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Author Archives: Charles Duelfer
Response to US attack – Cyber?
It is hard to imagine Moscow or Tehran or Damascus doing absolutely nothing in response to a US attack. Will it be Cyber? If I were Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, that’s what I would be talking about with President Putin. … Continue reading
Posted in Intelligence, Iran, Syria CW, WMD
Tagged CW, Cyber, Intelligence, Syria, WMD
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Sniper Attacks on UN Inspectors – Not Surprising
Dr. Ake Seltron’s UN inspection team has now drawn sniper fire. Unfortunately, the UN inspectors are easy targets. To do their job, they have to be out in the open. Using highly visible UN SUVs may be questionable, but committed … Continue reading
Posted in Intelligence, Iran, Syria CW, Uncategorized, WMD
Tagged CW, Syria, Weapons Inspections
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Syrian Agreement for Inspections–Why?
If Damascus is permitting the weapons inspectors access to the sites of recent apparent CW attack sites (as reported Sunday 25 August 2013) then why, if they had a role in the recent attacks? First, the weapons inspectors are only … Continue reading
Posted in Intelligence, Iran, Syria CW, Uncategorized, WMD
Tagged CW, Intelligence, Syria, Weapons Inspections
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Syria CW Use: Who crossed whose red-line?
Did Bashir cross Obama’s redline, or the other way around? The perspective in Damascus may be different. The Syrian situation has taken yet another turn for the worse. Which is to say it has become even more unpredictable. The apparent … Continue reading
Posted in Intelligence, Iran, Syria CW, Uncategorized, WMD
Tagged CW, Syria, weapons inspectors, WMD
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UN Inspectors to Syria
Many comparisons are being made between the Syrian and Iraqi circumstances regarding CW use. Some background on the Iraqi case. The UN first became involved in Iraqi CW use allegations during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980’s. A small team … Continue reading
Posted in Iran, Iraq, Syria CW, WMD
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Syria CW Conundrum – Risks, Options, Consequences and Mitigation Measures
So far, Syrian chemical munitions seem to have been protected and have not been used by the Syrian government. There were reports of steps being taken to prepare them for use, but it seems Syria has walked back from that … Continue reading
Posted in Syria CW, Uncategorized, WMD
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Bashir CW Action will Unify Security Council – And NATO Will Bomb-And Iran?
NBC’s Pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski (who has been working in the Pentagon longer than many of its current inhabitants have been alive) reported yesterday: “The Syrian military is prepared to use chemical weapons against its own people and is awaiting … Continue reading
Is Syria Playing Chicken with Chemical Weapons?
President Obama has publicly warned that any use by Syria of chemical weapons would have consequences. Reportedly US intelligence shows that CW related materials have been moved. It is unclear from the outside whether this indicates Syria has taken steps … Continue reading
Posted in Intelligence, Iran, Syria CW, WMD
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Investigations and Elections – Personal Experience
I have no idea what the facts are about the FBI investigation that led to the Petraeus resignation. I also do not know the details behind the investigation of the Benghazi Attack. However, I had the experience of investigation an … Continue reading
Posted in Intelligence, Uncategorized
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Leading the CIA
The Petraeus resignation may look different if you are sitting in the CIA. A salient aspect would be the contrast between the standards Petraeus is reported to have ratcheted up inside the Agency and the ones he lived. During the … Continue reading