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Al-Qaeda boosted by Iraq war, warns think-tank
channelnewsasia.com/ ^ | May 25, 04 | channelnewsasia.com/

Posted on 05/26/2004 12:43:21 AM PDT by churchillbuff

LONDON : The US-led war on Iraq, far from countering terrorism, has helped revitalise the Al-Qaeda terror network, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) think-tank warned.

The London-based body said in its annual Strategic Survey 2003/2004 that the deadly train bombings in Madrid in March, the worst terror strike in Europe for more than a decade, showed that Osama Bin Laden's terror network "had fully reconstituted".

It also predicted the Islamic group would step up its anti-Western attacks, possibly even resorting to weapons of mass destruction and targeting Americans, Europeans and Israelis while continuing to support insurgents opposing the US-led occupation of Iraq.

The IISS pointed to devastating blasts in Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Turkey in 2003 and 2004 as further evidence that anti-US sentiment had soared since the Iraq war.

"In counter-terrorism terms, the intervention has arguably focused the energies and resources of al-Qaeda and its followers while diluting those of the global counter-terrorism coalition that appeared so formidable following the Afghanistan intervention in late 2001," the report said.

However, since the war it said that arms proliferation and state-sponsored terrorism has dwindled, with Libya giving up its unconventional weapons programs and Syria becoming "less provocative."

Stalinist North Korea's secret nuclear programme was somehow contained thanks to a negotiating process while Iran agreed to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency over its nuclear activities, the IISS said.

But another legacy of the war was what the IISS termed a highly questionable recourse to pre-emptive strikes as a means of counter-proliferation, as well as "the uses and abuses of intelligence as a basis for military action."

The IISS said the United States, which has dominated world affairs since the end of the Cold War, had failed to understand that Al-Qaeda's September 11, 2001 attacks were "a violent reaction to America's pre-eminence" and it urged the superpower to temper "the appearance of American unilateralism".

It warned that Washington would have a hard time restoring order in embattled Iraq and stressed that the conflict had brought a political split between the United States and its continental European allies, leaving Britain stuck in the middle.

The survey additionally forecast a possible attention shift away from terrorism, Middle Eastern problems and weapons proliferation should North Korea opt for a more aggressive stance, a humanitarian disaster hit Africa or undesirable regime-changes "produce abrupt and serious security challenges".

The United States will not manage to tackle all of the above single-handedly, warned the think-tank, raising a question mark over Europe's ability to break away from "strategic arthritis."


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News
KEYWORDS: alqaeda; antinukes; fraud; generalmcclellanbuff; iraq; mymomismurrymom; peaceactivists; peaceniks; terrorism; threats
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To: churchillbuff
Oh, I will -- provided we haven't been blown up by a WMD by then.

You can't have it both ways. You types are all the same - it is either "We ticked them off and NOW we are in trouble" or "There weren't any WMD - so there was no causus belli". Please.

Go back to DU. All of you "and I voted for Bush" (Reagan, Nixon, et al) types are the same. Ya'all are Confused - plain old confused.
141 posted on 05/26/2004 10:51:02 AM PDT by safisoft
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To: DoughtyOne

I saw a bumper sticker here in Ithaca that goes right along with CHBuff's premise:

"We're making new enemies faster than we can kill them"

What a stoopid thought. It is completely wrong, probably on two levels, but we CERTAINLY can kill them much faster than we have so far demonstrated. If the terrorists don't realize that, someday we may have to demonstrate it.
.


142 posted on 05/26/2004 10:51:06 AM PDT by AFPhys ((.Praying for President Bush, our troops, their families, and all my American neighbors..))
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To: AFPhys

I agree with you. Those bumper stickers are quite juvenile. It almost makes you wonder how those folks navigate through life, they seem so simple minded.


143 posted on 05/26/2004 12:21:20 PM PDT by DoughtyOne
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To: churchillbuff
Darn it Chamberlainbuff, you didn't wait for me to get here before you started yet another one of your BS anti-war threads...and the lies you told in this one...whoohie...you're getting shrill.

Must be demoralizing have two of your pathetic anti-war threads go down so hard in less then 24 hours. The strange thing is how you seem to relish wallowing in your own BS.

You really should consider a hobo...selling out the troops and the nation just isn't working out well for you.

144 posted on 05/26/2004 8:10:49 PM PDT by CWOJackson
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To: churchillbuff; Howlin
"...I just agree with Gen. Schwarzkopf and other military brass..."

Actually you don't. I know this has been pointed out to you before, by me at least a half dozen times, but Gen. Schwarzkopf commented early in 2003 that he favored giving the U.N. more time and building a larger coalition...he wasn't opposed to action. And since we went into Iraq he has not made a single public comment opposing our actions.

But you keep using him in your anti-war BS.

I also notice you've stopped quoting your pet general Zinni...he who profits off the death of his own people. Actually, you would do far better to stop lying about Schwarzkopf and stick to quoting Zinni...he's on your side...and can turn a neat buck at the same time.

145 posted on 05/26/2004 8:16:18 PM PDT by CWOJackson
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To: DoughtyOne

I'm right with you,Doughty. :-)


146 posted on 05/26/2004 8:27:57 PM PDT by nopardons
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To: dasboot

Please offer that cheese to the *whiners*! :-)


147 posted on 05/26/2004 8:30:08 PM PDT by nopardons
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To: churchillbuff
The London-based body said in its annual Strategic Survey 2003/2004 that the deadly train bombings in Madrid in March, the worst terror strike in Europe for more than a decade, showed that Osama Bin Laden's terror network "had fully reconstituted".

Nonsequitur.

It doesn't following that Al Qaeda has "fully reconstituted" because they were able to pull off the train bombings in Spain.

148 posted on 05/26/2004 8:35:09 PM PDT by FreeReign
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To: churchillbuff
The IISS pointed to devastating blasts in Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Turkey in 2003 and 2004 as further evidence that anti-US sentiment had soared since the Iraq war.

More false conclusions.

This "think-tank" isn't running on a full tank.

149 posted on 05/26/2004 8:37:38 PM PDT by FreeReign
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To: nopardons

So, I wonder what time our Michael Moore wanna-be will post his next anti-war thread?


150 posted on 05/26/2004 8:38:05 PM PDT by CWOJackson
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To: CWOJackson

Since I'm leaving FR early tonight,my guess is after I've left...if at all. :-)


151 posted on 05/26/2004 8:45:41 PM PDT by nopardons
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To: sheltonmac
What I would like to know is this: if terrorism is such a major threat to this country, why haven't any gun-control laws been repealed? Are we really supposed to trust the feds to keep us safe?

Using your logic: I would like to know this: If gun control is such a threat to our freedoms then why haven't any gun control laws been repealed.

The freedom to own guns and the threat of terrorism are both a major threat to our freedoms -- irregardless of how many gun control laws have been repealed.

152 posted on 05/26/2004 8:46:15 PM PDT by FreeReign
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To: nopardons

You have a pleasant evening then. I'm sure he will have at least one goodie for us tomorrow...it's just his nature.


153 posted on 05/26/2004 8:49:48 PM PDT by CWOJackson
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To: FreeReign; sheltonmac
The freedom to own guns and the threat of terrorism are both a major threat to our freedoms -- irregardless of how many gun control laws have been repealed.

Should be: Gun control and the threat of terrorism are both a major threat to our freedoms -- irregardless of how many gun control laws have not been repealed.

154 posted on 05/26/2004 8:51:16 PM PDT by FreeReign
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To: FreeReign
The freedom to own guns and the threat of terrorism are both a major threat to our freedoms -- irregardless of how many gun control laws have been repealed.

But terrorism doesn't threaten the right to keep and bear arms (unless the government starts confiscating weapons in the name of safety). The right to keep and bear arms, however, does threaten terrorism.

155 posted on 05/26/2004 8:52:34 PM PDT by sheltonmac ("Duty is ours; consequences are God's." -Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson)
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To: churchillbuff
Yep. The Iraq adventure has made us a lot safer.

Actually, I think it has.

- The presence of the US military in Saudi Arabia angered OBL so much that in 1996 he declared war on us because of it. That military presence was removed right after Saddam Hussein was captured.
- Iran agreed to inspections of its nuclear facilities.
- A scientist in Pakistan was exposed for selling its nuclear secrets.
- Pakistan and India came close to a nuclear war. They are now talking.
- Libya has agreed to give up its WMDs.

156 posted on 05/26/2004 9:03:24 PM PDT by Dave Olson
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To: CWOJackson
I shall...as I'm soon off to take a nice,long,hot bath and delve into Sian Phillips'new autibiography. Did you know that she was once married to Peter O'Toole?

If ONLY FR would be purged of it's anti-war nutters and the newbies,who,after being here a couple of weeks,at most,send HATE MAIL to people they can't "take down" on a thread.

157 posted on 05/26/2004 9:05:23 PM PDT by nopardons
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To: Dave Olson; churchillbuff

Did you hear that sound, Dave, that is chamberlainbuff's head bursting when you pointed out facts in reply #156 and not parroting the fifth column liberal media.


158 posted on 05/26/2004 9:07:58 PM PDT by Dane
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To: nopardons
That's why I simply post their freep-mail on whatever thread they are currently haunting...uncensored. It's very fun to watch.

I had one who would vehemently deny it on the thread, then send me another one even worse then the last. Which of course I would post and he would deny...claiming I was making it all up.

After his third freep-mail, uncensored still, he and all of his posts just went poof! Gone off to some bikerbar on the other side of the gallexy.

159 posted on 05/26/2004 9:08:53 PM PDT by CWOJackson
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To: CWOJackson
Oh my!

Being thoroughly HTML impaired,I can't do that...so I took care of it in private,by stating facts;unlike the sender of the original post.:-)

160 posted on 05/26/2004 9:12:21 PM PDT by nopardons
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