Dana Priest explains how Paris’s shadowy ‘Alliance Base’ aids U.S. in terror fight in the Washington Post via MSNBC:
PARIS - When Christian Ganczarski, a German convert to Islam, boarded an Air France flight from Riyadh on June 3, 2003, he knew only that the Saudi government had put him under house arrest for an expired pilgrim visa and had given his family one-way tickets back to Germany, with a change of planes in Paris.He had no idea that he was being secretly escorted by an undercover officer sitting behind him, or that a senior CIA officer was waiting at the end of the jetway as French authorities gently separated him from his family and swept Ganczarski into French custody, where he remains today on suspicion of associating with terrorists.
Ganczarski is among the most important European al Qaeda figures alive, according to U.S. and French law enforcement and intelligence officials. The operation that ensnared him was put together at a top secret center in Paris, code-named Alliance Base, that was set up by the CIA and French intelligence services in 2002, according to U.S. and European intelligence sources. Its existence has not been previously disclosed...
Read it all.
As essayists and those posting comments have noted, cooperation against the Jihad by factions in the United States are necessary for survival against the onslaught of Islam, it should surprise no one to understand that governments, and agencies within those governments must cooperate for the same reason. The urgency of this enterprise predicates such a need and everyone must get over the desire to protect their own turf and from the fear of being seen as the lackey of someone else.
This isn't rocket science. We are in a race for survival against an ancient ideology that has long experience in overcoming, engulfing, and eliminating rivals. We no longer have time for the luxury of arguing among ourselves.
Precisely.
The revealed war on terror is the tip of the iceberg. There's plenty of action happening under the surface (or so one hopes) that doesn't kowtow to PC charm, loony-left-sensibilities or any deference to 'terrorists' human rights'.
Vive la France.
Choke the s.o.b. on a soggy croissant until he talks.
And then hand him to the:
"Maitre des hautes oeuvres."
(AKA- The Hangman.)
I say! Where are all the spitting, growling Europe-bashers around here? All those who revel in their predictions of fiery European destruction (and say so) and call every European a dhimmi? Hey, everyone! Raise your voices? Or have you all collectively choked on your McBurgers?
So France realizes (at least in private) its self-interest in fighting against the global jihad? Brilliant! It's unfortunate this cooperation doesn't extend into public diplomacy. Lebanon is the exception to the rule. When the French media quits casting Bush and Sharon as the source of all evil, then there could be real improvement.
French media bashing Bush and Sharon as the source of all evil? I would settle for a US media that did not do that! For good measure, how about some more US Senators and Congressmen getting on board this war. Most of them think the war is between Demos and Repubs.
If you were familiar with French media, there is no way you could make a comparison to American media, unless you count Counterpunch, Electronic Intifada, and Zundel. The anti-Semitism is overt, and the anti-Americanism is on par with some of the worst examples of propaganda I've seen in history. Keep in mind, the media in France is largely controlled by the government (specifically, owned and operated by the defense industry).
The French cannot be an ally until at least a plurality of their population finds Hitler to be a more malevolent figure in history than Dick Cheney.
The French cannot be an ally until at least a plurality of their population finds Hitler to be a more malevolent figure in history than Dick Cheney.
Yes. This is a highly Western question.
The point about the French media is discouraging but not surprising. What never ceases to amaze me is the amount of America hatred in this country by American citizens. My wife was on a domestic flight and a gate agent came aboard before departure to acknowledge and praise the military people on the flight who were returning from Iraq. Most passengers were applauding but my wife saw a woman near her who was obviously not happy about the incident. The woman was taking notes and inquiring with the flight crew about the identity of the 'perpetrator". She was obviously going to make a complaint. This kind of thing makes me homicidal.
@epg: "...We no longer have time for the luxury of arguing among ourselves."
What sense does it make to denigrate the US in public and work together in private? Will Paris have to be hit before the French come around? Do they think they'll be exempt?