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Friday, February 28, 2014

Terrorism Finance in Turkey: A Growing Concern, by Jonathan Schanzer ( FDD)

The Financial Action Task Force, or FATF, the international body for setting the global standards to combat terrorist financing, held its plenary session in Paris in mid-February 2014. In the days before the meeting, Bloomberg reported that the Turkish lira weakened and stocks dropped resulting from concerns over a possible blacklisting. Realistically, Turkey was in little danger of joining the short FATF list of countries requiring “counter-measures” (Iran and North Korea). But the markets were jittery because of an ongoing corruption scandal in Turkey, which erupted on December 17, 2013.
In the end, the corruption charges had no impact on FATF’s ruling. Ankara was merely grey-listed by FATF, as it has been since 2007, due to deficiencies based on technical and legislative criteria. But the market’s outsized anxiety underscored the fact that, amidst the corruption scandal, a troubling picture has come into focus.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Αδιόρατες όψεις της λαθρομετανάστευσης, του Ιωάννη Μιχαλέτου

Το ζήτημα της λαθρομετανάστευσης είναι κοινωνικό, αστυνομικό, οικονομικό, πολιτικό και πρωτίστως εθνικό πρόβλημα. Λόγω των πολύπλευρων όψεων εκ των οποίων μπορεί να ιδωθεί αυτό το ζήτημα, το παρόν κείμενο συνoπτικά θα επεκταθεί σε ορισμένες πτυχές που είναι είτε αδιόρατες είτε έχουν ερευνηθεί στο ελάχιστο.



Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Radical Islamist media network in Western Balkans, by Ioannis Michaletos

The ongoing propaganda network of radical Sunni-Islamist networks in the Western Balkans is greatly promoted via the use of websites, online talk shows and the facebook.


Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Ακραία Ισλαμιστικά μέσα ενημέρωσης στα Δυτικά Βαλκάνια, του Ιωάννη Μιχαλέτου

Η προπαγάνδα όλων των τύπων (Λευκή, γκρίζα και μαύρη) αποτελεί μια από τις βασικές μεθόδους εξάπλωσης ακραίων -εξτρεμιστικών ιδεών που κατευθύνονται από Ισλαμιστικά δίκτυα στα Δυτικά Βαλκάνια, καθώς και τρόπος στρατολόγησης νέων μελών. 



Η επέκταση της χρήσης των "κοινωνικών δικτύων" έχει συντελέσει σε μια εξάπλωση της προπαγάνδας που απευθύνεται κατά κύριο λόγο σε νεαρής ηλικίας άτομα, κυρίως Βόσνιους και Αλβανούς. 


An overview of Islamist and Jihadi activities in selected European countries ( Part II ), by Andreas Banoutsos



France


The Muslim population of France numbers 3,574,000 people and constitutes 5.7% of the total population.[1]
In September 11, 2006 Al--Qaeda video, serious threats were made towards France when Ayman al-Zawahiri said, ‘Osama Bin Laden has told me to announce to the Muslims that the GSPC (Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat) has joined Al-Qaeda. This should be a source of chagrin, frustration and sadness for the apostates [of the regime in Algeria], the treacherous sons of France [former colonial power]’. Zawahiri urges the group to become ‘a bone in the throat of the American and French crusaders’, meaning to reach the highest level of pain for France and the USA.[2]

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

An overview of Islamist and Jihadi activities in selected European countries ( Part I ), by Andreas Banoutsos




The Islamist penetration of Europe has occurred over decades. As the European colonial powers such as Britain, France, Belgium and the Netherlands gradually withdrew from Asia, Africa and the Middle East after World War II, at the same time they opened their doors to large numbers of natives of these lands to gain citizenship in their homelands. These new, mostly Muslim immigrants from the former colonies had many among them indoctrinated to Islamism, either before their migration or recruited in Europe later.[1]

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Η Αφγανική ηρωίνη και ο "ασφαλής λιμένας" του Ντουμπάι, του Ιωάννη Μιχαλέτου

Τη σημερινή περίοδο το Αφγανιστάν αποτελεί τη βάση παραγωγής του 90% του οπίου στο κόσμο και του 80% της ηρωίνης. 


Δεκάδες δισεκατομμύρια Δολάρια "ξεπλένονται" ετησίως με την αρωγή του διεθνούς χρηματοπιστωτικού συστήματος κυρίως μέσω του Ντουμπάι.


Sochi 2014: A Security Challenge - STRATFOR


Summary

The Russian city of Sochi will host the 2014 Winter Olympics from Feb. 7 to Feb. 23 and the Paralympics from March 7 to March 16. Russia is no stranger to hosting high-profile global events; it hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics and is preparing for the 2018 World Cup final.
Though the 2014 games seemingly offer Moscow a perfect platform for showcasing the strength of its security apparatus, Russia will have to work overtime to protect athletes and spectators. This in turn could leave surrounding regions such as the Northern Caucasus and major cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg exposed to militancy, terrorism and organized crime. Militants from the Caucasus striking elsewhere in Russia during the games to avoid the intense security that will be present in Sochi and to capitalize on news coverage of the highly publicized event pose the greatest threat to the games.


Saturday, February 8, 2014

Συνέντευξη του Jean-Charles Brisard, στον Ιωάννη Μιχαλέτο

Ο Jean-Charles Brisard είναι εμπειρογνώμονας για θέματα χρηματοδότησης της τρομοκρατίας. Έχει συγγράψει δεκάδες βιβλία και ειδικές μελέτες για διεθνείς οργανισμούς και κράτη για τα δίκτυα χρηματοδότησης των γνωστότερων τρομοκρατικών οργανώσεων, όπως η Αλ Κάιντα. 



Έχει καταθέσει  στην επιτροπή του Αμερικανικού Κογκρέσου για την 11η Σεπτεμβρίου και παρέχει υπηρεσίες συμβούλου στις Γαλλικές αρχές ασφαλείας και πληροφοριών για θέματα ξεπλύματος μαύρου χρήματος και χρηματοδότησης τρομοκρατικών οργανώσεων. Από το 2002 είναι ο κύριος ερευνητής για τα δικηγορικά γραφεία που εκπροσωπούν τις οικογένειες των θυμάτων της 11/9 σε όλες τις αστικές αγωγές που υφίστανται ανά το κόσμο.



Thursday, February 6, 2014

Exposed: The Muslim Brotherhood/Al-Qaeda Connection, by Raymond Ibrahim

As former Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi's trials continue, it's enlightening to consider what is likely to be one of the centerpieces of the trial: longstanding accusations that Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood party worked with foreign terrorist organizations, including al-Qaeda, against the national security of Egypt.
Based on these accusations of high treason, Morsi and others could face the death penalty.


Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Why Revolutionary Sunni Islamism is the World’s Greatest Strategic Threat and None of it is Moderate, by Barry Rubin


 To RIMSE αναδημοσιεύει εις μνήμην του εκλιπόντος καθηγητή Barry Rubin ένα πολύ ενδιαφέρον παλαιότερο άρθρο του ως ελάχιστο φόρο τιμής σε έναν διανοούμενο που ανέδειξε όσο λίγοι την Ισλαμιστική απειλή!


No, it sure isn’t the age of Aquarius or of Multicultural, Politically Correct love-ins. It’s the age of revolutionary Islamism, especially Sunni Islamism. And you better learn to understand what this is all about real fast.


Monday, February 3, 2014

Balkan Mafias broaden their reach through Greece, by Ioannis Michaletos

Greek organized crime networks and Balkan ones, most especially from Albania, have for several years competed amongst each other for illicit revenues and for staking a claim in urban "turfs" that were viewed as locales for raising substantial amounts of revenue from sectors such as narcotics, prostitution and racketeering.