October 2004 / Vol. I, Issue 1
On 17 March 2004, after the
Madrid train bombing, the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, the sect of the Al
Qaeda terror network responsible for the attacks, reportedly issued a
statement endorsing Bush's re-election1. Among other praises
for the 42nd president, they wrote: “[Bush's] stupidity and religious
extremism is what we want as our people will not awaken from their deep
sleep except when there is an enemy2.” It's unlikely the the
Bush administration wants to promote worldwide terrorism, but it appears
that's exactly what it's doing3. From it's superficial war on
terrorism to it's obstinate foreign policy, the Bush administration is the
best thing that could've happened to Al Qaeda.
“War” on Terrorism
Because Bush treats the war on terror as a religious battle instead of as
an issue of international security, Islamists are easily able to recruit
new suicide bombers and likely terrorists. In a speech following the
September 11th attacks, George Bush described his administration's baby
steps into efforts against terrorism as a “crusade.”
4
Christians have long forgotten the reasons for the Crusades, but to
Muslims, whose homelands were attacked by Christian invaders, the Crusades
are bitter memories of wars waged for the sole purpose of racial and
cultural supremacy. By invoking the work 'crusade', Bush inflamed the
hatred of the extremists and insulted the dignity of the peaceful. As
reckless as that sounds, some say that is precisely what the
administration wanted to do.
George W. Bush is a born again Christian -- the same evangelical faith
with some members who believe the world will come to an end in their
lifetime. Many of these followers believe the end will come through
Armageddon between the believers and the heathens. Some people have
suggested that president Bush is not at all bothered by the increasing
violence and growing terrorist attacks in the Middle East precisely
because he believes in the end of the world.
Common Values
In fact, the Bush administration practices many of the same forms of
ideological zealotry as Al Qaeda. Both regimes see their beliefs as the
“one, true faith.” Both invoke religion to advance their political
agendas and build their base of power
5. The Bush administration
has been working to promote religion in the affairs of the state, to
reduce freedom of expression and to ensure only like minded people remain
in power. Ironically, these are some of the exact same goals of Al Qaeda.
Guantanamo Disgrace
After the U.S. led invasion of Afghanistan the Bush administration
transported thousands of prisoners of war to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Aside
from the flagrant violation of the Geneva convention, many of the captives
were taken by warlord armies and not U.S. military so there's no way of
knowing if the prisoners were actually fighting for the enemy.
Al Qaeda doesn't need to preach to the wrongly imprisoned...
But the problem isn't just with the illegal round-ups. Once at
Guantanamo, several detainees claimed they were subject to acts of abuse and
even torture
6 at the hands of their guards. The POW's, many of
whom say they liked America and were just were arrested for being at the
wrong place in the wrong time, are being turned into Islamist sympathizers
with each passing day of their unlawful detention. These are people who
might have spread goodwill toward America throughout their communities,
but will eventually return home with horror stories and dreams of revenge.
Al Qaeda doesn't need to preach to the wrongly imprisoned -- the illegal
detentions in Guantanamo by the Bush administration has helped the
terrorist network illustrate its message of hate.
Abandoning Afghanistan
After the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Bush administration
quickly lost interest in the country. Indeed, in 2002, Bush did not even
request aid for the country in his 2003 budget proposals
7.
For a short period after the Taliban were toppled, Afghanistan enjoyed a
brief flirtation with federalism as interim President Hamid Karzai
appointed several warlords as regional governors. Unfortunately, this was
very short lived as the warlords retained their armies and continued
fighting among themselves for greater regional control. Inevitably, the
country quickly fell back into fiefdom. Had the Bush administration
stayed the course and maintained it's presence in Afghanistan the country
would likely be more stable and secure; the opium production wouldn't have
soared to it's highest levels in the country's history; and perhaps the
military could have captured Osama bin Laden and infiltrated his terrorist
network. By abandoning Afghanistan, the Bush administration has allowed
Al Qaeda to maintain its refuge in the country and develop its network
with a safe base of operations.
Needlessly Invading Iraq
...began an occupation that would launch a new word into everyday conversations: insurgents.
The reason the Bush administration took its eye off the ball in
Afghanistan was because it diverted most of the American military
resources to Iraq. Even before the tragedy of September 11th, the Bush
administration expressed a desire to attack Iraq. According to Richard
Clarke, the former head of counter-terrorism under the Reagan, Clinton and
both Bush administrations, George W. Bush wanted to connect the terror
attacks of September 11th to Iraq almost immediately after they happened.
This desire to pick evidence selectively to fit their agenda would later
turn into a common occurrence for the Bush administration. While the
invasion of Afghanistan was seen as a legitimate response to the attacks
of September 11th, the invasion of Iraq was not.
Eager to invade Iraq, the Bush administration tried to build an
international coalition of support for their offensive (as there had been
for the invasion of Afghanistan). However, many of the other members on
the United Nations Security Council and several prominent NATO allies did
not see a need to rush to war with Iraq. The international community did
see the importance of disarming Saddam Hussein -- it destroyed several of
the dictator's illegal missiles during U.N. weapons inspections. But they
also saw the Bush administration's plan for an immediate invasion as
unnecessarily premature, especially because the sanctions were performing
their duty in limiting Saddam Hussein's threatening capabilities.
Against overwhelming worldwide opinion, the United States and a handful of
other countries proceeded with the invasion. After facing a slightly more
difficult battle than the Bush Administration anticipated, the military
toppled the Hussein government and began an occupation that would launch a
new word into everyday conversations: insurgents.
Inviting the Terrorists
America never got to see the consequences of the President's reckless taunts...
Despite having nearly ten times the number of troops in Iraq as
Afghanistan, the administration's hold on the country was tenuous at best.
Regular attacks from insurgents and terrorists in Iraq became commonplace.
Improvised explosive devices, such as roadside bombs, were frequently used
by the terrorists to take out large numbers of American troops at a time.
In the face of the widespread uprising and mounting American death toll,
Bush held a press conference inviting the terrorists to continue their
violence by saying, "bring 'em on.
8" Bring it on they did, and
the American casualties continued to rise as the insurgents' attacks
became more brazen and more deadly. They even managed a bombing within
the heavily fortified "green zone" of Baghdad where the administration's
occupation maintains its headquarters segregated from the rest of the
Iraqi population. Al Qaeda took the president up on his challenge and
found new support from disillusioned Iraqi citizens who saw a chink in the
armor of their all powerful American occupiers. America never got to see
the consequences of the President's reckless taunts because he forbade the
media from covering the honor guard processions for American soldiers'
returning caskets
9.
Abu Ghraib
If all the events to this point had been dancing around inciting Islamist
terrorism, the photos of torture at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq exploded
the situation. The photos depicted every fear ever preached by radical
Islamist clerics. Even if the Bush administration did not order the
torture or did not tacitly endorse the torture through internal
memos
10, the lack of sufficient troops in Iraq -- and hence the
lack of adequate oversight and leadership -- greatly contributed to the
horrors witnessed at Abu Ghraib. Every disgrace and humiliation the
terrorists threatened western civilization would heap upon Islam was
revealed day by day as more photos of the torture came to light. The
failure of the Bush administration to prevent torture in prisons run by
the American military helped Al Qaeda spread its message of hate.
An Unholy Alliance
As a decentralized terror network, Al Qaeda's very existence depends on
continually enlisting new recruits. Their appeals to jihadism and hate
can only go so far. The shortsighted policies of the Bush administration
help bridge the gap. Many Muslims who used to be sympathetic to America
now seethe in anger as the Administration wrongly imprisons their
brothers, decimates their lands and then ignores their responsibilities to
the innocent people of those lands. Al Qaeda could find no more fertile
recruiting grounds than in the wake of the Bush administration's reckless
actions. Al Qaeda needs Bush to be President so they can continue to
spread their message of hate and grow their ranks so they can rain terror
upon the world. It's an unlikely and unwitting partnership that makes America
and the rest of the world a far more dangerous place to live.
