Losing The Jehad...

[cantwealljustgetalong]

The US Government and many of its non-governmental experts are not any the wiser about the deficiencies in their intelligence apparatus, physical security infrastructure and policy-making towards rogue states, which led to the catastrophic terrorist strikes by Al Qaeda in US homeland, on September 11, 2001.

Mental blocks, which distorted their threat perceptions before 9/11, thereby enabling the jehadi terrorists based in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to spectacularly succeed in their long-stated (at least since 1993, often openly) objective of carrying the jehad to the US homeland, have not been removed even long after 9/11.

Consequently, their policy-making in the field of counter-terrorism continues to be marked by a lack of lucidity in analysis, a reluctance due to political reasons to come to terms with the ground reality that the war against jehadi terrorism cannot be won unless and until the terrorism triangle constituted by Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is totally rid of the spawning grounds of these terrorists and their protectors, if not sponsors, in these states are held accountable for the emergence of jehadi terrorism as the greatest threat to international peace and security and to democracies.

As a result, despite massive increases in budgetary allocations for counter-terrorism, additions of hundreds of extra manpower and revamping of the intelligence and physical security apparatus, the policy-making is as confused as ever. It is marked by wishful-thinking, a hesitation to call a spade a spade and unrealistic expectations that those responsible in the first instance for acting as mid-wives of jehadi terrorism for their own strategic (in the case of Pakistan) or religious (in the case of Saudi Arabia) reasons could be made to behave and co-operate in the war against terrorism by playing down their culpability for the spread of this catastrophic terrorism and by playing up undeservedly the limited, but half-hearted co-operation extended by them after 9/11.

So long as this confusion persists, jehadi terrorism will continue to gather strength and spread across the world and the blood of the security forces and innocent civilians will continue to flow, not only in other countries, but in the US homeland itself. Despite the massive strengthening of homeland security in the US , another 9/11 in US homeland cannot be ruled out. In fact, it is a stark possibility. There is a serious likelihood of the jehadi terrorists ultimately prevailing over the USA, despite its military might, if it does not remove in time the blinkers clouding its vision.

...

http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20030805&fname=raman&sid=1

[bemildred]

1. Not impressed.

Continues the delusion that "jehadi terrorism" is something
done by states, by governments, and that the proper response is
application of state power. This is like spraying gasoline on
a fire to put it out. Take a look at Chechnya, the problem is
not getting smaller there.

He is, of course, right about the role of Pakistan and Saudi
Arabia, but these are "friendly" governments, as are the ones
in The Phillipines and Indonesia, and we are squatting on Iraq
and Afghanistan now. So where is the improvement? For that
matter, can he point to any of India's great successes in dealing
with terrorism?