Tench Re...Personally I'm fearing for the other nations that supported America in the Iraq war. That includes Poland (who's stepping up to take Spain's command come July 1st), Italy, and Australia.
While that is a possabilty, I think their success in Spain, will lead to attacks against the US, either in the mainland, or in Iraq, in an attempt to influence our election. Friedman was on Mattews last night, and he favored attacks, in Iraq, in Oct and Nov.; and what he says makes a lot of sense. If Al Qaeda attacked america, Al Qaeda would be taking a big chance on a backlash, whereas attacks in Iraq, could easily turn our electorate against the war, just as the barracks bombing in Lebanon got us out of there, and Somalia made us scamper with attacks overseas, without a backlash.
But experts such as MJ Gohel, a terrorism specialist at the Asia-Pacific Foundation, a London-based think tank, suggest the term al Qaeda is just shorthand for a complex global terror network.
"What we are dealing here with is an ideology," Gohel said. "It is a global jihad movement composed of al Qaeda and many affiliated terrorist groups. All of these groups are autonomous."
Frankly, that would be the view I would ascribe to also. Frankly, I think Bertrand nailed it, pretty close, with his essay in 91. Al Qaeda ia a result, of the ideology, not the cause.
Now, counterterrorism officials say one of their biggest concerns is how U.S. actions such as the war in Iraq are motivating new recruits bound by a common goal: to destroy Western secular society.
Which was one of the biggest reasons for the leftists arguments, against Iraq; and for Ted's assertations, that this war is unwinnable. Will Iraq possibly engender more attacks in the short run. Sure. Al Qaeda doesn't have the luxury, in Iraq, to wait and strike on their terms, so reason would say, that the attacks will come sooner than later. And for that reason, I believe Iraq must be fought, so we can fight terrorism on our terms, not theirs. The left feels that we can negotiate our way out of this. To that I must say, What negotiations, and with whom. These blood feuds, some want to blame on the GOP have been going on since the Crusades, and Sunni against the Shia, since the sixth century. That is the way of life in the Arab world, and it won't stop, just because of a few negotiations. So, this war won't stop, until we take the fight out of them, or they us. And, if we are going to have to fight a war, I would rather fight it over there, than over here. |
