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Has Bush outfoxed bin Laden?
New Australian ^ | Thursday 27 September 2001 | James Henry

Posted on 09/27/2001 6:56:04 AM PDT by Tai_Chung

The terrorist atrocities inflicted on the US have give rise to a new rumor mill that grinds out stories that range from the banal to the bizarre. But a story out of the Middle East has more credibility than most, particularly in certain quarters. Some cooler and more intelligent heads in the Arab world have concluded that Bush has outfoxed the fanatical bin Laden.

Like all fanatics bin Laden is narrowly on his mission while being disconnected from the real world. Far from being the educated man he is said to be he, like his suicide-bombers, is remarkable ignorant of the West, specially the US. Although some of his followers have been educated at Western Universities their education has been confined to technical subjects like engineering. Those, for example, who attended US universities learnt nothing of US history or cultural values, confusing topless bars, which some of them enjoyed, with moral decay and lack of will. The sad fact is that what little they knew of US history and policies came entirely from the country’s anti-American left, which has painted a grossly dishonest picture of America that neatly fitted in with these terrorists’ anti-American dogma thus blinding them further to the political and military consequences of their actions.

As our editor pointed out at a recent seminar in Australia, being narrowly focused to the exclusion of all else is part of the terrorists’ Achilles heel. And so it is with bin Laden. Believing himself to be the hand of God and a follower of the one true faith, or his fanatical version of it, means he operates with an open loop. Therefore there is no negative feedback mechanism to correct his distorted picture of the world. There are no advisers to council restraint or retreat because like Hitler, Stalin, Mao, etc., he literally believes himself to be the only one capable of interpreting events and predicting their consequences.

Now we have bin Laden’s fundamental weakness. Being truly ignorant of American history and knowing nothing of the country’s political system he has made the mistake of drawing the wrong lesson from a narrow range of fairly recent events by interpreting it in terms of his world view: the refusal of George Bush senior’s to finish off Saddam Hussein, the hasty retreat from Somalia, the successful bombing of US embassies and military bases in Saudi Arabia, the attack on the Cole and Clinton’s self-serving pinprick responses to terrorism.

In bin Laden’s fantasy America would either respond in a Clintonesque way and so demonstrate to the world its cowardly nature or it would blindly strike out, killing hundreds if not thousands of innocents and so inflame the whole of the Islamic world. (Notice how closely his apocalyptic vision resembles the extreme left’s one of a world-wide revolution against capitalism).

He got neither. Instead of grabbing the initiative he made a terrible blunder. His actions pulled the US together, awakening in it a steely resolve that can have only one outcome. Instead of retreating or immediately striking out, President Bush set about building up a mighty military force not only to destroy bin Laden but to demonstrate to the rest of the world the consequences of attacking America. Afghanistan has been isolated, it’s borders sealed.

Battle lines have been drawn and are being supported with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Russia, Tajikstan. Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, even Iran, Pakistan and China are cooperating. British special forces (SAS) are already operating in the country while American special forces are moving in. A coordinated plan consisting of concentrated air attacks on terrorist camps and Taliban installations, special forces assault teams, and the cooperation of the Northern Alliance is being put into action. None of this, so the story goes, is supposed to be happening.

Moreover, there are rumors that the scale of the forces that bin Laden has unleashed has caused subterranean cracks to appear within the Taliban’s ranks, with some of them wondering why they should have to take the fall for bin Laden. The smarter ones know they are not popular among the mass of Afghans, and that if properly equipped and supported by Western powers the Northern Alliance would drive them back to their mountain villages — that is if the locals don’t hang them from cranes and artillery barrels first.

Afghan refugees are relating tales of an increasing number of Taliban acts of banditry and rape as order collapses in the towns and cities. The wholesale kidnapping of non-Pashtun males aged between 15 and 30 for ‘military’ service smells of panic because the Taliban knows these males belong to hostile ethnic minorities. These are not the actions of men who believe in their own invincibility.

So to some Arab observers Bush has already won. But surely if bin Laden is killed other bin Laden’s will arise. There is only one bin Laden, thank God. This latter-day Mahdi is just another religious millenarian who promises paradise by driving out the infidel, the cause of the faithful’s misery. Such people have been a curse throughout history.

I’m not saying that terrorism will end with bin Laden, only that his head must be the first to roll if victory is to be achieved. Once this is done, the invisible war against terrorism will accelerate, from the freezing of bank accounts to the assassination of terrorist organizers and the smashing of their networks.

The strategy, as explained to me, is basically simple. Make an example of bin Laden, demonstrate overwhelming military power and the will to use it against states that harbor and train terrorists; isolate the terrorists physically and squeeze them psychologically. The ultimate aim is the elimination of state-sponsored terrorism.


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1 posted on 09/27/2001 6:56:04 AM PDT by Tai_Chung
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To: Tai_Chung
Interesting read.
2 posted on 09/27/2001 6:58:42 AM PDT by scooter2
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To: Tai_Chung
I am absolutely amazed at what the President and his team have accomplished without firing a shot to date.
3 posted on 09/27/2001 7:00:52 AM PDT by AZFolks
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To: Tai_Chung
Excellent article.
4 posted on 09/27/2001 7:02:17 AM PDT by DouglasKC
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To: Tai_Chung
Me thinks the author has donned some spectacles with a rosy hue.

Don't underestimate bin Laden. Don't underestimate the willingness of Arabs to force this into a West Vs. Islam conflict. Don't underestimate the willingnedd of some Israelis to turn this into a Wesy vs. Islam conflict. Don't underestimate anyone...including friends and so-called allies. We are knee deep in the thornbush right now and the last thing we need to do is assume victory.

5 posted on 09/27/2001 7:03:09 AM PDT by francisandbeans
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To: AZFolks
Remember in his joint sessions speech, when he said he would turn the terrorists against each other?
6 posted on 09/27/2001 7:04:36 AM PDT by Freemyland
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To: scooter2
This is consistent with the article by Jonathan Turley comparing the Islamic terrorists with the Boxer Rebellion in China at the turn of the last century. Interesting.
7 posted on 09/27/2001 7:07:52 AM PDT by CatoRenasci
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To: Tai_Chung
Yep, the author has it right. Instead of the blind lashing out, he's got the steely, crushing hand. The Islamic revolition backlash that was to occur is just his fantasy. I think it's all going to be lots of SAS/Special Forces operations with the occasional air strike. Low level actions without a wholescale invasion.

NaW.
(Too bad. We really, really wanted to nuke somebody...)

8 posted on 09/27/2001 7:07:59 AM PDT by SodiumWarthog
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To: Miss Marple, Howlin, Irma, PhiKapMom, Southflanknorthpawsis

9 posted on 09/27/2001 7:11:11 AM PDT by deport
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To: Freemyland
Ammanpour from CNN is on right now and she is saying there are defections from the middle ranks of the Talliban armies. She says checkpoints are being left unmanned. Maybe things are starting already?
10 posted on 09/27/2001 7:12:29 AM PDT by freedom4ever
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To: francisandbeans
Wesy vs. Islam

Isn't that Wesy vs. Ferguson?

Okay, okay, I'm just being,

11 posted on 09/27/2001 7:12:34 AM PDT by Silly
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To: Tai_Chung
Very good article. For another great one with a similar theme, search for "Lights Action -- Reason," published in a Frankfurt, Germany newspaper.
12 posted on 09/27/2001 7:13:31 AM PDT by Silly
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To: francisandbeans
It just eats at you to have to consider that maybe our President is doing a good job, doesn't it.

You are either a DU fanatic, a "Hate America First" traitor, or a pathetically confused person.

Thank you for choosing sides and telling all of us.

13 posted on 09/27/2001 7:14:54 AM PDT by Redleg Duke
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To: Redleg Duke
Dude...take some Ritalin. If you are finding reds under my beds of caution, then you're mistaken. If you want to go ahead and claim victory now, be my guest...I trust in our Pesident and his excellent cabinet officers to keep thier eyes on the prize here. bin Laden is sitting idle, waiting for complacity...don't give it to him. This is not an easy battle....right now, saying anything other than "so far-so good" is premature and could be dangerous.
14 posted on 09/27/2001 7:21:29 AM PDT by francisandbeans
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To: CatoRenasci
Do you have a link to the Turley article?
15 posted on 09/27/2001 7:21:42 AM PDT by GEC
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To: Redleg Duke
I think francis was just trying to say let's not make the fatal mistake of underestimating our opponents, like we did in Vietnam and like MacArthur did with the Chinese in Korea. It's just common sense, that's all.

A DU fanatic would have said "Bush blew up the Trade Center so he could start a war to enrich his oil buddies," or something like that.

A traitor would have said "America got what it deserved because of our horrible foreign policy which has no regard for human rights in developing countries," etc.

All francis said was, "Let's be careful out there." I've got no problem with that.

16 posted on 09/27/2001 7:23:12 AM PDT by JamesinGA
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To: Tai_Chung
Thanks for finding this, I wish we had more journalists like James Henry in the U.S. If we did maybe we wouldn't be suffering from the impression so many around the world believe about the U.S. -

The sad fact is that what little they knew of US history and policies came entirely from the country’s anti-American left, which has painted a grossly dishonest picture of America that neatly fitted in with these terrorists’ anti-American dogma thus blinding them further to the political and military consequences of their actions.

Our media stinks.

17 posted on 09/27/2001 7:24:07 AM PDT by mombonn
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To: freedom4ever
I also think that some of the coalition building that has been decried is partly a way of assessing who is with us, and who is against us.
18 posted on 09/27/2001 7:24:21 AM PDT by Freemyland
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To: freedom4ever
everything has changed with the peace mission by jackson giving the taliban a new direction and focus.
19 posted on 09/27/2001 7:30:12 AM PDT by Rustynailww
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To: all
"Those, for example, who attended US universities learnt nothing of US history or cultural values, confusing topless bars, which some of them enjoyed, with moral decay and lack of will. The sad fact is that what little they knew of US history and policies came entirely from the country’s anti-American left, which has painted a grossly dishonest picture of America that neatly fitted in with these terrorists’ anti-American dogma thus blinding them further to the political and military consequences of their actions."

I could write for a week about the implications of this, but I'd be preaching to our own choir. Suffice it to say, that maybe, posssibly, the liberals in academia may have both caused the confidence in these infidels to do their diabolical work, and caused the underestimation of the patriotic American-right response that will lead to their downfall.

20 posted on 09/27/2001 7:30:44 AM PDT by alancarp
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