Street cleaners remove debris on the road at the site of a car bomb attack in Basra, 420 km (260 miles) southeast of Baghdad, July 29, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer
The First Glimmer -- Richard Fernandez, Belmont Club/PJ Media
The New York Times writes “Al Qaeda in Iraq Scores Big”. The piece is signed by the editorial board too. It describes the negative consequences of the President’s hasty abandonment of Iraq. But more properly considered, it is an indictment of a whole strategy. For the consequences of that failed plan are rippling not just through Iraq, but North Africa, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. Before the end the consequences may spread to Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Jailbreaks are common in Iraq, but the brazen assaults on the prisons at Abu Ghraib and Taji last week are in a class by themselves. The attacks freed perhaps as many as 800 militants, who are now sought by Interpol as a “major threat” to global security. The attacks showed the fearsome and growing strength of Al Qaeda in Iraq, seemingly on the decline only a few years ago. They also raised new questions about the effectiveness of Iraq’s authoritarian prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, as well as the stability of Iraq itself. …
Read more ....
My Comment: The ten ships That Richard Fernandez is referring to were the ten Japanese ships that were targeted by the US after the attack on Pearl Harbor. By focusing on and sinking those ships it allowed the US to dominate the Pacific and to win the war. Jumping to today's world .... Richard Fernandez makes the point that Obama misjudged the enemy's center of gravity by focusing on Afghanistan rather than the Middle East and North Africa .... as a result Al Qaeda and it's affiliates are now expanding throughout the Middle East .... especially in the countries that are experiencing great turmoil. i.e. Libya, Syria, Iraq, etc..
The New York Times editorial is here.
Update: Al Qaeda Is Back -- Bruce Riedel, Brookings
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