Kyros, to tick off points 1 and 2 and say, therefore, AQ is our creation, is to give ourselves waaaaay too much credit. The Arabs are actors too, and are reaping the results of their choices as well. The Saudis chose to use one of histories biggest windfalls to support their corrupt family business, while propping it up with a crazy Islamic fundamentalist religion, which they propagated to the ummah. They are starting to reap the benefits of their world class hypocrisy.
I also think that the war in Iraq strengthened AQ and weakened America and may prove to be a bigger strategic blunder than our support of the Mujahedin in Afghanistan
Kyros, we killed a bunch of them, drove the remainder into hiding and deprived them of their base in Afghanistan. Afghanistan, which was utter ruble, is slowly improving, as attested to by the refugee traffic, which is now in, not out. I sure hope nobody ever "strengthens" us like we did the AQ. To say that the extra motivation we gave them makes worlds of difference strongly implies that you don't think they had a quarrel with us before, or believed their own ideology. It's as if they aren't really serious players.
I know the mainstream media paid no attention to the rise of radical Islam over the last 20 years, but please check it out & believe that it wasn't our invention, and their quarrel with us is real, and due mostly to our geopolitical power on the globe, and our cultural exports, which policy changes could only have fiddled with at the margins. The world would still have used oil, the oil regimes would still have maintained themselves, the Saudis would still have made their Faustian bargain with AQ, whatever the US actions. If we had let Saddam have Saudi Arabia, it would hardly have improved matters.
We are now left with two unfinished jobs and no resources to finish either. I am afraid that there is a non-trivial probability that Iraq will evolve into Afghanistan II in terms of Al Queda support.
Yes, they are unfinished, and will still be unfinished ten years from now. This is a long term struggle. The Iraqis, if you believe their polls, want their own secular government. They don't want what AQ has to sell. Neither do the Afghans, having had more than they cared to get under the Taliban. |
