From The Washington Post:
Two new books disagree sharply about how big a threat Osama bin Laden and his allies pose.
We should strike the term “terrorist group” from the lexicon of those charged with beating Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda and its allies. Although “insurgent” is not a perfect fit either, the term far better describes al-Qaeda and the other Islamists attacking America. These zealous groups are large, multi-functional, media-savvy, well-funded, superbly led and religiously motivated. Their focus is on winning, not strutting on the world stage. Numerous No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 leaders of al-Qaeda are gone, but the organization’s threat remains. Most important, al-Qaeda and its ilk — unlike traditional terrorist and insurgent groups — have no return address; they are not confined to one state or reliant upon its patronage. Islamist groups can hit America with impunity and high confidence that U.S. military forces cannot annihilate them in response. Al-Qaeda is many things, including a proliferating ideology and a unique, multi-ethnic insurgent organization. It is also a growing threat to U.S. security, in part because our leaders do not accept these realities. Abdel Bari Atwan fully grasps the foregoing in his excellent, very personal book, The Secret History of al Qaeda.
One can only hope that Louise Richardson’s What Terrorists Want will prove the last shriek from the academy’s antiquated terrorism experts, who are reluctant to admit that al-Qaeda poses a unique menace.
More here.
