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Trans-Atlantic Meanderings: Reactions to Yosri Fouda's Triangle of Anger
Share / Recommend - Comment - Print - Wednesday, Feb 22 2006, 11:46AM
(German citizen Khaled El-Masri who was a victim of mistaken identity and kidnapped and 'rendered' by American intelligent agents to a foreign secret interrrogation and detention center)
TWN had a productive adventure in London, where I had been asked to give a talk and then invited to participate in meetings with a number of Arab intellectuals and public officials.
I also met with journalists from The Economist, the Financial Times, The Guardian, The Independent, Al Jazeera Channel, and the BBC to discuss how they were covering the American and British occupation of Iraq, revelations about 'extraordinary rendition', secret detention centers, and the increasing number of kiss-and-tell stories by national security bureaucrats whose loyalties to the US President and British Prime Minister have been shredded by duplicity, moral and political recklessness, and in some cases illegality that they witnessed as insiders.
As I reported yesterday, I was going to a screening in London of Yosri Fouda's 46-minute, made for Al Jazeera Channel (in Arabic), production on the topic of 'extraordinary rendition' of terror suspects to third countries for interrogation, and as the cases have turned out, frequent application of torture.
Fouda and his project producer, Giles Trendle, have transformed the Arabic-language production into an English-language version, and the result is seriously provocative. The clip will run on Al Jazeera International, the new English language Arab satellite network.
TWN has made arrangements with the management at Al Jazeera International to be the first blog to provide web-based access to the production. Details are still being worked out regarding whether the digital version will be based on TWN's servers, or Al Jazeera International's -- but as matters firm up, I will keep readers posted.
"Triangle of Anger" is a must see for those worried about a global-war-on-terror practice whose mistaken application against innocents has undermined the American brand among many Muslims (as well as non-Muslims) around the world.
As one friend of mine who was a senior intelligence and foreign service official who has worked in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan told me, rendition has a decades long history in the US national security arena. But rendition in the pre-al Qaeda era was generally used by American police and intelligence agencies to pick up non-American criminals or likely criminals -- usually in the narcotics racket -- who often were in the US illegally without visas or faked passports. In these cases, the suspects would be apprehended and deported to the nation of which they were a citizen.
However, what has happened in the era of al Qaeda is that American intelligence agencies are kidnapping terror suspects and without providing any public record of the act essentially are 'disappearing' people to detention and interrogation centers in various countries around the world. In many cases, the recipient country is not the rended individual's home of national citizenship.
One particularly outrageous case that Fouda documents was that of Khaled El-Masri, a German citizen of Lebanese descent, who while vacationing in Macedonia was arrested and packed off to a detention/interrogation facility in Afghanistan. After authorities discovered that the man they had was innocent and was taken on the basis that he had the same name as a wanted al Qaeda operative, they still held him incommunicado for an extra two months.
Even after he was released -- without passport or identity papers or any gesture of apology from American officials -- on the border of Albania and Macdenia, El-Masri was later refused entry into the US and had to fly back to Germany because the known to be innocent German was still on border watch/reject lists.
Condoleezza Rice herself had to personally intervene to compel the immigration and border bureaucracy to allow him entry into the US on his next trip, when he met with lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union to appropriately file suit against the US government.
I don't know the rules for submitting documentary productions at the Sundance film festival, but Yosri Fouda's film should compete in this year's competition as it is a highly revelatory depiction of an intelligence practice that most know nothing about -- and in my view is extremely fair-minded.
Fouda takes no below-the-belt shots and interviews not only victims of extraordinary rendition, innocent cases and some perhaps not, and their family members and associates -- but he interviews a few of the architects of America's rendition policy.
Former CIA official Michael Scheuer is one of the primary backbones of the film. Scheuer helped construct the contemporary rendition program and applie it to al Qaeda operatives. On the film, he openly and self-critically questions the utility of the rendition program, which he thinks has done more harm than good to the perception of America in the world, and has not contributed much to American safety that could not otherwise be achieved by existing laws.
One thing I did not realize and learned from Fouda's and Giles Trendle's treatment on rendition history is that the founding fathers of the policy were President Bill Clinton, then National Security Council official Richard Clarke, and National Security Advisory Sandy Berger. Scheuer gave the program its practical legs and application, but these other three conceptualized and authored the program.
George W. Bush's team ratcheted up the use and broad application of extraordinary rendition as a key part of their actions against targeted terrorists and collaborators.
The film was finished the week that Dana Priest's blockbuster scoop on secret European detention centers hit the Washington Post, so those themes were not developed in this production, but it seems to me that a program on 'extraordinary rendition' itself
Some of the best footage comes from a Swedish journalist who first broke the story on America’s fleet of private planes commissioned by the CIA to render suspects from third countries and the US to other nations. The journalist actually tracked down the CIA front company that operated one of the planes and pulled of a 'sting' phone call by implying he was a Swedish intelligence official and had a suspect who needed to be 'rendered' elsewhere -- and was the plane available. His answer from the firm was "of course, when and where?"
Another journalist got a good film clip of the plane as it landed on a refueling stop in Iceland and got the tired crew and operators of the flight on camera, though they actually tried to hide their faces behind the nose of the plane when they saw that they were being filmed.
Fascinating production. 150 people attended the Frontline Club standing room only screening in London, and the folks I spoke to gave it rave reviews.
One reason the film is very brave is that it indicts governments in Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and elsewhere that have received the 'rendered' victims.
I highly recommend it and will have it linked when it becomes available.
-- Steve Clemons
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Informative post. Look forward to seeing the film. The biggest thing that scares me about this rendering business is that, well, I travel alot, to many foreign countries, and I often wonder/worry if I will soon be a case of "retaliation"--picked up while in another country and "given the business" just because I am an American. I sure feel safer with this crap going on....
From the BBC website:
"Iran has offered to help finance the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority governed by the Hamas militant group."
Words fail.
Rendition, detention, and torture. Your basic American values spit-polished and fascist shiny. It's new, it's trendy, and it's here to stay. There is probably no better way to say American. Who cares? Not Congress and certainly not the Justice Department. The EU says, "we see nothing!" Grotesque, abhorent, and just so long as one is not Muslim, you've probably nothing to worry about, for now.
Steve, this is a very minor quibble, but a couple of times now you've stated that el-Masri did not have his passport. The Guardian account http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1390256,00.html
states that he did.
But of course the far more important point, as you've stressed (in contrast to the NYT account, which just glossed over this little "detail") is that not only was the guy wrongfuly abducted and detained for a scandalously long period even after he was determined not to be a threat, he was simply DUMPED in Albania upon his release. What kind of regime does that????
Thanks for bringing attention to this film. Maybe we can arrange for a screening in Slovenia.
vachon wrote:
"Iran has offered to help finance the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority governed by the Hamas militant group."
Words fail."
Well, SOMEbody's gotta support those fledgling democracies as they take their first, tentative steps in an uncertain and dangerous world, ya know.
Somebody's gotta step into the darkening vacuum of power -- once lit and filled by America -- and show the way towards democratic self-governance, liberty, and sovereignty.
SOMEbody's got to.
Nice scoop, and one thousand thanks for providing a web opton for seeing this film, - which will surely be suppressed in America.
Wayne Madsen also does excellent reporting on the rendition policies and activities.
Why the Bush government is compelled to shred, dismember, and discard our own laws, principles, and the Constitution in the prosecution of the socalled neverendingwaronterror - remains a disturbing and astonishing unknown unknown?
Most American allow for a certain flexibility in our system to allow for the government to act swifty and immediately in response to imminent or known threats, or to glean actionable intelligence.
But why not charge people?
Why no trials?
Why no legal counsel?
Why the disappearings?
Why not allow for, and honor due process procedures?
Why the deviant sexually perverted torture policies?
Why the blanket sweeps of individuals fitting a profile, and not specific actions against known threats?
Why the need to spy on Americans?
Why the shielding of Saudi and evidently UAE royals?
Are these extreme policies,- policies that stain and bend if not break our own laws and principles actually benefitting or providing any productive advantage to America in the prosecution of the socalled neverendingwaronterror?
Why does the Bush government find it necessary to trample and discard our own laws and principles in the conduct of this neverendingwaronterror.
If we (Americans) do not abide by our laws and guiding principles - we will have morphed into, and be no different than the monsters we seek to destroy.
America need not revert to fascism, or morph into a totalitarian dictatorship commandeerd by warmongers and profiteers to defeat our jihadist enemies.
Our laws and principles already provide us with the mechanisms and the malleability, the flexibility to confront and defeat these enemies and these threats. We need not shapeshift into a nazi police state (as the PNACers and fascist warmongers, profiteers, and incompetent chickenhawks in the Bush government intend) to secure America.
Excellent post, and excellent web site. Just have to point out that I really appreciate the lack of mindless partisan snark and outrage so common on political right/left blogs.
After reviewing the rendition, NSA programs, and the Iraq WMD issue, it's clear there is a problem with US statutory compliance. What the reasons/excuses are irrelevant.
I've created a handy guide for bloggers to review the NSA issue in the context of comparing [a] what do we publicly know; with [b] what are the known legal requirements. Here is the guide: [ Click ]
You'll see the process is simple, and easy to understand: Many people haven't been doing their job. The guide is intended to offer you a structure to see that not all people have lost their minds; and there is an orderly process underway to examine what is going on, and what needs to be done.
Let Europe know there's an orderly process underway in the blogosphere to openly discuss the statutes and what Congress and the Inspector Generals have failed to do: Preserve the Constitution.
Best wishes!
I'd be curious to know what kind of settlement German citizen Khaled El Masri gets from his ACLU initiated lawsuit against the US government. First of all, I abhor this business of rendition and torture as it is inhumane and just plain wrong. It certainly cannot be good for the worldview of Americans. Then, my hard earned tax dollars are used by the US govt to compensate the innocent victims of a policy I am horrified by. Once again the average middle class working American citizen gets screwed all the way around!
"One reason the film is very brave is that it indicts governments in Egypt, Syria, Jordan....."
If the film's creators showed it in Egypt, Syria or Jordan, I'd agree. Showing it in London or New York just isn't all that "brave".
"George W. Bush's team ratcheted up the use and broad application of extraordinary rendition as a key part of their actions against targeted terrorists and collaborators."
Steve, you forgot to use the word "SUSPECTED" when you described the targets of Cheney's special little houses of horror. Or is it your contention that someone is a terrorist just because Bush says they are????
Notice the similarity in the themes between Rendition, the NSA and UAE. Why isn't the outrage over the UAE flowing into the NSA?
A. Here's one way of looking at the UAE: [ Click ]
B. What the goal is -- To get you to avoid looking at the NSA legal issues: [ Click ]
They key is to link the outrage over the rendition in terms that are common to the port concerns, and the NSA--this will sway the RNC to impeach the President. Unless this link is made, the RNC propaganda will have served its purpose: Avoid action on the NSA unlawful activity.
One thing I have been confused about is the many flights in and out of America. How many Americans does the world believe have been rendered? [ Discussion on the flight logs of one aircraft: Click; Related archive of other blogspots on the European Torture: Click ]
"If the film's creators showed it in Egypt, Syria or Jordan, I'd agree. Showing it in London or New York just isn't all that "brave"."
Of course the film was shown in Egypt, Syria and Jordan! It was shown on Al-Jazeera which, if you are not aware of it, is a pan-Arab satellite channel picked up around the world, most especially throughout the Middle East.
Thanks Steve. I learning more from blogs than I am from any other news source.
I don't think so, Adam. The story says the clip WILL run on AJ INTERNATIONAL, the English language AJ satellite. Wouldn't Egypt, Jordan and Syria have AJ programming, not AJ International?
I dont know where exactly "brave" comes into play?
If they were brave, theyd put themselves in Europe somewhere, and use a third party to report them to an intelligence service as being wanted by the CIA, so they could take an all rendition vacation to one of those secret prisons, then that would be brave.
If they were REALLY brave, they show it in Syria. No need for 3rd party reporting there. They could be in a secret prison in mere moments, with little chance of filing a lawsuit against the Syrian "CIA".
That was my point, JS. How "brave" does one have to be to show this film in London? Shades of George Clooney, congratulating himself for extraordinary bravery for speaking out in a country that guarantees everyone free speeech.
I look forward to accessing the film through TWN. I would like to add, however, that I wish we could jettison the phrase "American Brand" when speaking of the United States' identity and reputation in the world. Our flag is not a vanity label, our founding ideals are not marketing ploys . . .
Should have known the ACLU would get involved.
Only problem is El-Masri isnt American. This one will be tough to follow, unless the ACLU pushes it into a uber-liberal court.
I certainly feel bad for him in a case of sloppy intelligence. BUT
I dont see whats so wrong with extraordinary rendition. Personally I dont have a problem with using covert extradition techniques, especially with sworn members of Al-Qaeda who are transnational and not held to a specific state and its sovereign jurisdictions to its own citizens. I think we need to do it with the Lebanese terrorist who killed Robert Stethem on the TWA hijacking in Lebanon back in the Mid 1980's, its just we need to do it with serious factchecking and backchecking.
Excellent idea, JS. I wish Stethem's killer would be rendered too. I don't have much of a problem with renditions either, for the same reason as you, AQ's aren't state specific and no state has any jurisdiction over them. We need to be careful, but I'm ok with doing it under the circumstances with AQ.
As far as al-Masri is concerned, try to enter the US without a passport with a name like al-Masri and well, you ain't goin to Disneyworld.
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