Walid Phares' Analysis of the Jan. 3- Al-Zawahiri/Al Jazeera Tape

Only on the blogosphere will you find a line-by-line analysis of Al-Zawahiri's latest statement, by a pro-democracy Arabic speaker. Dr. Walid Phares, a senior fellow with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and the author of Future Jihad, gives us just that in the Counter-Terrorism Blog. His introduction:

The new Zawahiri videotape released by al Jazeera today shows a sophistication in the propaganda war waged by the Jihadists worldwide against the US and its allies. Designed to "crumble" the morale of the American public and "boost" the commitments of the Jihadi forces, the tape is another attempt to score points in the War of ideas and media. The results were immediate in the West. The Associated Press immediate leads were stunning: 1) Zawahiri proves he wasn't killed by the US strike, therefore he scored one point against the US. 2) He labeled his enemy, the US President, as "butcher of Washington," hence attempting to rally the widest anti-American axis as possible. AP lead. But the tape is not just that, another message from the number two in al Qaida. It is a very well orchestrated political offensive aimed at the nervous centers of the "enemy's" public. A shot that may preceed action or asking for it.

He goes on to dissect the entire statement. Read the whole thing.