At this point, al Qaeda is objectively quite a bit stronger than ISIS is….Al Qaeda itself has enormous ability right now to inflict significant damage through terrorism and military means in multiple regions simultaneously….If another group like ISIS emerges, it would most likely be from an al Qaeda affiliate.
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9/11 15 Years Later
Posted September 12th, 2016 at 3:28 pm (UTC-5)
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15 years later, the scourge of terrorism is still with us.
Granted, we haven’t seen an attack on the scale of what happened on September 11, 2001. But terrorism continues to consume a large amount of this nation’s resources and seep into the consciousnesses of many Americans.
Osama bin Laden has been killed, but al Qaida is still an active threat.
Saddam Hussein was captured and executed, but Iraq is now the nesting ground for Islamic State, which started as an al Qaida offshoot.
What have we learned in the past 15 years that can make the next 15 years safer for America and the rest of the world?
Afghanistan War: Just What Was the Point?
Posted February 25th, 2016 at 2:20 pm (UTC-5)
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Fatigue was always going to be the decider. Western fatigue with the horrors their troops saw, and with the violence inflicted daily on Afghans themselves. The fatigue of the financial cost, where a power station that was barely ever switched on cost Uncle Sam a third of a billion dollars.
Afghanistan — The Case for Staying
Posted December 30th, 2015 at 10:08 am (UTC-5)
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As 2015 ends, and after a trip to the country in December, my overall impression is that there is plenty to worry about but also ample reason for hope.
Obama Rethinks Afghanistan
Posted October 15th, 2015 at 1:32 pm (UTC-5)
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In what can only be seen as a dramatic reversal in policy, President Barack Obama has decided to delay the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, keeping the current force of nearly 10,000 in place past the end of his presidency, when they will shrink to 5,500. When Obama ran for the presidency in 2008, he pledged to end U.S. involvement in two costly wars: Iraq and Afghanistan. But with the Taliban’s brief but bold takeover of Kunduz province and the ongoing threat posed by the Islamic State, the president was forced to reconsider his initial plan to finally put an end to America’s longest war. While some say it’s too little too late, others are praising him for acting against his strong belief that the United States must not march into what he calls “open-ended military conflicts.”
9/11 in 2015
Posted September 11th, 2015 at 3:12 pm (UTC-5)
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Cloudless blue skies with a hint of the coming autumn temperatures greeted Washingtonians Friday morning, delivering an eerie familiarity of how the day began Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Among the big news stories expected that day, Michael Jordan’s announcement he was coming out of retirement to play for the Washington Wizards. That and much more was rendered insignificant as the day’s events unfolded. Everything changed after the four-pronged attack on New York and Washington, killing nearly 3,000 people and leaving physical and emotional scars on countless more. The United States waged a war on the terrorists who launched these attacks, a war that endures 14 years later, with no end in sight. On this day of service and remembrance, some ask when the war will end while others find new ways to keep alive the memories of those who died for future generations.
For the U.S., the Choice Between Saudi Arabia and Iran Should be an Easy One
Posted July 14th, 2015 at 2:59 pm (UTC-5)
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The turmoil in the Middle East in recent years has forced many nations to reevaluate their relations with the countries of the region. It is only natural that the U.S. would do so as well. However, and despite their ideological and sometimes political differences, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have managed to sustain what has been a mutually beneficial relationship.
Counter Terror Smarter
We can’t keep responding to attacks the same way and expecting a different result. There is a better way to counter terrorism, and a more effective model that we can adopt, but first government officials must abandon failing strategies.