The al Qaeda Has Lost Argument
Harold Hutchinson of StrategyPage perpetuates the bubble/optimistic vision of Iraq–
Despite the many brickbats of the media, al Qaeda has been defeated in Iraq, and is now retreating to lick its wounds where it can…
…In trying to defeat the United States, al Qaeda made three big mistakes: They fought the last information war, they underestimated the American leadership, and they also managed to anger the Iraqi people.
To flesh out his argument regarding al Qaeda “fighting the last information war” Hutchison ironically points at the lack of a major significant media event (like the bodies being dragged through the streets in Somalia circa 1993). This peak datapoint came in the form of the bombing of the al-Askari Mosque.
From the AQ perspective the American loss of Iraq is a given. And while “American leadership” has managed to “stay the course” (if we disregard the rapid withdrawal taking place under the guise of handing the reins to the Iraqi security structure) AQ’s Iraqi efforts have exploited the various fault lines in the American nation state in order to create gaps.
And his final point, the angering of the Iraqi people, was actually the key goal of AQ efforts. AQ managed to revert the majority of the Iraqi populace to their primary loyalties.
Bottom line: There is a larger framework in place dictating the present and future, but bubble conditions are preventing accurate analysis for a majority of the population, of which this article (and its avid readership) are an indicator.
-Shlok
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