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The following are reports published today, from MEMRI’s Special Dispatch series and the MEMRI TV Project. Al-Qaeda's Efforts to Lift the Mujahideen's Spirits Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mu'alem Rejects Military Intervention in Syria, Criticizing French 'Colonialism' Russian Envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin Expresses Concern that NATO Aerial Attacks on Libya Might Lead To Ground Campaign Kuwaiti Professor Abdallah Nafisi: Eritrea Leases Red Sea Islands to Israel for Pasture and to Iran for Training Camps Inquiry and Analysis No. 701—Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Al-Qaeda's Efforts to Lift the Mujahideen's Spirits By: D. Hazan & R. Green* In recent months there has been a noticeable propaganda effort on the part of Al-Qaeda's leaders, and its media organs and affiliates, aimed at boosting the morale of rank-and-file jihad fighters and their supporters. It can be assumed that the organization has launched this effort in response to the pessimism and depression that have settled in among its ranks as a result of the recent successes in the U.S. war on terror – namely the elimination of many key jihadi leaders through drone strikes in Pakistan. Indeed, the beginnings of this effort were noticeable even before the elimination of the organization's leader, Osama bin Laden. Following a string of successful attacks on Al-Qaeda and its allies, jihad leaders were compelled to address the high number of casualties amongst their ranks. They did so through two propaganda trends, which can be viewed as two sides of the same coin. The first was characterized by messages of consolation and encouragement in the face of disaster, which included unprecedented admissions of the setbacks the mujahideen have faced. The prime example of this trend was an October 2010 essay by senior Al-Qaeda figure Abu Yahya Al- Libi, in which he offered solace and inspiration to fighters dismayed by the death and wounding of their commanders and comrades, and motivated them to continue fighting. It should be emphasized that the essay, which discusses the death of jihadi commanders and fighters, was written and published prior to the assassination of Osama bin Laden. The second trend attempted to portray the mujahideen as living the good life, and present jihad not only as a matter of the noble fight against the enemy, but also as a matter of unique experiences, camaraderie, and even leisure. This trend took the form of propaganda videos, aimed both at boosting morale among jihadis and drawing new recruits. To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5416.htm. Special Dispatch No. 3954—Syria/U.S. and the Arab & Muslim World/Europe and the Arab & Muslim World Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mu'alem Rejects Military Intervention in Syria, Criticizing French 'Colonialism' Following are excerpts from a public address delivered by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mu'alem, which aired on Syrian TV on June 22, 2011. To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2999.htm. Walid Mu'alem: "Unfortunately, since the crisis broke out in Syria, not a single European official has come here to discuss what is going on with us. Relying on information that they receive from outside Syria, they began to impose a series of sanctions. Today, they are targeting the daily bread of the Syrians, and this is tantamount to a declaration of war." To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5415.htm. Special Dispatch No. 3953—Europe and the Arab and Muslim World Russian Envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin Expresses Concern that NATO Aerial Attacks on Libya Might Lead To Ground Campaign Following are excerpts from an interview with Dmitry Rogozin, the Russian envoy to NATO, which aired on BBC Arabic TV on June 16m 2011: To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/3001.htm. Dmitry Rogozin: "Intervening in a civil war is unacceptable. It might broaden the scope of the war and get other parties involved in it. In my view, someone who gives an order to bomb military and other targets proves that UN Security Council Resolution 1973 has been violated, because it did not authorize Western intervention in the [Libyan] civil war." To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5414.htm. MEMRI TV Clip No. 2997 - Kuwaiti Professor Abdallah Nafisi: Eritrea Leases Red Sea Islands to Israel for Pasture and to Iran for Training Camps Following are excerpts from an interview with Kuwaiti professor Abdallah Nafisi, which aired on Al-Arabiya TV on June 17, 2011: Abdallah Nafisi: "There are important matters pertaining to Yemen. I have brought a map with me. Here is Yemen, and here is the Red Sea. Believe it or not, there are 126 islands here, belonging to Eritrea of Isaias Afewarki. He leases some of them to Israel – here is the Eilat port – and Israel uses them as pasture for sheep. All the meat consumed in Israel comes from these islands." To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2997.htm.