The year in review.
While the war against al-Qaeda is largely seen as a fight in Afghanistan supported by a police action in certain countries, there is a very hot war occurring in many countries. Al-Qaeda and its allies have initiated hot wars in lesser known countries such as the Philippines, Chechnya, Somalia, and Algeria. Thailand is fighting a serious insurgency against ill-defined groups of Muslim insurgents which haven’t been definitively connected to al-Qaeda or the Southeast Asian powerhouse Jemaah Islamiyah, but we don’t believe in coincidences.
Iraq, which is often dissociated from the war, is a major theater for al-Qaeda, as both Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri have stated in numerous communications. Afghanistan has seen its bloodiest year since the U.S. invasion in late 2001. The Taliban and al-Qaeda have fought the Pakistani government to a standstill and have taken over portions of the country. The countries of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Bangladesh simmer, and continue to serve as support bases for al-Qaeda’s activities.
And the year just beginning;
The last stronghold of the Islamist rebels in Somalia, the town of Kismayo, has fallen. The victory may yield an unexpected prize: three Islamic terrorists who are believed to be responsible for the embassy bombings of 1998. Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi says, “If we capture them alive we will hand them over to the United States.”
Islamist rebels are fleeing, and the government of Somalia is calling on the U.S. for air and sea surveillance to prevent them from escaping.
Al Qaeda’s purported victory over the U.S. in Somalia during the 1990s gave the terrorists a big lift. At the moment, though, the tide there is be running the other way. The stunning swiftness of the Islamists’ collapse won’t do much for their recruiting
What a great article. Give it 5 stars.
Have added Fourth Rail to my list of favorites.
Maybe the US should have asked for Ethiopia’s help when they were last in there?
Were they trying to be too nice in the 90’s???
The Ethiopians have shown what can be done when they dont worry about being disproportionate.
Theres a lesson to be learned there.
Many thanks for linking Bill Roggio’s article at The Fourth Rail. A really tremendous description, one that we certainly don’t see in the MSM.
Ethiopia’s shocking rout of Islamic tyranny is facinating…
Canadian should be taking a hard look at the victorious example Ethiopia has set.
The best reports are coming from the NYTimes.
Read the links here:
http://no-libs.com/?p=1349#comments
There has been a ajor change in the Ethipian government since 1995 (I believe) The former communist governemnt that was in place during the famine in the mid 80’s was replaced and there is now a nascent democracy.
I wouldnt call it a shining example but it for a non western democracy its on its way. IT has shifted to being pre Western now, based largely on aid and the change of government.
Ethiopia is the only non colinized African country and I belive has existed as a distinct political entitity for millenia, it is also the third most populous african nation.
Get that one to work, and pull it together based on nationalism versus splintering apart on religon, 55% Christian and 45% Muslim and you have something good.
If it was in the shape it is in now it could have helped in the 93. The issue then wasnt so much al queda as warlords that had help from Al queada. Al queada may yet go back to backing the warlords out of convenience if the ethipians stay.
As much as I would like to see a stable and neutral/friendly Somalia, if it means drawing the Ethipians and others into an extended fight I would rather the Ethiopians withdraw and do cats paws moves when necessary. They have an ability to overpower whatever is in somalia at any given time. Their problem would be if they stay permanently.
Better to have a stable ethiopia that can prevent somalia or chad (darfur) from going islamist than to risk it all.
May I recommend a superb piece by Carolyn Glick from her Column One column in J-Post:
“The new Zionist occupiers”.
Toward the end of the piece, she provides an exceptionally clear-eyed analysis of the EU response to the Ethiopian campaign against the ICU. Basically, she argues that the EU is pro-jihad. “America Alone” indeed!
Change the w3
http://w3.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1164882001703&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull
Depressing isn’t it, the task at hand, and, how little of the WOT is yet being seriously shouldered by other western countries and taken seriously by the MSM.
2007 is pretty perdictable, more of the same, routing terrorists across the globe, incidents of violence by the Perpetual Rage religion, Iran taunting Israel 24/7 while working feverishly on their annihilation bomb, a few orchestrated bombings in Europe to keep the sheeple submissive…..
Add Putin’s strong arming his neighbors and the EU with his gas and oil weapon, the slob in Venezuela, and a North Korea that’s still crazy.
Only the vacuous and unserious, which the left has solidified into since 9/11, could possibly think there is a quick fix or place to hide from the evil that’s enveloping the world.
The US follows rules of engagement, while AQ and other terrorists do not…and the minute the US and Coalition troops stray from them, the MSM is there to make sure they pay. Incredible…in an age where such evil can be crushed (Ethiopia has done marvellously) if we don’t give into the bleeding hearts in the media. The war is much harder to fight because ideologues who think that “talking” to terrorists is the way to solve the problems. Blind MSM dingbats, they’ll be the death of us.
“May I recommend a superb piece by Carolyn Glick”
You sure can! I quoted from it extensively… on Dec.30th….
Don’t ever fool yourselves – there are people in our political culture who truly believe that the US can be defeated, and the west survive to continue as though nothing has happened beyond a good old humiliation.
It’s suicidal, and idiotic, but that is underlying explanation for much of what is presented as “analysis” of the war.
Call me crazy but I do not think they key issue is whether or not they are assoicated with al-Qaeda, but whether or not they are Muslims. Islam is evil, pure and simple. Until the so-called peaceful Muslims start standing up and purging the evil within they all should be considered the enemy.
Don’t ever fool yourselves – there are people in our political culture who truly believe that the US can be defeated, and the west survive to continue as though nothing has happened beyond a good old humiliation.
It’s suicidal, and idiotic, but that is underlying explanation for much of what is presented as “analysis” of the war.
Kate, another blog poster put it far better than I, but to paraphrase him,
“Some on the Left think this conflict is like a video game or a tennis match- after a good drubbing, America will be put in its place, and then everything will like it was before, only better.
It won’t be like that…”
My own words?
If America is defeated, it will be the dawn of a new Dark Age for the West, that will make parts of the Medieval Ages look quaint by comparison. Most of the things the Left hold dear will be ground so far into the dust, they will not even be remembered.
This “potential” defeat of the US at the hands of the muslims is either a paranoid fantasy or right wing fearmongering propaganda. There is currently no force in the world that can defeat the US. Period. If the US decides to pull out of the ME, it will not mean the “end of the world” is upon us. When the Americans pulled out of Vietnam, the commies didn’t invade, and they had ships, planes, tanks and ICBMs. Islamic terrorists have none of those things. Time to get a grip!
“and they had ships, planes, tanks and ICBMs. Islamic terrorists have none of those things. Time to get a grip!”
What were those things that flew into the twin towers?
“What were those things that flew into the twin towers?”
A military tactic that only worked once.
“A military tactic that only worked once.”
How many “military soldiers” were involved?
Let’s try this…
A terrorist tactic that only worked once. Yep, that’s better.
Agreed…terrorist is a better word. But terrorism is not the same as an invasion. Is there an example of any country, ever, capitulating because of terrorism or the threat of terrorism?
“What were those things that flew into the twin towers? A military tactic that only worked once.”
So tell me Iberia, if AQ succeeds in launching a radiological weapon in an urban area or perhaps a nerve agent, will that be a military tactic that worked only once?
We need to rethink what we mean by “military victory.” Neither AQ nor the West can achieve victory in the conventional sense. Nevertheless, the potential for catastrophic war is still with us. Iberia, you must be aware that the Islamist network is working hard to destabilize regimes around the world (the de facto goal of terrorism). What would happen, for example, if AQ managed to orchestrate large-scale attack on Israel? Do you not see the harmful potential here? AQ and Islamism is not some state that can be deterred, they can only be contained and degraded, and wherever possible, destroyed. That is what we need to do
I’m befuddled by people like iberia and their ilk. I wonder who they’re talking to or trying to convince. They obviously don’t know the audience. And their arguments, if you want to call it that, are laughable and constantly trashed.
Wood for the fire, masochists?
shamrock:
My point is that the US cannot be defeated by Islamic terrorists. They are not capable of waging a war or launching an invasion. The only thing that they can possibly do is occasionally initiate a terrorist attack. Even if, for example, NYC was wiped off the map, do you seriously think the US would capitulate? Not a chance.
irwin:
Don’t kid yourself – I know the audience really well. I don’t post on every thread and I only post when I disagree with something. It seems that you would prefer an echo chamber to a discussion.
Feel free to trash my arguments if you like, but it seems that you can’t come up with anything better than childish insults.
“My point is that the US cannot be defeated by Islamic terrorists. They are not capable of waging a war or launching an invasion. ”
Iberia…. your assuming that invasion a la WW2 style is the only way a nation can be defeated/destroyed. History is full of civilizations/nations that were not defeated/destroyed by military invasion. I.e. British Empire… Mayan Civilization… Rome… etc.. etc…
AQ’s attacks were never directed at invading US soil… that would be suicidal… their attacks are directed toward the goal of forcing the US to adopt an isolationist policy similar to the 1st and 2nd world wars, which will be give them a free hand in the Middle East to set up thier version of an Utopian Islamic state controlling Medina, Jerusalem and Mecca. They are conducting attacks that destabilized the Middle East, and simultaneously attack the US economy. (i.e. the world trade center attack was an attempt to send the stock market into a depression style tailspin resulting in a US economicly incapable of projecting military power in support of Isreal/Saud dynasty)
attacks well timed and hitting key targets could very likely contribute to a financial collaspe of the US economy. (an economy already rotting into the core with greed and corruption) in 2001 the economy was robust enough to withstand the effects. then next time???? who knows.
sierra:
I agree that your scenario is possible, but other commentators seem to think that we’ll be converting to Islam in the near future, and I don’t see that happening.
Moreover, trying to fight against terrorists using conventional military tactics will not work. Something along the lines of what the British did to nullify the IRA would be more suitable.
“trying to fight against terrorists using conventional military tactics will not work. Something along the lines of what the British did to nullify the IRA would be more suitable.”
Ethiopa blows through Somalia in a heartbeat, using conventional military tactics. Somalia is only the way it is because the US was forced to NOT use conventional military tactics the last time they were there.
Somalia is precisely the shit hole it is because the UN treated it exactly like Britian dealt with the IRA pre 9/11, with appeasement, and NOT conventional military tactics.
9/11 caused the British to temporarily grow a pair, and caused the IRA to blink from the perceived threat, Islam preys for the death that the IRA feared.
The IRA was’nt ever threatening to nuke anything, nor cooking up isotopes in the desert as they did.