The paradox, and saving grace, of the Obama presidency is that while the
president is indecisive about big things–the Afghan surge, intervention in
Syria, entitlement reform, repealing the sequester, reopening the federal
government, even the fast disappearing “Pacific pivot”–he is very decisive about
ordering drone strikes and Special Operations Forces (SOF) raids on terrorist
targets. Indeed, Obama may well be the most SOF-friendly president we have ever
had.
This weekend, acting on the president’s orders, Special Operations teams came
ashore in both Somalia and Libya. In the latter country, the operators captured
Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, alias Abu Anas al-Liby, who is wanted for the
bombing of two U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998. In the former country, SEALs
targeted a senior leader of the Shabab, the Islamist terrorist group responsible
for the massacre at the Westgate mall in Nairobi. It is unclear if they killed
their target because the team had to withdraw under fire, but even if the
Somalia raid was not entirely successful, it sent a welcome message to terrorist
plotters that they cannot hide from the long arm of the U.S. Special Operations
Command.
That is a much-needed message to send, and it
helps in a small way to begin undoing some of the damage from Obama’s
vacillation over Syria, which signaled American confusion and retreat. But,
while important and welcome, Special Operations raids and drone strikes will not
by themselves win the war on terror. That is why, even as these surgical strikes
have proliferated in recent years, al-Qaeda and its affiliates have spread their
reach further than ever. To counter the spread of violent extremism requires not
simply one-off missions designed to eliminate senior leaders; what is required
is steady, long-term engagement to build up indigenous institutions capable of
keeping order on their own.
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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, October 8, 2013
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