U.S. failure in Iraq will only embolden Al-Qaeda
File this under “Another Reason Not to Pull Out of Iraq With Our Tails Between Our Legs”.
The CIA recently conducted a simulation, using a “red” team acting as global jihadists, to determine the consequences of a U.S. failure in Iraq. The results?
…one conclusion was that a U.S. loss would embolden al Qaeda to expand its ranks of terrorists as well as pick new strategic targets…
Apparantly, Pres. Bush was briefed on the exercise results, because he said in a press conference yesterday:
Retreat would embolden radicals. It would hurt the credibility of the United States. Retreat from Iraq would dash the hopes of millions who want to be free. Retreat from Iraq would enable the extremists and radicals to more likely be able to have safe haven from which to plot and plan further attacks.
Some other findings…
One key finding from the “red team” exercise is that al Qaeda will follow past practices. Jihadists perceived the victory over the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in 1988 as a seminal event that spawned the creation of al Qaeda under the direction of Osama bin Laden. Al Qaeda leaders thought that if jihadists could defeat a global power in one theater, it could bring down governments in other nations.Six years later, when U.S. troops left Somalia after taking casualties at the hands of al Qaeda-trained Muslim fighters, it reaffirmed its feeling of invincibility and its belief that Western powers have a low threshold for casualties. After Somalia, al Qaeda — and like-minded jihadists — began attacking U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region and ultimately struck America on September 11, 2001.
And after we’ve pulled out, looking like the paper tiger we are:
“When we did the simulation, the ramifications were enormous,” said the source, who asked not to be named. The source said al Qaeda will proclaim, “God has given us a second victory over a superpower.“Imagine what defeat in Iraq would do,” said the source. “Al Qaeda picks new targets after it thinks it’s won.”
I wonder what target they’ll go after next? If we don’t have the stomach for this relatively small war, what kind of war would we have the stomach for?
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These findings should not be any surprise to anyone with a snippet of common sense. the only people who CAN’t see it are the left wing appeasers who, unfortunately for the entire planet, are the loudest voices.
Still, I’m glad to hear that President Bush is planning on sending MORE troops, rather than pulling them out. At least there is still SOME sanity in the world.