Here's a point I seldom see raised. The Bush Administration "took office" in January 2000. Let's look at things from bin Laden's perspective. I could be wrong, but I think it says something pretty damning about Bushist foreign policy. Could someone help correct me?
To me, it looks like 1) Bush summarily ended U.S. engagement in the Israeli/Palestinian peace process, 2) Bush isolated the United States by conspicuously dumping Kyoto and expressing plans to dump ABM and other treaties, 3) Bush signalled a new limitlessly "production friendly" position on oil. There are probably others, but I would argue that even just those three are enough to effect a major change in bin Laden's thinking.
I think that bin Laden (and his "Rove" Zawahiri) would have had to be fairly stupid not to see the opportunity Bushism presented for "shaking up" the Middle East. Bush simply made immediate, radical changes in the entire geo/petro-political balance of the Middle East starting with his first weeks in office.
When 9/11 happened, we started seeing videos of bin Laden calling Palestinians his "brothers" and wearing
Palestinian headdress. Media at the time speculated that bin Laden was trying to play opportunist with the plight of the Palestinians. That's my point. Bush put the opportunity in bin Laden's opportunism.
And now, look at the results. Bin Laden, a free man and a hero to his misguided followers, is surely gloating about where Bush has taken the United States since 9/11.
Iraq, a secular state hated by bin Laden, has been destroyed and replaced by an "exploitable anarchy." The United States will be pumping billions of its taxpayer dollars into that anarchy, and the terrorists who have moved into Iraq will surely get some of that, directly or indirectly. Compared to Iraq under Saddam, the new Iraq is an al Qaeda paradise. It's Afghanistan with electricity and running water courtesy of the United States.
Then also, the troops are out of Saudi Arabia, and the United States relationship with the Saudis is exposed. Many in the United States are looking at Saudi Arabia with a lot less friendliness than they once did. Maybe that's as it should be. But the point is, bin Laden could not have asked for a better outcome.
Third, the Israeli/Palestinian situation remains at a boil, much like Iraq. Al Qaeda influenced bombings in Bali have brought that country's tourist industry to its knees.
Fourth, the UK Institute for Strategic Studies says that the
Iraq war swelled al Qaeda ranks.And to top it off, bin Laden's son may be taking over the family business. A chip off the old block. And what a
handsome guy he is!Bin Laden is a happy man right now. Thanks Bush.
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