Al Qada Goal

[umtalal]

The following is a link to a fairly short, but interesting article posted by the Brookings Institute. The writer refers to a poll recently discussed on C-SPAN that talks about trends in Middle Eastern attitudes toward the US.
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"Manipulating US Elections is Not an Al-Qaeda Goal," opinion by Shibley
Telhami; The Daily Star (7/26/04)
http://www.brookings.edu/views/op-ed/telhami/20040726.htm

The warning by the US Department of Homeland Security that Al-Qaeda may be preparing to disrupt the presidential election has been sounded with little assessment of the terrorist organization's aims.

Some have questioned the extent to which the Bush administration may be using such warnings for political reasons, but few have challenged the notion that Al-Qaeda seeks to replicate its Madrid attack on the eve of the Spanish election for the presumed goal of defeating President George W. Bush.

In fact, while Al-Qaeda is constantly trying to prepare massive acts of horror on US soil, replacing the Bush administration is not likely to be one of its objectives. Broadly, there are two possible goals for Al-Qaeda as an organization.

First, Al-Qaeda aims not so much to change US policy on specific issues, but to rally Muslims worldwide against the United States to create a sense of a clash of civilizations and to isolate Washington in the international community. Ultimately, it would hope to create a puritanical Islamic order in the Muslim world. This is the most plausible of the two objectives, and is one believed by the Bush administration.

[HarveyBriggs]

1. Their Goal is to confuse George W. Bush (Clue: Not Hard) nt

[Bhaisahab]

2. heh heh heh! n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Actually the pundits are starting to confuse me too

Compare this article's
"Some have questioned the extent to which the Bush administration may be using such warnings for political reasons, but few have challenged the notion that Al-Qaeda seeks to replicate its Madrid attack on the eve of the Spanish election for the presumed goal of defeating President George W. Bush"
with the BBC's comment yesterday:
"And could such a strategy work? The prevailing wisdom is that al-Qaeda actually "likes" George W Bush in the sense that his muscular rhetoric is seen as playing up the very divisions that al-Qaeda wishes to emphasise" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3527990.stm)

So, which is the 'conventional wisdom'? That al Qaeda wants Bush defeated, or elected? I think this proves there is no 'conventional wisdom' on this subject - we're all guessing what the motives and strategies of al Qaeda are.

[NV1962]

4. The first assumption is a major blooper

since 'the notion' is *not* that a 'replication of Madrid' in the US would lead to a defeat of Bush, but to his *reelection* instead.

Perhaps a typo; otherwise, that part makes no sense.

The assumption of 'conventional wisdom' is, after all, that al Qaeda set out to 'soften' Bush's supporters abroad (e.g., Blair, Aznar, Howard, Berlusconi) while keeping the US isolated and with Bush as 'the ogre of choice' in the WH, solidifiying him as the 'common foe of Islam.' That 'conventional wisdom' obviously gained extra strength after Aznar got ousted following the Madrid bombings (which BTW is a grossly oversimplified connection, but that's a different story.)

[Sugarbleus]

5. Not sure I get the article except for one thing....

I don't think terrorists give a flying fig who is president of the united states. Their goal has nothing to do with Bush or Kerry..it has to do with their own ideals (whatever they are). They don't appear to like Western civilization much at all. Whether it's us or other western countries; though we seem to inflame the most ire from them.

Break off groups that hit targets outside USA, like those in Spain, do so for a specific purpose...they wanted Spain to withdraw from Iraq. Spain, however, was going to go with their candidate anyway..regardless of the threat that came.

Bin Laden has been planning his little campaign of horrors since before Clinton came into office. OBL was pissed that Bush 1 set up shop in Saudi Arabia in Gulf one.

So, to remind, there ARE nut jobs out there that have a hard on for bombing us and any number of others for whatever reason...they are a threat; but nothing Kerry can't handle in an intelligent way.

Going into Iraq was THEEEEE dumbest thing Bush could have done under these circumstances. He DIDN'T even make a dent in the real threat but wasted time and treasury and lives by going to a no threat land to CA$H in. Doing so has caused MORE thugs and terrorists to crawl out of the underbrush...has pissed off more of the middle east and others and HAS MADE US LESS SAFE.

Yes, I think Bushco manipulates the threat assessments for political gain, but that doesn't mean there are NO enemies out there.

Strength and Wisdom are not Opposing Values

[CJCRANE]

6. Good assessment n/t

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