The Terrorism Index
August 19th, 2008 by Sarah
The Center for American Progress has released “The Terrorism Index,” surveying the foreign policy experts for their assessment of how the U.S. is fighting the War on Terror. Over 100 experts give their insight into U.S. policy toward Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran, as well as the 2008 Presidential candidates.
To read the full report, click here.
Posted in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Military, Pakistan, Terrorism, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda | Comment »
POMED Notes: Back from Baghdad, Views from Veterans of the Iraq Mission
August 15th, 2008 by Sarah
Yesterday, the American Enterprise Institute invited David Bellavia, Capt. Erik Swabb, and Colin Kahl to share their day to day experiences in Iraq, to discuss a potential withdrawal of U.S. troops, and the effects of the Surge on the ground. David Bellavia is a former U.S. Army soldier and co-founder of Vets for Freedom, Capt. Erik Swabb is a U.S. Marine Corps member and currently attends Harvard Law School, and Colin Kahl is a Senior Fellow of the Center for a New American Security. Danielle Pletka, Vice President for Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at AEI, moderated the event.
Despite the heated exchange between participants, all agreed that while there have been great security gains in Iraq, those gains remain fragile.
For POMED’s full notes, click here.
Posted in Event Notes, Iraq, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda | Comment »
Moving Forward in Pakistan
August 13th, 2008 by Sarah
Hassan Abbas at the Daily Star argues that the Pakistani army is unlikely to bail Pervez Musharraf out of the charges leveled against him and suggests that “it is time for Musharraf’s friends in the West to press him to serve his country one last time, by avoiding confrontation with his country’s democratic forces and calling it quits.”
An editorial in the Wall Street Journal warns that “the impeachment proceedings carry the whiff of personal vendetta rather than a good faith effort to fix Pakistan’s urgent problems” and expresses deep concern that unlike Musharraf, the coalition government fails to understand that “fighting religious extremism is as crucial to Pakistan’s sovereignty as it is to the free world’s.” Until it “demonstrates a better understanding of the dangers of militant Islam and shows a determination to fight it,” the country’s numerous problems will be left unresolved.
Posted in Military, Pakistan, Political Parties, Terrorism, al-Qaeda | Comment »
Warring Extremist Ideology
August 11th, 2008 by Sarah
Steven Barnes in the Daily Star examines Antulio Echevarria’s piece on the shift in U.S. policy goals, from “winning the hearts and minds” of Arabs and Muslims worldwide to winning “the war of ideas” against Islamic extremist groups. Echevarria notes “it is essentially impossible to wage an economic war against Al-Qaeda and its affiliates, or to pursue a military strategy of containment, without at the same time harming Muslim states and populations whom we do not want to harm.”
On a similar note, Shlomo Ben-Ami in the Daily Star argues that despite U.S. efforts otherwise, extremists have prevailed in the Middle East, and it is the moderates in the region who must adapt their policies. Ben-Ami notes, however, that “with the defeat of his ideologically inspired foreign policy, Bush has finally decided not to remain blind to the benefits of engaging Iran and perhaps to a lesser extent Syria.” According to the author, this is strategically in America’s best interests as “the two countries hold the keys to Middle East stability.”
Posted in Diplomacy, Iran, Military, Syria, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda | Comment »
Pakistan - Pervez and Other Problems
August 8th, 2008 by Amanda
As Pakistan’s PML-N and PPP parties have finally agreed on what to do with President Pervez Musharraf, the country is simultaneously being thrust into deeper instability and insecurity on multiple levels.
Seen as a widely popular measure due to overwhelming public distaste for Musharraf’s policies, the parties moved to impeach the President on Wednesday, and as Blake Hounshell at FP Passport points out, the US government “isn’t sticking its neck out” to help its former friend.
But Musharraf isn’t going down without throwing a few punches according to Juan Cole at Informed Comment, who reports that the President has declared that he is fighting the articles of his impeachment. Cole wagers that now “the stage is set for a major political crisis in the second most populous Muslim country in the world, the sixth largest country in the world, and the only Muslim nuclear power.”
Pakistan’s problems certainly don’t end with Pervez. Amid a “hell-bound” economy, “paralyzed” government, and escalating violence in the north-west, The Economist delicately posits that Pakistan”has more to worry about than Musharraf”. Daveed Gartenstein-Ross and Bill Roggio at The Weekly Standard might agree.
They argue that as Pakistan continues to destablize, Taliban and Al-Quaeda groups are gaining strength in neighboring Afghanistan, noting that “insurgents in Afghanistan will continue to use the situation in Pakistan to their advantage.” Fighting in the northwestern region continues unabated.
Posted in Afghanistan, Pakistan, al-Qaeda | Comment »
POMED Notes: Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan: Challenges in the Fall and Beyond
August 6th, 2008 by Sarah
Today, the Brookings Institution hosted foreign policy experts Kenneth Pollack, Bruce Riedel and Jeremy Shapiro for a discussion on the state of Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as U.S. efforts to partner with Pakistan in confronting al Qaeda. Kenneth Pollack is a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Bruce Riedel is Director of Research at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, and Jeremy Shapiro is a Senior Fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy and Director of Research at the Center on the United States and Europe. Michael O’Hanlon of the Brookings Institution moderated the event.
Riedel called for the U.S. to “clearly stand behind the new democratically-elected government” in Pakistan, while Pollack recommended that the U.S. aggressively engage Iran in order to best serve our interests in the region.
For POMED’s full notes, click here.
Posted in Afghanistan, Elections, Event Notes, Foreign Aid, Iran, Iraq, Legislation, Pakistan, Terrorism, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda | Comment »
Don’t Call It A “War” on Terror!
August 5th, 2008 by Sarah
Seth G. Jones and Martin C. Libicki at Rand Corporation have released their study of how terrorist groups have been dismantled over the past 40 years. According to the authors, 43% eventually joined the political process, while 40% fell apart after key members were arrested or killed by local police and intelligence agencies. In light of this, the authors call for U.S. strategy to move away from using military force as the backbone of the fight against al-Qaeda. Instead, they recommend that U.S. strategy emphasize policing and intelligence, and even suggest that officials “should end the use of the phrase ‘war on terrorism’ since there is no battlefield solution to defeating al Qa’ida.”
For the full report, click here.
Posted in Military, Terrorism, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda | Comment »
The Status of Al-Qaeda
July 22nd, 2008 by Sarah
This week’s edition of The Economist focuses on the status of al-Qaeda worldwide.
The issue addresses the current debate over CIA Director Michael Hayden’s claim of a “near strategic defeat” of the terrorist organization, its growing strength in Pakistan, its ability to recruit and export its ideology, the contrast between home-grown terrorism in Europe and the U.S., the effects of maintaining Guantanamo Bay on fighting global terrorism, tactics explored by Saudi Arabia to tackle terrorism, and al-Qaeda’s self-destructive tendencies.
Posted in EU, Military, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Terrorism, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda | Comment »
2008: Separating Terrorism From Islamic Extremism
July 17th, 2008 by Matt
Over at TAPPED, Ezra Klein homed in on a particular passage on Islamic extremism in Barack Obama’s interview with Fareed Zakaria that Klein says shows a distinct difference between McCain and Obama on this issue:
“One of the clear distinctions between the Left’s approach to terrorism and the Right’s approach to terrorism is that the Left wants to limit the scope of the conflict, while the Right wants to expand it. So though it was only al Qaeda who attacked us on 9/11, Romney and Giuliani and McCain and plenty of their colleagues want to zoom out from al Qaeda to terrorism, and from terrorism to Islamic extremism. Rather than this being an effort to hunt down al Qaeda, it becomes a war to hunt down al Qaeda, destroy Hezbollah, eradicate Hamas, overthrow Saddam Hussein, change the regime in Tehran, crush the Muslim Brotherhood, and confront Syria, and whatever else Bill Kristol thought of while eating his Cheerios that week.”
Posted in Election 08, Hamas, Hezbollah, Muslim Brotherhood, Terrorism, US foreign policy, US politics, al-Qaeda | Comment »
How the US Can Turn the Taliban Tide in Pakistan
July 11th, 2008 by Amanda
“Washington has made a lot of policy mistakes in Pakistan,” suggests a New York Times editorial, which is negatively affecting the security of the Pakistani people in the border region with Afghanistan. The new Pakistani government is apparently not blameless either. Its squabbling, internally infighting leaders “have been dangerously derelict in acknowledging and confronting the threat” that Taliban and Al-Quaeda groups pose to Pakistan’s stability.
Can the US reverse its policy blunders to turn the tide?
Perhaps. Rather than believing that the problem is solely “Washington’s War,” the editorial declares that the US ought to recognize that “both countries have a common and increasingly urgent interest in rolling back the power of Al Qaeda and the Taliban and working together to promote democracy and development in Pakistan.”
Posted in Pakistan, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda | Comment »
Strategic Withdrawal of Troops
July 7th, 2008 by Sarah
The National Security Network at Democracy Arsenal links Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki’s announcement that a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops could be included in the Status of Forces Agreement with the National Intelligence Estimate’s report arguing that Afghanistan and Pakistan pose the greatest threat to the U.S. and a withdrawal from Iraq is essential to fighting al-Qaeda.
Posted in Afghanistan, Iraq, Military, Pakistan, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda | Comment »
A Resurgent Al-Qaeda
July 2nd, 2008 by Sarah
Responding to a New York Times article reporting on the growth of al-Qaeda in Pakistan and U.S. failures to stymie it, Barnett R. Rubin at Informed Comment reminds readers of April’s GAO report with the same findings and argues that “a successful and sustainable strategy has to be carried out together with allies in Pakistan and Afghanistan, within a political framework that they support.” Rubin derides the article for only looking to America’s unilateral options.
Posted in Pakistan, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda | Comment »
Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb
July 2nd, 2008 by Adam
GrandMasta Splash at Arabic Media Shack analyzes the recent New York Times article examining Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Splash says the Times article exaggerates the Al-Qaeda links as their tactics, such as killing foreigners, were part of the GIA’s repertoire during its conflict with the Algerian government in the 1990s. Furthermore, according to Splash, the group’s linking with Al-Qaeda is a sign of weakness as they were nearly crushed by the Algerian government and had to align with Bin Laden as a last ditch effort to save their organization from complete marginalization.
Posted in Algeria, North Africa, Terrorism, al-Qaeda | Comment »
Good Governance as a Counter-Terrorism Tactic?
June 30th, 2008 by Sarah
Xenia Dormandy in The Christian Science Monitor recommends that the best way for the U.S. to quell terrorist groups along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border is to ease our military pressure and promote good governance in Pakistan. By improving democracy, “jobs, infrastructure, education, and healthcare (all types of things that imply good governance and which the Pakistani government has been inadequate in providing),” terrorist groups will be weakened.
Posted in Afghanistan, Pakistan, al-Qaeda | Comment »
U.S. Support for Autocracies Promotes Radical Islam?
June 30th, 2008 by Sarah
Chris Zambelis at the Jamestown Foundation examines some of the factors contributing to the radicalization of Islam. Zambelis points to the use of torture by autocracies, often seen as oppressive and illegitimate, in Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia as formative in the psychology of radicalization. U.S. support for these governments “serve as a battle cry for militants to take up arms against the United States.”
In related news, Daniel Kimmage in the New York Times sees the internet as a “very practical means of countering al-Qaeda,” but laments that “the authoritarian governments of the Middle East are doing their best to hobble Web 2.0. By blocking the Internet, they are leaving the field open to Al Qaeda and its recruiters.”
Posted in Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Terrorism, al-Qaeda | Comment »
More or Less Defeated
June 10th, 2008 by Sarah
A debate at PostGlobal addresses the claim of CIA Director Michael Hayden that al-Qaeda has “more or less” been defeated in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dr. Ali Ettefagh skeptically questions how convenient it is “that the apparent rise and defeat of al-Qaeda, a group with no pre-invasion presence in Iraq, is so timely with the American election season!”
Anwer Sher questions “when wars are fought with an adversary who is largely invisible, how can one make the assertion that the war is over?” and asks whether the more important question, whether Hamid Karzai can restore order without the support of foreign troops. Miklos Vamos puts it more bluntly. “I do not think al-Qaeda is defeated in any way.”
Rami Khouri suggests that is just fantasy. “Al-Qaeda is not a formal movement or force that can be “defeated” in a classical military sense. The reality is probably that American policies around the world, have spurred as many new terrorists as they may have captured or deterred other ones.”
Posted in Afghanistan, Iraq, Terrorism, al-Qaeda | Comment »
Internal Struggle Within al Qaeda
May 30th, 2008 by Sarah
Paul Cruickshank on Counterterrorism Blog states that key figures in Jihadist movements are turning away from al Qaeda. In The New Republic, Cruickshank and Peter Bergen write that “the potential repercussions for al Qaeda cannot be underestimated because, unlike most mainstream Muslim leaders, al Qaeda’s new critics have the jihadist credentials to make their criticisms bite.”
One such critic is Sayyid Imam al Sharif. For a profile of al Sharif, see Lawrence Wright’s article in The New Yorker.
Merv Benson of the Prairie Pundit criticizes Cruickshank and Bergen for implying that al Qaeda’s internal disintegration stems from “ something other than the pressure put on them by the US war.”
The Diplomad agrees, claiming “the West has indeed inflicted a series of defeats on the jihadists and influential Muslims are waking up to the fact that following the violent ones will only lead to more defeat and misery for Muslims.”
However, Michael Scheuer dismisses both of these articles in Wired’s Danger Room. “The recent spate of articles about the so-called civil war within al Qaeda are the products of Western and wishful thinking. Almost all of the ‘critics’ of bin Laden and al Qaeda that have been cited are jihadi-has-beens, men with personal grudges against bin Laden and/or al Zawahiri, or men who are saying what the Egyptian and Saudi governments tell them to say in order to get a bit less horrendous treatment in the prisons in which they are incarcerated.”
Posted in Islamist movements, Terrorism, al-Qaeda | Comment »
Petraeus Talks Policy
May 23rd, 2008 by Amanda
Joshua Keating at FP Passport reports on the Pakistani government’s recent decision to remove forces from the northwestern border region near Afghanistan after brokering a peace deal with Taliban and Al-Queda- linked individuals. This took place a day before General Petraeus appeared before Congress on Thursday to consider his nomination as head of U.S. Central Command. Reuters says that the General considers the volatile border region to be “a Pakistani problem with global repercussions and said the United States should support Islamabad’s counter-terrorism efforts.”
Petraeus covered US economic, diplomatic, and military policy throughout the region. In his prepared answers to Senators of the Armed Services Committee, he stated that with regard to Iran the US “should make every effort to engage by use of the whole of government, developing further leverage rather than simply targeting discrete threats.”
Posted in Pakistan, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda | Comment »
Net-Roots Take Hold As Egypt Awaits Bush
May 15th, 2008 by Pasha
Ahmad Zaki Osman of the Daily Star observes the growing of a youth net-roots movement in Egypt, while Abu Aardvark posits that the Muslim Brotherhood is acting as a counterweight to jihadist groups like Al-Qaeda in Egypt both intellectually and politically, as President Bush prepares for his visit to Cairo this weekend.
Posted in Egypt, Islamist movements, Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaeda | Comment »
Religious Freedom and U.S. Policy
March 21st, 2008 by Kent
In his article in Foreign Affairs, Thomas Farr calls for the United States to fight for religious freedoms (subscription required) in the international community. “Doing so would give the United States a powerful new tool for advancing ordered liberty and for undermining religion-based extremism at a time when other strategies have proved inadequate.” Farr argues that the spread of religious freedom would benefit U.S. foreign policy interests.
Farr also points to specific trends in the Middle East which are dangerous to the United States. “Wahhabism, which has provided much of the theological oxygen for al Qaeda, is still dominant in Saudi Arabia and has been exported to Sunni communities internationally.” However, he supports Turkey’s Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) as a religious organization which defends civil liberties. “The AKP is demonstrating that religious parties need not veer into fanaticism; it has succeeded with good governance, good economic policies, and the development of an Islamic governing philosophy that contains significant liberal elements.”
Posted in Islam and Democracy, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, al-Qaeda | Comment »
