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CONTENTS:

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

1. World
2. Africa
3. Americas
4. Asia Pacific
5. Europe
6. Middle East
7. South Asia
8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare
9. Finance
10 Human Rights
11. Law and Legal Issues
12. Transportation
13. Weapons of Mass Destruction
14. Recently Published

FEATURE ARTICLE:
The FBI's Counter-terrorism Strategy

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

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1. World

The Non-Aligned Movement, meeting in Durban, issued declarations on the Gatumba Massacre, dismantling the Israeli security wall in Palestinian territory and in support of multilateralism. South African President Mbeki called for reform of international institutions to support developing countries and meet the Millennium Development Goals. http://www.nam.gov.za/

The World Water Week conference in Stockholm looked at topics including water as a critical component for peace and stability in the Middle East, corruption, public and private investment, megacities, and other critical issues. One key issue was sustainable food production, including increasing water productivity and changing consumption patterns to reduce demand for meat and dairy products, in which cereal products must be diverted to feed animals. http://www.siwi.org/

The Population Reference Bureau (PRB)'s "2004 World Population Data Sheet" finds that " The starkly uneven pace of population growth between most developing and industrialized nations represents the world's major demographic fault line". Almost 99-percent of population growth occurs in developing countries, where the population will expand by 55-percent while rich countries will remain static or decline. India will overtake China as the most populous. For the first time the report includes HIV/AIDS estimates. With so many anomalies, the future is uncertain. http://www.prb.org/Template.cfm?Section=PRB&template=/Content/ContentGroups/Datasheets/2004_World_Population_Data_Sheet.htm

Time magazine reports that a "summit of terrorists" is planning major attacks. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,11010,00.html

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2. Africa

The West African locust crisis has spread into Mauritania, Mali and Niger. http://www.fao.org

Algerian militants of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) are suspected in two bomb attacks that killed a soldier in Bouira and a guard in Tebassa.

Burundi and the UN will open two new safe camps further inside Burundi. Refugees from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will be relocated there, away from the camp where last week's massacre of more than 160 ethnic Tutsi Congolese took place. In the aftermath of the massacre forces are massing along the border. Burundi says they were attacked by DRC and warns their government must arrest those responsible. Dissident DRC commander Laurent Nkunda has promised to resume fighting. Burundi President Domitien Ndayizeye believes DRC has reinforced their troops with Hutu rebels from Rwandan forces and Interahamwe as well as Burundi rebel National Liberation Forces (FNL). The UN Security Council has called for an investigation into the massacre.

With border security high and troops massing, the possibility of another war looming between Burundi and DRC it is hard to believe the situation in the war-torn countries could be improving. But Burundi has reached agreement on the formation of an interim government and a new report from Ituri Watch finds the situation in northeastern DRC is indeed improving, based on regular return of refugees and analysis of other conflict indicators and scenarios. http://www.db.idpproject.org/Sites/IdpProjectDb/idpSurvey.nsf/14E40DC0A9907BFCC1256EDD004DDA4B/$file/Ituri+update+July+04+AIP.pdf

Ghana lifted a state of emergency curfew in the northern Dagbon region. It had been imposed in March 2002 after a battle between rival Andani and Abudu clans. During the fighting, the King was beheaded and his palace razed. In addition 30 people and 3,000 displaced.

Guinea-Bissau is preparing for presidential elections next March but the fragile democratic process is in danger as political actors have increased a verbal conflict that could escalate into other actions. The country is structured as if it was still at war, there is no functional judicial system, and economic and social problems are getting worse. http://www.un.org/Depts/dpa/docs/conflict/guinea_bissau.html

Kenya's land minister said the government did not recognize colonial treaties that gave land to British settlers. The 1904 lease agreement, involving a million hectares of traditional Maasai tribal lands, expired last weekend. However the government has rejected Maasai demands to return the land and be compensated by the British. The Maasai, who were left with non-arable drought-prone areas, plan to increase their protests.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/africa/3570656.stm

Liberia reached a Comprehensive Peace Agreement on August 18, 2003. One year after the end of the 14-year civil war, with 15,000 UN peacekeepers on the ground, people have begun to return home, but the country's infrastructure was shattered by the war and immense human rights challenges remain. Disarmament has begun, but a grenade explosion at a disarmament camp killed two. http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42707
http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/document.do?id=30CBF19B132FBD0480256EEF00630A79

In Nigeria clashes between two rival cult groups in the south killed 16. In the central Plateau state, where clashes in May between Christians and Muslims killed dozens and displaced a quarter million people, a peace conference has begun. For the next month they will discuss conflicts over land and religion and see whether those displaced can begin to return.

In Somalia rival Dabare and Luway subclans fought for two days in the Bay region. Triggered by a land dispute and district council representation, more than 20 people were killed.

Sudan's Darfur region experienced fresh attacks, but nature is now presenting a more serious threat. Although the Ebola outbreak is now officially over, Hepatitis E has broken out and other water-borne infections are anticipated. Heavy rain and flooding has blocked humanitarian access, forcing a campaign to airlift food to affected communities. Sacha Westerbeek is a humanitarian worker for UNICEF in Darfur. Read her diary at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3572690.stm.
Meanwhile, the first African Union troops have arrived. Rwanda sent a force of 154 to protect the AU observer mission. Nigeria has approved a plan to send up to 1,500 peacekeeping troops, starting with 150 soldiers guarding ceasefire monitors.

Togo's President Eyadema pardoned some 500 prisoners who had been held in preventive detention, some for long periods and possibly some political prisoners. Seven militants of the opposition party Union of Forces for Change were released although they were in prison for making homemade bombs and vandalism, after the UFC leader was disqualified from the 2003 presidential election. (Eyadema has ruled Togo since his 1967 coup.)

Uganda has expressed hope that the conflict between the government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) could be ending soon as large numbers of rebels have surrendered past the last few weeks.

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3. Americas

Canada's Criminal Intelligence Service has released its annual report on organized crime. http://www.rcmp.ca/news/n_0429_e.htm

Canada is considering who will pay for the costs of providing investigators access to telephone and email messages. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police proposes adding a 25-cent charge to monthly telecommunication bills and says investigations would suffer if police had to pay the cost, while Bell Canada suggests sharing the cost. Debate over relevant legislation, and attendant issues of privacy, policy and cost, has been underway for more than two years. http://www.cacp.ca/english/ http://www.canada.com/national/story.html?id=9eec6a05-bfd2-44b7-8e16-6f843b0f0bc8

In Jamaica, gang violence is leading towards a record number of homicides and such chaos that some local politicians have suggested military intervention. http://www.jamaicapolice.org.jm/

The National Association for Business Economics August policy survey finds that terrorism presents the greatest short-term risk facing the US economy. The number of respondents citing this concern was 40 percent, up from 19 percent in March. http://www.nabe.com/publib/pol/04/pol0408.html

The US Senate Armed Services Committee held hearings on reorganizing the intelligence community. http://armed-services.senate.gov/e_witnesslist.cfm?id=1288 and
http://armed-services.senate.gov/e_witnesslist.cfm?id=1290

The US Department of Homeland Security lacks in part or in full the key elements for the enterprise architecture that is necessary to meet its business transformation efforts. This is the finding of a Government Accountability Report that warns that missing such key elements such as descriptions of business processes, information flows, and other key elements as well as the influence of disparate legacy architectures, risks systems that are poorly integrated, duplicative, and unnecessarily costly. DHS plans to address these issues in subsequent releases. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-777

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has won the referendum on his administration, with some 58 percent of the vote. The turnout was the highest ever, at around 80 percent. Although the opposition calls the results a fraud and calls for a recount, international observers found no fraud and agreed with the results announced by the Venezuelan Electoral National Council. Nonetheless, an audit of the results in the presence of monitors will be conducted to address remaining opposition concerns. http://www.oas.org/

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4. Asia Pacific

Australia and China have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support increased cooperation on governance and service delivery. China is now Australia's second biggest export market, surpassing the US. In a media conference following the agreement, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said that the ANZUS Treaty with the United States only requires action if one of the two countries is attacked, not if there is military activity elsewhere. It provides no obligation to help defend Taiwan in the event China used military force to regain the island. http://www.ausaid.gov.au/media/release.cfm?BC=Media&Id=5358_1725_540_6336_3860
http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/transcripts/2004/040817_ds_beijing.html

Indonesian rebel forces in Aceh and Papua launched attacks against security personnel on Independence Day. The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) launched several grenade attacks near government institutions, injuring at least ten civilians, while security forces killed four rebels. In a report on the 10-month-old operations in Aceh the military state that at least 1,159 rebels were killed, 672 arrested and 696 surrendered. In addition, 34 Indonesian soldiers died in battle, 26 of other causes, and 175 were injured. In Papua, a gun battle between Indonesian forces and the Free Papua Movement (OPM) killed to separatists and seriously injured one soldier. Indonesian authorities have reduced by two months the sentences of six people convicted over the 2002 Bali bombings as part of the traditional Independence Day clemency.

Philippine authorities report that Tahir Alonto, leader of the Pentagon' gang it believes responsible for at least 30 kidnappings, and another dozen bandits were killed in an air strike in Mindanao.

Thai police defused a very powerful bomb half an hour before it was set to explode. Planted outside the Thai Military Bank in the southern Narathiwat province, had the explosion gone off it would have caused major casualties and been one of the most powerful in the region, that has been plagued b a spate of militant attacks.

Turkmenistan's President, Saparmyrat Niyazov new plan to build an ice palace in the desert is the subject of a fascinating article by Andrew Osborn: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp?story=551539

Vanuatu has elected Kalkot Mataskelekele its new president, three months after Alfred Maseng was deposed for having a prior conviction for fraud. Despite the political turmoil, Vanuatu has not seen the civil strife such as that in Fiji or other neighboring countries. http://www.vanuatugovernment.gov.vu/

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5. Europe

The European Environment Agency has called for the region to develop strategies that can limit the impacts of climate change including " More frequent and more economically costly storms, floods, droughts and other extreme weather. Wetter conditions in northern Europe but drier weather in the south that could threaten agriculture in some areas. More frequent and more intense heatwaves. Melting glaciers, with three-quarters of those in the Swiss Alps likely to disappear by 2050". http://org.eea.eu.int/documents/newsreleases/climate_report-en

Georgians at the South Ossetia border were shelled during the week, with nightly casualties, including at least four deaths, among security forces and civilians that forced further evacuation of women and children. Georgia believes the forces in South Ossetia are backed by Russia Cossacks. Georgia has asked the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to arrange an international conference to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. Russia says it is opposed to any international intervention. Meanwhile, Georgia claims to have captured key strategic positions in South Ossetia and will turn control over to a peacekeeping force of Russian, Ossetian and Georgian soldiers. As Georgia began withdrawing troops the fighting has died down.

In Greece the International Olympics Committee (IOC) held a ceremony to commemorate the Munich Olympics in which 11 Israeli athletes were killed. Their families are lobbying the IOC to incorporate a permanent memorial to the men as part of the opening ceremonies. For background: https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2002/090802.html#FeatureArticle

Italian officials defused a bomb near Prime Minister Berlusconi's holiday villa, where British Prime Minister Blair was visiting. The Proletarian Combatant Groups (NPC) claimed responsibility for that and a second device. Blair has altered his holiday plans as a result of the threat.

In Moldova's Transdniestria region, local authorities have banned a humanitarian OSCE mission in contravention of a 1993 agreement. Over the past few weeks, schools teaching in Latin script have been forcibly closed, leaving orphans in resident without housing.

Dutch police have detained nine people in connection with the March 11 Madrid bombings. Spanish investigators are participating. One suspect was identified as Mohamed Belhadj, wanted by Spain on an international arrest warrant.

Chechen officials have begun delivering ballots for the presidential elections scheduled August 29. There are seven candidates.

Spain's Basque separatist group ETA claimed responsibility for two more bombs that exploded in northwestern coastal towns, with at least one casualty. Along with four earlier this month, ETA is targeting the tourist industry.

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6. Middle East

In the Gaza Strip on Monday Israeli Defense Forces shot and killed an unarmed Palestinian man and a missile strike killed two Palestinians they say were setting up a missile launch. On Tuesday an Israeli drone fired a missile into the home of Ahmed al-Jabari, a commander in the Hamas armed wing, Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades. He was wounded, his son and at least five people were killed, and a dozen wounded. On Thursday a teenager was shot dead as he cared for his friend who had been shot and injured because they were in a restricted area. On Saturday a Palestinian was shot dead as he entered a security zone, apparently with an explosive device.

Iran and South Africa signed a bilateral agreement to expand trade ties. It opens the possibility that Iran could purchase uranium from South Africa. Iran's defense minister warned they would respond to any "preemptive operations" by Israel or the US.

In Iraq, more than two weeks of fighting between US-led forces and supporters of Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr has not resolved the situation in the holy city of Najaf. Fighting at less sensitive locations around the country continues, and has accelerated sufficiently to put a stop to refugee repatriation. US troops responded to a disturbance at Abu Ghraib prison with force, killing two prisoners. On the political front, the national conference chose its first assembly. The 100 members will oversee the interim government in the run-up to national elections scheduled for January.

Israeli's High Court has ordered the government to respond within 30 days to the World Court ruling that the West Bank barrier as currently routed is illegal. Attorney General Mazuz has recommended rerouting the barrier to help avoid potential international sanctions. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/467077.html About 2,264 of 3,800 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails have joined a hunger strike, first called on Sunday, to protest for mandatory visiting rights, better sanitation, public phones, and an end to strip searches.

Lebanese Hizbullah reelected Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah to a fifth term as secretary general.

In the West Bank, Israeli troops confronted by stone throwers shot dead an 8-year-old boy; nine other Palestinians were injured. Palestinian leader Arafat admitted that unacceptable mistakes had been made under his leadership and committed to reform

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7. South Asia

Afghanistan's security situation is deteriorating ahead of scheduled presidential elections. The Taliban carried out attacks against election offices, government and humanitarian workers, with numerous casualties. Despite a ceasefire between rival militia commanders continued fighting in the west has stopped refugee convoys. The latest UN report says that extremist violence, factionalism and the drugs trade are on the rise and threaten lasting peace. Additional security assistance is necessary for the presidential polls to succeed. UN staff are calling for a pullout because the country is too dangerous and they fear becoming targets in the election run-up. http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=S/2004/634

In Bangladesh a series of 7-8 explosions at the opposition Awami League party rally in Dhaka has killed at least eight people and injured dozens more. Sheikh Hasina, former prime minister and party leader, was not hurt.

India's Supreme Court has ordered police in the state of Gujarat to review some 2,000 cases related to the 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots to see if any should be reinvestigated. Nearly two years after the events in which more than a thousand people, mostly Muslims, died, there have been no convictions and most cases were closed, raising concerns that the Gujarat government has badly mishandled the situation.

In Indian-administered Kashmir, Manzoorul Islam, head of the separatist Jamait-ul-Mujahideen, was shot dead in a gun battle with Indian troops. Separatist militants attacked a remote village, killing four Muslim family members.

Nepal's Maoist rebels have imposed an indefinite blockade of the capital Kathmandu, closing many businesses and stopping delivery of supplies, although many truck drivers are defying the blockade.

Pakistan has issued a "Most Wanted Terrorists" list, offering rewards totaling more than $1 million for information leading to the capture of Abu Faraj al-Libbi, Amjad Hussain Farooqi, Mati-ur-Rehman ("Samad"), Mansoor ("Chota Ibrahim"), Qari Ehsan ("Shahid") and Omar Aqdas ("Sohail"). http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6004000 Pakistani officials have reported a number of other arrests during the week and security operations continue, including an operation in Balochistan in which attackers killed at least four soldiers.

In Sri Lanka, gunmen fired on Tamil Tiger rebels, killing two and injuring one, in part of violence between the organization and the breakaway Karuna faction.

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8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare

The AntiPhishing Working Group's Trends Report for June highlights these findings:
1422 unique phishing attacks were reported in June
An average monthly growth rate of 52 percent
Citibank, with 492 attacks, was the most targeted
92 percent of attacks used spoofed email addresses
The USA hosted the most sites, with 27 percent
The average lifespan of a phishing site was 2.25 days
http://www.antiphishing.org/APWG_Phishing_Attack_Report-Jun2004.pdf

Flaws in the Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 update continue to emerge. Microsoft has published a list of some of the applications that do not work properly with the update. Secunia reports on a highly critical "drag and drop" vulnerability.
http://www.heise.de/security/artikel/50046 (in German)
http://www.heise.de/security/artikel/50051 (in English)
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/default.mspx
http://secunia.com/advisories/12321/
http://secunia.com/advisories/12304/

The US House of Representatives Select Committee on Homeland Security held hearings on information sharing. http://hsc.house.gov/

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9. Finance

The Swiss Federal Office of Justice finds that " The greater part of the USD 500 million of Abacha funds frozen in Switzerland are clearly of criminal origin and will therefore be handed over to Nigeria". Nigeria believes Abacha embezzled more than $2 billion during his 5-year rule. These assets have been found in the UK, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. Switzerland previously returned $200m of the $700m held there. Abacha's family has 30 days to contest the decision to return the balance. Additional assets of $7 million are being held in escrow pending determination of criminal origin. http://www.ofj.admin.ch/themen/presscom/intro-e.htm

Somalia's UN Monitoring Group reported that arms continue to flow into Somalia where they are openly sold in local arms markets. Warlords had been the main importers but now arms traders and other businessmen are playing a bigger role. The goods are often delivered by dhows or larger vessels along the coast while air transport seems to have decreased. Proceeds from the khat trade and international sales of hashish may be financing the purchases. Lack of regional customs administration and widespread embargo violations both contribute to the multinational trade. The Monitoring Group recommended drafting a watch list of those violating the embargo and measures to be taken against them. Following this report, the Security Council extended the monitoring group's mandate for another six months.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/sc8169.doc.htm
http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/res/1558(2004)

The IMF's latest assessment in Kazakhstan finds that existing AML/CFT legislation and enforcement is insufficient but improving. The main findings of the report are twofold. First, "Kazakhstan's rapid economic growth has been largely based on substantial oil, gas, and mineral reserves, and privatization process. Its geographic location, however, renders it a convenient drug trafficking corridor. These factors, together with organized crime, regional insecurity, issues regarding transparency in the management of natural resources (particularly in the energy sector), and the need to encourage foreign investment, create substantial challenges with respect to limiting risks related to money laundering and terrorist financing. Since the links between drug trafficking and terrorism in the region could present serious challenges to regional and economic development, delay in implementation of appropriate AML/CFT policies and procedures could impede Kazakhstan's development efforts". Second, they find that "While Kazakhstan has criminalized money laundering, its definition does not yet meet international standards. No financial intelligence unit (FIU) yet exists, and bank secrecy provisions impose criminal liability upon those who disclose suspicious transaction data even to authorities authorized to act on such information. At the same time, government officials from various enforcement and financial sector regulatory agencies have participated in AML/CFT training programs over the past year, which indicates emerging political will to build a legal framework to combat money laundering (ML) and financing of terror (FT)".
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2004/cr04268.pdf

Their latest review of Chile found there is still scope for tightening the AML/CFT framework. A recent law endorsed Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) authority and extended the definition of offences and reporting obligations. However Constitutional Court rulings "eliminated the FIU's sanctioning powers, limited its discretion in requesting data on suspicious transaction records, and denied its access to information protected by bank secrecy or on other public databases". These actions can undermine investigation and international cooperation. Compliance monitoring by securities firms, insurance companies, and foreign exchange retail operators also needs improvement.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=17665.0

Next week, watch for the Feature Article highlighting the new suspicious activity report from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

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10. Human Rights

This week's Health and Human Rights section in The Lancet examines " how the US military medical system has failed to protect detainees' human rights in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay". (registration) http://www.thelancet.com/journal/vol364/iss9435/full/llan.364.9435.review_and_opinion.30574.1 http://www.thelancet.com/journal/vol364/iss9435/full/llan.364.9435.analysis_and_interpretation.30569.1

Former Guantanamo Bay detainees Shafiq Rasul, Asif Iqbal and Rhuhel Ahmed described their life in detention at the US naval base. Attorneys with the Center for Constitutional Rights have submitted their accounts to the Senate Armed Services Committee http://www.ccr-ny.org/v2/reports/report.asp?ObjID=4bUT8M23lk&Content=424

A coalition of more than forty organizations has written a letter of complaint to the US Census Bureau asking for an explanation and investigation regarding data provided to the Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Customs and Border Protection. It "includes specific data on the Arab American population in the United States, broken down by population size (1000 or more Arab Americans) as well as by zip-code [and] further delineated by the specific ancestry or national-origin of the Arab Americans". http://www.aaiusa.org/pr/release08-13-04.htm or http://www.adc.org/index.php?id=2303

Britain's information commissioner, Richard Thomas, warned the UK could "sleepwalk into a surveillance society". He is concerned about information collection under ID card and other plans and the lack of care is defining the purpose of the cards. http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk http://www.timesonline.co.uk/ (subscription)

In the US state of Illinois, insurance records on slaves have been posted on a web site in connection with a state law that requires insurance companies to provide archival data about slave coverage. http://www.ins.state.il.us/Consumer/SlaveryReporting.nsf

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11. Law and Legal Issues

Dhiren Barot, Mohammed Naveed Bhatti, , Abdul Aziz Jalil, Omar Abdul Rehman, Junade Feroze, Zia Ul Haq, Qaisar Shaffi, and Nadeem Tarmohammed have appeared in British court to face charges of conspiracy to murder and to commit public nuisance by the use of radioactive materials, toxic gases, chemicals, or explosives . Barot, Shaffi, and Tarmohammed were also charged under the Terrorism Act of 2000 for possessing information likely to be useful for a terrorist act. Matthew Phillip Monks was separately charged with possession. These men were among 13 detained in the raids two weeks ago following the US orange alert for financial institutions. Of the other four, two were released and two were rearrested for non-terrorism-related offenses. http://www.met.police.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2004_0111
http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,12780,1285707,00.html

Abdelkrim Beghdali and Safwan Sabagh, arrested after the March 11 attacks in Madrid but released because of lack of evidence have been rearrested following new fingerprint and other evidence.

Louis-Jodel Chamblain, second-in-command of the Revolutionary Front for Haitian Advancement and Progress (FRAPH), and codefendant police chief Jackson Joanis, were acquitted of murdering former justice minister Antoine Izmery in 1993, a charge for which they had been convicted in absentia in 1995. They remain in detention pending other charges. The decision has raised questions about the rule of law in Haiti following Aristide's overthrow. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2004/35295.htm http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/document.do?id=80256DD400782B8480256EF3005FA2DE

Carlos Enrique Gamarra-Murillo has been indicted on six counts of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, including export and trafficking violations. http://www.ice.gov/graphics/news/newsreleases/articles/081804armsdeal.htm http://www.ice.gov/graphics/news/newsreleases/articles/081804indictment.pdf

Malachy Molloy, a fuel distributor in Northern Ireland, has been charged with money laundering in a fuel smuggling fraud.

Agathon Rwasa, leader of the rebel National Liberation Forces (FNL) in Burundi and party spokesman Pasteur Habimana have been issued with an arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with the Friday 13 refugee camp massacres.

Muhammad Hamid Khalil Salah, Abdelhaleem Hasan Abdelraziq Ashqar, and Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook, have been indicted by a US federal grand jury for a racketeering conspiracy in the US to finance terrorist activities by Hamas abroad. Marzook is in Syria and is considered by the US Department of Justice to be a fugitive. http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2004/August/04_crm_571.htm

Bobby Tohill, a dissident republican allegedly kidnapped by the IRA last year, had been accused of breaking into a home and threatening the homeowner, but these charges have all been dropped.

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12. Transportation

The Council On Hemispheric Affairs warns that anti-terrorism costs related to the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) could bring to the Caribbean to its knees. Key issues include the cost of security measures, consequences of refusal of entry to US waters and the use of trade embargoes to punish non-compliance. In particular, "Caribbean islands have had great difficulty adhering to the new regulations due to their small size, limited economies and chronic shortage of funds. For some Caribbean nations, the cost of compliance totals over 100 million dollars annually". http://www.coha.org/NEW_PRESS_RELEASES/New_Press_Releases_2004/04.51_ISPS1.htm

International Labor Organization announced that the Seafarers' Identity Documents Convention, "a new and more rigorous biometric identity verification system which could potentially be used by 1.2 million global maritime workers", has received sufficient ratifications to go into force by February, as only two more signatories are needed. http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/2004/37.htm

The Marshall Islands signed a bilateral agreement with the US under the Proliferation Security Initiative that allows either party to interdict possible WMD-related cargo. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2004/35236.htm

The ports of Laem Chabank in Thailand and Tanjung Pelepas in Malaysia have become operational under the Container Security Initiative. http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/press_releases/08132004.xml

The US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation held hearings on the 9/11 Commission's recommendations for transportation security. http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/witnesslist.cfm?id=1287

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13. Weapons of Mass Destruction

Scientists at the China National Avian Flu Reference Laboratory have discovered the H5N1 avian influenza virus in pigs at several firms. This highly virulent strain that killed several people in East Asia this year has been detected in Malaysia. If the spread to pigs is confirmed it raises serious concerns of human transmission.
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2004_08_20/en/
http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/subjects/en/health/diseases-cards/special_avian.html

The Hong Kong Observatory announced the results of its new study on projected temperature changes for the rest of the century. They project an increase of 3.5 degrees and increases in extreme weather, including more than double the number of very hot days. Increasing heat and humidity could create favorable conditions for new bacteria and viruses and favorable conditions for diseases to spread. http://www.hko.gov.hk/wxinfo/news/2004/pre0819e.htm

The International Monetary Fund's August Civil Society Newsletter includes an article on financing for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment that outlines critical infrastructure issues and the challenges in addressing the pandemic in poor countries. http://www.imf.org/External/NP/EXR/cs/eng/2004/081304.htm
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/press_releases/08162004.xml

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14. Recently Published

If you haven't already downloaded it at
http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf
You can purchase the printed copy of "The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States" published by Norton. The printed version (over 600 pages) is $10; the download is 7.4 MB.

Juval Aviv, "Staying Sage: The Complete Guide to Protecting Yourself, Your Family, and Your Business" Harper Resource

Yoaai Bwukubm "The Path to Geneva: The Quest for a Permanent Agreement, 1996 - 2004" RDV Books

Ross Gelbspan, "Boiling Point: How Politicians, Big Oil and Coal, Journalists, and Activists Are Fueling the Climate Crisis - and What We Can Do to Avert Disaster" Basic Books

Jonathan Randal, "Osama: The Making of a Terrorist: Alfred A Knopf

Dennis Ross, "The Missing Peace: The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peace" Farrar, Strauss and Giroux

Edward Said, "From Oslo to Iraq and the Road Map" (posthumous essay collection) Pantheon

Evan Wright, "Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America and the New Face of American War" Putnam

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FEATURE ARTICLE: The FBI's Counter-terrorism Strategy

When the Bureau of Investigation was formed in 1908 the United States defined few federal crimes. Investigations revolved around areas of national banking, bankruptcy, naturalization, antitrust, peonage, land fraud and, when the Mann Act was passed in 1910, "white slavery" joined the list. Today's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a division of the Department of Justice, is a different beast. From a small force of special agents it has grown to a force of more than 5,000 agents and 4,000 support personnel and a multi-billion dollar budget. It now has 56 field offices, 400 satellite offices, and 45 offices outside the US that support international investigations and operations.

As so often happens, this expansion was not the result of advance planning but rather a response to changes on the ground. Since its founding, the FBI has weathered two world wars, the 1930s depression and associated crime wave, the cold war, domestic protests and terrorist groups in the 1960s and 70s, government corruption, and the rise of international crimes beginning in the 1980s that was coincident with rapid changes in technology. Along with changes in the threat environment, the economy and use of technology, came changes in legislation and policies.

Not the FBI, not the Justice Department, and not the federal government as a whole have been able to effectively absorb these changes. Fundamental transformation is necessary and, following the attacks of September 11, became urgent. Not only was intelligence about terrorism found lacking and the absence of information sharing or accountability criticized. Even basic law enforcement activities like timely processing of fingerprints, trusted forensic laboratories, and processing security clearances were not meeting minimum quality or timeliness standards.

The situation is slowly improving. The Government Accountability Office (formerly the General Accounting Office) (GAO) regularly reviews the status of the FBI's transformation. It has consistently recorded improvements and major challenges, of which the most significant require outside participation. For example, the FBI transformation is a subset of larger federal efforts that continue to lack overall leadership. Similarly, congressional oversight is necessary, and so is congressional budgeting. Major issues continue to revolve around the need for an overall enterprise architecture, including human capital. Until now, the lack of an overall strategy to guide these efforts stood in the way. Now, the FBI has published its 2004-2009 strategic plan. Although this will not solve the coordination and alignment necessary with the Department of Justice and the federal government overall, it does offer a starting point for the required strategic transformation efforts.

The FBI forecasts new asymmetric threats to the US for years to come and says that of these terrorism is the most significant threat to national security. The forecast summarizes international:

And domestic terrorism:

In other forecasts, they believe terrorists will leverage cyber attacks and will leverage smuggling networks to circumvent border security. They believe that money laundering will become increasingly sophisticated, relying on complex financial mechanisms and computer technology.

After discussing the threats, the strategy describes how it will achieve their mission to prevent, disrupt, and defeat terrorist operations before attacks occur. Their greatest current concern is the threat from those al Qaeda cells within the US: "These cells maintain strict operational and communications security and minimize contact with militant Islamic groups and mosques in the United States to avoid drawing attention to themselves".

They describe particular groups:

They also war of the lower threat of domestic terrorist organizations including:

The FBI has learned the lessons of the September 11 attacks. They have begun to shift the culture and organization from reactive to proactive and threat-based; have developed an integrated intelligence and investigative program and improved information sharing with other federal, state and local organizations and international partners; and have improved their operational capabilities within headquarters and in the field. Based on this, they have identified five strategic counterterrorism objectives:

Each strategic objective is accompanied with a number of priority actions that will be taken to achieve the mission, ranging form intelligence efforts and partnerships through law enforcement.

Counterterrorism is, of course, only one part of the FBI's remit. The organization will also address intelligence, cyber threats, public corruption, civil rights, criminal enterprises, white collar crime, violent crime, and so on. It will leverage tools such as communications equipment and electronic surveillance devices; laboratory and psychological evaluation services; and databases and analytic software. Security, both physical and cyber, will be fully integrated throughout the organization to protect tangible and intangible (people, intellectual property) assets.

One of the most interesting sections of the strategy is Appendix A. It lays out a table of underlying global drivers and their potential results, impacts and implications. For example, global demographic changes that generate an aging population in richer countries could lead to illegal immigration, xenophobic right-wing groups, increased crime, and investigation challenges. It's also worth looking at Appendix B to see the number of stakeholders the FBI has to involve. Links to the full report and related information follows.

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