Al-Qaeda remains interested in acquiring weapons of mass destruction, a concern that is amplified by the terrorist organization’s solid recruiting base, a longtime CIA analyst told Newsweek recently (see GSN, Sept. 11).
Bruce Riedel, 30-year CIA veteran and National Security Council staffer in the Bush administration, argued that recent U.S. antiterror strategies have backfired.
“Our war of choice in Iraq has mobilized, I suspect, the next two generations of recruits to al-Qaeda,” he told Newsweek. “Meanwhile, we haven't tackled the fundamental challenge, which I call attacking al-Qaeda's narrative — its reading of history. Al-Qaeda's anti-Western message gains traction from the belief, widespread among Muslims, that the U.S. doesn't respect the Muslim world.”
Network leader Osama bin Laden is “an evil genius: clever and extraordinarily ruthless, willing to kill thousands to achieve his objective,” Riedel said. “There is no doubt in my mind that if al-Qaeda could get a nuclear weapon or some other weapon of mass destruction, it would use it. For them, an end has long justified the means.”
The United States, therefore, must demonstrate that it is not anti-Muslim.
“Of course we must pursue al-Qaeda's leadership and its propaganda apparatus,” he said. “But we need at the same time to use our diplomatic strength far more effectively and consistently than we have, to settle those issues of importance to Muslims.
“Top of the list are the Israel-Palestinian dispute and Kashmir. On Palestine, we must enter vigorously into final negotiations for a settlement based on the two-state solution. And I think Kashmir is resolvable: India's reopening of a trade route through Kashmir — after 60 years — is a hopeful sign. I think India shares all our worries about Pakistan” (John Barry, Newsweek, Oct. 27).