Gottinger writes: "The Brussels attack is tragic, but it shouldn't be a
surprise. To say the West's 'War on Terror' has been an extraordinary
failure is inaccurate. In actuality, it is accelerating terrorism."
A woman attends a street memorial service in Brussels following Tuesday's
bomb attacks in Brussels, Belgium, March 23. (photo: Christian
Hartmann/Reuters)
Brussels: Just the Latest Failure of the 'War on Terror'
By Paul Gottinger, Reader Supported News
25 March 16
Once again the West has been stirred to outrage. Two bombs were set off in a
bustling airport and one in crowded subway car in Brussels. Now we
#PrayForBelgium.
The West has long turned a blind eye to the violence it wages around the
world, but this is different. Once again, 'they' are attacking 'us' here at
home.
The attack is tragic, but it shouldn't be a surprise. To say the West's 'War
on Terror' has been an extraordinary failure is inaccurate. In actuality, it
is accelerating terrorism.
In fact, during the 14 years of the 'War on Terror,' the West has failed to
eliminate even one terror organization, yet groups like ISIS have risen from
the ashes of the West's counterterror policy.
My analysis of US State Department data shows that terror attacks have
increased by a staggering 65 percent since 9/11. This massive escalation in
terror really skyrocketed during the US War in Iraq. British Intelligence
has dubbed this the 'Iraq Effect.'
According the US State Department, in 2003 there were 208 terror attacks
around the world, but that number had jumped to 11,000 attacks just two
years later. In the years since, the number of attacks has generally been
above 10,000.
It's tragically fitting that the attack in Brussels occurred just 2 days
after the 13th anniversary of the War in Iraq. That war, the centerpiece of
the US 'War on Terror,' gave rise to ISIS, the very terror organization that
claimed responsibility for the attack in Brussels.
Many of the US's counterterror failures have their roots in the colossal
disaster that was the Iraq War. ISIS exploited the destruction and
instability of war to attract foreign jihadists, gain local support, and
create a deeply rooted organizational structure.
Anger over the Iraq War is a common motivation cited for why individuals
join ISIS, according to interviews with captured militants.
Most of the leadership of ISIS is Iraqi, and the group's rise reflects the
political failures in Iraq and Syria. The discrimination and violent
repression of the Sunni community by the Iraqi government and the Assad
regime in Syria created a situation where many Sunnis see ISIS as a
preferable option to the state structures ISIS has replaced.
In response to the rise of ISIS, the West has taken its preferred form of
action, violence. The US-led coalition has launched almost 11,000 strikes,
which have killed 10,000 ISIS fighters in an ISIS military force that the
CIA officially estimates to be 30,000, though this is likely a large
underestimate.
This enormous use of force has predictably been largely unsuccessful. In
fact, it actually fuels resentment by the local populations by leaving
communities caught between ISIS's harsh rule and the West's indiscriminate
violence. Military destruction without a political solution has only
deepened the crisis and aided ISIS recruitment.
The US-Russia/Iran rivalry is another serious problem. It only sows division
in the effort to fight terrorism in Iraq and Syria. The effect is that the
US is turning its back on some of the most effective partners in the fight
against ISIS.
Anyone hoping for a change of course in the West's reaction to terror was
quickly disappointed this week.
The US Secretary of Defense quickly announced that the Pentagon will
increase funding for the US air strikes on ISIS, and Obama is even concerned
a major terror attack in the US may force the US into a "large and costly
war in the Middle East."
But more violence abroad wasn't the only response to Brussels the US
offered. We also saw Donald Trump renewing his pledge to ban Muslims from
entering the US, and Ted Cruz calling for police patrols in 'Muslims
neighborhoods.'
Not to be outdone by politicians, ordinary citizens exhibited some of that
famous 'Western civilization' with the hateful hashtag #StopIslam, which was
trending worldwide on Twitter.
Hillary Clinton also got in on the action. She called for censoring the
Internet and for Muslims to rat on their friends and family if someone they
know catches the 'extremism' bug.
Based on these responses, it seems the West will be unable to stem the tide
of terror in the West, and worse yet, there doesn't seem to even be an
understanding of what drives individuals towards 'jihadism.'
The two major aspects of the West's 'War on Terror,' an enormous amount of
violence and the demonization of Muslims, are only recipes for increased
terrorism.
ISIS may lose territory, but if the underlying sectarian polarization and
political crisis is unresolved, the conditions that allow ISIS to exist will
remain in place in Iraq and Syria.
Ultimately, if the vast majority of the West's resources continue to go to
escalating the risks of terror and the West continues to ignore the Persian
Gulf's funding for extremism, then all the police and intelligence
integration imaginable will fail to stop terrorism. The fundamental goal of
counterterror should be to prevent the conditions that draw people to become
terrorists, rather than just attempting to prevent attacks from being
carried out.
A seismic shift is needed in the West's counterterrorism policy, or the
attacks in Belgium are sure to be but a small taste of what is to come for
Europe and the US.
________________________________________
Paul Gottinger is a staff reporter at RSN whose work focuses on the Middle
East and the arms industry. He can be reached on Twitter @paulgottinger or
via email.
Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission
to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader
Supported News.
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
A woman attends a street memorial service in Brussels following Tuesday's
bomb attacks in Brussels, Belgium, March 23. (photo: Christian
Hartmann/Reuters)
http://readersupportednews.org/http://readersupportednews.org/
Brussels: Just the Latest Failure of the 'War on Terror'
By Paul Gottinger, Reader Supported News
25 March 16
nce again the West has been stirred to outrage. Two bombs were set off in a
bustling airport and one in crowded subway car in Brussels. Now we
#PrayForBelgium.
The West has long turned a blind eye to the violence it wages around the
world, but this is different. Once again, 'they' are attacking 'us' here at
home.
The attack is tragic, but it shouldn't be a surprise. To say the West's 'War
on Terror' has been an extraordinary failure is inaccurate. In actuality, it
is accelerating terrorism.
In fact, during the 14 years of the 'War on Terror,' the West has failed to
eliminate even one terror organization, yet groups like ISIS have risen from
the ashes of the West's counterterror policy.
My analysis of US State Department data shows that terror attacks have
increased by a staggering 65 percent since 9/11. This massive escalation in
terror really skyrocketed during the US War in Iraq. British Intelligence
has dubbed this the 'Iraq Effect.'
According the US State Department, in 2003 there were 208 terror attacks
around the world, but that number had jumped to 11,000 attacks just two
years later. In the years since, the number of attacks has generally been
above 10,000.
It's tragically fitting that the attack in Brussels occurred just 2 days
after the 13th anniversary of the War in Iraq. That war, the centerpiece of
the US 'War on Terror,' gave rise to ISIS, the very terror organization that
claimed responsibility for the attack in Brussels.
Many of the US's counterterror failures have their roots in the colossal
disaster that was the Iraq War. ISIS exploited the destruction and
instability of war to attract foreign jihadists, gain local support, and
create a deeply rooted organizational structure.
Anger over the Iraq War is a common motivation cited for why individuals
join ISIS, according to interviews with captured militants.
Most of the leadership of ISIS is Iraqi, and the group's rise reflects the
political failures in Iraq and Syria. The discrimination and violent
repression of the Sunni community by the Iraqi government and the Assad
regime in Syria created a situation where many Sunnis see ISIS as a
preferable option to the state structures ISIS has replaced.
In response to the rise of ISIS, the West has taken its preferred form of
action, violence. The US-led coalition has launched almost 11,000 strikes,
which have killed 10,000 ISIS fighters in an ISIS military force that the
CIA officially estimates to be 30,000, though this is likely a large
underestimate.
This enormous use of force has predictably been largely unsuccessful. In
fact, it actually fuels resentment by the local populations by leaving
communities caught between ISIS's harsh rule and the West's indiscriminate
violence. Military destruction without a political solution has only
deepened the crisis and aided ISIS recruitment.
The US-Russia/Iran rivalry is another serious problem. It only sows division
in the effort to fight terrorism in Iraq and Syria. The effect is that the
US is turning its back on some of the most effective partners in the fight
against ISIS.
Anyone hoping for a change of course in the West's reaction to terror was
quickly disappointed this week.
The US Secretary of Defense quickly announced that the Pentagon will
increase funding for the US air strikes on ISIS, and Obama is even concerned
a major terror attack in the US may force the US into a "large and costly
war in the Middle East."
But more violence abroad wasn't the only response to Brussels the US
offered. We also saw Donald Trump renewing his pledge to ban Muslims from
entering the US, and Ted Cruz calling for police patrols in 'Muslims
neighborhoods.'
Not to be outdone by politicians, ordinary citizens exhibited some of that
famous 'Western civilization' with the hateful hashtag #StopIslam, which was
trending worldwide on Twitter.
Hillary Clinton also got in on the action. She called for censoring the
Internet and for Muslims to rat on their friends and family if someone they
know catches the 'extremism' bug.
Based on these responses, it seems the West will be unable to stem the tide
of terror in the West, and worse yet, there doesn't seem to even be an
understanding of what drives individuals towards 'jihadism.'
The two major aspects of the West's 'War on Terror,' an enormous amount of
violence and the demonization of Muslims, are only recipes for increased
terrorism.
ISIS may lose territory, but if the underlying sectarian polarization and
political crisis is unresolved, the conditions that allow ISIS to exist will
remain in place in Iraq and Syria.
Ultimately, if the vast majority of the West's resources continue to go to
escalating the risks of terror and the West continues to ignore the Persian
Gulf's funding for extremism, then all the police and intelligence
integration imaginable will fail to stop terrorism. The fundamental goal of
counterterror should be to prevent the conditions that draw people to become
terrorists, rather than just attempting to prevent attacks from being
carried out.
A seismic shift is needed in the West's counterterrorism policy, or the
attacks in Belgium are sure to be but a small taste of what is to come for
Europe and the US.
Paul Gottinger is a staff reporter at RSN whose work focuses on the Middle
East and the arms industry. He can be reached on Twitter @paulgottinger or
via
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript
enabled to view it
"email.
Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission
to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader
Supported News.
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http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize
