Clinton's Indignant Defense, "Riddled with Errors" according to former Advisor.

Another mistaken 'conceptzia'

by Laurie Mylroie
Jerusalem Post
December 4, 2002

The Clinton administration "spun" America's terrorist problem when it re-emerged in February 1993, with the bombing of the World Trade Center, one month into Bill Clinton's first term in office. New York FBI believed that was a "false flag" operation run by Iraq, working with and hiding behind Islamic militants.

But Clinton did not want to hear it (he thought he took care of the problem slyly if the FBI was correct when he hit Iraqi intelligence headquarters several months later). So his administration claimed a new terrorism had emerged, consisting of "loose networks" of Islamic militants, unsupported by states.

Al-Qaida has struck again, or so it seems. "A virtual enemy," as a Clinton administration official describes it, al-Qaida is everywhere and anywhere. It is no less a threat than it was a year ago, according to CIA director George Tenet although the Taliban are defeated; al-Qaida's leadership is dead or on the run; and more than 3,000 others have been detained. "You see it in Bali. You see it in Kuwait," Tenet affirmed. And now, presumably, we saw it in Mombasa.

US government officials recently stated that missiles shot at an Israeli passenger plane were linked to a failed al-Qaida attack on an American fighter jet in Saudi Arabia. But does this idea that al-Qaida is acting alone really make sense? Not at all.

The Clinton administration "spun" America's terrorist problem when it re-emerged in February 1993, with the bombing of the World Trade Center, one month into Bill Clinton's first term in office. New York FBI believed that was a "false flag" operation run by Iraq, working with and hiding behind Islamic militants.

But Clinton did not want to hear it (he thought he took care of the problem slyly if the FBI was correct when he hit Iraqi intelligence headquarters several months later). So his administration claimed a new terrorism had emerged, consisting of "loose networks" of Islamic militants, unsupported by states.

Israel might have recognized this for the dangerous misconception it was, were it not for the unrealistic expectations that set in regarding the "peace process" when Yitzhak Rabin was prime minister. Already then, a new "conceptzia" had begun to blur Western vision.

"Conceptzia" was the term coined by the Agranat Commission to describe the intelligence failure that led to the surprise of the Yom Kippur War. As a friend at Tel Aviv University explained, "It is much more than a mistake." It is a fundamentally flawed understanding of events that prevents one from seeing what is before his eyes.

The new conceptzia is easy to explain. By the mid-1990s, the notion had taken hold that the US had decisively defeated Iraq in 1991 (in fact, many, including prime minister Yitzhak Shamir, were appalled when the US ended the war with Saddam in power).

Then following Iraq's defeat, so the conceptzia goes, a new threat emerged the spread of Islamic militants after the 1992 collapse of the communist regime in Afghanistan. Thus, the two threats, Iraq and the spread of Islamic militancy, are separated in time and space.

BUT THE Gulf War never really ended. The two phenomena the ongoing war with Iraq and the spread of Islamic militancy existed at the same time, the 1990s, and in the same space, the Sunni Muslim Middle East. Did they merge?

That is an important question, which almost no one asks. But it would seem they did. Consider Egypt, a key member of the anti-Iraq coalition. Without Egyptian backing, the Arab League would never have voted to support Iraq's ouster from Kuwait, as it did in August 1990.

Egypt seemed to have beaten back its post-Afghanistan Islamic challenge by 1997. On November 17, however, more foreign tourists were killed in one day in an attack at Luxor than were killed during Egypt's entire post-Afghan Islamic insurgency.

The attack occurred as the first crisis over UNSCOM ended. More crises would follow, as Saddam deliberately moved to end weapons inspections. When the next crisis began in early 1998, Egypt, through the Arab League, took a strong position that it not be resolved by force. No major terrorist attack has occurred in Egypt since.

What happened at Luxor? If Iraqi intelligence joins with an indigenous militant group, isn't the ensuing attack likely to be far more lethal than what that group might do on its own? Of course. Recently, I discussed this with the distinguished historian Bernard Lewis, who concurred. The subtle hints that Iraq was involved in Luxor were missed by those who jumped to the conclusion the militants had struck again, but not by the Egyptians.

A major debate rages in Washington as to whether Iraq supports al-Qaida. As Washington Post columnist Jim Hoagland wrote, "The links become clear with a little digging. You miss them only if you have a strong need not to know." The attacks on tourists in Bali and Mombasa come as momentum builds for war with Iraq. As one US official, part of the new Bush team, noted, their main purpose is "to divert us from the war on Iraq.... Terrorism is an instrument of state, not a wildcat NGO."
The conceptzia needs urgent reexamination. If Israel accepts and endorses an erroneous explanation for this terrorism, that will only increase the risk more will follow.

Author and Expert on Saddam Hussein to Deliver 1998-99 Roemer Memorial Lecture on World Affairs

For Immediate Release -- September 23, 1998

GENESEO, N.Y. -- Dr. Laurie Mylroie, Senior Associate of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, will deliver SUNY Geneseo's 1998-99 Roemer Memorial Lecture on World Affairs on Thursday, Oct. 8 in the college's Alice Austin Theater. The lecture, titled "Saddam Hussein's Unfinished War," will begin at 12:45 p.m.

Dr. Mylroi holds a bachelor's degree from Cornell University and MA and Ph.D. degrees in political science from Harvard University. In addition to her affiliation with the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Dr. Mylroi publishes Iraq News and has authored several books, monographs and articles on Saddam Hussein, Iraq and the Middle East. She is co-author of "Saddam Hussein and the Crisis in the Gulf" (Random House, 1990), a number one best-selling book in the U.S. which has been translated into 13 languages. Her articles have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Commentary, The National Interest, The New Republic and Newsweek, as well as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post.

Mylroi has held faculty positions at Harvard University and the United States Naval War College.

Among her many experiences, Mylroi has been a Senior Fulbright Research Fellow at Tel Aviv University, a Fellow of American Professors for Peace in the Middle East, advisor on Iraq policy to the 1992 Clinton presidential campaign and a consultant to ABC News.

The Roemer Lecture Series was endowed by the late Dr. Spencer J. Roemer in honor of his brother, Kenneth, to bring issues of world affairs to Geneseo's undergraduates.

The lecture and reception to follow are free and open to the public.

"Study of Revenge" by Laurie Mylroie

"Study of Revenge" is, first of all, the story of the Trade Center bombing. Mylroie contends that the mastermind behind the bombing was an Iraqi intelligence agent, Ramzi Yousef, who escaped and left behind the Muslim fundamentalists who participated in the plot and were meant to be caught.

She argues that the Clinton administration's mishandling of the event led to the emergence of a fraudulent and dangerous theory about Middle East terrorism--that it is no longer primarily state-sponsored but is carried out by individuals or "loose networks." The misunderstanding is particularly dangerous in light of the prospects for biological terrorism.

Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense
"...argues powerfully that the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing was actually an agent of Iraqi intelligence."

James M. Fox, Former Director, New York FBI Office
Mylroie's book, Study of Revenge, is one of the most comprehensive and best-researched reviews of the bombing investigation.

Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, 1981-1985
"Laurie Mylroie understands that what we do not yet know about terrorism, crime, and war may be more important..." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

"Study of Revenge," the sequel to the New York Times best-seller "Saddam Hussein and the Crisis in the Gulf," co-authored by Laurie Mylroie and Judith Miller, exposes the threat Saddam Hussein still poses to Americans.

The Gulf War never ended for Saddam Hussein. He had already recovered sufficiently by 1993 to undertake a campaign of terror, of which only the first two acts were planned in advance: the January shootings outside CIA headquarters in Virginia and the February bombing of one tower of the World Trade Center in New York, in an attempt to topple it against its twin.

"Study of Revenge" is, first of all, the story of the Trade Center bombing. Mylroie contends that the mastermind behind the bombing was an Iraqi intelligence agent, Ramzi Yousef, who escaped and left behind the Muslim fundamentalists who participated in the plot and were meant to be caught. She argues that the Clinton administration's mishandling of the event led to the emergence of a fraudulent and dangerous theory about Middle East terrorism--that it is no longer primarily state-sponsored but is carried out by individuals or "loose networks." The misunderstanding is particularly dangerous in light of the prospects for biological terrorism.

In addition to her account of events around the bombing, Mylroie describes how Saddam Hussein has steadily regained strength and eroded the system of postwar constraints that were supposed to hold him in check. She suggests that because of the proscribed unconventional-weapons capabilities Saddam retained in violation of the Gulf War cease-fire--and without the check of U.N. weapons inspectors--he is far more dangerous than is generally recognized.

Mylroie bases her case on a meticulous analysis of the government's evidence in the terrorism trials that followed the Trade Center bombing. Her book is written as a detective story, and the reader is invited to conduct the investigation into state sponsorship of the terrorism that the U.S. government failed to conduct.

Book Info
Engages the reader in a gripping examination of the evidence regarding Ramzi Yousef and his terrorism. Softcover. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.


"The War Against America: Saddam Hussein and the World Trade Center Attacks: A Study of Revenge"--by Laurie Mylroie, R. James Woolsey

The destruction of the twin towers of the World Trade Center and the attack on the Pentagon -- all within one hour on September 11, 2001 -- demonstrated America's shocking vulnerability to terrorism.

Yet terror had already emerged on America's shores eight years earlier, when the mysterious terrorist mastermind, Ramzi Yousef (arrested after a botched attempt to down a dozen U.S. airlines) bombed the World Trade Center in an attempt to fell the buildings...

Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense
"...argues powerfully that the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing was actually an agent of Iraqi intelligence." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Richard N. Perle, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy, 1981-1987
"Move over, Tom Clancy; Laurie Mylroie has written the year's thriller. Based on a thorough examination of the evidence... --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, 1981-1985
"Laurie Mylroie understands that what we do not yet know about terrorism, crime, and war may be more important..." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

The destruction of the twin towers of the World Trade Center and the attack on the Pentagon -- all within one hour on September 11, 2001 -- demonstrated America's shocking vulnerability to terrorism.

Yet terror had already emerged on America's shores eight years earlier, when the mysterious terrorist mastermind, Ramzi Yousef (arrested after a botched attempt to down a dozen U.S. airlines) bombed the World Trade Center in an attempt to fell the buildings. His attacks were viewed as the harbinger of a new terrorism, carried out by an elusive enemy driven by religious fanaticism to unprecedented hatred of the United States.

But is that perception accurate? A real-life detective story, The War Against America engages the reader in a gripping examination of the evidence regarding Yousef and his terrorism. It reveals the split between New York and Washington that emerged during the investigation and tells a terrifying tale of America left exposed and vulnerable following the mishandling of what was once the most ambitious terrorist attack ever attempted on U.S. soil.

"Study of Revenge," the sequel to the New York Times best-seller "Saddam Hussein and the Crisis in the Gulf," co-authored by Laurie Mylroie and Judith Miller

You have some interesting info above. However, the fact that the author was linked to Judith Miller is a bit unnerving as Miller's sourcing did not hold up and much of what she said turned out not to be true.

My everlasting memory of kilnton will be that he will be remembered as the bj president.

bump

Hypocrisy abounds in this Age of clinton, a Postmodern Oz rife with constitutional deconstruction and semantic subversion, a virtual surreality polymarked by presidential alleles peccantly misplaced or, in the case of Jefferson, posthumously misappropriated.

Mia T, 01.11.99
THE OTHER NIXON

bill clinton's Convenient Postmodern Pose:
"G-word"shame presages "W-word" horror
by Mia T, 4.6.04

Clinton's Keystone Cops (DUmocrats) long for the days when terrorism was just a "nuisance".

Sunday AM bump

BJ Clinton thought he could buy off the Taliban, in effect he purchased 9-11.

Absolutely brilliant!

That is not unexpected from you. ;o)

Thank you so much for your post.
You are one of FRee Republic's finest.

Westlander, it was nice to meet you.

thank you for the kind words :)

VIRTUAL KILL
THE CHRIS WALLACE-BILL CLINTON INTERVIEW DECONSTRUCTED

A virtual kill of bin Laden seems apt. One should never expect more of bill clinton. And there is a certain symmetry, a perfect parry for clinton's 'virtual obsession.'

READ MORE

TEXT AND VIDEO INCLUDE:

the only idea clinton was promoting during the interview
the devastating case made against bill clinton by:

Michael Scheuer, former 'hunting bin Laden' CIA Division Chief, and
Richard Miniter, author of Losing Bin Laden: How Bill Clinton's Failures Unleashed Global Terror

Not kind at all.

Just the truth. ;o)

"Michael Scheuer, former 'hunting bin Laden' CIA Division Chief, and

Richard Miniter, author of Losing Bin Laden: How Bill Clinton's Failures Unleashed Global Terror"

Those two need to be heard far and wide.