Why Foreign Fighters are Joining ISIL (Part 3 of 3)

I invite you to read the conclusion of my three-part series on "Why Foreign Fighters are Joining ISIL", published today by The Huffington Post. Be sure to read Part 1 and read Part 2 first. - R.O.
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Why Foreign Fighters are Joining ISIL (Part 3 of 3)
The Huffington Post
By: Robert D. Onley - October 16, 2014

Part 3 of 3 in a series. Read Part 1 and Part 2.

Defeating ISIL and its ideology
For peaceful democratic societies, the challenge is this: how do you stop a destructive force like ISIL, one which cherishes death? How do you convince the globe's Islamic radicals, and ISIL in particular, that life -- for its fighters, supporters, and its persecuted victims -- is in fact far better than death? Or is the only choice for Western and civilized societies one that grants these deranged men their wish, through laser-guided swift deaths which kill as many ISIL fighters as possible? As civilized nations which value the preservation of life, reaching this conclusion is as disturbing as recognizing the stark reality that it is in fact the only option.

Once more in fulfilling its role as the vanguard of global liberty, the United States has led air strikes against ISIL fighters in Iraq and Syria in support of advancing Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers. In spite of President Obama's reticence in doing so, the United States government understands that the only way to stop the physical military advance of ISIL fighters is to use military force in kind. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is one of the few American leaders to public comment on ISIL's End Times goals, when he acknowledged that:

"[The Islamic State] is an organization that has an apocalyptic, end-of-days strategic vision which will eventually have to be defeated."

Hagel further added that ISIL is:

"...beyond just a terrorist group. They marry ideology, a sophistication of ... military prowess... [that] is beyond anything we've seen."

As world leaders express their horror at ISIL's tactics, unrelenting oppression and brutality toward religious minorities, few leaders or media commentators have assessed why it is that such an evil group can recruit so many new soldiers -- and foreign fighters -- to begin with. Thus the need for a public discussion about Islamic End Times beliefs has never been greater.

Wake up to ISIL's End Times beliefs now
In attempting to understand this global enemy, Western leaders would be wise to consider the role that their governments must play in halting ISIL's End Times goals and in preventing the long-term survival of an "Islamic State."

ISIL fighters are under no illusion about what their ultimate objective is: to usher in the Islamic "End Times". Thus Western leaders and military planners must be equally convicted about their goals. President Obama's overdue assertion that ISIL "will be defeated" was a welcome show of Western resolve. ISIL territory cannot become a national safe haven for terrorists, and moreover the West cannot permit the theological notion that Caliph Ibrahim has in some way fulfilled the Qur'an's prophecies concerning the Islamic End Times. Indeed there is no doubt that the entire global Islamic community is watching to see whether ISIL will be defeated in Syria and Iraq.

It is ISIL's End Times beliefs and the urgency of their battlefield success which has inspired the growth of the terrorist organization. Unless stopped now, the terror group only has the potential to grow larger, fiercer, and more determined in achieving Allah's Judgment Day vision. Western foreign policy commentators must break out of their comfort zones and begin to speak publicly about the genuinely religious nature of the ISIL threat and against the beliefs which drive the movement.

Simply claiming that ISIL's acts are "un-Islamic" does nothing to respond to the deeply prophetic Islamic agenda that ISIL espouses. ISIL is an enemy clearly communicating its aims, blatantly using the Qur'an as its guiding doctrine. Rather than gloss over this fact, the foreign policy world needs its brightest lights to expose this doctrine and overpower its distorted message in response.

Providing proper analysis and with due regard for the sincere religious beliefs of hundreds of millions of Muslims who do not seek to create a revived Islamic Caliphate under the repressive purview of Sharia law, it is possible to initiate global dialogue about the reality of ISIL's End Times goal, with candor, clarity and objectivity. Millions of lives are at stake in a battle that has already claimed countless innocent human beings. After the call from the UN for a humanitarian aid mission in Iraq, the international community has admitted that what was perhaps at first a domestic Iraqi counter-terror operation is now a global religious freedom and a human rights crisis which threatens to envelop more people and draw in ever more militant forces.

With the civil war festering in Syria claiming 200,000 lives, the two-month conflict between Israel and Hamas still smoldering, worsening strife in Libya and Pakistan, and ISIL's rampage across Iraq and Syria, the world is steadily marching toward an Islamist-driven End Times nightmare with global ramifications.

Stop for a moment to consider the intellectual weight of ISIL's extreme belief system: potentially hundreds of thousands of otherwise normal men have become "foreign fighters" who are convinced that a martyr's death in the cause of Allah offers a ticket to Jannah (Islamic heaven), a ticket upon which they are granted permission by their God to perpetrate the most grotesque violence imaginable in order to expedite the Qur'an's prophesied "End Time". President Obama rightly condemned this horror when he stated at the UN General Assembly that "no God condones this terror."

But not since Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf failed at establishing the Third Reich has the earth witnessed the murderous power of a single doctrine to unite tens of thousands of men toward executing terrifying plans of ideological and territorial conquest. It is imperative that the West understands the ideological threat posed by ISIL's End Times theology and knows how to stop both its fighters and the radicalized foreigners ready to join them. Otherwise these will indeed be the End Times for far too many people to come.
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Why Foreign Fighters are Joining ISIL (Part 2)

Part 2 of my three-part series on "Why Foreign Fighters are Joining ISIL" was published yesterday by The Huffington Post. Check out Part 1 here and read Part 2 below. - R.O.
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Why Foreign Fighters are Joining ISIL

The Huffington Post

By: Robert D. Onley - October 13, 2014

Part 2 of 3 in a series. Read Part 1.

A Global Caliphate for Islam's messiah
Whether ISIL fighters are "brain-washed" or self-inculcated via the internet, the ISIL brand of radical Islam is turning men into remorseless killers. Western, African or Arab, these men are being deluded by End Times visions of reviving the Islamic Caliphate from which they believe that the Islamic messiah, the Mahdi, or "Guided One", will one day rule and eventually conquer the world.

To that end, as a sophisticated, modern jihadist enterprise, ISIL has released its 3rd issue of Dabiq digital magazine. Its title, "A Call to Hijrah", likens Muhammad's "emigration" from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD, which first established Islam as a militant state. As described in the Qur'an, it was in Mecca that Muhammad's message was shared as one of peace. However, in Medina, his message called for the violent overthrow of all non-Muslims. It is clear that ISIL is adhering to the call for the latter.

ISIL is further cognizant of Islamic prophecies found predominantly in the hadiths, which state that the Mahdi will return after a time of great turmoil and suffering upon the earth, and will establish justice and righteousness throughout the world by eradicating tyranny and oppression. The hadiths add that the Mahdi will lead a world revolution and establish a 'new world order' through military action against all those who oppose him. The fact that the hadiths also say that the Mahdi will rule the world from Jerusalem helps elucidate the perpetual fixation on conquering Israel which is espoused by nearly all global jihadist movements.

Comparatively, the prophetic emergence of the Mahdi would be to the majority of Muslims what the return of Jesus would be to Christians. These prophecies also state the Mahdi is the awaited final Caliph of the religion of Islam as a whole, and thus, of the "Islamic State". To date, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi has not referred to himself as the Mahdi, perhaps understanding that many Islamic prophecies have yet to be fulfilled and moreover that discerning Islamists are carefully watching ISIL's actions before potentially joining the movement.

Nonetheless, it is the very prospect of an emergent future leader with the theological and prophetic capacity to unite Sunni and Shi'a forces which may serve to most prominently "fulfill" Islamic prophecies concerning the End Times.

Can the "Islamic State" unite Sunni and Shi'a Islam?
Much like Biblical scholarship on the prophesied end of humanity, interpretative views on Islamic "End Times" differ sharply between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims.

As a Sunni Islamic movement, ISIL is committed to the restoration of the Islamic Caliphate with Jerusalem as the capital of the new global "Islamic Empire". Author Daniel Pipes, a recognized scholar on Islam and Islamic radicalism, has stated that while he does not expect ISIL to survive, it will "leave a legacy", adding:

No matter how calamitous the fate of Caliph Ibrahim [Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi] and his grim crew, they have successfully resurrected a central institution of Islam, making the caliphate again a vibrant reality. Islamists around the world will treasure its moment of brutal glory and be inspired by it.

It appears that Sunni Islamist militants are more than inspired; the total acceptance of these Islamic End Times views is geographically diverse and pervasive within radical Islamist groups. Islam's broader end of days themes have also been adopted by Israel's arch foes Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah (albeit a Shi'a Islamic interpretation of the End Times), along with Boko Haram in Nigeria (which has also declared an "Islamic State"), al-Shabaab in Somalia, and the terrorist stalwart al-Qaeda.

While opposed to ISIL and joining the fight against the group, the Ayatollah of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Shi'a Muslim theocracy has also publicly stated that the return of Shi'a Islam's 'Hidden' Imam, or Mahdi, is imminent, and that the Mahdiwill kill all infidels. Such proclamations add contrast to ISIL's apocalyptic narrative, and also frame the Sunni-Shi'a prophetic divide as one which contains common and intriguing threads.

Beyond prophecy, on a tactical military level, ISIL's success is also attracting potential alliances from other terrorist organizations, such as with the Taliban's ally Hezb-e-Islami. Under unified leadership, whether from the current Caliph, or perhaps one day from another leader from Saudi Arabia, Iran, or Turkey, ISIL could theoretically bridge internal Sunni divides while co-opting disparate jihadist and resistance factions under a common banner.

Unified leadership could also quiet the vocal opposition to ISIL which has percolated up from within numerous Islamist factions who believe that Al-Baghdadi is an illegitimate 'Caliph'. But as Caliph Ibrahim's ISIL army continues to march in the face of air strikes, such speculation is within the realm of possibility down the road.

ISIL's Longevity
The bigger picture of Islamic eschatology and prophecy includes the return of Isa (Jesus), the rise of the Dajjal (Islam's anti-Christ), and the reign of the Mahdi (Messiah), all of which will usher in Allah's 'Day of Judgment'. Thus, if ISIL maintains even partial military success and territorial control for the foreseeable future, the allure of ISIL's End Times ideology will only become more intoxicating for foreign fighters and ISIL adherents around the world. Moreover, despite a UN Security Council Resolution, it is improbable to think that Western legislative measures will definitively halt the growing number of foreign ISIL recruits in the immediate term. This poses a serious threat to regional and global stability.

Add into this mix the possibility that the US and its "core coalition" could fail to conclusively stop ISIL in Syria and Iraq through military action. What exactly is the West's plan if ISIL manages to maintain its territorial grip, first for a year, and then a second year? Why have President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry been quick to assess that this battle will not require "boots on the ground"? (Pay no attention to the boots of military "advisors" already on the ground.)

If ISIL manages to maintain the semblance of a mini Islamic Caliphate in Iraq and Syria, the complete picture of the Islamic End Times (set out above) would come into view for ISIL fighters and would-be ISIL members across the world. These fighters might perceive the continued expansion and existence of ISIL as the actual fulfillment of The Promise of Allah.

Policy planners must imagine and plan for the current or future ISIL Caliph calling for a Second Arab Spring of uprisings to overthrow the remaining dictators across the Middle East. Alternatively, the Caliph could call for these sitting leaders to form a military alliance with ISIL to wage war against Israel, or else face civil unrest stoked by ISIL provocateurs.

These possibilities may sound like a distant Islamist fantasy, but as the Western world struggles to agree on how to confront ISIL, let alone "defeat" it, the ISIL movement continues to grow more legitimate and capable of recruiting more supporters. Does comfortable Western civilization have the stomach to confront such a barbaric enemy?

Part 3 will be published soon.

Why Foreign Fighters are Joining ISIL

It has been a few months since any updates here, and so on this occasion I'm pleased to share my first feature article for The Huffington Post, titled: "Why Foreign Fighters are Joining ISIL". The article explores the underlying ideology of ISIL, examining the eschatological (study of the "End Times") roots of the conflict in Iraq and Syria today.
Enjoy. - R.O.

Why Foreign Fighters are Joining ISIL (Part 1 of 3)
The Huffington Post
By: Robert D. Onley - October 8, 2014

Part 1 in a 3 part series.

The beheading of American journalist James Foley by a British ISIL foreign fighter marked the first of several instances in which militant radical Islam appeared to defeat all precepts of Western civilization.

At the same moment, a revived "Islamic Caliphate" emerged as both a nascent "State" and a veritable threat to the free world. Even the president of the United States seemed caught off guard by ISIL's celebration of death, which is so counter-cultural and contrary to all that humanity has achieved and continues to achieve. Both Western governments and media outlets have been slow to acknowledge theabsolute threat posed by ISIL's belief system.

While minority Muslims, Christians, Yazidis, Turkomen and Jews across the Middle East are physically hunted by ISIL fighters, it is mosques across the Western world which appear complicit in churning out radicalized foreign fighters. These fighters reject all notions of a pluralist, free Western life, in favor of the most regressive philosophy on earth. But much blame can also be laid at the feet of the West's modern lifeblood: the Internet. Witness this terrifying example of a Canadian who self-radicalized, joined ISIL and now threatens terrorist attacks on New York City.

At such a troubled time as this, appreciating the core theology of ISIL is a necessity for Western policymakers, military planners, and media personnel, who are now scrambling for means to collectively defeat this most barbaric enemy after the bombing stops.

Understanding Islamic Eschatology
When global progress, both social and technological, is greater than ever, how is it possible that ISIL is growing around the world? What exactly are young Canadians,Brits, Scots, Frenchmen and Germans being taught in their Western mosques and online before being convinced to fly off to carry out jihad abroad?

The nebulous answers to these questions are found in a religious term which the secular Western mind and media might scoff at: eschatology -- that is, the branch of Islamic theology concerned with the final events in the history of the world or of humankind. In other words, The Islamic End Times.

To understand why ISIL has so rapidly advanced -- both in its military and through its ideology - any serious observer of global affairs must explore the Islamic beliefs and statements about the "end of the world". This knowledge will facilitate a discerning perspective on the grave realities represented by the return of the"Islamic Caliphate" in Syria and Iraq, and will reveal the intellectual threat posed to the world by the ISIL ideology and its growing cadre of sympathetic followers globally.

Islamic Prophecies

On June 29, 2014, when Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi declared the creation of the "Islamic State", identifying himself as "Caliph Ibrahim," he was issuing a rallying cry to all Muslims, stating that the Qur'an's prophesied "Day of Resurrection", orYawm al-Qiyāmah will soon be upon humanity.

The gravity of the creation of ISIL is captured in the title of Caliph Ibrahim's manifesto: The Promise of Allah. Akin in spirit to the Charter of Hamas in its explicit hatred of Christians, Jews and non-Muslims, The Promise of Allah proclaims to the world:

Here the flag of the Islamic State, the flag of tawhīd (monotheism), rises and flutters... The Muslims are honored. The kuffār (infidels) are disgraced. Ahlus Sunnah (the Sunnis) are masters and are esteemed. The people of bid'ah (heresy) are humiliated. The hudūd (Sharia penalties) are implemented -- the hudūd of Allah -- all of them. The frontlines are defended. Crosses and graves are demolished... There only remained one matter, a wājib kifā'ī (collective obligation) that the ummah sins by abandoning. It is a forgotten obligation... It is the khilāfah (caliphate). It is the khilāfah -- the abandoned obligation of the era.

By speaking the "Islamic State" into existence, the Caliph asserted that the world's most powerful terrorist force believes that humanity, in 2014, will imminently face Allah's prophesied Judgment Day, Yawm ad-Dīn. Belief in Judgment Day is one of the six articles of faith in Islam, which underscores the theological importance of the revival of the Islamic Caliphate to the global ummah (Islamic community).

The appeal of the Caliph's simple end times narrative forms the foundation of an Islamist movement which is driving men to commit unthinkable acts of murder, genocide and suicide attacks against strangers with different religious beliefs. The Promise of Allah describes this disturbing, violent modus operandi in systematic detail, fuelling the expansion of the "Islamic State":

...We took it forcibly at the point of a blade.
We brought it back conquered and compelled.
We established it in defiance of many.
And the people's necks were violently struck,
With bombings, explosions, and destruction,
And soldiers that do not see hardship as being difficult,
And lions that are thirsty in battle,
Having greedily drunk the blood of kufr [infidel].
Our khilāfah has indeed returned with certainty
And likewise our state, becoming a firm structure.
And the breasts of the believers have been healed,
While the hearts of kufr have been filled with terror.

Through social media, internet forums and well produced promotional videos, ISIL's agenda is being broadcast to the world without hesitation. While Western powers recognize the terrorist threat posed by ISIL, aside from the United States and a few close allies, many Western European leaders remained convicted to avoid military action initially, lest they stir up unrest within their local Muslim communities.

But this is no problem for ISIL's growth. ISIL foreign fighters have already heeded the Caliph's call in The Promise of Allah that all Muslims must:

"disbelieve in democracy, secularism, nationalism, as well as all the other garbage and ideas from the West, and rush to your religion and creed, then by Allah, you will own the earth, and the east and west will submit to you."

What exactly are the implications of Muslims heeding this call? Part 2 of this series will examine this critical question.

Wrap-up: YDC at the 2014 Nuclear Knowledge Summit

Last week I had the great privilege of leading the Canadian Delegation for the Young Diplomats of Canada (YDC) at the inaugural 2014 Nuclear Knowledge Summit (NKS) in Amsterdam, Netherlands. After a whirlwind 72-hours of meetings, the YDC Delegation returned home with fresh insights and critical thoughts about some of the most pressing issues facing the globe. 

As it is difficult to adequately summarize the intensive topics that were covered at the NKS in a single brief blog post, the YDC Delegation (bios here) will be researching and writing a feature length paper about the NKS to be shared at a later date. 

But for a quick look at the event, check out the Young Diplomats Forum blog for my wrap-up post on YDC’s participation at the NKS: http://youngdiplomatsforum.wordpress.com/2014/03/26/nkswrapup/

-R.O.

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Wrap-up: YDC at the 2014 Nuclear Knowledge Summit
By: Robert D. Onley, Head Delegate, Canadian Delegation

After a whirlwind 72-hours attending the inaugural Nuclear Knowledge Summit (NKS) in Amsterdam from March 20-22, 2014, the Young Diplomats of Canada (YDC) Delegation returned home with fresh insights and critical thoughts about some of the most pressing issues facing the globe. As it is difficult to adequately summarize the intensive topics that were covered at the NKS in a single brief blog post, the YDC Delegation (bios here) will be researching and writing a feature length paper about the NKS to be shared at a later date. What follows is a quick look at YDC’s participation at the NKS:


THE OPENING OF THE 2014 NUCLEAR KNOWLEDGE SUMMIT, AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, 20 MARCH 2014.

The challenge of securing the world’s stockpile of nuclear materials and ensuring continued peaceful nuclear development is one that the world’s next generation of global leaders will have to comprehensively confront, and with that in mind the Young Diplomats of Canada team entered the NKS seeking to gain understanding into the complex world of nuclear diplomacy.

The 2014 NKS was the first of its kind and was the natural outgrowth of three successful Nuclear Security Summits (held in 2008, 2010 and 2012 respectively). The NKS gathered knowledge experts, academics and nuclear NGO representatives from around the world for three days of intensive meetings, panels and keynote addresses, all designed to tackle the multiple problems facing the global nuclear security regime.

Prior to the opening of the NKS, the YDC Delegation was honoured to have the opportunity to visit the Canadian Embassy in the Netherlands at The Hague, to meet with Canada’s Ambassador, Mr. James Lambert, for over an hour. The Delegation enjoyed a high-level discussion about Canada’s role within the NSS framework, the importance of multilateral diplomacy, and the life of a diplomat.


THE YDC DELEGATION WITH CANADIAN AMBASSADOR JAMES LAMBERT AT THE CANADIAN EMBASSY IN THE HAGUE, 20 MARCH 2014.

Adding to the discussion was the Counsellor of the Canadian Embassy, Mrs. Ann Flanagan Whalen, who extended the conversation into a full scale dialogue on digital diplomacy, the use of social media, and the nature of the Canada-Netherlands bilateral relationship. The YDC Delegation seized the opportunity for direct contact with high-ranking Canadian Foreign Service Officers, and benefited from an honest chat about serious national and international issues.

As the only Canadian youth delegation accredited to attend the NKS, the Young Diplomats of Canada were uniquely positioned to represent the Canadian voice at this important international event. Outside of two Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs officials who were listed in attendance, YDC’s Delegation was the only Canadian group to be formally invited to attend.

However through extensive outreach efforts, YDC was able to meet with two other youth delegations attending the event: Young European Leadership and the Netherlands-based PUSH! for Disarmament group, who joined YDC in representing the global youth voice at the NKS. Though the youth delegations were small in number, collectively they represented the single largest recognized group at the event.


THE YEL, YDC AND PUSH! DELEGATIONS TOGETHER AT THE NKS.

More importantly, through the PUSH! for Disarmament group’s production, the youth voice was the only one to be granted the privilege of presenting a video at the closing ceremony of the NKS. This was a significant, and symbolic accomplishment.


PUSH! PRESENTS AT THE CLOSING CEREMONY

During the NKS, delegates listened to a variety of high level speakers from across the nuclear industry. Among the speakers was a critical address from the Director of Nuclear Security at the International Atomic Energy Agency, Dr. Khammar Mrabit, who opened the NKS with a thought-provoking assessment on the state of nuclear security. As part of the first panel on “Improving Regime Cohesion”, Dr. Mrabit set out a complete plan for continuing with the spirit of the Nuclear Security Summit efforts after the present round of bi-annual summitry runs its course. (This theme will be explored in depth by the YDC Delegation in its forthcoming research paper).


THE IAEA NUCLEAR SECURITY PLAN PRESENTED BY IAEA DIRECTOR OF NUCLEAR SECURITY, DR. KHAMMAR MRABIT

Further panels included a discussion on cybersecurity and the nuclear industry, which was a hot topic and one that garnered extensive attention from the audience during the question and answer period. Bringing much needed global perspective was the panel on “Regional Approaches to Nuclear Security”, which assessed specific issues related to security concerns in all corners of the world. Directly related to this challenge was the panel on securing fissile materials and radiological sources – both are key elements for the peaceful nuclear energy industry, but are vulnerable to theft from terror groups who seek to use the materials for nuclear attacks.

Outside of the formal program, the YDC Delegates were able to network with these nuclear experts, discuss common concerns and continue the panel discussions in greater detail. Through official meals, the Delegates had a chance to mingle in a more casual setting, and get to know the other youth delegations.


THE YDC DELEGATION ENJOYS DINNER DURING THE CLOSING CEREMONY.

Leaving the NKS, the key theme that the YDC Delegates took away is that the bi-annual Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) process will likely come to an end in 2016. As such, meetings such as the NKS are vital to ensuring that the global dialogue about these issues not only continues, but is continued in a comprehensive, targeted and logical way.

Whichever format future nuclear security meetings will take, through participation in events like the NKS, the Young Diplomats of Canada seeks to build Canada’s next generation of global leaders through access to hands-on diplomatic events.

Robert D. Onley was the Head Delegate of the Canadian Delegation at the 2014 Nuclear Knowledge Summit in Amsterdam, and serves as Legal Counsel and Director of Policy and Development for the Young Diplomats of Canada. He can be contacted at legal@youngdiplomats.ca.

"Why Our Future Depends on a Neutral Internet" - Published in Huffington Post

Here is my first article for the Global Shapers Community published today by The Huffington Post, titled, "Why Our Future Depends on a Neutral Internet."

The article was written in consideration of the upcoming centennial of the First World War, and calls for humanity to reflect on the implications of that war in light of our modern hyper-connected reality. Enjoy. - R.O.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/global-shapers-community-ottawa/global-shapers_b_4967133.html
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"Why Our Future Depends on a Neutral Internet."

The Huffington Post - 15 March 2015

By: Robert D. Onley, Global Shaper in the Ottawa Hub

As we approach 100 years since the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, it is imperative to appreciate the magnitude of that global catastrophe and contrast that dark period with the overwhelming potential that our networked civilization now possesses in 2014.

Rising from the trenches, humanity has established mesmerizing infrastructure that allows instantaneous communication through high-speed mobile internet and near omniscient search capabilities. Such power has made the prospect of transformational change and cooperative development seem limitless.

But just as no one living in 1914 could have foreseen the exponential horrors of the Second World War a mere twenty-five years later, likewise today we face the simultaneous onslaught of technological advances and government-sanctioned invasions of privacy, whose combined long-term ramifications for humanity are simply unknowable.

Such uncertainty about our collective digital future demands careful scrutiny of our governing practices today, and necessitates the development of visionary information policies which comprehensively confront these complex dilemmas.

Individually, this is a daunting task for even the most socially aware global citizen. However our modern-day capacity to connect, build and share has never been greater. One organization with the intellect and will to help tackle these challenges head-on is the World Economic Forum's Global Shapers Community, an exclusive network of 3000 young leaders who are daily demonstrating what is possible when people unite.

Global Shapers seek to better the state of the world through city-based Hubs of young professional leaders who are exceptional in their potential, their achievements, and their drive to make a contribution to their communities.

Through support for initiatives like Global Dignity Day, Solar for Syria and numerous education programs, Global Shapers are leveraging the internet to unite communities and give hope in an era of increasing conflict, sectarianism and despair.

These young professionals are also thought leaders in their own right, passionate about foreign affairs, and seek to understand the drivers of future conflicts in order to counter them with actionable solutions.

In reflecting on the Great War's centennial, the Shapers recognize that the internet has become so pervasive and so routine that most people take for granted the very fact that billions of us are now perpetually 'online'.

Given this reality, it has become necessary to disconnect, pause, and examine the state of the world, as recent events have unfolded to expose a choice facing humanity which will decide the fate of generations to come.

Revelations about governments reading emails, spying on video chats, and listening in on phone calls, have done nothing to halt the continued growth of these plainly compromised platforms. Our dependency on these tools appears irreversible.

The conclusion is that many have unconsciously conceded defeat in the battle that is being waged for the future of information and the control of knowledge.

Briefly examine the sheer capability of Google, for example, by no means singling out the company. Any number of web-based companies could be similarly assessed.

Nonetheless in our present world, there exists a single corporate entity -- Google -- which controls the vast majority of transnational information flows for the most advanced economies. Its reach into the daily lives of billions of citizens is unmatched, and its appetite for growth in all areas is exponential.

Google's informal corporate motto, "Don't be evil", is only passively reassuring when one considers Google's venture capital group purchasing the military robot research company Boston Dynamics.

The latter development is amplified as the world witnesses the propaganda and cyber wars between the West and Russia over Crimea. In such a context we must decide to what end profit-driven web corporations such as Google can wield their unprecedented control of information flows, search results, and communications technologies.

As the preeminent internet hyperpower in 2014, Google uniquely bears the significant burden of being almost completely responsible for -- and capable of influencing -- the choice we face between one of two worlds:

The first choice is to entrench ourselves in the increasingly hostile, selectively curated and self-serving Internet nether-realm of hacking, pervasive spying, and digital thievery. The trajectory of this choice leads to the active segregation of the global commune into 'state internets' (as exists in China), recreating the walled off nationalist borders which have historically sparked widespread conflict.

The alternative is a web-based world that supplies information neutrally and universally, collaborates freely and shares legally, and is one that collects user data solely to support the transparent backbone of a renewed human condition of collective responsibility.

It is in this open world, pluralistic and non-partisan, where the Global Shapers Community thrives, by creating and facilitating opportunities for some of the brightest young leaders to work together to better the state of the world. In Part 2 of this series, we will examine how we can collectively shape the rules that govern our web-based future.

By Robert D. Onley, a Global Shaper in the Ottawa Hub.

How Far Will Putin Go?

Exceptional analysis.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/03/01/putin_russia_ukraine_intervention_war

Religious differences, not ideology, will fuel this century's epic battles

Excellent insights. -  R.O.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/25/religious-difference-ideology-conflicts-middle-east-tony-blair

Testing the Canada-Israel alliance

Here's my latest op-ed for the Times of Israel, titled: "Testing the Canada-Israel alliance". Enjoy. - R.O.
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/testing-the-canada-israel-alliance/

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"Testing the Canada-Israel alliance"

By: Robert D. Onley - 20 January 2014

The inaugural visit of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to Israel represents a significant moment for an Israeli government that is in vital need of dependable friends and reliable moral allies. Much has already been said about Prime Minister Harper’s unequivocal and unparalleled support of Israel since being elected in 2006.

Indeed because the governments of Canada and Israel see eye-to-eye on nearly every geopolitical issue facing the Jewish State, an important question must be asked about the long-term nature of this bilateral relationship, as the Canada-Israel alliance could soon be tested in both word and deed.

Though the United States remains Israel’s unquestioned military ally, many observers note the increasing willingness of the Obama Administration to publicly object to all of Israel’s policies – on the Palestinian peace process, on settlement construction, and most notably on the negotiations over Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

The latter is most troubling when coupled with the obvious intent of the United States to codify a questionable “final nuclear deal” with the Iranian government later this year and thus absolve the U.S. of any potential military response toward the issue.

Of course it is unsurprising that after two long wars in the Middle East, the United States is ready to step off the stage. Nonetheless the timing could not be worse, as Iran appears to be using present negotiations to buy time for the development of its Persian Bomb.

For example the delay between the announcement of the P5+1′s “interim deal” with Iran on November 24, 2013 in Geneva, and the final text of what then became the “preliminary deal” actually enacted on January 17, 2014, emphasizes Iran’s disconcerting abuse of process.

Accordingly under the Harper government, Canada has stated that it is “deeply skeptical” about the deal, which will hopefully see Iran scale back its nuclear work in exchange for the West easing multiple layers of sanctions which were painstakingly agreed upon by the largely disunited U.N. Security Council.

Canada shares Israel’s primal fear about whether or not the Iranian government can be trusted to live up to the terms of the deal. But aside from echoing Netanyahu’s pessimism about the trustworthiness of the radical theocratic regime in Tehran, it would appear that Canada can contribute little toward stopping Iran’s covert march toward nuclear weapons.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) seen with his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper during a welcoming ceremony for Harper at Netanyahu’s office in Jerusalem January 19, 2014.

To be sure, there is likely cooperation between Canada and Israel on the espionage and sabotage of Iran’s nuclear weapons program, just as there is with many Western powers.

However in the context of Canada and Israel’s growing alliance, consideration must be given to what might transpire between the nations if diplomacy with Iran ultimately fails. In such a scenario – one that has undoubtedly been war-gamed – Canada’s steadfast moral support of Israel, and Harper’s fundamental belief in Israel’s unique position within the Middle East, will be tested in the flesh.

If there is any government on earth that based on its public statements alone appears willing to ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, it is Canada; not France, not the U.K., not Italy and not Germany. None of these Western nations even come close to Canada in levying consistent condemnation of Iran’s rhetoric and in pronouncing warnings about the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

Moreover if there is one government on earth that would publicly and defiantly endorse an Israeli decision to conduct unilateral military strikes against Iran’s nuclear program, again it is Canada. This would be no small measure for a “middle power” like Canada, closely allied with the United States but fiercely carving its own identifiable policy in the Middle East apart from its natural Western allies.

The Netanyahu government’s recent criticism of the European Union‘s “hypocrisy” toward Israel bears out Canada’s policy independence on the myriad issues affecting Israel.

Canada’s nearly solitary voice of moral support for Israel is also reflected in comments made by Rafael Barak, Israel’s ambassador to Canada. Speaking to the Canadian media recently, Barak stated,

“We see Iran as a serious threat. Canadians have the same view. I feel that other countries have the same view, but the difference is that Canada is expressing their ideas in public.”

The biggest question for this alliance in early 2014 is whether the Harper government would back up its public expressions with tangible action, either to facilitate effective military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, or perhaps more reasonably to help protect the Jewish homeland against Iranian counter-strikes through cooperative defensive military manoeuvres.

The Canadian Forces gained invaluable counter-terrorism experience in over ten years of fighting in Afghanistan (where it bore a disproportionate number of combat losses compared to its ISAF partners) and is adept at assisting in disaster relief operations: might Israel call upon Canadian help if Iran unleashes Hezbollah against the Jewish State? Such a seemingly hyperbolic scenario cannot simply be ignored.

If Netanyahu is in fact preparing for unilateral military action against Iran, as is perennially reported, it is reasonable to suggest that amid all the other nations, Canada alone might be asked for even the smallest contribution on or after that fateful day. This suggestion is particularly probative if the Obama Administration refuses to give Netanyahu a “green light” for the mission. Harper may in fact be the only friend Netanyahu will have to call for help.

These are topics rarely explored in light of Canada’s relatively small military capacity, as some would immediately dismiss out of hand the idea of Canada providing military assistance to Israel.

Perhaps the Harper government would rather not publicly breach such a discussion for fear of unnerving its domestic audience, and this much is understandable. Nonetheless Canada’s unwavering moral alliance with Israel since 2006 clearly provokes legitimate inquiry in the event that Israel’s “D-Day” with Iran arrives.

There is no question that both Israel, Canada and the world desires a peaceful resolution to the stand-off with Iran over its illicit nuclear weapons program. Diplomacy, as it is occurring today, should indeed be given a chance. The unfortunate reality is that time is not on the side of those who seek to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

As Canada’s lonely stand with Israel makes clear, neither country operates in the realm of diplomatic wishful thinking. Rather, the Canada-Israel alliance recognizes the ruthless reality of the hate-filled, anti-Semitic dystopia that Israel’s enemies, like the Iranian regime, never cease to concoct and broadcast right next door. As Harper visits Netanyahu in Israel this week, this reality is surely on their agenda.

Read more: Testing the Canada-Israel Alliance | Robert David Onley | Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/testing-the-canada-israel-alliance/#ixzz2quL0Fkt0
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