s armed forces have airlifted relief supplies to victims of the February 6 earthquakes that have devastated part of northern Syria. Some of that aid was delivered by LNA aircraft to the Russian-leased Humaymim air base south of Latakia.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Looking over publicly available flight records for the past three months, an interesting international flight pattern emerges. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY60AyEinRpkFjhKkTjASi50_E9uUtQkeNoLjsYXvSk9cOtuHOpkNDh9n4Y3p1UbWhwUsgl_VGLF8J33L10qjBhIaIXkglkMuzf5Ftbh6SSCM6ttJaJCa3marBeZZ_9PkLtNag96e_I-ZqJTqGGAz4WBtFUMPKIJpY_JIVyEydxvozYFzw5a8/s1325/Screenshot%202023-02-12%20215246.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="1325" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY60AyEinRpkFjhKkTjASi50_E9uUtQkeNoLjsYXvSk9cOtuHOpkNDh9n4Y3p1UbWhwUsgl_VGLF8J33L10qjBhIaIXkglkMuzf5Ftbh6SSCM6ttJaJCa3marBeZZ_9PkLtNag96e_I-ZqJTqGGAz4WBtFUMPKIJpY_JIVyEydxvozYFzw5a8/w400-h245/Screenshot%202023-02-12%20215246.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">YK-ATA has flown 13 round-trip flights between Damascus, Syria and Benghazi, Libya, which seems to be its primary route. It did fly to Moscow three times, Beirut once, and once to, for whatever reason, Oral in northwestern Kazakhstan.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">YK-ATB flew seven round-trip flights between Damascus, Syria and Benghazi, Libya. It also flew to Tehran/Mehrabad airport, using a ramp dedicated solely to the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), four times. Additionally, it was used at least six times for the routine domestic flight from Damascus to al-Qamishly.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the last 90 days for the Syrian Air Force, there have been at least:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>20 round trip flights to Benghazi, Libya (most before the earthquake)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4 round trip flights to Tehran/Mehrabad, Iran</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3 round trip flights to Moscow/Vnukovo, Russia</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1 round trip flight to Beirut, Lebanon</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1 round trip flight to Oral, Kazakhstan</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am puzzled by the number of flights to Libya, specifically to the area controlled by Khalifah Haftar. If anyone has any insight into the relationship between Syrian President Bashar al-Asad and Khalifah Haftar, please inform me.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I will note that after the earthquakes that created catastrophic damage in northern Syria, all return flights from Benghazi to Syria stopped first in Latakia, and in at least one case in Aleppo, both areas that have suffered catastrophic </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">earthquake damage</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">. I have to assume that these aircraft were transporting relief supplies from Benghazi.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My question: What were the Syrian IL-76 aircraft moving between Damascus and Benghazi before the earthquake?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div>
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Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-3909370907260763932023-01-30T22:05:00.001-08:002023-01-30T22:05:26.099-08:00Miniseries Review: "Fauda - Season 4" (Netflix 2023)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHE8pX2qFyK4h3EyepXTxJyvlsYq5KlHvKbiYtMsOvNRrYt3q3ux5ZwoFMdmztmeoQ0Sj2V6NCF1g2J3MSoIi5abLE53zTpPiWU7DBq2HOxMBqdyDEW4cWYk0kFlXwFG70mSgefNVgGNAZad4dsOVgnY8svwmPcdpVtBNULJ8Aceync9c4JM/s1181/fauda4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="1181" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHE8pX2qFyK4h3EyepXTxJyvlsYq5KlHvKbiYtMsOvNRrYt3q3ux5ZwoFMdmztmeoQ0Sj2V6NCF1g2J3MSoIi5abLE53zTpPiWU7DBq2HOxMBqdyDEW4cWYk0kFlXwFG70mSgefNVgGNAZad4dsOVgnY8svwmPcdpVtBNULJ8Aceync9c4JM/w400-h205/fauda4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fauda (the Arabic word for chaos) Season 4 is now available
in the United States, much to the delight of fans of the series – I’m one. The
first three seasons* were all “must see,” and this season again is in that
category. I will try to avoid spoilers in my review.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This season’s action shifts to the international stage with operational
activities in Belgium, Syria, and Lebanon as well as the usual venues of Israel
and the West Bank. The antagonists of this season’s operations are also
international – Lebanese Hizballah. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The former chief of the IDF special operations unit, Captain
Gabi Ayoub, is running an intelligence source inside Hizballah via the Mossad
station in Brussels. The source reports that Hizballah is planning a large
operation in Israel and the West Bank. This is unprecedented for Hizballah – normally
they strike Israeli targets from their home territory in Lebanon. Operating within
the Palestinian Authority is an escalation and exactly what Israel does not
want – cooperation between Hizballah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Gabi and the main character Doron – now brought back out of
retirement – travel to Brussels to make contact with the asset. As with many
intelligence assets, at times the case officer has to do a bit of “hand-holding”
and reassuring. Suffice it to say that once the two get to Brussels, things go
downhill quickly. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The team follows in
support.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The asset Gabi is running – Omar Tawalbe – turns out to be
the brother of an Israeli Arab – a female Israeli police officer. Lucy Ayoub’s
performance as Maya Binyamin (née Tawalbe) is stellar. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As I have advised in the past three seasons, pay attention
to the languages being spoken. For the most part, if the characters’ voices are
in English, what you are listening to is Hebrew dubbed into English. When the characters
are speaking Arabic, the audio is played in Arabic and subtitled. The Arabic subtitles
are an interpretation rather than a literal translation, and are generally well
done.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I especially enjoyed this season’s Arabic dialog as the
characters not only were speaking the Palestinian Levantine dialect, but also
the Lebanese Levantine dialect, depending on the venue of the action. For the
most part, the Arabic was excellent, although at times a bit of an Israeli
accent was evident. This is important since the special operations team often
impersonates Arabs. If you are going to do that, your accent has to be perfect.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There are letters and sounds in Hebrew that do not exist in
Arabic, and vice versa. During one of my liaison tours with an Arab
intelligence service, the officers explained that when they create security challenges
and responses (the “password”), they always chose words that are difficult for
native Hebrew speakers to vocalize correctly. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For example, Hebrew-speakers have problems with the Arabic aspirated
HAH (what we Arabic linguists sometimes refer to as the “hard H”). Hebrew
speakers tend to say the Arabic KHAH – Hizballah normally sounds like <u>Kh</u>izballah,
which raises a flag that the subject is not a native Arabic speaker. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I will complement one of the actors, Itzik Cohen (playing
Captain Ayoub), on his vocalization of Arabic. Cohen does not speak Arabic, and
is coached on his lines before each scene. It sounds native to me. In episode 1
(minute 26:45), Cohen/Ayoub breaks into an Arabic song (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Habibi ya ‘ayni</i> – My love, my eyes) at a wedding, and it is well done.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Season 4 is a definite must watch. As I have commented in
the past, enjoying good fiction requires the literary concept of “suspension of
disbelief.” In other words, even though you know that some of the things that happen
in a book, movie, or show range from “that’s a stretch” to “that’s not
possible,” you suspend your disbelief and enjoy the story. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">While there was quite
a bit of the suspension of disbelief required in this season, especially the scenes in Syria and Lebanon, it
was never to the level that I was tempted to stop watching – in fact, I couldn’t
stop watching. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80113612" target="_blank">Watch it on Netflix</a>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">_______________________</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">*My reviews of the previous seasons:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://francona.blogspot.com/2019/01/miniseries-review-fauda-netflix-2017.html" target="_blank">Season One</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://francona.blogspot.com/2020/02/update-miniseries-review-fauda-netflix.html" target="_blank">Season Two</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://francona.blogspot.com/2020/04/miniseries-review-fauda-season-3.html" target="_blank">Season Three</a></span></p><p>
<a href="https://twitter.com/share?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" class="twitter-share-button" data-size="large" data-text="Miniseries Review: "Fauda - Season 4" (Netflix 2023)" data-via="MiddleEastGuy" data-show-count="false">Tweet</a><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-91446829951087959412023-01-07T13:09:00.001-08:002023-01-07T13:57:54.192-08:00Miniseries Review: "Rise of Empires: Ottoman – Mehmed vs Vlad" (Netflix - 2022)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDchNLzud32kPcXDqSF5ZLezGVPmSAik0w-OVDHJ-HxvxB39rMfNM8cR_m543_n6qPMQWWqB_keSYFEaoTsLSZ4VHO7Y0Fm5usziQ88OGFT4nEBY6kDTEEUMN84YMymqbDrFqP8h4D4ZuTUQ8ZDzLfLuY16gwBkze-0UNBDKWv6nuNP4CCP0/s923/Rise2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="923" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDchNLzud32kPcXDqSF5ZLezGVPmSAik0w-OVDHJ-HxvxB39rMfNM8cR_m543_n6qPMQWWqB_keSYFEaoTsLSZ4VHO7Y0Fm5usziQ88OGFT4nEBY6kDTEEUMN84YMymqbDrFqP8h4D4ZuTUQ8ZDzLfLuY16gwBkze-0UNBDKWv6nuNP4CCP0/w400-h223/Rise2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The second season* of this docudrama about the Ottoman
Empire focuses on the rivalry/enmity between Sultan Mehmed II** and Vlad III Dracula
(also known as Vlad the Impaler), the Voivode of Wallachia, a vassal state
under the Ottomans. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The two leaders had a complicated relationship spanning two decades.
In 1442, when Vlad was only 12, he and younger brother Radu were sent to the
court of Ottoman Sultan Murad II (Mehmed’s father and predecessor) as
collateral to assure the sultan that their father – Vlad II, then Voivode – would
support Ottoman policies. It was here that Vlad learned to speak fluent Turkish
and studied Ottoman culture, including its military strategies and tactics. It
was also the time in which he was exposed to Mehmed, who was just two years his
junior.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Vlad was released in 1448 after the assassination of his
father and elder brother. Although he was able to replace his father, his reign
lasted only two month. It was not until 1452 that he was able to reclaim the
voivodate. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">At this time, Wallachia was required to pay tribute to the
Sultan. In return, the Ottomans stayed out of Wallachia’s internal affairs. It
was a beneficial arrangement for both sides – Vlad had a throne, and Wallachia
served as a buffer to the Kingdom of Hungary, which Mehmed, who had acceded to
the sultanate after the death of Murad II, regarded as a threat.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the victorious
21-year old Mehmed set his sights on expanding the Empire further into Europe. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mehmed continued his conquests in Anatolia with its
reunification and in Southeast Europe as far west as Bosnia. During this time,
Vlad paid the tribute and remained on the Wallachian throne.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In 1459, Vlad stopped paying the tribute to the Sultan,
considering a possible alliance with Hungary. Mehmed sent two envoys to remind
Vlad of his obligations and to collect the tribute. Vlad ordered them to be impaled
— his preferred method of execution. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This act of diplomatic perfidy was too
much for Mehmed – he mobilized an army of as many as 150,000 troops, including the
well-disciplined and highly-trained Janissaries,*** to subdue Wallachia and
remove Vlad from the throne.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Without spoiling the outcome of the struggle between Mehmed
and Vlad, the conflict reached its zenith during the battle for the Wallachian capital
city of Târgoviște in 1462. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">After the battle, Vlad left a field filled with thousands of
impaled victims as a deterrent to the Ottoman forces. He remains a Romanian folk
hero for his fight against the far superior Ottoman forces.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I recommend it, but suggest keeping your internet search
engine of choice handy to clarify things that might not be well-known to people
who do not have a background in Middle East or Central European history. I
needed it as well, since I normally begin my presentations about the Middle
East with the defeat of the Ottomans in World War One and the breakup of the
empire shortly thereafter.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80990771" target="_blank">Watch it on Netflix</a>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">_____</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">* The first season of this series dealt with Mehmed’s successful
conquest of the Eastern Roman Empire capital of Constantinople in 1453, after
which it was renamed Istanbul. <a href="https://francona.blogspot.com/2020/01/miniseries-review-rise-of-empires.html">I
reviewed the first season</a>, and highly recommend it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">** Mehmed is the Turkish rendition of Muhammad. His full
title was Fatih Sultan Mehmed II (Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">*** The Janissary corps was originally manned by Christian youths taken from the Balkan provinces, converted to Islam, and
drafted into Ottoman service. Subject to strict rules, including celibacy, the
Janissaries were known particularly for their archery, but by the 16th century had
also acquired rudimentary firearms.</span></p><br /><p></p>
<a class="twitter-share-button" data-show-count="false" data-size="large" data-text="Miniseries Review: "Rise of Empires: Ottoman – Mehmed vs Vlad" (Netflix - 2022)" data-via="MiddleEastGuy" href="https://twitter.com/share?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Tweet</a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><div><br /></div>Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-34184619025457541482023-01-04T00:47:00.006-08:002023-01-04T07:57:47.030-08:00Movie Review: The Swimmers (Netflix - 2022)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6rhVDYSwjISSWVG1V67VBvy-hm4wOgK1es164FSga5m9s_lmmFTHlun_fBuA0INb6vJgk5D5znRQTYqU50O7Kv4T6ZdPSo7GbS8w9iGVk-edrqk_YJMfuOnvlRkHsXDLjuLbiHB5Tu6KTZ2cnI2EjPxQyQ22ZkD99HrelXW5pugVH5YWElg/s480/hqdefault.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6rhVDYSwjISSWVG1V67VBvy-hm4wOgK1es164FSga5m9s_lmmFTHlun_fBuA0INb6vJgk5D5znRQTYqU50O7Kv4T6ZdPSo7GbS8w9iGVk-edrqk_YJMfuOnvlRkHsXDLjuLbiHB5Tu6KTZ2cnI2EjPxQyQ22ZkD99HrelXW5pugVH5YWElg/w400-h300/hqdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sometimes you need a story that reminds you of the power and resilience
of the human spirit. This movie does that in spades.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">By August of 2015, the civil war in Syria had been going on
for over four years. Having lived in Syria and covering much of the civil was
as a military analyst for CNN, this was of great interest.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The violence was non-stop; irreplaceable antiquities were destroyed
as multiple factions began killing each other; a flood of refugees* created a humanitarian
disaster and forever changed the character of numerous European cities; our
nominal Turkish NATO allies strained the unity of the alliance with senseless
interventions focused not on the new threat from the Islamic State in Iraq and
Syria (ISIS), but on a generated/perceived threat from the Kurds in northern Syria
while turning a blind eye to their almost open borders allowing jihadi terrorists
from the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe to join ISIS in Syria; and
American air support of the only group – Kurds – willing to take on ISIS. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The situation was so chaotic that a month later, the
Russians deployed troops to bolster – and save – the regime of Syrian President
Bashar al-Asad, their puppet in Damascus. The Russian intervention was not
driven by love for Bashar al-Asad, but to guarantee continued access to a naval
base on the Syrian Mediterranean coast at Tartus, and an air base just south of
the port city of Latakia.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It was against this backdrop that two teenage sisters, Yusra
and Sarah Mardini, decided that the violence in their Damascus suburb of
Darayya had gotten so bad that they would try to leave Syria and seek refuge in
Europe. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am very familiar with the Darayya area. When I was posted
as the air attaché at the American embassy in Damascus, I lived a mere half of
a mile from the area. It is located on the edge of a Syrian air force base
which was often the venue of sensitive activities. I took note – the role of an
attaché is to observe and report.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Darayya saw massive destruction as the city was initially
controlled by opposition groups. Given the sensitive location near the al-Mazzah
air base, the regime decided to commit whatever force was necessary to bring it
back under control. There was substantial damage to the city, and there were numerous
civilian casualties in what became known as the “Darayya massacre.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
These two sisters are not just any teenagers. Both of the girls, especially the
younger Yusra, were world class competitive swimmers, and had competed
internationally. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yusra’s goal was to swim
in the Olympics. Training at that level during the ongoing civil was
impossible, despite being trained by their father, a champion swimmer himself.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I did note that there is almost no mention of the Bashar al-Asad regime in the movie. I am not surprised - the family appears to be proud Syrians, and, the key here, Christian. During the civil war, most Christians sided with the government, fearing the backlash if a more Islamist regime replaced the secular Ba'ath party regime.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I do not want to spoil the flow of the movie. It is an
incredible story of the Mardini sisters who finally realized their dreams. I am
sure some of it is dramatized, but considering what these girls went through, I
can live with it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yusra has become a
United Nations goodwill ambassador, and Sarah became a volunteer assisting refugees
in 2016 on the Greek island of Lesbos, where they arrived in Europe in 2015. Although
she was arrested for her activities, she was allowed to post bond and leave
Greece. Note to Sarah: Don’t go back. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipcNKEx27d8xsX7s6GeVV5J283aebcjX6AsPBJEdpuAE6exk6sZpp33kRYUAoGfmxAjIAwuFgZ6S_yoMOEjBnjrm3SDBiss-6yitdasAtVtYOBCFLjLhDGmABPjqHl8sQehDS4c8qZ7FTeFk2Pz0BXvjjh9QVct0DeKQd3EaHDzmgwYi4JOJ4/s768/Sara-Mardini-and-Yusra-Mardini.--768x439.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sarah and Yusra Mardini" border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="768" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipcNKEx27d8xsX7s6GeVV5J283aebcjX6AsPBJEdpuAE6exk6sZpp33kRYUAoGfmxAjIAwuFgZ6S_yoMOEjBnjrm3SDBiss-6yitdasAtVtYOBCFLjLhDGmABPjqHl8sQehDS4c8qZ7FTeFk2Pz0BXvjjh9QVct0DeKQd3EaHDzmgwYi4JOJ4/w400-h229/Sara-Mardini-and-Yusra-Mardini.--768x439.webp" title="Sarah and Yusra Mardini" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah and Yusra Mardini</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When the movie was released at the Toronto Film Festival,
the audience gave a four-minute standing ovation for the two sisters and the
two Lebanese actresses (Manal and Nathalie Issa). Well deserved, in my opinion.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It’s a good movie and a great story - <a href="https://www.netflix.com/watch/81365134" target="_blank">watch it on
Netflix</a>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">_________</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">* I think the correct term is refugee. These people are not
going back to Syria. Why would they?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-31657624197568095132022-09-17T13:15:00.000-07:002022-09-17T13:15:09.048-07:00Syrian "Voice of the Capital" reporting on recent Israeli strikes<p style="text-align: left;">(Note: This is my translation of an article from Syrian "Voice of the Capital")</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_u5zGM1oe_iwtk7GPo6U3MlcIxQL1_TitlniFz9OUAidQ8LbVMZlW14KNYF_1UzyhiflA-LYsxQVDL29ounqwwT7H1O6-r-5VUDICmqScZVQSxeTUVqBicaV3WcDmI29LsC_V7fxOmzJWONRlOTu1xsC8r0KmU9xrSbmDWjlRdc4CQ0oKys4/s980/Untitled-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="980" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_u5zGM1oe_iwtk7GPo6U3MlcIxQL1_TitlniFz9OUAidQ8LbVMZlW14KNYF_1UzyhiflA-LYsxQVDL29ounqwwT7H1O6-r-5VUDICmqScZVQSxeTUVqBicaV3WcDmI29LsC_V7fxOmzJWONRlOTu1xsC8r0KmU9xrSbmDWjlRdc4CQ0oKys4/w400-h205/Untitled-1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Israeli air raids destroy early
warning and air defense systems in the environs of Damascus</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">17 September 2022</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Military sources close to the Syrian government discovered
damage to radar and air defense systems as the result of the latest Israeli
raids in the environs of Damascus.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Voice of the Capital sources said the surface-to-surface
missiles fired from the Golan Heights struck a Buk-M air defense system and an
early warning radar located on one of the hills around the town of al-Sabinah
south of Damascus.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The source added that the Israeli missiles also hit an air defense system belonging to the 75th Brigade on a mountain in the village of Marnah in the al-Kiswah district - the 75th Brigade belongs to the 1st Division of the [Syrian] Army.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The sources also confirmed that 15 were killed or wounded
during the direct targeting of the radar and air defense bases south of the
city of Damascus.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The area also saw heavy movement of ambulances after the
bombing to transport the dead and wounded to nearby hospitals.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Voice of the Capital correspondents observed intense
military movement by the Syrian army and Iranian militias during the bombing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Israeli aircraft launched air raids targeting several points
in the environs of Damascus with various munitions.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Syrian government, via its military media, acknowledged the
killing of five air defense troops, while saying that the air defenses engaged
most of the Israeli missiles which targeted the environs of al-Kiswah and Damascus
International Airport.</span></p><br /><p></p>
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Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-4869693283526435662022-09-08T17:14:00.002-07:002022-09-08T22:18:36.622-07:00Movie Review: The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem (Netflix – 2022)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3b_6FtqK7NmMFaJtyBaO15ZuF4-fexN3nqcODoa9XqpTyMZW-8qzfXzDU0SYzRsMQmsEDWBs-BuQ_wD2cZfVfXutvE2asnhOs5lDqZ4JstFhpqZd5PvNthe8eFlUBhgjlUBu2MbTx2ARSBoGoHw0mducrlQxj6Ppb2QtIgNbxjeYM7-dsJ9s/s800/poster.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3b_6FtqK7NmMFaJtyBaO15ZuF4-fexN3nqcODoa9XqpTyMZW-8qzfXzDU0SYzRsMQmsEDWBs-BuQ_wD2cZfVfXutvE2asnhOs5lDqZ4JstFhpqZd5PvNthe8eFlUBhgjlUBu2MbTx2ARSBoGoHw0mducrlQxj6Ppb2QtIgNbxjeYM7-dsJ9s/s400/poster.jpg" width="400" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you are
interested in Middle East history and culture, this series is for you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">It combines
an interesting fictional story woven around a Sephardim Jewish family with an accurate
portrayal of the tumultuous events in Jerusalem during the years between the two
world wars. It spans the period from the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in 1917,
through most of the period of the British Mandate – including the Arab-Jewish
conflicts and terrorism against each other as well as against the British
occupation forces. The first season (in two parts totaling 20 episodes) ends in
1942. </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">The series
has been renewed for a second season, which will be screened towards the end of
2022.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">In addition
to an accurate portrayal of historic events, it also addresses the struggle between
Oriental and European Jews, at that time referred to as Sephardic and
Ashkenazi, respectively. Today, the Sephardim are identified as those whose
roots were in the Iberian Peninsula and parts of North Africa, and those from other
areas in the Middle East and Western Asia are referred to a Mizrahi Jews. There
are</span> <span style="line-height: 115%;">still
vestiges of perceived class distinctions between the Ashkenazim on one hand and
the Sephardim and Mizrahim on the other.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As with
many cultures in the region in this time frame, marriages were often arranged,
as in the family around which this story revolves. It also addresses other
social mores at the time, dealing with infidelity, adultery, prostitution, women’s
jobs, single motherhood, loan sharking, divorce – it runs the gamut.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>I recommend
the series – it is truly entertaining – with the following caveats.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">- The story
line runs on two time lines, about a decade apart. Although the year is usually
displayed when the timeline switches, it can be a bit confusing. You have to
remember at times that you already know things that have not happened yet.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> - Use subtitles. The original soundtrack is in
Hebrew, which is dubbed into English. When the characters speak English, it can
be heavily accented (except for the British troops, of course). There is also
some Arabic (Lebanese and Palestinian dialect) and some Ladino, the language of
the Sephardic Jews who originate in Spain and which is based on Spanish. In my
opinion, Ladino is to Spanish as Yiddish is to German.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;">-</span></i><span style="line-height: 115%;"> You will hear references
to several Jewish organizations:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">--<i> Haganah</i>,
Hebrew for “defense,” was a Zionist military organization in Palestine from
1920 to 1948. Organized to combat the revolts of Palestinian Arabs against the increasing
Jewish immigration and settlement of Palestine, it is the forerunner of what is
now the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">-- ETZEL is a Hebrew acronym for <i>Irgun Tzvai Le'umi,</i> “National Military
Organization,” a Jewish underground group established in what is now Israel
during the period of the British Mandate, which conducted terrorist attacks against
both Arabs and British troops. In 1946, members of the group (including future
Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin) would bomb the British headquarters in
the King David Hotel, killing 91 (including 15 Jews) and injuring 45, mostly
innocent civilians outside the hotel. It will be interesting to see how that
event is portrayed in the next season.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">-- Histadrut (General Organization of Workers) was
a socialist organization founded in December 1920 in Haifa to look out for the
interests of Jewish workers. It became one of the most powerful institutions in
the mandatory area and remains so today.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.netflix.com/watch/81562624" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Watch it on
Netflix</span></a></span><span style="line-height: 115%;">.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<a class="twitter-share-button" data-show-count="false" data-size="large" data-text="Movie Review: The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem (Netflix – 2022)" data-via="MiddleEastGuy" href="https://twitter.com/share?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Tweet</a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<!--[endif]--></span></div>Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-27987944340899748672022-04-12T22:55:00.000-07:002022-04-12T22:55:22.035-07:00Movie Review: All the Old Knives (Amazon – 2022)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjma7zsaYB-pHncBHI_d9AlR7ByNiWGgVGQ7r5-nu2qzc17pPSOHvHjrVdSFbLFmQzQ9_Bvw0bE9gklQdezzAqYVnqKKqKv-LhjUBCLrWZ3UYeDyfiLHcD-pPsHEpc6H9YmBhhlFKZ2gSNjILxbcI1cXK6MDx2pt7p0bg7Js0clNT8LyoLbvPk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="577" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjma7zsaYB-pHncBHI_d9AlR7ByNiWGgVGQ7r5-nu2qzc17pPSOHvHjrVdSFbLFmQzQ9_Bvw0bE9gklQdezzAqYVnqKKqKv-LhjUBCLrWZ3UYeDyfiLHcD-pPsHEpc6H9YmBhhlFKZ2gSNjILxbcI1cXK6MDx2pt7p0bg7Js0clNT8LyoLbvPk=w400-h224" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This movie focuses on a CIA investigation into a failed
intelligence operation that takes place in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Vienna</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Austria</st1:country-region></st1:place>
eight years earlier. The movie is set in 2020, with the botched operation in
2012. The film uses flashbacks mixed in with the contemporary story, and with a
few exceptions, flows well. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The movie is inspired by actual events. Any of us who have
been subjected to either Department of Defense or Central Intelligence Agency
internal investigations of botched intelligence operations – I have been subjected
to both – will easily identify with the “witch hunt” mentality present in the
movie.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As always, I will try not to reveal things that will spoil
your enjoyment of the film, which actually requires very little suspension of
disbelief. The events depicted in the movie actually happened (for the most
part).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Most of the action takes place in city of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Vienna</st1:place></st1:city>, particularly at the CIA station in
the U.S. Embassy there. I have spent a lot of time in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Vienna</st1:city></st1:place> (wife’s family), and for the most
part, the scenes matched the script, with one glaring exception – the Gloriette
was badly mismatched. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The other venue in the movie, which was beautifully
videographed, is the <st1:placename w:st="on">Monterey</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Peninsula</st1:placetype> - specifically Carmel-by-the-Sea and <st1:city w:st="on">Pacific Grove</st1:city>, as well as the stunning vistas of
California Highway 1 along the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Monterey</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">County</st1:placetype></st1:place> coast. To those of
us who spent time learning foreign languages at the Defense Language Institute at
the Presidio of Monterey, it was a trip down memory lane. My wife and I liked
it so much, we were married there, and vacation there to this day.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The plot: A Turkish passenger jet is hijacked by Islamist
terrorists at the airport in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Vienna</st1:place></st1:city>.
The CIA station rallies to gather information on who perpetrated the crime, and
any possible solutions.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Based on an interrogation, an Agency source, now dead – one
assumes he died under “enhanced interrogation” (how inconvenient)– claimed that
there was a leak (a “mole” in the parlance) from inside the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Vienna</st1:place></st1:city> station that led to the debacle that
ensues. I am being vague here so as to not reveal too much.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Eight years later (now 2020), “Langley” – “Agency-speak” for
CIA headquarters – wants to know what went wrong, or more correctly, if there
was a leak at Vienna Station and who the mole was. One of the case officers
from that botched operation – well-played by Chris Pine – is assigned to
re-investigate the station’s actions and ultimately discover the mole.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Of course, there are the unnecessary gratuitous sex scenes
and too many personal aspects to the story. Enjoy them – the actors are
attractive – and the storylines are not that farfetched.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The plot line takes numerous twists and keeps you guessing
until the end – well done. Enjoy trying to figure out who the mole was.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The four main characters were all played well:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR">Chris Pine as Henry Pelham</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR">Thandiwe Newton as Celia Harrison</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR">Laurence Fishburne as Vick
Wallinger</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR">Jonathan Pryce as Bill Compton</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Bottom line: Enjoyable film - watch it, immerse yourself in
the plot’s twists and turns, and put a bit of money on who you think it is.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B09KF97NLH/">You
can watch it on Amazon</a>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">___________________<br />
Footnote: I was involved in the National Security Agency coverage of the
hijacking of a 1984 Kuwaiti Airways flight to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Tehran</st1:city>,
<st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region></st1:place>, and
listened live to the murder of an American diplomat. It still haunts me.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a class="twitter-share-button" data-show-count="false" data-size="large" data-text="Movie Review: All the Old Knives (Amazon – 2022)" data-via="MiddleEastGuy" href="https://twitter.com/share?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Tweet</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-81024495509159024972022-03-23T13:41:00.002-07:002022-03-23T13:45:23.054-07:00Movie Review: The Operative (Yuval Adler, 2019)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YJCEq13unJ0TsB-Qfy42lcW1PGaXFOPTvRropcMiSsSe3mYxw9Yp9gNzc-EorS-ucuUJnbAqomyUtajWZF0OIeuwByGezsMeX7sOh4AMVP5Dkj9N1ftwSO9wY0yvxHHNefIKfLPKxcspp4qYKzLtI-P9kZM9G3b-hwc164f4ZqoLo-Xa58Y/s1280/maxresdefault.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YJCEq13unJ0TsB-Qfy42lcW1PGaXFOPTvRropcMiSsSe3mYxw9Yp9gNzc-EorS-ucuUJnbAqomyUtajWZF0OIeuwByGezsMeX7sOh4AMVP5Dkj9N1ftwSO9wY0yvxHHNefIKfLPKxcspp4qYKzLtI-P9kZM9G3b-hwc164f4ZqoLo-Xa58Y/w400-h225/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>The Operative</i> is an adaptation of the novel <i>The
English Teacher</i> by Yiftach Reicher-Atir. Reicher-Atir is a former Israeli
army commando (he led part of the force during the 1976 raid on <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Entebbe</st1:place></st1:city>) and commander of
the army’s special operations directorate.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some of the reviews label the author as a former
intelligence officer, however, given his long career as a special operations
soldier, I believe he has had exposure to many intelligence operations, but is
not an intelligence officer himself. That would explain some of the tradecraft
missteps in the film.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The movie stars Diane Kruger, Martin Freeman, and Cas Anvar.
I think Kruger and Anvar were quite credible in their roles. Freeman, a skilled
actor with a long list of credits, was badly miscast in this role as a British
Jew and Mossad case officer. Watching him in that role required quite a bit of
suspension of disbelief. (That is what fiction requires – that you are able to
enjoy the story even though you know it is not only untrue but sometimes
unbelievable.)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The film revolves around a Mossad operation to place an
operative (Kruger) in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Tehran</st1:place></st1:city>
to meet an Iranian electronics dealer (Farhad, played by Anvar), with the goal
to eventually recruit him. I’ll not spoil the experience for you if you choose
to watch it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Most of the tradecraft is fine, if a bit elementary. The
missteps are quite obvious to the trained eye, however. The use of two legends
simultaneously is dangerous if not impossible, the clumsy use of easily
detectable electronic communications, and the strange side operation to smuggle
explosives into <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region> via <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Turkey</st1:place></st1:country-region> – puzzling
at best, unnecessary at worst.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I still wonder how Rachel (Kruger’s character) was supposed
to make initial contact with her target, but I guess I will have to find the
book and read it – it has recently been translated into English.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Bottom line: for all its minor flaws, it’s still a good
story. It shows a side of the intelligence business not often seen – the toll
of operational life on the people who do this for a living. It can be extremely
stressful. Trust me.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Watch it on <a href="https://www.netflix.com/watch/81162171" target="_blank">Netflix</a>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<a class="twitter-share-button" data-show-count="false" data-size="large" data-text="Movie Review: The Operative (Yuval Adler, 2019)" data-via="MiddleEastGuy" href="https://twitter.com/share?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Tweet</a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-16670217122582689862022-02-12T23:40:00.006-08:002022-02-13T00:12:39.477-08:00Movie Review: Death on the Nile (20th Century, 2022)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjf6RQdpQlyZLoq9IRfGTSB7sfvVMNkA-e5aMun-hbXrwXb08TVnLlqEVA_dnSjuR7110PHLdYXS9B2erwG411wE3qQr0ziJEO7943YEkaVwgwbBA3zEi4JuKjrCfNXs1wBNdd7X3vCCjaB9CrVCrwT_oR7tzyPNDgYLXyxBkbwOCOqIRi4y7A=s2560" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1516" data-original-width="2560" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjf6RQdpQlyZLoq9IRfGTSB7sfvVMNkA-e5aMun-hbXrwXb08TVnLlqEVA_dnSjuR7110PHLdYXS9B2erwG411wE3qQr0ziJEO7943YEkaVwgwbBA3zEi4JuKjrCfNXs1wBNdd7X3vCCjaB9CrVCrwT_oR7tzyPNDgYLXyxBkbwOCOqIRi4y7A=w400-h238" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There have been three movie adaptations of Agatha Christie’s
1937 novel <i>Death on the <st1:place w:st="on">Nile</st1:place>. </i>The first
was in 1978 starring Peter Ustinov as the legendary Hercule Poirot, followed by
the gold standard version starring the quintessential Poirot portrayed by David
Suchet in 2004.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
In 2022, we have Kenneth Branagh attempting to salvage his disastrous portrayal
of the Belgian sleuth in his adaptation and remake of Murder on the Orient
Express. When I saw the publicity surrounding the release of his adaptation of the novel, I was skeptical. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So when I saw that Branagh remade one of my favorite movies,
I was skeptical – given his past, I was not in the mood to give him the benefit
of the doubt. Then, I thought, “Okay, I have personally been to all of the
venues of this novel – let’s see how he interprets this.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Flashback: In 1987, I was in war-torn southern <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> (don’t
ask) driving north of al-Basrah when I can across an old airfield. There was a
vintage tri-motor aircraft parked on the side of the hangar bay and I thought
to myself, “This is an Agatha Christie moment.” It haunts me to this day.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Years later, I was in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region>
(again, don’t ask), and took the opportunity to visit the historical sites in <st1:city w:st="on">Aswan</st1:city> and <st1:place w:st="on">Abu Simbel</st1:place>.
Agatha Christie wrote her novel in 1937 while staying at the First Cataract
hotel in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Aswan</st1:place></st1:city>.
I stayed at the same hotel, which by then had become the Pullman Hotel, and
visited <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Philae</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Island</st1:placetype></st1:place> as seen in the movie – what great
venues. I understand these were recreated in a movie studio in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">England</st1:place></st1:country-region>, but
the producers did an excellent job. (<a href="https://francona.com/travels/egypt/index.html#Aswan">See my photos of
Aswan from the late-1990s</a>)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjM1dO5yvB0KN2v2jEEz5NDlx73NB3Q82Y8EZPQ5BUzxYoFDnhcr88K5VWt3vzpmzWYDf0FfbL1Zxnr6eptZYHLq22jwUa_r7etXGhhq5pjAaEO8tqtqEIcbK1qx3u2xKdY2AUt-7ZpjaAynR2HOo4L5Kz2b5DLjt7B-gj_dKvKQGTOA-qqVxQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="573" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjM1dO5yvB0KN2v2jEEz5NDlx73NB3Q82Y8EZPQ5BUzxYoFDnhcr88K5VWt3vzpmzWYDf0FfbL1Zxnr6eptZYHLq22jwUa_r7etXGhhq5pjAaEO8tqtqEIcbK1qx3u2xKdY2AUt-7ZpjaAynR2HOo4L5Kz2b5DLjt7B-gj_dKvKQGTOA-qqVxQ=w400-h283" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /><!--[endif]--></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To the critics that will claim that the scenes what is
purported to be Abu Simbel are not accurate, remember that prior to the
construction of the Aswan High Dam in 1960, these archeological treasures were rescued
from the resultant rise of the water level and the creation of </span><st1:place style="font-family: verdana;" w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Lake</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Nasser</st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8qv3unUyX-MMapjZpoAZRCfKmmquibBr7VMtphebb_G-HS1cJWq9R-G3zi0YIrsD2waRZx3tqYo0A1glX057KRvAq8zml9XRUmaz_uJIDO838zmmL57yNwV8_a5KfbvEwj_NJphO4XfjJ-XlLo5hVyA3jYEAoGKr5-0vojCVA62yI1tR6NQI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="549" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8qv3unUyX-MMapjZpoAZRCfKmmquibBr7VMtphebb_G-HS1cJWq9R-G3zi0YIrsD2waRZx3tqYo0A1glX057KRvAq8zml9XRUmaz_uJIDO838zmmL57yNwV8_a5KfbvEwj_NJphO4XfjJ-XlLo5hVyA3jYEAoGKr5-0vojCVA62yI1tR6NQI=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /><!--[endif]--></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What most of us have visited are the relocated actual
monuments. (</span><a href="https://francona.com/travels/egypt/index.html#AbuSimbul" style="font-family: verdana;">See
my photos of Abu Simbul from the late 1990’s</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I watched the Branagh version on an XD screen, then came
home and watched the 2004 David Suchet version to make a comparison. Branagh in
Murder on the Orient Express and this adaptation of Murder on the <st1:place w:st="on">Nile</st1:place> was like night and day – Branagh has completely
changed his portrayal of Hercule Poirot from a rigid automaton to an actual
likeable character with flaws and personal introspections.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I like the updating of a 1937 period novel to the 21<sup>st</sup>
Century – the adaptation is well done, with maybe the exception of the gay
couple (no spoiler alert here). It works well for a story told in the 1920s. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Go see it – immerse yourself in the minimal suspension of
disbelief. Kenneth Branagh is totally believable as Hercule Poirot. He may not
be the quintessential Poirot as portrayed by David Suchet, but it’s a fast-moving and enjoyable two hours.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><br /><p></p>
<a class="twitter-share-button" data-show-count="false" data-size="large" data-text="Movie Review: Death on the Nile (20th Century, 2022)" data-via="MiddleEastGuy" href="https://twitter.com/share?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Tweet</a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-18923418299375357892022-01-23T23:25:00.003-08:002022-01-23T23:51:18.203-08:00Movie Review: Munich – The Edge of War (Netflix, 2021)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSL4Uw4LWAn_7pu0CRqxinHXhu3MnBD1DVoMmC8W1jfJ4_3t56IrrE878NYZFUS1HQepvKB-mv-1XRdcnxTX12jw1xybkN8p5eBx0l8e4N_9_b8rz2P5mQTiO0gUCAO4Rq8qYaxcfur0mEtt8RyCiY6ugGj9XqJ5lafDD43OVuC_2VKgfurSA=s1200" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="1200" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSL4Uw4LWAn_7pu0CRqxinHXhu3MnBD1DVoMmC8W1jfJ4_3t56IrrE878NYZFUS1HQepvKB-mv-1XRdcnxTX12jw1xybkN8p5eBx0l8e4N_9_b8rz2P5mQTiO0gUCAO4Rq8qYaxcfur0mEtt8RyCiY6ugGj9XqJ5lafDD43OVuC_2VKgfurSA=w400-h163" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes, I know this is not about the <st1:place w:st="on">Middle
East</st1:place>. I am reviewing this because of the intelligence aspects of the movie.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As with all good fiction, the reader must exercise what
authors refer to as “the suspension of disbelief” - avoidance of critical
thinking or logic in examining something unlikely or impossible in reality. Watch
it, and go along with it for the sake of enjoyment. This movie does a fair job
in blurring that line between belief and disbelief, although there are a few
scenes of various meetings that are pretty far-fetched.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The movie, an adaptation of British author Robert Harris’s
novel <st1:city w:st="on"><i>Munich</i></st1:city>, is set in 1938 as
Adolph Hitler threatens to seize the Sudetenland portion of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Czechoslovakia</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
claiming it to be rightfully German territory. Of course, as anyone remotely familiar
with modern history knows, there were negotiations between British Prime
Minister Neville Chamberlain and Hitler. Yes, the Italians and French were
there as well, but this was basically <st1:city w:st="on">London</st1:city> versus
<st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Berlin</st1:place></st1:state>. This
is where “appeasement diplomacy” began.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The talks took place in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Munich</st1:place></st1:city>. The two lead characters who walk us
through these events turn out to be a British civil servant (Hugh Legat) and a
German diplomat (Paul von Hartmann), both of whom attended <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oxford</st1:place></st1:city> for a period of two years in the early
1930’s, and struck up a friendship.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">At some point in the preparations for the talks, Legat is
summoned to a meeting with a colonel from MI-6 (British Military Intelligence, now the
Secret Intelligence Service, although the MI-6 moniker is still heard). At that
meeting, a plan is set in motion that utilizes the untrained Legat as an
intelligence operative.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I will leave the political and other aspects of the movie to
others, and don’t want to provide any more spoilers that I may have inadvertently done.
I will focus on the intelligence aspects of the movie.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">First, dispatching a completely untrained civil servant on a
dangerous intelligence operation into "unfriendly" territory without any
preparations whatsoever is a recipe for disaster. At the very minimum, Legat
should have been given some rudimentary counterintelligence training – basic do’s
and don’t, some simple surveillance detection concepts (there was no time for
real training), some sort of concealment device for documents, a communications
plan, and emergency/distress signals. He got none of that.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It gets worse – he is tasked by the MI-6 colonel to carry
out this operation without notifying his superiors. Not a good idea, when you
are working at the level of the prime minister and his most senior adviser Sir
Horace Wilson. What might be sound operational procedure could very appear to
be to working at odds with your own government. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least the colonel provided some clandestine
support, but I’ll stop there.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It becomes obvious that there has been an MI-6 penetration
of the German government at the highest levels – that’s a real intelligence
success. I suspect there was a "walk-in" to the defense attache office at the British Embassy, but that's just speculation. It rarely gets any better than what we deduce is happening, but in
this case, it could have been just that. Unfortunately, they never take it to the next level.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In any operation, the overriding concern is collection
of the intelligence. I remember having that drilled into me at intelligence
operations school – get the intelligence, get the intelligence, get the
intelligence. That’s why you are there, that’s why we spend the money, that’s
why we take the risks. You’ll see that Legat never got that admonition. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The other overriding concern is the security and safety of
your asset. Both of the main characters, mostly through no fault of their own, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">repeatedly </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">put each other at risk. It’s so obvious, there is no need to belabor
it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One more comment about the historical and political aspect
of the movie. At the end, in what appears to be an attempt to rehabilitate
Neville Chamberlain and his legacy as the prime minister who appeased Hitler.
The producers put forth the supposition that Chamberlain knew Hitler would not
be satisfied, but sacrificed the Sudetenland to buy time to allow the Allies
(which at that time did not include the United States) to prepare for
inevitable war. Interesting, but not accurate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">BOTTOM LINE: As far as historical fiction goes, it takes a
lot of liberties, but with enough suspension of disbelief, it’s a good story. It’s
not <i>The Hunt for Red October</i>, but it will keep you entertained. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It should also provide a badly-needed reminder that appeasement does not
work.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Netflix: <a href="https://www.netflix.com/watch/81144852">https://www.netflix.com/watch/81144852</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p></p>
<a class="twitter-share-button" data-show-count="false" data-size="large" data-text="Movie Review: Munich – The Edge of War (Netflix, 2021)" data-via="MiddleEastGuy" href="https://twitter.com/share?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Tweet</a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-25324777564845460732022-01-07T15:31:00.001-08:002022-01-07T15:31:41.121-08:00Miniseries Review: "The Girl from Oslo" (Netflix 2021)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEios4A4V3gUbE3cyaWGXFa9bW1c2JIlUeYo0etGm_yv7_o35pKd6TBzFY8fuAJQXlfEVqtUDukuyZCHMGGIM6GknO1qO5wzID4eA-JeqDBvzvd4XJiPq8ZHmtizQ1acqNrjAmgyGWwynuVX1oZ_F-M6fv2ya5rsC0akAbUNzSzIbGTVjAKbH6E=s1564" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEios4A4V3gUbE3cyaWGXFa9bW1c2JIlUeYo0etGm_yv7_o35pKd6TBzFY8fuAJQXlfEVqtUDukuyZCHMGGIM6GknO1qO5wzID4eA-JeqDBvzvd4XJiPq8ZHmtizQ1acqNrjAmgyGWwynuVX1oZ_F-M6fv2ya5rsC0akAbUNzSzIbGTVjAKbH6E=s400" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My initial observation: this is the worst title the
producers could have chosen for the English-language version of this
miniseries. The Hebrew title, <i>Azharat Masa</i> ("Travel Advisory")
is not much better. The Norwegian title, <i>Bortført</i> ("Abducted")
is probably the best of the lot. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The show tells the story of two Israeli siblings and the
daughter of a Norwegian diplomat visiting <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region>
and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region> when the three are
abducted by Islamist terrorists and held as hostages to be used in a prisoner
exchange for convicted terrorists being held by <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region>
and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Norway</st1:country-region>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Norwegian title at least hints at the actual subject –
the Hebrew and English, not so much. Something called “The Girl from <st1:city w:st="on">Oslo</st1:city>” could be a romantic
comedy, a travel show, a musical – anything but a show about international
intrigue and transnational terrorism. What caught my eye was the one phrase,
“When her daughter is abducted, a Norwegian diplomat <u>travels to the <st1:place w:st="on">Middle East</st1:place></u>….” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Without that one phrase, I would have ignored the series
entirely.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The series is filmed in English, Hebrew, Arabic, and
Norwegian – I am sure that posed a variety of problems. As I listened to the
English-dubbed soundtrack, it appears to be well-done. Some personal comments –
some of the actors portraying Arabs were in reality native Hebrew-speaking
Israelis. It is a hard accent to disguise, but overall was fairly good. Of
course, the Arabic-speaking actors were perfect, but…</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">…and this is a small nit, but if I had to describe the
Arabic in the series, I would call it closer to the Palestinian Arabic spoken
on the West Bank than that spoken in the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula, where
the series is set. Like I said, a minor thing. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The subtitling was well-done, but for those who understand
the underlying Arabic, you will note that these are more interpretations than
actual translations, which if fine. I often interpreted rather than directly
translated when I served as an Arabic translator. It’s an art….</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There have been some complaints about the final editing,
which by contract agreement was done by the Norwegians. The Israelis believe
that the editing removed a lot of the subtle nuances about the geopolitical
situation. Maybe – but the story remains tightly produced and tense throughout.
Though, a little more “attention to
details” would have made a number of scenes more credible. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some background for those of you who decide to watch it –
and I do recommend it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">- This is a work of fiction. Although there was a kidnapping
of a Norwegian and Israeli while on vacation in the Sinai, they were later
released. There was no relation to designated terrorist groups Hamas or ISIS.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">- As with all fiction, it does require some of what is
called “suspension of disbelief,” in other words, this is a story, so go along
with some of the things you might think are unrealistic.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">- Much of the action on the Israeli side occurs in the
Israeli Ministry of Intelligence. The ministry is a relatively new
organization, loosely modeled on the American Office of the Director of
National Intelligence, established to coordinate and oversee the various
Israeli intelligence and security organizations. As in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region>,
it is more an administrative organization than an operations agency. (See paragraph
immediately above.)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">- The three main organizations in the series are the
Israelis, Hamas, and ISIS. For those who don’t follow <st1:place w:st="on">Middle
East</st1:place> events closely, it can be confusing. Hamas is an Arabic
acronym for <i>harakat al-muqawamah al-islamiyah </i>(Islamic Resistance
Movement), a Palestinian Islamist political and quasi-military organization
whose goal is to eliminate the State of Israel. It controls virtually all
aspects of life in the Gaza Strip. Its military arm, known as the ‘Izz al-Din
al-Qassam Brigades, is responsible for a variety of attacks on <st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place>.
It is supported by <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region>
and possesses a huge arsenal of rockets and missiles.<br />
<br />
- ISIS (also referred to in the series as “Da’ish”) is an acronym for the
English translation of its name, the Islamic State in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Syria</st1:country-region>. Da’ish is an acronym of the
Arabic name, <i>al-dawlat al-islamiyah fi al-‘<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> wal-sham</i>. ISIS and Hamas,
although both Sunni organizations, are often at odds with each other. While
Hamas is the principal power in the Gaza Strip, ISIS has a presence in the <st1:place w:st="on">Sinai Peninsula</st1:place>, and maintains a state of hostility with
the Egyptian government. <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region>
and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region>, as seen in the
series, cooperate on efforts against <st1:place w:st="on">ISIS</st1:place>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">- I was surprised at some of the Hamas versus ISIS interactions
in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Norway</st1:country-region>,
including Hamas’s use of a female operative. I find that a bit hard to believe,
but maybe they’ve moved out of the 7<sup>th</sup> Century.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My bottom line: It’s a good story, moves fast, and requires
only minimum suspension of disbelief. It will entertain you, but it’s not
Fauda. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.netflix.com/watch/81159774">Watch it on
Netflix</a><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div>
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Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-90090116302987312942021-10-24T08:54:00.002-07:002021-10-25T10:02:12.690-07:00Movie Review – Official Secrets (2019)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1pFRx_GJ06rtjd-blR7w6mAFkce3PuMw-qe39L6eFLLN5q9ufoKGNZ441T6YLJOdGAvqXGMHlego1eF_DlbGCggkt7Jl_9V97eDJBm6Etrt6u6JALRAlMcSy79ARVGZKecYmOiA/s650/poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Official Secrets poster" border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="650" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1pFRx_GJ06rtjd-blR7w6mAFkce3PuMw-qe39L6eFLLN5q9ufoKGNZ441T6YLJOdGAvqXGMHlego1eF_DlbGCggkt7Jl_9V97eDJBm6Etrt6u6JALRAlMcSy79ARVGZKecYmOiA/w400-h246/poster.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Here we have yet another fact-based movie about an
intelligence officer who betrays her country and her oath. Here again, we have yet
another whitewash by the entertainment industry who appear to hold these
traitors in high esteem.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is the story of a linguist – Katharine Gun – employed
by the highly secretive Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the
signals intelligence organization of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United Kingdom</st1:country-region></st1:place>, the counterpart of
the American National Security Agency (NSA).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Note how the movie is described by Netflix, Rotten Tomatoes,
and IMDB.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyHqV6o8T3sjRVU6v8mvFmMSRYMySx5HTriqmbf7NzTcdcnIvJM-Q8CXAE6lx4SFmAXLIAlxmarJWIdhjGNKi_vUJcdVvfi2VPElzH4c0mj1HkvZq_HDM62vfijW7R5biPM4EGQ/s2048/descriptions.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1183" data-original-width="2048" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyHqV6o8T3sjRVU6v8mvFmMSRYMySx5HTriqmbf7NzTcdcnIvJM-Q8CXAE6lx4SFmAXLIAlxmarJWIdhjGNKi_vUJcdVvfi2VPElzH4c0mj1HkvZq_HDM62vfijW7R5biPM4EGQ/w400-h231/descriptions.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">You see the same mantra repeated over and over to the point
that people start believing it. Terms like “whistleblower,” “illegal,” “spy,”
and “unlawful” are just incorrect when applied to Katherine Gun and her
betrayal. The movie also repeats these falsehoods ad nauseam, also adding the
ludicrous charge that the <st1:place w:st="on">United
States</st1:place> was seeking information to blackmail fellow
members of the United Nations Security Council.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Katharine Gun is not a whistleblower, which is a specific
legal term here in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United
States</st1:country-region> – I am not sure about British law. Here
there are specific requirements for someone to qualify for “whistleblower” protection,
including how and to whom to report illegal activities. None of those involve
leaking highly classified defense or intelligence information to the media –
which is exactly what she did.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Nothing that NSA did violates <st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place> law – in fact, there are
statutory legal protocols that allow for just this activity. Collecting
intelligence from foreign communications is what NSA does. If the
communications occur in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United
States</st1:country-region>, it requires a warrant from the Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Court. None of the countries mentioned in the Koza email enjoy
any immunity from surveillance by American intelligence services. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Read the email for yourself. I see no indication of
blackmail or anything that would violate <st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place> law.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Text of a Top Secret/Comint email claimed to have been sent
by Frank Koza of the NSA Regional Threats (RT) office on January 31, 2003. The
recipients were officials of NSA’s British counterpart, Government Communications
Headquarters (GCHQ): </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>As you've likely heard by now, the Agency is mounting a
surge particularly directed at the UN Security Council (UNSC) members (minus US
and GBR of course) for insights as to how to membership is reacting to the
on-going debate RE: Iraq, plans to vote on any related resolutions, what
related policies/ negotiating positions they may be considering, alliances/
dependencies, etc - the whole gamut of information that could give US
policymakers an edge in obtaining results favorable to US goals or to head off
surprises. In RT, that means a QRC surge effort to revive/ create efforts
against UNSC members <st1:country-region w:st="on">Angola</st1:country-region>,
<st1:country-region w:st="on">Cameroon</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Chile</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Bulgaria</st1:country-region>
and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Guinea</st1:country-region>, as well as extra
focus on <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>
UN matters.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>We've also asked ALL RT topi's to emphasize and make sure
they pay attention to existing non-UNSC member UN-related and domestic comms
for anything useful related to the UNSC deliberations/ debates/ votes. We have
a lot of special UN-related diplomatic coverage (various UN delegations) from
countries not sitting on the UNSC right now that could contribute related
perspectives/ insights/ whatever. We recognize that we can't afford to ignore
this possible source.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>We'd appreciate your support in getting the word to your
analysts who might have similar, more in-direct access to valuable information
from accesses in your product lines. I suspect that you'll be hearing more
along these lines in formal channels - especially as this effort will probably
peak (at least for this specific focus) in the middle of next week, following
the SecState's presentation to the UNSC.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Thanks for your help.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">No one should be surprised that the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> and <st1:place w:st="on">UK</st1:place> intelligence communities collect
foreign communications – that is the core mission of both NSA and GCHQ. To
imply that this email indicates illegal, illicit, or immoral activity is ludicrous.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">As for the movie production itself – it has well-known
British actors who are skilled at their craft. That said, I am disappointed
that they chose to appear in this anti-American whitewash of treasonous
activity. Are they condoning such behavior? It would appear so.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Pass on this one.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://twitter.com/share?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" class="twitter-share-button" data-size="large" data-text="Movie Review – Official Secrets (2019)" data-via="MiddleEastGuy" data-show-count="false">Tweet</a><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><p></p>Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-18518805632625104382021-10-10T22:28:00.000-07:002021-10-10T22:28:57.706-07:00Movie Review – Snowden (Oliver Stone – 2016)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymxYIzJPYYh8Xpofq9Rb_ORIe7grEY7oh727uNUH-kD3GdtLuuyxOg-D4Y1KHOH9D329uj1iwdYN-K10pVtO5n_Sg1TJpX-DaZX1JFqZlK4XbsrdG5DIsfR0DwahmPrggBt3-dA/s290/Snowden_film_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="197" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymxYIzJPYYh8Xpofq9Rb_ORIe7grEY7oh727uNUH-kD3GdtLuuyxOg-D4Y1KHOH9D329uj1iwdYN-K10pVtO5n_Sg1TJpX-DaZX1JFqZlK4XbsrdG5DIsfR0DwahmPrggBt3-dA/s0/Snowden_film_poster.jpg" width="197" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Against my better judgment, I decided to watch Oliver Stone’s
production of the story of the traitor Edward Snowden. I often wonder at
Stone’s predilection with anti-American themes, but that is an analysis for
another time.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The film contains a mix-mash of intelligence community
descriptions and definitions which, let’s say are only vaguely accurate. I
could go through the list of inaccuracies, but I’ll give the filmmakers the
benefit of the doubt since it is highly unlikely that any of them have ever been
inside the operations and training facilities depicted. I only wish the
operations spaces at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National
Security Agency (NSA) were as nice as these sets. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The workspaces in both agencies – I’ve worked in both – are
what I would call “GSA* chic” and usually small, cramped, and filled with
equipment and files. The smaller spaces are normal because much of the work
being done is not only highly classified, but also compartmented. People
working in one area are unlikely to be cleared for operations just ten feet
away.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The movie attempts to portray Snowden as an intelligence
officer at both agencies, but in reality, he was a communications technician,
not an operations officer, and later as a technical contractor. This is obvious
from the description of the training facility where Snowden received his
training, referred to colloquially as “the Hill.”** </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The facility exists, and is where the CIA trains people to
become Telecommunications Information Systems Officers (TISO), technicians
responsible for maintaining the agency’s communications systems around the
world. Having worked with TISOs in many locations, they are competent
professionals, but they are not field operations personnel – that training
takes place at another CIA facility, commonly referred to as “the Farm.” ** The
factitious and amateurish asset recruitment scenarios in which Snowden claims
to have participated are comic at best, and obviously not part of the skill set
provided in his position. I suspect he was attesting to “pad his CV.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The program that Snowden seems to have found so egregious
has to do with the intelligence community’s access to the meta data of phone
calls of American citizens. When I was in the signals intelligence business
(when dinosaurs roamed the earth), we referred to this information as
“externals” – date, time, numbers connected, duration, etc., as opposed to
“internal” information, the actual content of the communication. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What is the difference in how the data is used? </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The internal information, the content, is used for
intelligence information – that’s easy. It is the use of the externals, the
meta data, that is extremely useful in uncovering networks – the term is
network analysis – who is talking to whom. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let’s use a real-world scenario. Although I do not consider
the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISID) to be an ally,
they have been useful at times when their counterterrorism goals coincide with
ours. The ISID develops intelligence – or we apprise them – of the presence of
an al-Qa’idah operative in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Quetta</st1:place></st1:city>.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ISID officers obtain whatever warrant or authorization
necessary (I suspect it is none) to “kick in” the location. One of the most
valuable items in the venue will be electronics – cell phones, satellite phone,
tablets, computers, hard drives, thumb drives, etc. It is a treasure trove of
data.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let’s focus on the cell phones, although all of the media involved
will yield similarly useful data. If this venue, say that al-Qa’idah believed
to be a safe house, was occupied and/or used by a known al-Qa’idah operative,
wouldn’t you want to know who with whom he has been communicating? That’s a
rhetorical question – of course you would. If these contacts were located in
the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
doesn’t that take on a greater sense of urgency? Of course.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The claimed issue (I don’t buy it) for Snowden was the
intelligence community’s access to American citizens’ meta data. Granted, the
warrants required to access this data, issued via the secret Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act (FISA) courts, are easy to obtain – but shouldn’t they be? An
al-Qa’ida operative in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region>
is talking to someone in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region>; we need to take a look at that.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Although Stone never developed it fully in the movie, the
thought that warrants should be limited to the future – in other words, once we
have the phone numbers from the Pakistani ISID – the intelligence community and
FBI obtain warrants for future communications. The problem: once these safe
houses are raided, al-Qa’idah (or whatever group) closes all the accounts and
stops using the devices the now assumed to be compromised. We need to know what
has happened in the past.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Recent legislation has limited the intelligence community’s
access to that historic information, thanks to the overreaction of Snowden’s
treason. Unfortunately, our Congress, both houses but primarily the House, have
aided in that limitation. If the intelligence community cannot ascertain who
these terrorists were connecting with in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>, we have less of a
chance of preventing a future terrorist event.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My primary issue with the movie, which Stone admits is not a
documentary or a historical account but a fictionalized version of reality, is
the attempt to portray Snowden as a whistleblower rather than the traitor he
chose to become. There is no historical record of Snowden contacting the proper
whistleblower channels – supervisors, inspector generals, or members of
Congress – before he decided to contact the media.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Snowden is not a whistleblower – he went to the media, who
he arranged to meet not in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region>,
but <st1:place w:st="on">Hong Kong</st1:place>. Yes, Hong Kong, now a part of
the <st1:placename w:st="on">Peoples</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Republic</st1:placetype>
of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region>.
After meeting with journalists there and releasing classified data, fled to <st1:city w:st="on">Moscow</st1:city> – yes, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region> – to evade capture. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Call me skeptical. Edward Snowden, who publicly to
international media, released highly classified <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> national security information,
and that – and more – did not end up in the hands of Chinese and Russian
intelligence? I did this for a living for almost three decades. Whatever sensitive,
classified information he had, they now have. From colleagues in the
intelligence community, we may never recover from the losses he caused.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, my views of Ed’s future? If it was up to me, I would go
further than former CIA director and NSA director General Mike Hayden’s (a
personal acquaintance) comments that Snowden will die in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Moscow</st1:place></st1:city>. I would cause it – but that’s just
me, someone who has lost agents in the field because of traitors like Snowden.
If he is allowed to return to the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place>, I’d like to have a
one-on-one conversation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Bottom line: Edward Snowden is not a whistleblower, and as
Oliver Stone would have you believe, he is not a hero. He is a traitor, weak of
character, and easily manipulated. This cinematographic attempt to justify his
actions borders on abetting treason. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you must watch, the film is available on Netflix:<br />
<a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80064514">https://www.netflix.com/title/80064514</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">__________</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">* General Services Administration, the agency of the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> government
responsible for the outfitting and basic functioning of official facilities. Think
“lowest bidder.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">** These facilities exist, but officially not by these nicknames
– I have chosen not to identify them. I received my clandestine operations
training at the facility referred to as “the Farm.” I am sure anyone doing a
Google search will figure out where they are, but my secrecy agreements prevent
me from identifying them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-70865152890875980922021-08-15T13:56:00.004-07:002021-08-15T15:48:25.672-07:00The fall of Kabul – who did not see this coming?<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2n-ySZ16-d4KjOUM8MrqfpTw2vYqiEEBG1K2yW-Qods1gjRCMSFpFdJwqPzJM2XOh-ZF0RUrwEFCNdgDakrupG169fkH6S62UL2tcImX1Mf5vzheJcWjM8bwM4kUP3_wFieBOw/s740/106927558-1629028749060-AP21227321721147.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="740" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2n-ySZ16-d4KjOUM8MrqfpTw2vYqiEEBG1K2yW-Qods1gjRCMSFpFdJwqPzJM2XOh-ZF0RUrwEFCNdgDakrupG169fkH6S62UL2tcImX1Mf5vzheJcWjM8bwM4kUP3_wFieBOw/w400-h225/106927558-1629028749060-AP21227321721147.jpg" title="A U.S. helicopter flies over the city of Kabul (Rahmat Gul - AP)" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A U.S. helicopter flies over Kabul </span><span style="font-family: arial;">(Rahmat
Gul - AP)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thanks to the Biden Administration’s disastrous handling of
the withdrawal of American forces from <st1:country-region w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region>,
the world is about to witness another botched evacuation reminiscent of the
fall of <st1:place w:st="on">Saigon</st1:place> on April 30, 1975. Those of us
who served in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Vietnam</st1:country-region>
will never forget the disturbing images of Huey helicopters evacuating people
from the rooftop of the American embassy.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It appears that history is about to repeat itself. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">President Biden announced, probably against the advice of
his senior military leadership, that the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region> would withdraw all of
its forces by the end of August. I can’t say that I blame Biden for not listening
to the same generals who created the absolute disaster that <st1:country-region w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region> has
become.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let’s review how we got here. Soon after the al-Qa’idah
attacks on the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region>
on September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush delivered an ultimatum to the
Taliban to surrender ‘Usamah bin Ladin to the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region>. The Taliban refused,
triggering the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> invasion
of the country and the removal of the Taliban, to be replaced by the <st1:place w:st="on">Northern Alliance</st1:place>. The American military began operations
to eliminate al-Qa’idah, including bin Ladin.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">By early December, the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>
and its allies (including Northern Alliance, British, and German forces) had
forced the remnants of al-Qa’idah to seek shelter from the relentless air
attacks in the Tora Bora cave complex near the border with <st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region>. An
Afghan militia leader claimed that he had negotiated the surrender of al-Qa’idah,
including bin Ladin, and they were working out the “modalities of bin Ladin’s
surrender.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I remember shaking my head in disbelief. Rather than
committing <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>
forces to the capture or killing of bin Ladin, we agreed to “outsource” it to
an unreliable Afghan warlord. I said to anyone who would listen that there is
no way this group of Afghans was going to turn over a fellow Muslim, a fellow
warrior, to the United States. It was just not going to happen. President Bush
refused to commit <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>
forces to an attack, believing Pakistani lies that they would apprehend bin
Ladin if he tried to enter <st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We all know what happened – this “working out the modalities”
was merely a ploy to buy time to allow tribal forces on both sides of the
border to spirit bin Ladin into <st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region>,
where he remained until <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>
forces tracked him down in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Abbottabad</st1:city>,
<st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region></st1:place> on May
2, 2011. The Pakistanis had no idea where he was for almost ten years? I find
that hard to believe.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">After the end of the Battle of Tora Bora, I maintain that the
<st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region> had achieved
its major objective of the invasion of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region> – to remove al-Qa’idah
from the country. The survivors of the organization who accompanied bin Ladin
into <st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region> dispersed to
other areas to continue the fight – <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region>,
<st1:country-region w:st="on">Syria</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Yemen</st1:country-region>, the <st1:place w:st="on">Maghreb</st1:place>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So why did the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region>
feel compelled to remain in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region>,
a country that has been known as “the graveyard of empires?” You would think
that knowledgeable people in the American intelligence, military, and
diplomatic communities would have recognized the folly of committing a large
military force to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region>
except to oversee the orderly withdrawal of <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> troops.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For reasons that I cannot fathom, some bright light,
probably at the State Department, came up with the idea that we should try to
introduce Western-style democracy into this tribal society. This phenomena –
starting out to do one thing (removing al-Qai’dah) and morphing into another (nation
building) – is called “mission creep.” We Americans excel at it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The obvious, but faulty, analogy that some will point out is
the Marshall Plan to rebuild <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place> after
World War II. There is nothing remotely similar to reintroducing democratic
institutions in Europe and creating democracy from nothing in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region>. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Of course, the first step in any of these efforts is to
establish security – that usually means more troops. The American military
presence continued to grow to combat the threat still posed by the resurgent
Taliban. In my view, at that time, the Taliban did not represent a threat to
the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region>.
Al-Qa’idah did, and was dealt with.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Did I want the Taliban to resume control of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region>? No.
Did I think that the continued presence of American and allied troops would
prevent it? No. I thought the presence of foreign troops would only be able to
postpone the Taliban’s return to power, but in the end not prevent it. Why didn’t
our supposedly bright military leaders tell the President(s) that? If you can’t
win a war, don’t fight it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As we have seen time and time again, a smaller, committed force
can outlast a superpower and defeat the incompetent indigenous forces supposedly
trained and equipped by their sponsors. The Afghan army was never a capable
fighting force, despite the huge expenditure of American and allied resources
and massive training efforts. <br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Why not? Because their hearts were not in it. Most of the
troops willing to join the Afghan military or security forces were doing it for
a paycheck, not a burning desire to keep democracy alive in </span><st1:country-region style="font-family: verdana;" w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">On the other hand, the Taliban fighters are true believers. They
will fight to the death to achieve their objective – the reintroduction of an
Islamic state in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region>.
They also enjoy enough popular support to continue to fight on despite the
efforts of the <st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place>
and its allies. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is only the presence of foreign forces that prevent the
Taliban from retaking the entire country. With the irresponsible manner of the Biden
withdrawal, it is only a matter of time – I give it days – before the Taliban
regain control.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In a press conference on July 8<sup>th</sup>, Biden claimed
that a Taliban victory was not inevitable, citing the fact that the Afghan military
of 300,000 was among the best equipped in the world, and capable of defeating
the 75,000 Taliban fighters. Just two days ago, the Pentagon spokesman claimed
that <st1:city w:st="on">Kabul</st1:city> was
not in imminent danger. Clearly, neither one of them has a grasp on the reality
of the situation. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My bottom line: We should have left <st1:country-region w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region> after ‘Usamah bin Ladin was allowed to
“escape” to <st1:place w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:place>
in an act of perfidy in 2001, or at the latest in early 2002, and prevented the
loss of thousands of lives and trillions of dollars.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<a class="twitter-share-button" data-show-count="false" data-size="large" data-text="The fall of Kabul – who did not see this coming?" data-via="MiddleEastGuy" href="https://twitter.com/share?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Tweet</a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br /></p>Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-77225216666950321972021-06-28T22:04:00.010-07:002021-06-28T22:53:01.905-07:00Film Review: From the Sky (Ian Ebright, 2014)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nMu9BXwSogHYdO3X1q4BVigIMhcmZcuCee10OD9BLL96riwNvlSN-TcLxjjXMnmD7i5IbSdXCsy37YREb3eyEGtdpJaAMwCHxWSJHXDlKsijjXDRNO_6gUVTMEax1v8E6FjvfA/s2048/Untitled-2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1432" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nMu9BXwSogHYdO3X1q4BVigIMhcmZcuCee10OD9BLL96riwNvlSN-TcLxjjXMnmD7i5IbSdXCsy37YREb3eyEGtdpJaAMwCHxWSJHXDlKsijjXDRNO_6gUVTMEax1v8E6FjvfA/w190-h271/Untitled-2.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>From the Sky</i></b> is a short film, only 18 minutes long, but it’s
worth the watch. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The film was released in the spring of 2014, so I am
estimating that it was probably filmed in 2013. The producers did this on a
small budget, and filmed it in of all places, the state of <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:state>. It works well enough for what
they were trying to accomplish.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The stated premise of the film: A peaceful father (Hakim)
and troubled son (‘Abbas) suffering from post traumatic stress disorder
traveling through a region that often experiences <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> drone strikes. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The two are
forced to make difficult decisions when two armed militants (Dhiyah and Samir)
visit their camp.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <br /><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglt_jOTxkuPcYc5xRJy8VG2jLZa1lN6MpUQeJ-m9Acx8LoBcFkfTeTomzseZhPs9FW2hLnECBTPa5w7ozsKuu26TmRXpDO0-weYRq6FV_WE0W7QXRsQryKTQl_sEFe6Gz8aqldmA/s947/Untitled-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="947" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglt_jOTxkuPcYc5xRJy8VG2jLZa1lN6MpUQeJ-m9Acx8LoBcFkfTeTomzseZhPs9FW2hLnECBTPa5w7ozsKuu26TmRXpDO0-weYRq6FV_WE0W7QXRsQryKTQl_sEFe6Gz8aqldmA/w400-h246/Untitled-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I watched this film, which is in Arabic with English
subtitles. The actors playing the father and the two militants spoke with in a
light Levantine dialect and accent, although at times it appeared they were
trying to speak unaccented standard Arabic. The actor playing the son spoke the
clearest unaccented Arabic, which is probably what they were going for. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I say this because at no time is a location mentioned, no
country, city, village, or region.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given
the Levantine accent, one could almost believe that it is supposed to be <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Syria</st1:place></st1:country-region>. That is
also underscored by the fact that when Dhiyah and Samir first meet Hakim and ‘Abbas,
they greet and are surprised that the father and son speak Arabic. The only
place these two things would be likely is <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Syria</st1:place></st1:country-region>, where there is a large
Kurdish-speaking minority. Although there are Kurds also in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region></st1:place>, Iraqi-accented Arabic is much
different than the Levantine accent heard in this film. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The subtitles in English are accurate in the interpretation,
although the translations are not exact – I have no problem with interpreting
the meaning, not the actual words. That’s what I did in my interpreting
assignments.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The problem with the scenario as presented is the date.
Assuming the film was made in 2013 or even early 2014, the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region> was not using armed drones in
either <st1:country-region w:st="on">Syria</st1:country-region> or <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region> – other areas of the region, yes, but not <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Syria</st1:place></st1:country-region>. The first
air attacks, by both manned aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles, were on
September 23, 2014, six months after this film was released. It was almost as
the producers were prescient as to what was going to happen – a bit uncanny,
actually.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I remember the initial airstrikes clearly. I was having
dinner at Guantanamera, a Cuban restaurant in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Manhattan</st1:place></st1:city> on <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">8<span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">th</span> Avenue</st1:address></st1:street> just a few blocks
from the CNN bureau in <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Columbus
Circle</st1:address></st1:street>. My phone rang and I was asked to get back
to the studio as soon as possible as we were going live with coverage of the
strikes. Since I had served as the air attaché at the U.S. Embassy in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Damascus</st1:place></st1:city> in the past, I
was the first call they made. Never mind the few beers….</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I digress. Without spoiling the film, the interaction
between the father and son on one had and the two armed militants is intense
and well-done. The son is suffering from an earlier traumatic incident and is
susceptible to the not-so-subtle recruitment efforts of Dhiyah, the more
charismatic of the two militants.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A comment – there is one drone strike in the film. There is
no way that strike would have made it through the rigorous target validation
process required for approval to strike. This is just a film, maybe with
political overtones. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">If I say more, it will give too much away. Watch it – it’s
just 18 minutes long, but the film says a lot. Just keep in mind, the producers
are probably against drone strikes. I, on the other hand, support them fully.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Ian Ebright film is available on Amazon, and free to
Prime members. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B06XH8FWSZ/">Watch
it here</a>. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<a class="twitter-share-button" data-show-count="false" data-size="large" data-text="Film Review: From the Sky (Ian Ebright, 2014)" data-via="MiddleEastGuy" href="https://twitter.com/share?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Tweet</a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-1518902805694579402021-06-24T16:15:00.001-07:002021-06-24T16:20:07.123-07:00Defense Department Linguist Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaSRtl6giE8yjsVy2oIlobEQolt32X7ty5yn6HhquTLZNifzCHngJ34eUiUMLnt0BDWp0HKGeZZD7AxePsW_zh2HWru_meqUa3J-aFDUweKOPsYJlfJDBvOSG0OG0_7yZJMjDDw/s1180/2462021142636ryo4u80f0mp61.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Miriam Taha Thompson" border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1180" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaSRtl6giE8yjsVy2oIlobEQolt32X7ty5yn6HhquTLZNifzCHngJ34eUiUMLnt0BDWp0HKGeZZD7AxePsW_zh2HWru_meqUa3J-aFDUweKOPsYJlfJDBvOSG0OG0_7yZJMjDDw/w400-h263/2462021142636ryo4u80f0mp61.jpg" title="Miriam Taha Thompson" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In March 2020, I wrote and analysis of a U.S. Army contract
linguist who was arrested for espionage. You can read that article here: <a href="https://francona.blogspot.com/2020/03/department-of-defense-linguist-charged.html">Department
of Defense Linguist Charged with Espionage – A Spy Story</a>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This week, that linguist, Miriam Taha Thompson, was
sentenced to 23 years in prison for “delivering classified national defense
information to aid a foreign government.” The sentence was part of a plea
agreement – Thompson admitted that she knew that the Top Secret intelligence
information that she was passing to a Lebanese national would be provided to Hizballah,
a designated foreign terrorist organization. Given the fact that Thompson is 62
years of age, a 23-year sentence constitutes a virtual life sentence. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I’m fine with that. She should spend the rest of her life in
prison. When I wrote the article last year, we knew from Thompson’s admissions
that she not only provided information that included true identities of eight
human intelligence sources, she activity advised her Lebanese lover/case
officer on how to collect more information on the sources.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What we did not know a year ago is that the operation in which she
willingly participated was an Iranian intelligence operation focused on determining
the American intelligence sources who made the assassinations of Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Qods Force commander Qasem Suleimani<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the founder of the
notorious Iranian-backed and controlled Iraqi Shi’a militia Kata’ib Hezbollah. Both
men were killed in an American drone strike on January 3, 2020 just outside the
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Baghdad</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">International</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Airport</st1:placetype></st1:place>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The killing of Suleimani and al-Muhandis was made possible
by an excellent U.S. intelligence operation. Likewise, the Iranian-Hizballah
operation to ferret out the Americans’ human sources was also effective. Unfortunately, it is spy versus spy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">According to the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/defense-department-linguist-sentenced-23-years-prison-transmitting-highly-sensitive" target="_blank">Department of Justice announcement</a>, in 2017, she started communicating a Lebanese national (an
unindicted co-conspirator), with whom she entered into a romantic relationship.
She was aware that he had ties to Lebanese Hizballah. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In December 2019, while Thompson was assigned to a Special
Operations Task Force facility in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region>,
the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region> launched a
series of airstrikes in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>
targeting Kata’ib Hezbollah; that effort culminated in the drone strike that killed Soleimani
and al-Muhandis. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Following Suleimani’s death in January 2020, her Lebanese
case officer began asking Thompson to provide “them” with information about the
human assets who had helped the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region> to target Suleimani. Thompson
admitted that she understood “them” to be senior Lebanese Hizballah officials. It
is widely understood that providing anything to HIzballah is the same as
providing it to the IRGC.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">After receiving this “request for information” – this is
actually her tasking – in early January 2020, Thompson began accessing dozens
of files concerning human intelligence sources, including true names, personal
identification data, background information and photographs of the human assets,
as well as reports detailing information the assets provided to the U.S.
intelligence community. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">By the time she was arrested by the FBI on February 27, 2020,
Thompson had provided Hizballah with the identities of at least eight
clandestine human assets and a list of at least 10 <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> targets for future strikes. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">She knew what she was doing. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As I said in my earlier article, no matter how naïve
Thompson tries to appear, her own words transmitted to her case officer
indicate her level of involvement. She warned her case officer that at least
four of these <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> assets
were operating in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
targeting the Amal organization among others, and suggested that the assets’
telephones be tapped. That’s not just providing information, that’s actively
participating in an operation of a hostile intelligence service against the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My question for the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>
intelligence community writ large, and specifically the Special Operations Task
Force in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Irbil</st1:place></st1:city>
– why was this relatively low-level contract employee capable of gaining access
to human source true identification data?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Inexcusable. Someone should be held accountable for that, but
will they? Doubtful – they found the spy, so it’s congratulations all around
and back to business as usual.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<a class="twitter-share-button" data-show-count="false" data-size="large" data-text="Defense Department Linguist Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison" data-via="MiddleEastGuy" href="https://twitter.com/share?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Tweet</a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-21876345470019212012021-06-15T10:54:00.001-07:002021-06-15T11:04:49.237-07:00NSA leaker Reality Winner released from prison – now what?<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmkpw3ZyTCa2s1EbXOwUTBBjCIbVBFPbHPxPkUczhkVCI9vJwsDG3pvg3f79nXKjGQ999bqmjxb7PKcliYF7GVhnBXC1exCED7OnQ4qrRnIoIPQ0latBxucMG3HLURxUctGkrXQ/s413/Reality.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="330" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmkpw3ZyTCa2s1EbXOwUTBBjCIbVBFPbHPxPkUczhkVCI9vJwsDG3pvg3f79nXKjGQ999bqmjxb7PKcliYF7GVhnBXC1exCED7OnQ4qrRnIoIPQ0latBxucMG3HLURxUctGkrXQ/s400/Reality.jpg" /></a></div>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That’s not a rhetorical question – I think I have a fairly
good idea of what comes next for Reality Winner. She will gain fame and fortune
as a darling of the left-wing media.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Winner was arrested in 2017 for the unauthorized release of
a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmentalized Information report produced by the
National Security Agency about Russian attempts to interfere in <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> elections. See my earlier views on this: <a href="https://francona.blogspot.com/2018/06/reality-is-winner-former-nsa-contractor.html" target="_blank">Reality (is the) Winner - former NSA contractor pleads guilty</a>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Winner has become the new darling of the left, following in
the footsteps of fellow felon Bradley/Chelsea Manning. Many of their supporters
believe them to be noble whistleblowers – they’re not. Both are misguided traitors
who released highly classified information to the media. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There are avenues for actual whistleblowers to report
irregularities and possible illegalities – releasing top secret intelligence
documents to the media is not one of those avenues. Winner was caught, and
admitted her felonious activity. Her plea agreement allowed her to receive a
sentence of just over five years (plus three years of supervised release)
instead of the 10 years she could have received. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Winner has been released from prison after just four years
and will remain in a halfway house until November, at which time she will begin
the three years of supervised release. She is prohibited from public
appearances and contact with the media while at the halfway house. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I hope these restrictions continue during the supervisory
period as well. If not, I can guarantee you that she will become a media
darling, fawned over by the left-wing media and portrayed as a heroine standing
up to the government. As I said, she’s not – she’s a convicted felon who
betrayed her oath to safeguard intelligence sources and methods.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Winner sought a pardon from President Trump, who declined to
interfere. She did the crime, let her do her time. I am not sure how you can
request a pardon for a crime you admit you committed.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now she is seeking the same from President Biden, who just
might go along with the cries from the left-wing media to grant her a pardon. I
think that would send the wrong signal to the men and women of the armed forces
and the intelligence community.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Watch for a book deal….</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a class="twitter-share-button" data-show-count="false" data-size="large" data-text="NSA leaker Reality Winner released from prison – now what?" data-via="MiddleEastGuy" href="https://twitter.com/share?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Tweet</a></span>
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</p>Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-91537302757587812112021-03-21T12:28:00.001-07:002021-05-15T09:00:40.253-07:00Movie Review: Security Risk (Allied Artists, 1954)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP65stWwuvtrJXLxcIjR_O1_66C01EnL_-YaV6jf6acGIcr5sYNxUlXxiNNa3vyLfQPHDP_W6TaPi1JVSD5WuVjOLXEiFGzgu06b3dL9zUqUDfFLSQxekROX-bZ8RC9H2ha4DqXw/s1072/security+risk+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="1072" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP65stWwuvtrJXLxcIjR_O1_66C01EnL_-YaV6jf6acGIcr5sYNxUlXxiNNa3vyLfQPHDP_W6TaPi1JVSD5WuVjOLXEiFGzgu06b3dL9zUqUDfFLSQxekROX-bZ8RC9H2ha4DqXw/w400-h311/security+risk+poster.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Normally I review movies and series that are based on or
about the <st1:place w:st="on">Middle East</st1:place>. However, I did spend my
entire career as a professional intelligence officer – about half the time as a
signals intelligence officer and the other half as a clandestine human
resources intelligence officer, more commonly referred to as a case officer. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of my pet peeves is the arbitrary use of the term spy. I
was not a spy – I recruited spies, foreign officers and officials who had
access to their government’s secret and sensitive information to provide that
information clandestinely to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>
intelligence services. They were the spies – I was an American intelligence
officer “running” or “handling” them on behalf of my country. Spies agree to
betray their countries for a variety of reasons, some honorable, some not – it
depends on which side of the equation you are.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Security Risk</i> is a 1954 film by Allied Artists, directed
by Harold Schuster, and written by Jo Pagano and John Rich. The film stars John
Ireland, Dorothy Malone, Keith Larsen, Dolores Donlon, John Craven and Susan
Cummings. It’s just 69 minutes long, so it does not require a huge investment
of your time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The write-up on several classic movie sites describes this
as an American action film. I would call it an espionage drama, but in terms of
the genre in 1954, it might also qualify as an action thriller. There is a lot
of action packed into just 69 minutes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The story line: (I will avoid spoiling the film for those of
you who plan to watch it.)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the early 1950’s as the Cold War between the two major
post World War II powers – the United States and the Soviet Union – heated up,
the Soviets were very interested in knowing what research and development was
taking place in the greater Los Angeles area. At that time, southern <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:state> was the
epicenter of American high-tech defense and aerospace research and development.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The film synopsis describes the scientist who is the focus
of a Soviet espionage cell as a nuclear physicist. I never got that from the
film – all we are really told is that he was a government researcher and was
working on an undefined “formula.” The cell was tasked with acquiring the
formula from the scientist. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The venue for the story is the Big Bear ski resort in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">San Bernardino</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">County</st1:placetype></st1:place>. The resort is 100 miles east of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Los Angeles</st1:place></st1:city>, about a
three-hour drive in 1954. The scientist, Dr. Lanson (we never hear his first
name), decides to take a short respite from his research by going skiing at Big
Bear. Obviously, the cell tasked with acquiring his research notes and “the
formula” had him under surveillance; at least three members of the cell follow
him to the resort.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There is also a support asset in residence at Big Bear,
which leads me to believe that the Soviets considered the area a popular area
for the defense and aerospace researchers and contractors in the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Los Angeles</st1:place></st1:city> area, and
likely similar facilities in Palmdale and Edwards Air Force Base. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As you would expect, the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) was concerned with the activities of Soviet and other hostile
intelligence services – the Bureau is the primary counterintelligence agency in
the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>.
As such, there is an FBI agent in Big Bear to make sure these hostile
intelligence services are kept at bay. You decide whether he is successful.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So as not to spoil the viewing experience for those who wish
to watch the movie, I will only say that the Soviet cell at some point in the
past recruited Dr. Lanson’s assistant at whatever research facility that employed
him. This sets up a series of events that are interesting, and yet a bit
implausible. It is the assistant who is tasked by the cell to clandestinely
acquire the research papers and “the formula” from Dr. Lanson’s personal
effects in the lodge suite that he shares with his assistant.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Okay, you see why I am baffled by this. If the cell has
already recruited Dr. Lanson’s assistant, there should be no need to even mount
this operation in Big Bear. Recruiting the assistant would have been a major
intelligence coup, providing direct access to virtually all of the doctor’s
research projects. Even if much of it was compartmented and not directly
accessible by the assistant, the chances of accessing at the main research
facility are far greater than a chance acquisition at a ski resort. Of course,
without that, there would be no basis for the movie.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Continuing, when the assistant gets a chance to search the
doctor’s desk, papers, and personal effects at the lodge, he pretty much
ransacks the place. This is counterproductive. The goal of a clandestine
intelligence operation is to acquire the information without anyone knowing
that the acquisition has even occurred. Tossing an office or room only tells
the security officials that something has likely been compromised. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Of course, this begs the question – why was Dr. Lanson in
possession of these highly classified papers while ostensibly on vacation?
Isn’t the purpose of a vacation to vacate your mind from the job? Merely having
the materials with him and working on them in a non-secure facility violates
virtually every security protocol there is.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The assistant is successful in discovering the research
papers, including “the formula.” As any good intelligence asset, he properly
photographed all of the materials. He is discovered while photographing the
documents, a fight ensues, and the assistant is able to make his escape. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Read this-> When the assistant leaves the lodge, he
leaves behind the documents out (he should have replaced them) and get this,
leaves his camera there. In other words, he left the very items he was sent to
acquire. Sort of like the current joke, “You had one job….”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The very first thing you learn at the Intelligence
Operations Course, Tradecraft 101, or just plain old “spy school” is GET THE
INTELLIGENCE. That’s why we do this. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Bottom line: It’s an entertaining story, especially if you
have any background in intelligence operations. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Watch it for free at the Russian classic film site Odnoklassniki:
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://ok.ru/video/1735416220340">https://ok.ru/video/1735416220340</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-8616998034494171812021-03-06T08:55:00.005-08:002021-03-06T10:02:41.808-08:00“Yeah, thank you, Charlie Wilson” – the law of unintended consequences<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EVQ-JvslRAJ8tTJoF8ffnoxkw67uOWSPlKTw7J1gkGPczUHMg5PQ-fHHAs0lE2BW4Ciru9ifcXsGOXzPcMedrV3Y8WUo8CpZkuEYgDZAtlTYgv58yNLlJJfs0jyxFoiRyG7vZQ/s1920/SEAL-Team-4-art.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EVQ-JvslRAJ8tTJoF8ffnoxkw67uOWSPlKTw7J1gkGPczUHMg5PQ-fHHAs0lE2BW4Ciru9ifcXsGOXzPcMedrV3Y8WUo8CpZkuEYgDZAtlTYgv58yNLlJJfs0jyxFoiRyG7vZQ/w400-h225/SEAL-Team-4-art.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In a recently aired episode of the CBS television series <i>Seal
Team</i>, there was a quick phrase that probably went unnoticed by most of the
viewing audience. Even if they heard it, they probably are not aware of the
meaning.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In Season 3, Episode 19, Bravo Team is operating in a
village in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region>.
Overwatch for the operation is being provided by a Predator drone. As shown in
this screen capture, a surface-to-air missile is launched at and hits the
drone. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitFl4MQypUjtN0TMZBNs8C6mpdtSArvOJHETlwgl3PMSZ_bbmRt-tL6CLx7jdnEPnabFzoPx4fjK2g2c_6PF0MFG3EPW29Yb9g5A_bQQzdhktR58CyOJrWqzO4AuhloB21qvnBQ/s2048/2021-03-05+16.30.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1207" data-original-width="2048" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitFl4MQypUjtN0TMZBNs8C6mpdtSArvOJHETlwgl3PMSZ_bbmRt-tL6CLx7jdnEPnabFzoPx4fjK2g2c_6PF0MFG3EPW29Yb9g5A_bQQzdhktR58CyOJrWqzO4AuhloB21qvnBQ/w400-h236/2021-03-05+16.30.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The loss of the drone caused a loss of communications with
the operational headquarters, and a loss of situational awareness. As the team
realizes what has just happened, one of the SEALs remarks, “Thank you, Charlie
Wilson.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtD9Yyrf7iq4cJLnw6nU5gdgATGba1wKqt1gzHUSWbmxuj6RM4yxa0Q8Dt1vCbBRSuhigYSwLh7xZ-0yLA9Wc-P-g-BLtW-uE0RgVzolGONwNY1nJ0dRp85_bOyzXa1PZbcj9fww/s2048/2021-03-05+16.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="2048" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtD9Yyrf7iq4cJLnw6nU5gdgATGba1wKqt1gzHUSWbmxuj6RM4yxa0Q8Dt1vCbBRSuhigYSwLh7xZ-0yLA9Wc-P-g-BLtW-uE0RgVzolGONwNY1nJ0dRp85_bOyzXa1PZbcj9fww/w400-h221/2021-03-05+16.24.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">For those viewers who were not aware of the level of <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> involvement in opposing the Soviet invasion and
occupation of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region>
in the 1980’s, the remark may not mean anything. To those of us who
were involved in the American effort to support the Afghan resistance fighters
– the self-proclaimed <i>mujahidin</i> (holy warriors) – it was a reminder of
the concept of unintended consequences.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">From 1987 until Saddam Husayn invaded <st1:country-region w:st="on">Kuwait</st1:country-region> in 1990 and I was deployed to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region>, I was assigned to the Defense
Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon as the Assistant Defense Intelligence
Officer for the Middle East and <st1:place w:st="on">South Asia</st1:place>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When I was not in <st1:city w:st="on">Baghdad</st1:city>
working the operation assisting Iraqi forces, my office was peripherally
involved in the Defense Department's slice of the CIA program supporting the
Afghan mujahidin - "holy warriors" opposing the Soviet invasion of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region>.
That Defense Department support included the delivery of the FIM-92 Stinger
shoulder-fired air defense missile.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">At some point in <st1:country-region w:st="on">America</st1:country-region>'s support - I think it was
1986 - Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson insisted that the "muj"
needed an air defense weapon to combat the heavily armed Soviet MI-24 assault
helicopter gunship, the Hind. He insisted that they be provided the U.S.-made
state-of-the-art Stinger.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAE1OIFXA3eQS3_7avJM__cwsmWsByxc8aWRGWDL5MjPtt8TpJ87Xz4HIdKuaHkcskHnbv5O5KfyrP_8D0Y_FzNLrHWSUslELdyHK68Np6VzoYMCLxOyHBAle9VH-EEy6AUBSlDw/s400/stinger.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="385" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAE1OIFXA3eQS3_7avJM__cwsmWsByxc8aWRGWDL5MjPtt8TpJ87Xz4HIdKuaHkcskHnbv5O5KfyrP_8D0Y_FzNLrHWSUslELdyHK68Np6VzoYMCLxOyHBAle9VH-EEy6AUBSlDw/s320/stinger.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Afghan mujahidin with Stinger missile</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Charlie Wilson was a charming Southern gentleman. When I
visited his office the first time, the launcher that fired the first Stinger in
<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>
was hanging on the wall – he was extremely proud of that. He liked to talk
about the Confederacy, in fact, much of the art in his office portrays battles
of the Civil War. When my boss remarked about a depiction of Pickett's July 3,
1863 unsuccessful charge at <st1:city w:st="on">Gettysburg</st1:city>, he
quietly nodded his head and remarked, "If Pickett had been successful,
we'd be having this conversation in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Richmond</st1:place></st1:city>...."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Back to the Stinger. There was absolutely no interest at the
Pentagon in supplying the world's most lethal shoulder-fired air defense system
to a bunch of tribesmen in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>
– for several reasons. First, we believed they could have achieved the same
effect with lesser-capability Soviet weapons, such as the readily-available
(and not traceable to the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region>) SA-7.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Second, and more importantly, no one wanted the Stinger in
the hands of potential bad guys. Since we had to provide all of the weapons and
equipment via the Pakistani intelligence service – the notoriously unreliable
ISID – we were concerned that money talks and the Stinger would find itself
where we did not want it to go.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We were proven right in October 1987 when the U.S. Navy
seized the <i>Iran Ajr</i> while it was laying mines in the <st1:place w:st="on">Persian Gulf</st1:place>. Found on the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps (IRGC) vessel was a battery of a Stinger launcher. The serial
number of the battery was traceable to the CIA Afghan Task Group – it had been
sent to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>
destined for the muj.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am not sure where it was diverted, but I am betting on the
ISID. We in the HUMINT (human intelligence) business used to joke that you had
to recruit an "x" (the nationality of your choice), but you could buy
a Pakistani – in south <st1:place w:st="on">Asia</st1:place>, money talks. To
make matters worse, during the operation, another Iranian boat fired two
Stingers at a U.S. Navy A-6. We concluded that weapons we had sent to support
anti-Soviet fighters in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region>
were being used against us in the <st1:place w:st="on">Persian Gulf</st1:place>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is euphemistically called "unintended
consequences."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When Congressman Wilson was in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region> on an official visit in
1987, he wanted to use the U.S. Defense Attaché's C-12 aircraft to fly
somewhere. Fine, but <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Wilson</st1:place></st1:city>
wanted to take his girlfriend along. The Defense Attaché, a USAF colonel, said,
"Sir, you mean your assistant." <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Wilson</st1:city></st1:place>
– looking for a fight – insisted that the colonel was going to take his
girlfriend along. The colonel refused; it caused us (well, me) hours of grief
trying to save the airplane once <st1:city w:st="on">Wilson</st1:city> got back
to <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:state>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">All in all, am I a fan of Charlie Wilson's? Let's see – a former
Navy intelligence officer, a drunken womanizer, but someone who got things
done. His heart was in the right place, but allowing the Stinger to end up in the
hands of the IRGC, the Taliban, and who knows who else, is the epitome of unintended
consequences. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a class="twitter-share-button" data-show-count="false" data-size="large" data-text="“Yeah, thank you, Charlie Wilson” – the law of unintended consequences" data-via="MiddleEastGuy" href="https://twitter.com/share?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Tweet</a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p></p>Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-64964850942180645772021-02-16T19:55:00.006-08:002021-02-16T20:31:04.542-08:00Biden's Iran Policy - Obama Failure 2.0? <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCadT94orXu_w73mkxQqndYUUNVtJxExIQqUW9IOqYoGHk51ZeurbuPFF5o6o1gwXalAIXdAplM4IQpG_Gx-ChMoetr9IvrbtYXM1_qBsEwqATZwBWwAACMV2Tcihh-CvXHsVr0Q/s658/Capture.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="658" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCadT94orXu_w73mkxQqndYUUNVtJxExIQqUW9IOqYoGHk51ZeurbuPFF5o6o1gwXalAIXdAplM4IQpG_Gx-ChMoetr9IvrbtYXM1_qBsEwqATZwBWwAACMV2Tcihh-CvXHsVr0Q/w400-h225/Capture.JPG" title="Satirical graphic" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Obviously satire, but let’s take a look at what is driving it.
It’s simple – President Biden’s ill-advised and ill-timed policies on <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region>, basically rolling back all of the gains of
the Trump Administration to contain <st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place>, are dangerous. It’s almost
like we are watching the implementation of Obama 2.0. That <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region> policy was
disastrous then, and it will be disastrous now.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Since taking office on January 20, Biden has signaled to
both the Iranians and our allies alike that he will be attempting to engage the
Iranians, despite the consistent Iranian repudiation of Obama’s efforts to do
the same during his eight years in office. In the past few days, Secretary of
State Tony Blinken, a former Obama official, has stated, “The path to diplomacy
is open right now” with <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region>.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let’s follow that thought – just who will be advising Biden
on his <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region>
foreign policy decisions? Three key advisors have roots in the Obama
Administration – we know how its <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region> policy turned out. Remember
the optic of pallets of cash being flown to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region> just as American hostages were
released. Although Obama insisted there was no linkage between the cash
deliveries and hostage releases, Iranian officials have stated unequivocally
that there was. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Blinken previously served in the Obama Administration as Deputy
National Security Advisor from 2013 to 2015 and Deputy Secretary of State from
2015 to 2017. Before that, from 2009 to 2013, he was the National Security
Advisor to Vice President Biden. His focus was, among other things, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region>’s nuclear
program. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then we have National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Sullivan
worked in the Obama Administration as Director of Policy Planning at the Department
of State, and as Deputy Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,
then as National Security Advisor to Vice President Biden from 2013 to 2014. He
was also a senior advisor for the <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region> nuclear negotiations. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Rounding out the <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region> team is Special Representative
for Iran Robert Malley. Malley’s claim to fame (or infamy) is being the lead
negotiator (or capitulator) of the 2015 <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region> nuclear deal, the so-called Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In the Obama Administration, Malley was
designated the National Security Council “point man” for the Middle East, as
well as the special advisor on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, ISIS – the
so-called “JV team,” according to Obama. Given the state of American foreign
policy in the region when Obama left office, this is not a sterling résumé.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Biden has tasked Malley to bring both the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region> into compliance with the
JCPOA. I’m not sure that is technically possible, since the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region>
is no longer a party to the JCPOA. I take that as an indication where the Biden
Administration is heading – a new round of concessions and capitulations to the
mullahs in <st1:city w:st="on">Tehran</st1:city>.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It could be worse. If John Kerry had not been named as the
jet-setting Special Envoy on Climate Change, he would likely be advising Biden
on <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region>.
Thank God for small mercies. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said of Biden, “He has been wrong on nearly
every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four
decades.” With these three – Blinken, Sullivan, and Malley – advising Biden on <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region>, I don’t
expect that record to improve. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In addition to this Obama-rerun cast of advisors, let’s look
at some of the actions of the new administration in “containing” <st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place>. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some of the first actions Biden has taken in the region was
to freeze the sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United Arab Emirates</st1:country-region>.
Access to this advanced aircraft was a sweetener on the UAE-Israel track of the
Abrahamic Accords. Of course, the Biden Administration may not care if that
historic agreement falls through – it does not appear that Biden is that
friendly to Jerusalem. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">After almost a month in office, Biden has yet to call
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – you’d think that a call to <st1:country-region w:st="on">America</st1:country-region>’s closest ally in the region would have
already happened, but the Democrats have generally never been fond of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region>,
especially when it is led by the Likud party. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Biden has also frozen impending sales of advanced munitions
to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region>, a measure
of disapproval of Saudi (and UAE) military operations against the Huthi-led
revolt in <st1:place w:st="on">Yemen</st1:place>.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In an even more incredulous, and in my opinion, utterly
moronic, move, Biden has removed the Huthi movement – a Shi’a militant group
supported, trained, and armed by <st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place> – from the State Department’s
list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is ironic – right out of the gate, Biden has protected a
terrorist group supported by the world’s leading state supporter of terrorism,
and taken punitive measures against the two countries leading the fight in
support of the Yemeni government which the <st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place> recognizes. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here’s what to watch in the near future. On February 15, a
group believed to be associated with Iranian-supported Iraqi Shi’a militias
claimed responsibility for an attack on a <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>
coalition facility in <st1:city w:st="on">Irbil</st1:city>, the capital of the
Kurdish Autonomous Region in northern <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region>. The attack killed a foreign
worker and wounded several <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>
contractors, as well as wounding an American servicemember. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What will Biden do in response? If he does nothing, he will
be perceived as weak. If that is the case, he will have failed the test – get
ready for increased Iranian-sponsored militia attacks on US and allied
coalition facilities and personnel. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">With the Obama Administration holdovers, the team that brought
us the dangerous and disastrous JCPOA, we have some insight as to where Biden’s
policy toward <st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place>
is likely headed. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is not a good place.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<a class="twitter-share-button" data-show-count="false" data-size="large" data-text="Biden's Iran Policy - Obama Failure 2.0?" data-via="MiddleEastGuy" href="https://twitter.com/share?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Tweet</a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></o:p></p></div><p><br /> </p>Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-51597251136553613922021-01-12T11:31:00.008-08:002021-01-12T11:40:53.973-08:00Turkey may have halted plans to turn former Istanbul church into a mosque<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNzgTRqETfSuRwC513VYJAHw7JN03hX3MpQdlw72XWnlAKTD3IeFcBwNEL-xBmJo9o90KNr0QxAONQH90bqJyzX2WoGe0QaTLu8kEIyBKrLEx0w0sLFlQoPXhValYfwrCtu-H5w/s1000/turkey2011-kariye-16.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNzgTRqETfSuRwC513VYJAHw7JN03hX3MpQdlw72XWnlAKTD3IeFcBwNEL-xBmJo9o90KNr0QxAONQH90bqJyzX2WoGe0QaTLu8kEIyBKrLEx0w0sLFlQoPXhValYfwrCtu-H5w/s400/turkey2011-kariye-16.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">According to a Turkish news outlet (<a href="https://ahvalnews.com/chora/turkey-may-have-halted-plans-turn-istanbul-church-mosque" target="_blank">read article here</a>), the Turkish government may be reconsidering the August 2020 decision by self-styled new sultan President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to reconvert the Church of the Holy Savior museum to a mosque. (Read my initial thoughts on that decision - <a href="https://francona.blogspot.com/2020/08/sultan-erdogan-converts-another-museum.html" target="_blank">"Sultan" Erdogan converts another museum to a mosque</a>.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><div>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The church/museum in the Chora (Kariye) section of Istanbul is considered one of the most beautiful examples of a Byzantine church. In the 16th century, the church was converted into a mosque by the city’s new Ottoman rulers, and it became a secularized museum in 1948. The interior of the building is covered with fine mosaics and frescoes. It is listed as one of the top 30 “must-see museums” in the world. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">The original church was built in the early 5th century to the south of the Golden Horn, and stood outside of the 4th century walls of Constantine the Great; it became incorporated within the city's defenses later that century.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><p>The frescoes and mosaics, plastered over by the Ottomans, are being restored. They are stunning, almost overwhelming. I have seen mosaics in other early Christian Churches throughout the Middle East, but nothing like these.</p><p><br /></p></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">In August 2020, the government ordered the re-conversion of the museum into a mosque. The move came shortly after a similar decision to re-convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque from a museum, despite outcries from the international community. That conversion took place and the building is now known as the Ayasofya-i Kebîr Câmi-i Şerifi (Hagia Sophia Holy Grand Mosque).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
<p></p></span></div><div>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">President Erdoğan was scheduled to inaugurate the newly converted mosque last October, but the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), Turkey’s top religious authority, cancelled the event the day before to allow for continued restoration work. </span></p></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">The church/museum remains closed as the work continues, giving hope that it will remain a museum. Others maintain that the delay is merely a result of the Turks exercising great care when covering the Christian art. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let’s hope for the former and not the latter. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a class="twitter-share-button" data-show-count="false" data-size="large" data-text="Turkey may have halted plans to turn former Istanbul church into a mosque" data-via="MiddleEastGuy" href="https://twitter.com/share?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Tweet</a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</span></p></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><p></p>Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-81444959562732110682020-11-22T11:01:00.000-08:002020-11-22T11:01:02.375-08:00Traitor Jonathan Pollard free to go to Israel - good riddance<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAujSg3L3hkxR2q9tLrA8MZbGr1vfOkr3ni4Yr6VUtEdXB9ajscS3bfAaKXgGPquAwb3M5jb4UYDdsgFVw33o9SfbhEwjOeRBUGRtV8UH-PcMC-eeXAFytaIB3u_8Wbc9b4ilig/s1468/pollard+free.JPG" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="Netanyahu tweet on Pollard release" border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="1468" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAujSg3L3hkxR2q9tLrA8MZbGr1vfOkr3ni4Yr6VUtEdXB9ajscS3bfAaKXgGPquAwb3M5jb4UYDdsgFVw33o9SfbhEwjOeRBUGRtV8UH-PcMC-eeXAFytaIB3u_8Wbc9b4ilig/w400-h229/pollard+free.JPG" title="Netanyahu tweet on Pollard release" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Netanyahu tweet on Pollard release</span></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />
<div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">On November 20, Jonathan Pollard, a former U.S. Navy
intelligence analyst convicted for betraying his country and selling national
defense information to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
was freed from the terms of his post-confinement parole. That means he is now
free and will undoubtedly relocate to the country he spied for, Israel, where
he will be welcomed as a national hero.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes, that <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region>,
one of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s
closest allies and a major benefactor of American aid, political support, intelligence
sharing, and other largesse. I have stated unequivocally in the past, and will
do so again - Pollard did irreparable harm to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> intelligence capabilities at
the behest of his Israeli masters, and got only partially what he deserved. If it
was up to me, he would still be in prison.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For those who may not be familiar with the treachery of
Jonathan Pollard, let’s recap.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Jonathan Pollard was employed as an analyst at the what is
now the U.S. Navy’s<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><st1:placename w:st="on">National</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Maritime</st1:placename>
<st1:placename w:st="on">Intelligence</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Center</st1:placetype>
in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Suitland</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Maryland</st1:state></st1:place>. He had been granted a Top Secret
clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS-SCI) and other
special access programs (SAP). Readers with experience in the military or
intelligence community will recognize those designations. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In 1984, Pollard volunteered his services to an Israeli Air
Force officer attending university in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>. He continued to work
for the Israeli intelligence services until his arrest on November 21, 1985 as
he and his co-conspirator wife Anne attempted to enter the Israeli embassy in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Washington</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">DC</st1:state></st1:place>,
hoping to seek asylum. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Pollard made a plea deal with the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> government under which he
would plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to deliver national defense
information to a foreign government. Although that offense carries a maximum
sentence of life imprisonment, the prosecution agreed to recommend "only a
substantial number of years in prison." </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">However, citing Pollard’s repeated
violations of multiple terms of the agreement, on March 4, 1987, the judge
adjudicating the case imposed the maximum penalty, a life sentence. That
sentence was also greatly influenced by the classified damage-assessment
memorandum provided by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. I have seen the
damage assessment – it is truly devastating.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Apologists for Pollard claim that spying for <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region> is "not really spying" since <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region> is an ally of the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>. One
has to consider that blanket statement that <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region>
is an ally of the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region> with some reticence. <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region> used the information provided by Pollard
as "trade material" with the Russians - during the height of the Cold
War - in return for the release of Jews detained in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region>. That is hardly the action
of an ally of the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There is speculation that American agents, people the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> intelligence
agencies had recruited to collect information for us at great risk, were
uncovered and executed because of the information the Israelis provided to the
Russians. If that is the case, Pollard should have been executed instead of
being sentenced to life in prison.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There is a group of Pollard supporters who claim that Pollard
has been treated more harshly than others, but they fail to mention that others
in the same class as Pollard - CIA officer Aldrich Ames and FBI agent Robert
Hanssen - were also sentenced to life in prison. My response to the claim that other traitors have been given lesser sentences - the judges in those cases got it wrong; the
judge in the Pollard case (as well as with <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ames</st1:place></st1:city> and Hanssen) got it exactly right. Unfortunately,
prevailing laws at the time limits his “life” sentence to 30 years. That ended
on November 21, 2015. He has been on post-confinement parole since then. While
he could have been kept in that status for 15 years, he has been freed after
five.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Many Israeli leaders and media outlets are citing this as a
great day for <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>.
It is not at all – this merely reminds that 36 years ago, someone in the
Israeli intelligence services thought it would be a good idea to steal
intelligence information from their greatest ally and staunchest supporter, then
later reveal the sources and methods used to acquire that information to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
greatest foes. Hardly a great day for <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, the convicted felon/traitor Jonathan Pollard is now free
to go to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>.
If he’s not in prison where he belongs, then I am glad he is not walking free
in my country. Good riddance. <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
you can have him – after all, you bought him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To my Israeli and pro-Pollard Jewish friends (and I have
many): I know we disagree vehemently on this issue. I will not change my mind, nor
will I get involved in a drawn-out discussion where we are unlikely to resolve
our differences. This is my view - you are free to voice your own. I simply
will not respond to your misguided attempts to justify Pollard’s betrayal of my - and what was once his - country.</span></p><br />
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Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-6353295102154961752020-10-05T21:46:00.005-07:002020-10-06T12:36:58.606-07:00Movie Review: The Water Diviner (Warner Brothers - 2014)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPA6m5Ltsojv2SxmNgGcaHhLct31btyMLXSUZPLDDmssAMUizjulVPo-cjCBdFhB20YVVxTgBw5-5YDuUIY5tYcgLfYosXgYC72h_n1dXgr7W6KCFmPUN-AO9coVxSQ9zPHQX0g/s1000/the-water-diviner-new-quad-poster.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPA6m5Ltsojv2SxmNgGcaHhLct31btyMLXSUZPLDDmssAMUizjulVPo-cjCBdFhB20YVVxTgBw5-5YDuUIY5tYcgLfYosXgYC72h_n1dXgr7W6KCFmPUN-AO9coVxSQ9zPHQX0g/s400/the-water-diviner-new-quad-poster.jpg" width="400" /></a><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Water Diviner follows the journey of an Australian farmer whose three sons were killed or missing during the fighting at Gallipoli (in present-day Turkey) in 1915. The farmer, Joshua Connor (played by Russell Crowe), travels from Australia to the former battlefield at Gallipoli to search for his sons. The movie is inspired by true events.</span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That said, there has been a fair amount of fiction added, some of which requires a rather healthy dose of the "suspension of disbelief," that concept that makes fiction work, especially historical fiction. Most viewers familiar with Muslim or Middle Eastern customs will note this when watching the developing relationship between Connor and a Turkish woman.</span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To set the stage to inform your decision on whether to invest two hours watching the film, some background. I will avoid providing spoilers. </span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's 1919 when Connor decides to go to what remains of the Ottoman Empire, specifically to Gallipoli. Gallipoli is a name seared into the psyche of Australians and New Zealanders - the two dominions of the British Empire formed the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). Their troops were often referred to as "Anzacs." </span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">An ANZAC force landed at Gallipoli on April 25, and met fierce resistance from the Ottoman Army commanded by Mustafa Kemal - later known as Kemal Atatürk, who became the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey. </span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">After an eight-month stalemate, the Allies evacuated the Dardenelles, having suffered over 56,000 dead, including 8,709 from Australia and 2,721 from New Zealand. The losses at Gallipoli - and from all wars since - are remembered every April 25 on ANZAC Day. Virtually every city and town in the two countries has a monument honoring those who fell at Gallipoli. It touched every part of the small dominions.</span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Connor gets to Turkey, then on to Gallipoli. Then it gets complicated - I will leave that for you to discover. </span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The scenes shot in Istanbul were well done. Viewers who have visited Turkey will recognize many of the sights, especially the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque).</span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A nod to the fine acting of Russell Crowe and Yılmaz Erdoğan, and to Olga Kurylenko for, well, being Olga Kurylenko. Seriously, her portrayal of young Turkish widow was nicely done.</span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Many Armenian groups have criticized the movie for not addressing the Armenian Genocide, some even labeling the movie as supporting Turkish denials. I am going to give the producers a pass on this particular film. This was about the fighting between the Ottoman Empire and British Empire, and a father's search for his sons. It had nothing to do with the Armenians. There are movies that clearly downplay or deny that the genocide occurred, but this is not one of them. </span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I recommend the movie on many levels - the history is mostly accurate, including the occupation of Istanbul by the Allied powers as they dismantled the Ottoman Empire, and the nationalist movement led by Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk). There is also the human interest story of a father searching for lost family members and the lengths he is willing to go in that effort. </span></p><p><br /><a href="https://www.netflix.com/watch/80025390" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank">Watch it on Netflix</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a class="twitter-share-button" data-show-count="false" data-size="large" data-text="Movie Review: The Water Diviner (Warner Brothers - 2014)" data-via="MiddleEastGuy" href="https://twitter.com/share?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Tweet</a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div>Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-33094188201533465892020-09-04T13:23:00.004-07:002020-10-05T16:15:52.093-07:00Movie Review: The Promise (Survival Pictures - 2016)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1cbK4b-hbfrM335ec4Rckg_JW3W6addBduxE7nnDFNXNz6oT5rfZDej0t_ckmxGLd3BjUqvYfddmjhJOMEUPSsofk7nUSQzcDCLjLYfDoxDRQas7dUl0i5b43ClQVvOQhJq1xxw/s2048/the+promise.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1cbK4b-hbfrM335ec4Rckg_JW3W6addBduxE7nnDFNXNz6oT5rfZDej0t_ckmxGLd3BjUqvYfddmjhJOMEUPSsofk7nUSQzcDCLjLYfDoxDRQas7dUl0i5b43ClQVvOQhJq1xxw/s400/the+promise.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><p><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>The Promise</i> is a 2016 film (released in the United States in 2017) that uses a romantic triangle just before and during the Armenian Genocide of 1915. It is a rather interesting concept - the use of the interplay of two men in love with the same woman to focus attention on one of the worst atrocities in modern history. I will let the readers decide if it works.<br />
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The three main characters are an Armenian pharmacist who wants to be a doctor, an Armenian woman traveling in the Ottoman Empire with the third character, a journalist reporting on what will later be called World War One.<br />
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In order for the pharmacist to pursue a medical degree, he leaves small village in southern Turkey and moves to Constantinople (now called Istanbul). To afford the tuition and expenses in the city, he agrees to marry a girl from his village in return for a generous dowry - I believe this is "the promise." <br />
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Once in Istanbul, the triangle develops. At the same time the three are involved in romantic relationships, what is portrayed as a systemic government effort to eradicate the Armenian population in the country begins and continues until the three are miraculously reunited and rescued. It was difficult to believe - no amount of the suspension of disbelief would help.<br />
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Of note, almost immediately after <i>The Promise</i> was released, three Turkish film companies released a movie titled <i>The Ottoman Lieutenant</i>. It portrayed the genocide as localized random acts of violence rather than a concerted, government-directed campaign. <a href="https://francona.blogspot.com/2020/08/movie-review-ottoman-lieutenant-netflix.html">Read my review of that film</a>.<br />
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Neither of the two competing movies did well at the box office. The <i>Ottoman Lieutenant</i> cost over $40 million to make, but grossed just over $400,000 worldwide. <i>The Promise</i> cost almost $100 million - all bankrolled by Armenian-American investor Kirk Kerkorian - and grossed only $12.4 million. <br />
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The producers of both films claim the money was not important - the message was. Producers of <i>The Promise</i> have labeled <i>The Ottoman Lieutenant</i> as an attempt to counter their film. I would not be surprised if the Turkish government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was behind the effort.<br />
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Criticisms: The Armenian Genocide was a massive human rights atrocity. It just seems to me to use a romantic triangle is not giving it the gravity it deserves. The counter argument is that it was a way to get people to watch it. It didn't work, obviously.<br />
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I don't understand the significance of the title. If it was the agreement for the pharmacist to marry a local girl in exchange for the dowry that was to enable his studies in Constantinople, it really had little to do with the plot. <br />
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I was disappointed in the movie and story line, but not the cast. Christian Bale, Charlotte La Bon, Isaac Oscar, and one of my favorite actresses, Shohreh Aghdashloo, gave solid performances, but not even actors of that level could save the script.<br />
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Despite that, I do recommend it because of the attention it does draw to the Armenian Genocide. <a href="https://www.netflix.com/watch/80163051">It is available on Netflix</a>.<br />
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Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804762.post-79056834426303622982020-09-01T12:31:00.001-07:002020-10-05T16:16:09.169-07:00Movie Review: Escaping Tel Aviv (Sharif Arafah - 2009)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPV89P-sbzlVe5oOCmTbIzSZzm8yyem0uFaj3PFuKO9esUlOA3DL384lPTTMBpVhIJvnBkTAWMijSH3l6sYLaFkOxt8cHeZF_zEBQAuKq2si901CMXNK7XzL817BRJVLOZLa81AA/s1600/wilad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="600" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPV89P-sbzlVe5oOCmTbIzSZzm8yyem0uFaj3PFuKO9esUlOA3DL384lPTTMBpVhIJvnBkTAWMijSH3l6sYLaFkOxt8cHeZF_zEBQAuKq2si901CMXNK7XzL817BRJVLOZLa81AA/s400/wilad.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Escaping Tel Aviv</i> is a 2009 Egyptian movie that takes place in mostly in Israel (filmed in South Africa). The plot involves two intelligence officers - one works for the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate (GID), and the other is an Israeli Arab who is an officer in Mossad, Israel's civilian intelligence agency. <br />
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Both officers speak fluent Arabic and Hebrew and have similar backgrounds, so much so that the Arabic title of the movie is <i>Wilad al-'Am</i> (ولاد العم) which translates to "the cousins."<br />
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The movie begins with the Mossad officer Daniel, using the Arabic name 'Izzat (played by Sherif Mounir), leaving Port Said, Egypt, with his Egyptian Muslim wife Salwa (played by Mona Zaki) and their two children. The wife is unaware of his true identity, having met him while he was living as an Egyptian for seven years. She was also unaware that the departure was planned. Once in Tel Aviv, she is desperate to return to Egypt with her children.<br />
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Egyptian intelligence officer Mustafa (played by Karim Abdel Aziz) is assigned the mission of repatriating Salwa and the two children from Tel Aviv back to Egypt. The movie revolves around his operation to do just that. <br />
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Some comments on the production. I was surprised at the scenes supposedly set in Tel Aviv - it was convincing. I don't speak Hebrew, so I will leave an assessment of that to someone who does. I was impressed that both of the lead actors, both Egyptians, were able to sound convincing (at least to me) in Hebrew. The majority of the movie was in pure Egyptian dialect. <br />
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It has been a long time since I have used Egyptian Arabic - it took me about half an hour to get my ear re-tuned to it. This movie was made for an Egyptian audience, so they are not speaking anything resembling Modern Standard Arabic. Egyptians speak fast, and have a unique staccato style of talking. I had to pay close attention.<br />
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As many of you know, I often criticize the subtitling of Arabic soundtracks. I found this one to be about as close as could be to the original Arabic. Some colloquialisms were changed to make sense to an English-speaking (or in this case, reading) audience. The Hebrew dialogue was subtitled in both English and Arabic. <br />
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A few criticisms. The thought that the Egyptian GID would dispatch one of its best officers to Israel to repatriate a housewife and two children is a bit far-fetched. This would normally be handled diplomatically - Egypt and Israel have had full diplomatic relations since 1980. In the movie, Salwa at one point asked an Israeli Arab to direct her to the Egyptian embassy. <br />
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I will not spoil the movie, but suffice it to say that some of the tactics used by Egyptian officer Mustafa are off-the-chart unrealistic. I will let you decide which.<br />
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It's a two hour movie, and with a fair amount of the suspension of disbelief required for most fictional stories, it is entertaining. As a former operations officer, it was interesting to watch a movie about intelligence officers where Mossad is not the dominant player.<br />
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It is available on <a href="https://www.netflix.com/watch/81254697">Netflix</a>.<br />
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</div>Rick Franconahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540695760234038044noreply@blogger.com