Flash Grenade

Want to see something bizarre and weirdly frightening? Then visit this terrorist flash presentation; put together, I presume, by some bored and internet-savvy terrorists.

The opening scene shows what appears to be an Arab back-alley with tracers streaking into the sky. Inside each room along the alley is another scene of ostensible Israeli abuse - made from what I guess are magazine cut-outs.

To put things in perspective, imagine if Hitler had a personal weblog. You see, this is the bewildering reality of 21st century warfare. Our enemies are employing every medium to spread their vile propaganda, including the Internet (invented by the US military, ironically).

That's why the Al-Hurra channel is so important. In case you haven't heard about it, basically it's an American-funded Arab news channel introduced as an alternative to the pro-jihadi agitprop of the Al-Jazeera network.

The idea of the channel is remiscent of the Cold War, when Voice of America was beaming free speech over Eastern European airwaves, emboldening rebels and fermenting dissent (and certainly irritating the Soviets).

Bottom line, the war on terror will be waged not just in the mountains of Afghanistan or the streets of Iraq, but also in Arab television sets.


P.S. If you really wanna get the blood boiling, visit Jihad Unspun. Sample headline: Five collaborators injured in Iraq attacks