The War on Terror

The recent terror attack by Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to bring down Detroit bound Norhtwest Flight 253 should serve as a wakeup call to the nation, but should be no surprise to anyone who follows the Al Qaida terrorist network.

The threats faced by America in the post Cold War era are varied and complex that are going to need different and more complex approaches than what the nation experienced in the past.

America has to wake up to the fact that Al Qaida functions and establishes itself in failed or potential failed states. The training received by Umar Farok Abdulmutallab in Yemen is no coincidence as Al Qaida establishes training camps and safe haven in countries that have minimal functioning central government or none at all.

The attacks launched at America on September 11th,^, emanated in Afghanistan a nation that had gone through twenty years of civil war and had no functioning central government. U.S. forces entered Afghanistan shortly thereafter and forced Taliban and its allies into neighboring Pakistan border region which essentially Pakistan government has minimal control.

Other regions that meet the criteria of failed or potentially failed state actively have Al Qaida cells currently operating are Somalia and Yemen which the United States has faced with disastrous results with American involvement in Somalia in the early ninety’s and the attack on the U.S.S Cole in October 2000.

The latest attack with the terrorist receiving Al Qaida training in Yemen a potential failed state as the leader Ali Abdullah Saleh who is more concerned with he and his family well being and completely ignoring the plight of his people. Al Qaida thrives in such conditions by appealing to disenfranchised segment of the population therefore enabling training camps and other cells to operate freely.

In the past the United States has focused using a conventional approached as was used with the attack on a terrorist target in Yemen in 2002. The Bush and Obama Administration fail to realize that this approach doesn’t work; by funneling monetary contributions to a corrupted government who only wants our dollars instead of concentrating efforts in forcing the government of Yemen to institute a comprehensive counterinsurgency effort on the people.

America’s national security apparatus is still engrained in the Cold War and not reflecting the current dynamics of a post Cold War Era whose threats to the nation will come from failed or potential failed states. The nation has to align all elements of national power into concentrated efforts and end the turf battles that will only strengthen our adversaries.