Machiavellian plot
Editorial Board
7/29/2013 7:55:34 AM
Sept. 11, 2001, sparked one of the greatest catastrophes of foreign policy ever seen. George W. Bush’s “war on terror,” launched in reaction to the shocking attacks on New York and Washington, wasted over $1 trillion invading two countries and killing hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, Afghans and Western troops.
What did it gain the West? In Afghanistan, where Bush set out to eliminate “terror,” terrorism is flourishing. With American troops set to withdraw next year, terrorists could well end up claiming a victory.
Iraq is plagued by sectarian fighting and terrorist attacks, with thousands of Iraqis dying for the foolish policies of Bush - “mission accomplished” indeed.
As he promised, Barack Obama has managed to finally change tactics in the war on terror. But unfortunately, in doing so, he has thrown the Arab world under the bus.
The West learned a valuable lesson in Mali. After Al-Qaeda elements became entrenched in the north, the country served as a magnet for extremists and terrorists. Once there was a critical mass, and after Mali had suffered irreversible damage, France swept in with a small force and exterminated 700-plus Islamist militant forces, losing less than 10 soldiers in the process. Compare that ratio to the one in Afghanistan or Iraq.
The Arab Spring offers the perfect honeypot for the West to use in their war on terror. With authoritarian regimes - headed by leaders who were flawed and whose reigns were indefensible, to be clear - dropping like flies, groups like Al-Qaeda saw an opening to grab a piece of the pie in the ensuing chaos. America learned a lesson in Iraq: While the chaos there eventually began to serve their interests, they were blamed for creating it and suffered high casualties. The Arab Spring has offered them the opportunity to blamelessly allow the same conditions to arise.
By offering moral support to the uprisings, and then stringing along fledgling governments and rebel movements - offering enough support to prevent total collapse but not enough to exert control - the West has ensured that the war on terror is fought on someone else’s dime and by other people’s children.
America’s gamble on the gullibility of the Arab world has paid off. Syria is drawing thousands of foreign terrorists, including hundreds of Al-Qaeda agents from the West. Terror groups now have Facebook pages, Twitter accounts - making it much simpler to hunt them down. The U.S. hasn’t ended terrorism, but merely diverted the focus to targets a comfortable distance from Washington, all without losing a single soldier.
Don’t forget Al-Qaeda was born out of American efforts to fight a proxy war against Russia. Now Russia and the West are using the Arab world to fight off their child who has grown out of control, using the freedom and dignity of Arabs as bait in a Machiavellian plot. The West looks to win the war on terror by default, they only had to sell out the aspirations and freedom of the Arabs.
What did it gain the West? In Afghanistan, where Bush set out to eliminate “terror,” terrorism is flourishing. With American troops set to withdraw next year, terrorists could well end up claiming a victory.
Iraq is plagued by sectarian fighting and terrorist attacks, with thousands of Iraqis dying for the foolish policies of Bush - “mission accomplished” indeed.
As he promised, Barack Obama has managed to finally change tactics in the war on terror. But unfortunately, in doing so, he has thrown the Arab world under the bus.
The West learned a valuable lesson in Mali. After Al-Qaeda elements became entrenched in the north, the country served as a magnet for extremists and terrorists. Once there was a critical mass, and after Mali had suffered irreversible damage, France swept in with a small force and exterminated 700-plus Islamist militant forces, losing less than 10 soldiers in the process. Compare that ratio to the one in Afghanistan or Iraq.
The Arab Spring offers the perfect honeypot for the West to use in their war on terror. With authoritarian regimes - headed by leaders who were flawed and whose reigns were indefensible, to be clear - dropping like flies, groups like Al-Qaeda saw an opening to grab a piece of the pie in the ensuing chaos. America learned a lesson in Iraq: While the chaos there eventually began to serve their interests, they were blamed for creating it and suffered high casualties. The Arab Spring has offered them the opportunity to blamelessly allow the same conditions to arise.
By offering moral support to the uprisings, and then stringing along fledgling governments and rebel movements - offering enough support to prevent total collapse but not enough to exert control - the West has ensured that the war on terror is fought on someone else’s dime and by other people’s children.
America’s gamble on the gullibility of the Arab world has paid off. Syria is drawing thousands of foreign terrorists, including hundreds of Al-Qaeda agents from the West. Terror groups now have Facebook pages, Twitter accounts - making it much simpler to hunt them down. The U.S. hasn’t ended terrorism, but merely diverted the focus to targets a comfortable distance from Washington, all without losing a single soldier.
Don’t forget Al-Qaeda was born out of American efforts to fight a proxy war against Russia. Now Russia and the West are using the Arab world to fight off their child who has grown out of control, using the freedom and dignity of Arabs as bait in a Machiavellian plot. The West looks to win the war on terror by default, they only had to sell out the aspirations and freedom of the Arabs.