Obama Needs To Review Priorities
Published in Volkskrant
(Netherlands) on 11 January 2010
by Philippe Remarque (link to original)
(Netherlands) on 11 January 2010
by Philippe Remarque (link to original)
Translated from
by Anne Hukkelhoven.
Edited by Harley Jackson.
Saturday, a disquieting videotape surfaced. The usual men with beards and an automated weapon, in front of a Qur'an proverb, were featured in the film. This time, one of the two was Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, the Jordanian doctor and double spy who blew himself up on December 30 on a base in Afghanistan and, in doing so, managed to kill seven CIA agents and a Jordanian.
On the tape, al-Balawi calls for revenge and attacks on America. "We will never forget the blood of our emir Baitullah Mehsud," he says, sitting next to the new leader of the Mehsud clan.
Success Story
Baitullah Mehsud was a success story for America. In August, the CIA managed to kill this leader of the Pakistani Taliban with a Hellfire rocket from an unmanned airplane.
However, the act of revenge and this videotape demonstrate a close cooperation between three groups: the Afghan Taliban (active in Khost), the Pakistani Taliban (which trained Balawi, claimed the attack, and now delivers the proof for that), and Al Qaeda (which recruited Balawi).
Experts claim that the American intelligence services are surprised by these direct ties. They are similarly surprised by the refinement of the terrorists, who now appear to be able to work with double spies and, in a carefully prepared action, have dealt the heaviest blow in decades to the CIA.
Underwear Bomb
Those same intelligence services were also already surprised five days prior by the underwear bomb on the flight to Detroit. "We did not know," President Obama's terrorism czar John Brennan said, "that the Al Qaeda branch in Yemen was already capable of sending someone to the U.S. for an attack. "
His research showed that despite the buildup of a gigantic security apparatus after the 9/11 attacks, the simplest things go wrong. The father of the Nigerian attacker warned the Americans, but they did not find out that he possessed a visa because a government official mistyped his name.
All in all, Americans feel more vulnerable than before the holiday season. For years already, Americans have been taking their shoes off at the airport. Now it turns out that, despite the billions of dollars in security investments, total safety is an illusion.
Just recently, Obama sent thirty thousand extra men to Afghanistan attempting to prevent the Middle Eastern country from turning into a base for terrorists again, but now it appears that, with the same ease, the terrorists have built up another headquarters in the next failed state, Yemen.
Making Up for Lost Time
"We have to stay one step ahead of a dexterous enemy," Obama said on Thursday. Now it seems that the enemy has gotten ahead, and rightly so or not, many Americans doubt whether Obama is the ideal figure to lead the making up for lost time, even though he has shown an iron fist in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
That is because Obama wanted to shave off the sharp edges of Bush's war against terrorism: He extended his hand to enemies, announced the closure of Guantánamo, started interrogating methods of the CIA, and began convicting terrorists in a normal court of law.
He still says that his new policies are essential for the fight against terrorism because Guantánamo Prison breeds new terrorists. He has less priority for that nuance now that he has a more urgent job, though. Just as what happened to Bush earlier, the terrorists have forced Obama to review his priorities.
On the tape, al-Balawi calls for revenge and attacks on America. "We will never forget the blood of our emir Baitullah Mehsud," he says, sitting next to the new leader of the Mehsud clan.
Success Story
Baitullah Mehsud was a success story for America. In August, the CIA managed to kill this leader of the Pakistani Taliban with a Hellfire rocket from an unmanned airplane.
However, the act of revenge and this videotape demonstrate a close cooperation between three groups: the Afghan Taliban (active in Khost), the Pakistani Taliban (which trained Balawi, claimed the attack, and now delivers the proof for that), and Al Qaeda (which recruited Balawi).
Experts claim that the American intelligence services are surprised by these direct ties. They are similarly surprised by the refinement of the terrorists, who now appear to be able to work with double spies and, in a carefully prepared action, have dealt the heaviest blow in decades to the CIA.
Underwear Bomb
Those same intelligence services were also already surprised five days prior by the underwear bomb on the flight to Detroit. "We did not know," President Obama's terrorism czar John Brennan said, "that the Al Qaeda branch in Yemen was already capable of sending someone to the U.S. for an attack. "
His research showed that despite the buildup of a gigantic security apparatus after the 9/11 attacks, the simplest things go wrong. The father of the Nigerian attacker warned the Americans, but they did not find out that he possessed a visa because a government official mistyped his name.
All in all, Americans feel more vulnerable than before the holiday season. For years already, Americans have been taking their shoes off at the airport. Now it turns out that, despite the billions of dollars in security investments, total safety is an illusion.
Just recently, Obama sent thirty thousand extra men to Afghanistan attempting to prevent the Middle Eastern country from turning into a base for terrorists again, but now it appears that, with the same ease, the terrorists have built up another headquarters in the next failed state, Yemen.
Making Up for Lost Time
"We have to stay one step ahead of a dexterous enemy," Obama said on Thursday. Now it seems that the enemy has gotten ahead, and rightly so or not, many Americans doubt whether Obama is the ideal figure to lead the making up for lost time, even though he has shown an iron fist in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
That is because Obama wanted to shave off the sharp edges of Bush's war against terrorism: He extended his hand to enemies, announced the closure of Guantánamo, started interrogating methods of the CIA, and began convicting terrorists in a normal court of law.
He still says that his new policies are essential for the fight against terrorism because Guantánamo Prison breeds new terrorists. He has less priority for that nuance now that he has a more urgent job, though. Just as what happened to Bush earlier, the terrorists have forced Obama to review his priorities.