Britain has been accused of being a “menace to the outside world” as American anger over the UK’s perceived failure to tackle Islamic extremism intensified.

Senior policymakers in the United States said the attempted suicide bomb attack by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who is thought to have become radicalised in London, was further evidence that one of the biggest threats to US security came from Britain, where the capital has been dubbed “Londonistan” by critics.  Read more... (536 words, 1 image, estimated 2:09 mins reading time)

Editor’s note: Robert S. Leiken in the director of National Security and Immigration Programs at The Nixon Center and writes for The National Interest. He is the author of the forthcoming “Europe’s Angry Muslims: The Revolt of the Second Generation” (Oxford University Press).

(CNN) — In assessing blame for the Christmas Day terror scare, we point fingers at Yemen, at the Amsterdam airport, even at corruption in African airports. But no one mentions where the would-be suicide bomber was radicalized: London, the capital of the ally we take for granted.  Read more... (932 words, 1 image, estimated 3:44 mins reading time)

Islam4UK is a web-based organisation that describes itself as “a platform” for the extremist group Al Muhajiroun, which has been banned in Britain.

Among its founders are the militant preacher Omar Bakri Mohammed – who is living in exile in Lebanon – and former solicitor Anjem Choudary, who both played a part in Al Muhajiroun.

Bakri, who inspired the fertiliser bomb terrorist Omar Khyam, helped organise a seminar after the September 11 attacks in favour of the “Magnificent 19″ and went on to call the July 7 bombers the “Fantastic Four”. He and Mr Choudary were also behind the protests against the controversial Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.  Read more... (346 words, 1 image, estimated 1:23 mins reading time)

The fact that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was able to trigger his home-made incendiary device on board a US airliner represents an intelligence and security failure of staggering proportions.

Tough questions need to be asked of not just the US security agencies – such as the CIA and the FBI – but also of Britain‘s MI6, MI5 and the Metropolitan Police‘s counter-terrorist unit.  Read more... (804 words, 1 image, estimated 3:13 mins reading time)

A former British university student – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab – was led from an aircraft after allegedly trying to blow up 278 passengers and 11 crew members as it prepared to land in the US city of Detroit.

The would-be bomber was foiled only because his explosive device failed to detonate properly as Northwest Airlines flight 253 from Amsterdam prepared to land at Detroit airport.  Read more... (915 words, 1 image, estimated 3:40 mins reading time)

The statement in parliament today by Bob Ainsworth, secretary of state for defence, focuses on enhancements to military capability in Afghanistan and the penalties elsewhere in defence: 22 new Chinooks there, one less RAF base here. While no money is to be cut from the 2010-11 defence budget, it is not being increased as necessary to maintain levels of capability. Most important, the £900m of enhancements for Afghanistan are to be funded from the defence budget, and not from the central reserve – a major change, with serious implications for the longer term.  Read more... (587 words, 1 image, estimated 2:21 mins reading time)

Bob Ainsworth, the Defence Secretary, has announced deep cuts in military personnel and equipment to fund a £900 million boost for the Afghanistan campaign. The immediate economic trade-off sounds reasonable enough if you say it quickly. £1 billion of new helicopters (eventually) for Afghanistan has to be balanced by over £1billion of cuts elsewhere in the defence budget. Few would disagree that Afghanistan cannot become a bottomless pit of defence expenditure.  Read more... (480 words, 1 image, estimated 1:55 mins reading time)

The next Tory government will carry out a proper review of our defence needs, says Liam Fox. t is a scandal that we have not had a Strategic Defence Review since 1998. Through the Iraq war, and the conflict in Afghanistan, Britain’s Armed Forces have been forced to operate within budgets that reflect the level of activity before September 11.  Read more... (853 words, 1 image, estimated 3:25 mins reading time)

One hundred UK service personnel have now been killed in Afghanistan this year alone, after a soldier from the 1st Batallion the Royal Anglian Regiment became the latest casualty on 7 December.

The casualty toll in Afghanistan has been increasing steadily from 2006 when British troops were first deployed to Helmand province.

But there has been a sense in recent months that the mission has reached a critical point – not so much in terms of its successes or failure on the ground, but in the debates back home amongst the public and politicians.  Read more... (932 words, 1 image, estimated 3:44 mins reading time)

LONDON – Britain‘s Ministry of Defence says it will buy 22 new Chinook helicopters to help troops in Afghanistan.

The announcement comes before Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth is set to outline cuts in other parts of the military‘s budget to make concessions for Afghan operations. The purchase will increase the size of Britain’s fleet of the heavy-lift helicopters from 48 to 70. Ainsworth says the first 10 aircraft will arrive by 2013.

Britain’s military has been dogged by critics complaining that the nation’s troops have been deployed without adequate equipment.  Read more... (115 words, 1 image, estimated 28 secs reading time)