Hot Docs: The Changing Face of Terrorism, Calling for U.S. Leadership on the Kurdish Issue

The Ever-Changing Face of Terrorism: While the United States has made a great deal of headway combating terrorism, the threat from global jihadists remains strong and ever-changing, an analysis published by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy concludes. The article, found in the publication Countering Transnational Threats: Terrorism, Narco-Trafficking, and WMD Proliferation, notes that while al Qaeda had been seriously hurt, it has managed to recover though alliances with militants in Pakistan and its expansion in such areas as East Africa. The report also says that while al Qaeda's ability to carry out a weapons-of-mass-destruction attack has been greatly reduced, the threat of a low-tech, Mumbai-style attack in the United States greatly concerns U.S. officials. "You could envision that happening in any American city," the report says, adding it is a prospect the United States is "very worried about."

United States Must Lead on Kurds: The United States must move quickly on the Kurdish situation in Iraq if it hopes to avert violence, a new report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace concludes. The report, "Preventing Conflict Over Kurdistan" by Henri Barkey, says quick action is needed as U.S. influence will wane as American troops withdraw from Iraq. Issues that must be resolved include breaking the deadlock on oil and gas revenue, refugee resettlement, demobilization of the Kurdistan Workers Party, and Turkey's internal Kurdish problems. "The United States has to take the lead because it remains, despite its mistakes, the only power with the requisite capacities to cajole, convince, and pressure governments and groups to act. Left to their own devices, none of the parties has shown much ability to move forward, even if the right ideas and solutions are apparent, or sustain progress once achieved," Barkey concludes. Carnegie also takes a look at the Caspian region and concludes that the Obama administration needs a new approach as focusing on containing Russian and Chinese influence has done little to advance U.S. security interests.

Study Looks at National Guard, Reserve Deployments: While some 60 percent of spouses and National Guard and reserve service members felt they were ready for deployments, 4 of 5 families nonetheless report problems, according to a Rand report. The study, "Deployment Experiences of Guard and Reserve Families: Implications for Support and Retention," finds that the problems encountered tended to revolve around employment, household responsibilities, mental health, and children. The study also points out key differences between regular military and National Guard and reserve troops. The guard and reservists were older, had more women in the ranks, and lived farther away from military facilities. Among other things, the study recommends limiting the average length of deployment and making deployments more predictable.

Bush Legacy Looms on Re-engagement With Syria: Attempts by the Obama administration to re-engage with Syria may be hampered by previous administration policies that "deepened estrangement between the two countries," according to an International Crisis Group report, "Engaging Syria? U.S. Constraints and Opportunities." The report says that the Bush administration policy was "premised on the belief that isolation and pressure would lead to substantial changes in Syrian behavior. It failed on both counts." The report recommends setting "core principles" for negotiations that include allowing no compromises on Lebanon's sovereignty, nominating an ambassador, establishing a "privileged, personal, and direct channel between President Obama and President Assad," and conducting an early visit by a "high-level U.S. military official in order to establish U.S.-Syrian-Iraqi security cooperation."

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