MORE BAD THAN GOOD
Assyrian International News Agency
May 12 2009
I was recently asked to rank President Obama’s tenure in office so
far. I limited myself to my areas of expertise and scholarship. A
murky picture developed, with a few gratifying developments being
outnumbered by twice as many mistakes and reversals.
If you don’t define the enemy, you lose half of the battle. The
Secretary of Homeland Security has failed to identify the threat
ideologically and strategically. While the jihadists of al-Qaeda,
and other Salafists, as well as Hezbollah are penetrating the country
and have been engaged in preparation for urban Jihad, as documents
captured on cells dismantled by U.S. law enforcement teams since 2001
and statements made by captured terrorists, shows, the Secretary for
Homeland Security didn’t identity the threat as it is for the American
public. Instead of educating 300 million Americans as to the nature
of the forces infiltrating the country, the ongoing terror threat
was redefined simplistically as "man-made disaster!" This definition
is a disaster itself, from a strategic perspective. This is a step
backwards, for now.
Foreign/Military Affairs
The Obama administration made several strategic mistakes so far:
Stating that a so-called engagement with the so-called "moderate
Taliban" is considered: There are no moderate Taliban. The US must
engage with the anti-Taliban forces instead.
Stating that the administration will engage with the Iranian regime
while ignoring its oppression of the Iranian people. The US must
engage the democracy movement of Iran instead.
Backing the AKP government of Ankara in holding Turkish-Syrian joint
military exercise. Does the Obama administration endorse a NATO joint
exercise with Syrian armed forces which are allied with Hezbollah?
Visiting Turkey on the one hand and refusing to acknowledge the
Armenian Genocide in Washington on the other hand.
In short, yes the U.S. global direction in the confrontation against
terror forces is changing, but not in the needed direction. However,
note three satisfying developments:
The Obama administration and General David Petraeus are mobilizing to
escalate against the Taliban in Afghanistan. As long as this escalation
is not accompanied with a counter productive deal with the Taliban,
it will be headed in the right direction.
The administration withdrew from the Durban II Conference, which
has been anti-Semitic and anti-democracy. That is a good point for
the president.
Note strong statements made by Secretary Hilary Clinton regarding:
a. Pakistan: The government must stop the Taliban b. Lebanon: The
Lebanese people must not be abandoned to Hezbollah
Law and Justice
There have been declarations by detainees, convictions and trials
in terror cases in the US over the past months, including Al Qaeda
cadres and the Fort Dix Six Jihadists. The Obama administration
must inform the American public of the nature of these declarations,
especially with regards to the ideology behind these acts. The evidence
identifying the mounting threat is crystal clear and the administration
has the duty to announce it to the American people. For justice to
be served, citizens have to be informed.
By Dr. Walid Phares FrontPageMagazine.com
Dr Walid Phares is the author of the newly released book Future
Jihad. He is also a senior fellow with the Foundation for the Defense
of Democracies in Washington DC.
From: Baghdasarian