Cross-Posted at Democrashield
This is a topic that has gotten a lot of attention, and I figured I'd throw my two cents in. This is the first part in a series of posts on excuses used by war supporters to remain in Iraq
"We’re fighting them over there so we don’t have to fight them over here."
That’s a line we've all heard before. No matter what happens, no matter how bad the violence gets or how much blood is spilled, they say we can’t leave or else we’ll end up fighting terrorists here on our own soil.
Let's look at this tired piece of conventional wisdom after the jump...
This is a completely nonsensical argument that ignores some very basic facts. Look at the number of terror attacks directed towards the U.S. and it's allies that have been foiled since 2003—according to a White House press release:
The East Coast Airliner Plot: In mid-2003 the U.S. and a partner disrupted a plot to attack targets on the East Coast of the United Statess using hijacked commercial airplanes.
The 2004 UK Urban Targets Plot: In mid-2004 the U.S. and partners disrupted a plot that involved urban targets in the United Kingdom. These plots involved using explosives against a variety of sites.
The 2003 Karachi Plot: In the Spring of 2003 the U.S. and a partner disrupted a plot to attack Westerners at several targets in Karachi, Pakistan.
The Heathrow Airport Plot: In 2003 the U.S. and several partners disrupted a plot to attack Heathrow Airport using hijacked commercial airliners. The planning for this attack was undertaken by a major 9/11 operational figure.
The 2004 UK Plot: In the Spring of 2004 the U.S. and partners, using a combination of law enforcement and intelligence resources, disrupted a plot to conduct large-scale bombings in the UK.
The 2003 Tourist Site Plot: In 2003 the U.S. and a partner nation disrupted a plot to attack a tourist site outside the United States.
More recently, there was the Fort Dix terror plot, the JFK terror plot, as well as the attempted car bombings in London and Glasgow.
And don’t forget the
Madrid train bombing and the
London underground bombing, both carried out due to their nation’s involvement in the Iraq war.
It’s not a matter of fighting them over there so we don’t fight them over here, because we’re already fighting them over here.
In addition, we’re not fighting some monolithic foe who will launch a coordinated attack against America as soon as our troops return to American soil. The Al Qaeda who attacked us in 2001 is not the same as Al Qaeda in Iraq which is not the same as the insurgency, which pokes some holes in this theory—we’re fighting multiple enemies who don’t always work together, and who have an extremely decentralized command structure even when they are coordinating.
Furthermore, there is no evidence that staying in Iraq in any way hampers terrorist activity focused against America and our allies—in fact, according to the National Intelligence Estimate:
Al-Qa’ida is and will remain the most serious terrorist threat to the Homeland, as its central leadership continues to plan high-impact plots, while pushing others in extremist Sunni communities to mimic its efforts and to supplement its capabilities. We assess the group has protected or regenerated key elements of its Homeland attack capability, including: a safehaven in the Pakistan Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), operational lieutenants, and its top leadership.
[...]
We assess that al-Qa’ida will continue to enhance its capabilities to attack the Homeland
through greater cooperation with regional terrorist groups. Of note, we assess that al-Qa’ida will probably seek to leverage the contacts and capabilities of al-Qa’ida in Iraq (AQI), its most visible and capable affiliate and the only one known to have expressed a desire to attack the Homeland. In addition, we assess that its association with AQI helps al-Qa’ida to energize the broader Sunni extremist community, raise resources, and to recruit and indoctrinate operatives, including for Homeland attacks.
In other words, the war in Iraq hasn’t diminished Al-Qaeda’s intent or capability significantly—they’re still planning attacks, they still pose an extremely serious threat, and now they’re galvanizing the Sunni community in their favor.
And while we’re in Iraq, Al-Qaeda is re-establishing their infrastructure in the remote regions of Pakistan, which has become a "safehaven" for terrorists. Why isn’t Pakistan doing more to stop this? Why aren’t we trying to get Pakistan to do more? And why do we still consider them an ally if they’re willing to harbor terrorists?
Most disturbingly, Al-Qaeda is using the war in Iraq to recruit and train new terrorists. They use the violence and bloodshed in Iraq to radicalize and recruit new operatives, they wave the bloody shirt of Iraq to gain resources and funding, and they pit new operatives against U.S. troops in order to provide them real-world combat training. According to CNN:
Officials have expressed concern in the past that the Iraq war is providing a theater for al Qaeda to train insurgents and test the terror network's capabilities.
So, we’re fighting them both there and here. And by every indication, us fighting them there is not reducing their desire—or ability—to attack us here. In fact, the longer we stay in Iraq, the more Al-Qaeda can recruit, fundraise, and train their new operatives to kill American soldiers.
Let's end the Iraq war-no more excuses.