Analysis: Why Bush's obsession with Al Qaeda is wrong

[varun]

http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20040318&fname=raman&sid=1

OPINION
McAnalysts And McCounterterrorism
The post-9/11 analyses spawned by the CIA and the MI-6, even from Asia, has been uncritically accepting and reflecting/disseminating the distorted American spin and perceptions. The Madrid blasts once again underline the misplaced focus on bin Laden and Al Qaeda, and reliance on military superiority.

B. RAMAN


...Since Bin Laden formed his International Islamic Front (IIF) in February 1998, I must have written over 50 articles pointing out that the campaign against terrorism should focus on the various components of the IIF, instead of exclusively on Al Qaeda and bin Laden. Al Qaeda is only one component of the IIF, but there are at least 12 others active in different countries of the world. They operate sometimes independently, sometimes under the over-all direction of the command and control of the IIF leadership. Till last year, the command and control of the IIF was being exercised by bin Laden and Al Qaeda. Since around April last year, it is being exercised by Pakistan's Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET).

The IIF is not a jihadi monolith. It is a disparate group of jihadi terrorists. They are united only by their shared anger against the USA and Israel and by their pan-Islamic fervour. Otherwise, there are ideological, doctrinal and sectarian differences and even ego clashes arising from their differing cultural and national backgrounds. The international community has not been able to take advantage of these differences and create a split amongst them because it has not attempted to understand and analyse them. The jihadi terrorists know and understand us better than we understand them. They have been able to create a split in our ranks after the Spanish elections while we are unable to create one in their ranks...

[patricia92243]

1. Bush's guilty conscience is obsessed with Iraq - not the war on terror

[chookie]

2. Bush does not understand the situation

It is sad that in this challenging time, we have someone running the country that is either completely incompetent, or willingfully misleading.

The USA can have all the "strong perseverence: and military in the world, but if it is on a bad course, it is doomed to fail.

This administration has been only ideologically and politically motivated; there are no pragmatists or truly knowledgeable people on board. Rather, they are derisive and dismissive of people with experience and understanding. They will see what they wish to see in intelligence. This is not good.

We will be suffering the consequences of His CHimperial Highnesses Strong Misleadership for many years to come.

The beginning of the end of this conflagaration can only be regime change in the USA this year.

[varun]

3. Instead of speaking softly and carrying a big stick (like Europe)...

...America's approach of talking loudly, while doing little is counterproductive in this "War on Terror".