Earlier this month, I argued
that the U.S. is not really winning the war against al Qaeda. Although
we have mainly succeeded against al Qaeda groups in Pakistan, at least
for the time being, I noted that al Qaeda, having fundamentally shifted
its approach, has become a global network. As such, it is arguably
stronger today than it was in 2001.
Events this weekend, highlighted here
by Max Boot, tend to confirm my pessimistic assessment. In Kenya, as we
all know, gunmen from al-Shabab, an al Qaeda affiliated outfit from
Somalia, massacred at least 68 people in a mall.
And that wasn’t all. As I noted here,
al Qaeda is resurgent in Iraq. And over the weekend, a suicide bomber
blew himself up at a funeral in Baghdad, killing at least 16 and
wounding more than 30, while another blew up in a residential area of
Kirkuk, wounding at least 35 people.
Even in Pakistan, where the U.S. has had major success against al
Qaeda, the weekend saw a suicide attack in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing
least 78 people. The attacks are presumed to be the work of the
Pakistani Taliban.
The U.S. cannot, of course, prevent terrorist
attacks in every outpost of the world. But, as Boot argues, and
Katherine Zimmerman explained in an AEI study of al Qaeda, we would be more successful if we had a correct understanding of what al Qaeda has become, and if we acted accordingly.
Al Qaeda has become a global network of
inter-connected associates and affiliates. To combat it successfully,
says Zimmerman, we need a global strategy tailored to counter local
groups.
(Click link below to read more)
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- Judy Chaffee
- This site is the inspiration of a former reporter/photographer for one of New England's largest daily newspapers and for various magazines. The intent is to direct readers to interesting political articles, and we urge you to visit the source sites. Any comments may be noted on site or directed to KarisChaf at gmail.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
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