Arab Spring Winter
• It’s hard to argue with Tariq Alhomayed‘s thoughtful take on the Western intervention in Mali. But not in Syria?
To conclude, the justification provided by the French for their military intervention in Mali is nothing but a condemnation of France itself, along with the international community, for failing to intervene and support the rebels in Syria, who are suffering crimes more heinous than what is happening in Mali. Al-Assad does not only represent a threat to the Syrians, but also to the region as a whole and the Mediterranean, which of course impacts upon the security of France and the West.
Iranian Atomic Urgency
• A new report issued by a group of American non-proliferation experts came to the conclusion that Iran will reach “critical capability” by mid-2014. Reuters writes:
It defined “critical capability” as the point when Iran would be able to produce enough weapon-grade uranium for one or more bombs without detection by the West . . .
The report recommends that the United States and its allies intensify sanctions pressure on Iran prior to that point because once Tehran acquires enough weapon-grade enriched uranium it would be “far more difficult to stop the program militarily.”
Rest O’ the Roundup
• Jonathan Freedland looks at the nuances when it comes to charges of anti-Semitism in Europe.
• A sophisticated hacking campaign known as Red October was uncovered. While most of the targets were in Eastern Europe, at least one unspecified “diplomatic institution/embassy” located in Israel was also hacked. Kaspersky Labs says the effort has many Russian and Chinese characteristics. CBS News writes:
The “Red October” malware has some peculiar characteristics. One of the most interesting finding, Baumgartner tells CBSNews.com, is that the types of targets tend to be geopolitical targets, like government agencies, embassies, nuclear research centers and the military.
Another one of the malware’s unique functions lets it “resurrect” infected machines by embedding a plug-in inside of software like Adobe Reader or Microsoft Office. Even if the malware is removed or a patch is installed, hackers can still access the computer because of this work around.
The malware isn’t limited to traditional computers. Mobile devices like Windows Phones, iPhones and Nokia phones are also at risk.
(Image of gavel via Flickr/steakpinball)
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream.
