An article in today's Washington Post explores the possibility that the war in Iraq is having a negative effect on the larger GWOT. A couple of excerpts (my emphasis in bold):
A 30-page National Intelligence Estimate completed in April cites the "centrality" of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and the insurgency that has followed, as the leading inspiration for new Islamic extremist networks and cells that are united by little more than an anti-Western agenda. Rather than contributing to eventual victory in the global counterterrorism struggle, it concludes that the situation in Iraq has worsened the U.S. position...
War as recruiting tool
According to officials familiar with the document, it describes the situation in Iraq as promoting the spread of radical Islam by providing a focal point, with constant reinforcement of an anti-American message for disaffected Muslims. The Web sites provide a narrative of a war with frequent victories for the insurgents, and describe an occupation that they say regularly targets Islam and its adherents. They also distribute increasingly frequent and sophisticated messages from al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, urging Muslims wherever they are to take up arms against the "Crusaders" on behalf of Iraq.
I see two points of view here. One is that we're actually creating more terrorists than we are destoying by the fact that we are in Iraq, and our actions there. An alternate point of view is that by bringing the fight to the enemy, we make the terrorists fight us in their own back yards, instead of in ours.
I tend to subscribe to the point of view that both Iraq and Afghanistan are like giant jihadist bug zappers where we can get everyone who wants a piece in one or two places, where we can destroy them without having to fight it out with them in America. Kind of like a roach motel- they check in, but they don't check out.
My question to the board is, "Does the ongoing situation in Iraq contribute to, or take away from, our ability to successfully wage the GWOT?" Please explain your answer.
A 30-page National Intelligence Estimate completed in April cites the "centrality" of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and the insurgency that has followed, as the leading inspiration for new Islamic extremist networks and cells that are united by little more than an anti-Western agenda. Rather than contributing to eventual victory in the global counterterrorism struggle, it concludes that the situation in Iraq has worsened the U.S. position...
War as recruiting tool
According to officials familiar with the document, it describes the situation in Iraq as promoting the spread of radical Islam by providing a focal point, with constant reinforcement of an anti-American message for disaffected Muslims. The Web sites provide a narrative of a war with frequent victories for the insurgents, and describe an occupation that they say regularly targets Islam and its adherents. They also distribute increasingly frequent and sophisticated messages from al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, urging Muslims wherever they are to take up arms against the "Crusaders" on behalf of Iraq.
I see two points of view here. One is that we're actually creating more terrorists than we are destoying by the fact that we are in Iraq, and our actions there. An alternate point of view is that by bringing the fight to the enemy, we make the terrorists fight us in their own back yards, instead of in ours.
I tend to subscribe to the point of view that both Iraq and Afghanistan are like giant jihadist bug zappers where we can get everyone who wants a piece in one or two places, where we can destroy them without having to fight it out with them in America. Kind of like a roach motel- they check in, but they don't check out.
My question to the board is, "Does the ongoing situation in Iraq contribute to, or take away from, our ability to successfully wage the GWOT?" Please explain your answer.
