"If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear" - George Orwell

On a mission to nowhere

There appears to be growing concern in Britain amongst both the general public and the media about the course of the so-called 'War on Terrorism' and in particular Britain's part in it. The slightly odd perception currently gaining in popularity is that this campaign has little to do with a genuine terrorist threat and is in reality nothing more than a US 'crusade' to gain ultimate control over the Middle East's vital oil resources and represents some form of right-wing American Bible-belt and Zionist secret agenda to impose their joint will on the region with Iraq as the first of many targets.

It is not helped by the campaign in Afghanistan dragging on with little apparently to show from it so far, apart from deposing one set of extremists with another group from ten years ago and with an equally unpleasant and violent human rights record. The Taliban have melted away into the mountains or across the border into Pakistan quite confident that their time will come again, while Al Qa'ida in one form or another have survived and in many ways are potentially more dangerous than before. Instead of being largely concentrated in the camps of Afghanistan, they are now scattered throughout the world, regrouping and preparing for the next round of terrorist attacks.

Critical intelligence failure

Western intelligence has been shown up for what essentially it has undoubtedly become, a bottomless pit, absorbing billions of dollars annually, but failing its nations security when most vitally needed. The scandal of missed chances, of the failure to take the terrorist threat seriously enough and to act upon such information that was available, the break-down in co-operation with foreign services and the failure to impose even basic security at vulnerable airports has yet to be adequately addressed. To add insult to injury the intelligence community largely failed again once the fighting got under way.

The constant stream of reports suggesting a critical lack of analysis, of human rescues (HUMINT) and a woeful lack of useful intelligence input to US and allied military operations in Afghanistan has barely stopped in the last seven months. The fact that the British Royal Marines should so gleefully blow up a huge ammunition storage area identified by the CIA as a Taliban/Al Qa'ida base, only to discover that it belonged to an Afghan ally nicely highlights a less than flattering impression of the overall effectiveness of the war on terrorism.

Al Qa'ida have survived and are rebuilding

Al Qa'ida or Qa`idat al-Jihad and the other major groups of Islamic Jihad have survived, their command infrastructure is being rebuilt and the great majority of their fighters have avoided capture or death. Their support and financial networks, despite hyped up claims to the contrary are intact and functioning, indeed there is some evidence that they have been expanded into new areas and new terrorist partnerships. The majority of its leaders have escaped and those killed have been replaced by a younger and probably more dangerous generation of terrorists. At times the terrorists look to be running rings around an unimaginative and rather leaden Western response.

The War on Terrorism is drifting into an inconclusive stalemate, increasingly side-tracked by a determination in Washington to settle old scores with Saddam Hussein and other members of the so-called 'Axis of Evil'. It is difficult to see just how this fits in with a proper response to 9-11, unless The Whitehouse seriously believes in a widespread Islamic conspiracy against US interests. There is now a strong suggestion that both Britain and the other European allies are increasingly less than happy with the joint US-Israeli stance on the Palestinian issue and indeed the Middle East in general and Washington would be well advised to take such doubts on board or risk having to take unilateral military action, without the legitimacy granted by widespread international support or the additional forces it would provide.

Richard M. Bennett
 
 
 
 

AFI Research, The Ground Floor, 27 The Avenue, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ12 2BZ, UK.
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Richard M. Bennett is the author of FIGHTING FORCES a review of the worlds leading Armies, including many in the Middle East, published in September 2001 and is available from Barrons of New York  www.barronseduc.com  ISBN 0-7641-5343-9  and the forthcoming ESPIONAGE An encyclopedia of Spies and Secrets, which will be available from Virgin Books later this year.

Richard Bennett Media also provides coverage of specialist domestic Political, Social, and Law & Order issues and acts as consultants for international Film and TV Companies on military and espionage history. If quoting from this Media Briefing in anyway, please ensure that you credit Richard Bennett Media at all times

The AFI Research website lists many of our Associates and Contributors including  'America goes to War' at Orbat.com  and the defence coverage of Milnet.com.

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