Flashpoint's Insight & Analysis section presents selected commentary on a range of issues and attempts to include a variety of perspectives. Some analyses are written by our editor and staff, others come from contributors, or are republished from other sources.

Piracy: Terror on the High Seas
Author; James Mattil - 2011

As implausible as it sounds, modern-day pirates plundering shipping off the Somali coast and into the Indian Ocean have become increasingly brazen, deadly and costly, while the international community has failed to stem Africa's most notorious, new growth industry.

Iran: The Drums of War
Author: James F. Mattil - 2006

Information leaks regarding US plans for a possible pre-emptive nuclear strike on Iran have raised the stakes and the volume of debate surrounding Iran's alleged quest for nuclear capability. Is the West being duped again and are we ignoring the most viable options for resolving the presumed crisis?

IRAQ: WAR, INSURGENCY & PEACE

Assessing the Iraqi Elections’ Impact on Terrorism and Insurgency
Author: Mahan Abedin, Terrorism Monitor, Jamestown Foundation
http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?issue_id=3570

While the elections were held successfully and the political process in Iraq now seems irreversible, there is also little doubt that the country is being steadily transformed into an Islamic state. There will be a greater temptation on both sides of the sectarian divide to stage sensational attacks on U.S. interests in Iraq, on a par with the October 1983 bombing of the Marines HQ in Beirut.

The Salafi-Jihadist Movement in Iraq: Recruitment Methods and Arab Volunteers
By Murad Al-Shishani, Terrorism Monitor
http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369842

The Zawahiri-Zarqawi Letter: Al-Qaeda’s Tactical and Theater-of-War Concerns
Author: Michael Scheuer, Terrorism Mnitor
http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?search=1&articleid=2369830

Although debate continues as to the authenticity of the letter, Scheurer, a former CIA analyst in charge of the Al-Qaeda unit, argues that the themes are consistent with al-Qaeda's strategy and should be taken as a valid warning of future events.

INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

Bounding the Global War on Terrorism
Author: Jeffrey Record
Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/PUB207.pdf

The author examines three features of the war on terrorism as currently defined and conducted: (1) the administration's postulation of the terrorist threat, (2) the scope and feasibility of U.S. war aims, and (3) the war's political, fiscal, and military sustainability. He believes that the war on terrorism--as opposed to the campaign against al-Qaeda--lacks strategic clarity, embraces unrealistic objectives, and may not be sustainable over the long haul. He calls for downsizing the scope of the war on terrorism to reflect concrete U.S. security interests and the limits of American military power.

The Al-Qaeda Dossier
Edited by James F. Mattil, 2005

A comprehensive review of the Al-Qaeda terrorist group and Usama bin Laden. The Dossier describes the roots of Islamic radicalism and traces the evolution of Bin Laden's grievances from his time as an Afghan mujahadeen, his return to Saudi Arabia, deportation to Sudan and back to Aghanistan.

Inside Pakistan's Madrasses
Author: Farhana Ali, Terrorism Focus, Jamestown Foundation http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369861

A rare and too short, glimpse into a little known world of Islamic religious teaching.

What in the Name of God? Religion, Fear & Terrorism
Author: James F. Mattil, 2002

Examines similarities between Muslim, Jewish and Chrsitian fundamentalism and describes how each exploits personal fear to control followers and instigate violence in the name of God.

Radical Islam in Latin America
Author: Chris Zambelis, Terrorism Monitor
http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369844

A diverse array of criminal organizations active in the region—from local drug gangs to radical Islamists—demonstrates that weak institutions, political instability, corruption, and poverty provide ample opportunities for groups such as al-Qaeda and others to form working relationships.

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

Weapons of Mass Destruction
Author: James F. Mattil, 2005

A basic, non-scientific review of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons, this report discusses which weapons pose realistic threats and which are hyped-up to create irrational fear. Most WMDs require sophisticated technology far beyond the capabilites and logistics of terrorists with box cutters. We may be ignoring the most realistic threats.

Al-Qaeda's WMD Strategy After the U.S. Intervention in Afghanistan
Author: Robert Wesley, Terrorism Monitor
http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?issue_id=3502

Al-Qaeda and WMD: A Primer
Author: Tiina Tarvainen, Terrorism Monitor
http://www.jamestown.org/programs/gta/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=498&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=180&no_cache=1

New threats by rootless jihadis to attack Western interests are appearing on jihadist forums more frequently than ever.Currently the disconnect between motivation and capabilities is far too wide, making an attack in the foreseeable future highly unlikely. But in the mid- to long-term three factors in particular; namely increasing Muslim alienation with U.S. policies, growing proliferation of knowledge and technology and the increasingly rootless and ubiquitous nature of global jihad, are likely to converge, thus rendering a WMD attack all but inevitable.