Post by TRIPWIRE on Jan 22, 2006 23:23:59 GMT -5
January 22, 2006
Terrorism
Written by David M. Hickerson
Originally Posted at tripwire.hickersonfamily.net/2006_0122.html
In light of the recent "bin Laden" tape, I feel compelled to share a few thoughts and observations in regards to the "war" on terrorism.
I've been compelled to believe for a while now that if Usama bin Laden and his organization (however loosely connected they may be) were able to attack our country again, they would do so in a heartbeat. I've figured that he makes video tapes accosting the U.S. because his ability to attack us was weakened to the point that it was futile to even try. I know a lot of people with a similar mindset, but I have to admit that it is impossible for someone who has never worked with terrorists to know exactly what is going through the minds of such people.
I was watching the O'Rielly Factor (from Thursday January 19) and there was some discussion on this very subject with a man by the name of Michael Scheuer. He is a former CIA counter terror expert, and was chief of the "Bin Laden unit." I never realized that the CIA had a unit devoted purely to this guy and his activities, but I think that it speaks volumes that such a group exists.
Anyway, Scheuer essentially stated several points of interest during his segment. The first that sticks out in my mind is that, since we really don't know how big Al Qaeda is, or how big it ever was for that matter, it is unwise to say that we have made a significant dent in their capabilities. Al Qaeda is so amorphous that we are clueless as to it's size, that's another thing I didn't realize. The second big thing is an element of the Muslim mindset that I don't believe I could ever learn first hand. Scheuer makes the claim that, to these Muslim extremists, repeated failed attempts to wreak havoc on us wouldn't be seen as something to be discouraged about. They would simply dismiss it as a case of "Allah didn't want it to happen this time" and carry on planning something else.
I really have a hard time understanding some of these sorts of thing, but I guess that makes sense... if I've never been introduced to these sorts of people and I've never really cared enough to learn anything at all about their culture, it stands to reason that I'd miss out on a lot of these things. Essentially, while it fights my mind to do it, I'm inclined to believe that these people will stop at nothing, even repeated massive failures to knock us around.
So what do we do about it?
I'm not sure if invading another country, like Syria or Iran, is a good idea. I'm quite ambivalent on this, because I really don't feel like the public (be it just in our country or the world in general) will tolerate another "war" in which more soldiers will die on the other side of the planet. That said, I do believe that, at least in Iran's case, such an action might be justified. Especially with their new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has repeatedly made comments worthy of concern since his recent rise to power. I don't like the idea of a "Nuclear Iran," and when I factor in all of the cheap oil they possess, I have a hard time believing that they want or even need nuclear power simply for civilian purposes. My jury is still out on Syria; while I think their government is corrupt and that they are likely harboring terrorists, I have seen nothing to prove such allegations personally, nor do I consider them as high of a risk at the moment as Iran.
The good thing, in my opinion, is that most people I know are unafraid of terrorism in general. While that doesn't mean that they are unaware of the threat, it does mean that they don't obsess over it, ruining their lives because of a phantom enemy that can't really be tracked down effectively. I think that is one of the strengths of our culture; that we have generally resisted the urge to cower in fear over threats of violence. While I do worry that attrition, as a result of combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, has taken it's toll on our country's morale, and that we might shy away from our responsibilities in that region because of it, I do feel relatively confident in our nation's ability to stand up in the face of terrorist attacks at home and continue to live our lives.
Of course, would we rather face the terrorists here or somewhere else? Do we really have a choice in the matter? Ahh, but that is probably a whole new argument by itself.
References:
No reference material was used in this article.
Terrorism
Written by David M. Hickerson
Originally Posted at tripwire.hickersonfamily.net/2006_0122.html
In light of the recent "bin Laden" tape, I feel compelled to share a few thoughts and observations in regards to the "war" on terrorism.
I've been compelled to believe for a while now that if Usama bin Laden and his organization (however loosely connected they may be) were able to attack our country again, they would do so in a heartbeat. I've figured that he makes video tapes accosting the U.S. because his ability to attack us was weakened to the point that it was futile to even try. I know a lot of people with a similar mindset, but I have to admit that it is impossible for someone who has never worked with terrorists to know exactly what is going through the minds of such people.
I was watching the O'Rielly Factor (from Thursday January 19) and there was some discussion on this very subject with a man by the name of Michael Scheuer. He is a former CIA counter terror expert, and was chief of the "Bin Laden unit." I never realized that the CIA had a unit devoted purely to this guy and his activities, but I think that it speaks volumes that such a group exists.
Anyway, Scheuer essentially stated several points of interest during his segment. The first that sticks out in my mind is that, since we really don't know how big Al Qaeda is, or how big it ever was for that matter, it is unwise to say that we have made a significant dent in their capabilities. Al Qaeda is so amorphous that we are clueless as to it's size, that's another thing I didn't realize. The second big thing is an element of the Muslim mindset that I don't believe I could ever learn first hand. Scheuer makes the claim that, to these Muslim extremists, repeated failed attempts to wreak havoc on us wouldn't be seen as something to be discouraged about. They would simply dismiss it as a case of "Allah didn't want it to happen this time" and carry on planning something else.
I really have a hard time understanding some of these sorts of thing, but I guess that makes sense... if I've never been introduced to these sorts of people and I've never really cared enough to learn anything at all about their culture, it stands to reason that I'd miss out on a lot of these things. Essentially, while it fights my mind to do it, I'm inclined to believe that these people will stop at nothing, even repeated massive failures to knock us around.
So what do we do about it?
I'm not sure if invading another country, like Syria or Iran, is a good idea. I'm quite ambivalent on this, because I really don't feel like the public (be it just in our country or the world in general) will tolerate another "war" in which more soldiers will die on the other side of the planet. That said, I do believe that, at least in Iran's case, such an action might be justified. Especially with their new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has repeatedly made comments worthy of concern since his recent rise to power. I don't like the idea of a "Nuclear Iran," and when I factor in all of the cheap oil they possess, I have a hard time believing that they want or even need nuclear power simply for civilian purposes. My jury is still out on Syria; while I think their government is corrupt and that they are likely harboring terrorists, I have seen nothing to prove such allegations personally, nor do I consider them as high of a risk at the moment as Iran.
The good thing, in my opinion, is that most people I know are unafraid of terrorism in general. While that doesn't mean that they are unaware of the threat, it does mean that they don't obsess over it, ruining their lives because of a phantom enemy that can't really be tracked down effectively. I think that is one of the strengths of our culture; that we have generally resisted the urge to cower in fear over threats of violence. While I do worry that attrition, as a result of combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, has taken it's toll on our country's morale, and that we might shy away from our responsibilities in that region because of it, I do feel relatively confident in our nation's ability to stand up in the face of terrorist attacks at home and continue to live our lives.
Of course, would we rather face the terrorists here or somewhere else? Do we really have a choice in the matter? Ahh, but that is probably a whole new argument by itself.
References:
No reference material was used in this article.