Jane's Goes Beyond the Headlines

In contrast to the sloppy sentimentality and uncritical cheerleading for the Bush administration that has saturated U.S. news coverage since the September 11 attack, Jane's Information Group, the world's leading commercial analyst of military hardware and tactics, has been offering meticulous and often sobering analysis of the challenges confronting U.S. military planners. Here are some recent examples:

• Who Did It? Foreign Report Presents an Alternative View: Israel's military intelligence service, Aman, suspects that the suicide attacks on the New York Trade Center and the Pentagon were masterminded by Iraq, not by Osama bin Laden.
• Overt Assistance from Pakistan May Bring Dire Consequences: The United States military response to last week's terrorist attacks may undermine the position of Pakistan's unelected military leader, General Pervez Musharraf. If that happens, the consequences — both for the US-led alliance and the entire region — could be potentially catastrophic. Musharraf is already under intense domestic pressure from opponents of U.S. policy including his own armed forces, many of whose members have supported Osama bin Laden and other militant Islamic groups.
• The Surgical Strike is a Myth: An ill-conceived, botched military attempt will be worse than no action at all. President Bush cannot repeat Bill Clinton's tactics when, in response to the destruction of two of his embassies in Africa, he fired off a large quantity of cruise missiles at Afghanistan, only to discover that these managed to destroy a mosque and kill a few goats.