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Bombing season in Bali? : Comments
By Graham Cooke, published 30/8/2006Noordin Mohammed Top still has time this year to make Western nations tremble with another headline-grabbing atrocity.
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Why Sidney Jones does not have a doctorate (or been given a richly deserved honorary doctorate) is a mystery. She may have presented an embarrassment to interested intelligence agencies, like our ONA and the CIA, because Jones is an independent intelligence analyst who predicted the rise and danger of JI in the right place at the right time. Round about the same time 1,000s of collective PHDs in US intelligence had no idea about rising jihadist capabilities (eg. 9/11).
If she had been on the Indonesia desk back at Langley I think she would have been swamped with two much bureaucratic noise to be able to effectively analyse what has proven to be extremely useful intelligence on JI including its "pocket Gandhi" Abu Bakar Bashir (Head of JI) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Bakar_Bashir .
While focus on catching Noordin Mohammed Top (an effective operational leader) is important this should not distract Indonesian security from locating isolated, virtually homegrown, Jihadist, terror cells in that country (as Cooke says).
There would be many parallels with similar home grown threats in Australia in terms of size and specialisations required. However in Indonesia Islam is the dominant religion. Particularly in Java politicians at every level are very careful not to stir up radical Muslims or truly crack down on jihadists.
Bashir is seen as both an Islamic and a nationalist leader (hence he is championing the "CIA Bali bomb" conspiracy theory against the US "infidel West"). So even when Bashir has appeared to all outside Indonesia to be as guilty as sin he has received slaps on the wrist.
Terror cells in Indonesia continue to be inspired by Bashir's jihadist doctrine of hate knowing that Indonesian authorities will not shut him up.
Independent Analyst ;-)
Spooky Pete
http://spyingbadthings.blogspot.com