Last February, U.S. President Barack Obama gave a speech to the nation describing how the U.S. was winning the war against al-Qaida's global terrorist network. Six months later, the Obama administration shut down 25 embassies in the Middle East and North Africa and is evacuating American citizens from Yemen with military planes. One more victory like this, as they say, and we've lost
It was convenient for the American government to think that jihadist terrorism was on its death bed. After all, this coincides with Obama's desire to disengage from the Middle East, bring the troops home from Afghanistan, and primarily to focus on the region that really is interesting and influential today: Far East Asia and the Pacific Rim. Obama wants to disengage from jihadist terrorism. Terrorism, however, is showing no signs of wanting to part ways with Obama. The cynics -- mostly esteemed European pundits -- claimed Tuesday that the current terror threat is nothing but an American concoction, intended to justify the NSA eavesdropping programs exposed a few weeks ago by Edward Snowden. Others argued, in contrast, that the administration has blown the matter out of proportion in relation to the actual threat, because of the political firestorm caused by the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, in September 2012. Contrary to what the administration would have us think, the truth is that the threat of terrorism against the U.S. is not actually disappearing. It is, however, a stretch to believe that the administration concocted this terrorist threat, seeing as how developments this week do not show it in a flattering light. The panic throughout Washington only serves as proof that terrorism is winning. It is no surprise that Republican Congressman from Texas, Louie Gohmert, said Tuesday that the entire spectacle of the embassies' closures has made the United States look "like a bunch of cowards." The administration does deserve credit though. The Americans have succeeded in hitting al-Qaida's leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including the assassination of Osama Bin Laden. But the reality of the situation shows that al-Qaida always manages to adapt to fluid situations, and has even solidified its presence in the Middle East due to extremely inconsistent American conduct. Al-Qaida's strength has always been its ability to export its brand to all corners of the globe, allowing it to gather various other terrorist groups under its umbrella. Al-Qaida, even after Bin Laden's assassination, is still a brand name. In the world of terrorism everyone still aspires to be an al-Qaida affiliate. Therefore, Washington finds itself in conflict with operatives from dangerous al-Qaida branches in the Maghreb and Arabian Peninsula. The administration's greatest failure was deciding to strike at the heart of the organization, the leadership based in Afghanistan and Pakistan, mainly by means of drone missile strikes, without paying attention to the growing strength of its network in Iraq, Syria and the Sinai Peninsula, along with North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Even the "Arab Spring," which the administration was so excited about, allowed al-Qaida to infiltrate new locations around the globe. Washington's particularly hesitant conduct pertaining to Syria and its disheveled retreat from Iraq also emboldened the terrorist organization. The goal of terrorism is also to disrupt our daily lives, and this is precisely what many American citizens and diplomats have experienced this week.
