Terrorism: We need to see it for what it is.

[TOAD6147]

From a Newsweek article by Fareed Zakaria.

I asked an American official closely involved with counterterrorism about state sponsorship. He replied, "Well, all that's left is Iran and to a lesser extent Syria, and it's mostly directed against Israel. States have been getting out of the terror business since the late 1980s. We have kept many governments on the list of state sponsors for political reasons. The reality is that the terror we face is mostly unconnected to states." Today's terrorists are harbored in countries like Spain and Germany—entirely unintentionally. They draw on support not from states but private individuals—Saudi millionaires, Egyptian radicals, Yemenite preachers.
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Afghanistan housed Al Qaeda, and thus it was crucial to attack the country. But that was less a case of a state's sponsoring a terror group and more one of a terror group's sponsoring a state. Consider the situation today. Al Qaeda has lost its base in Afghanistan, two thirds of its leaders have been captured or killed, its funds are being frozen. And yet terror attacks mount from Indonesia to Casablanca to Spain. "These attacks are not being directed by Al Qaeda. They are being inspired by it," the official told me. "I'm not even sure it makes sense to speak of Al Qaeda because it conveys the image of a single, if decentralized, group. In fact, these are all different, local groups that have in common only ideology and enemies."

This is the new face of terror: dozens of local groups across the world connected by a global ideology.

But many are still fixated on this phantom State sponsorship of terrorism.

[Knothead]

Well, any state or nation would have to be pretty foolish to jump up and say to THIS country, "Yeah, we're sponsoring Al-Queda and Red October and The Stern Gang, too! We really hate you guys!"

If there WAS actual state sponsorship, it would be kept [Elmer Fudd] Vewwy, vewwy QWII-ettt.. .[/Elmer Fudd]

Having said that, though, yeah, I'll buy it...local groups, individuals, etc. being the root cause of terrorism.

Terrorism doesn't work, and leave it to a few hateful screwballs to believe it DOES. Say what you like about politicians, but at least they know when it's more productive to go get drunk and behave disgracefully!

It's the amateurs we have to watch out for.

[Xtreeme]

"Well, any state or nation would have to be pretty foolish to jump up and say to THIS country, "Yeah, we're sponsoring Al-Queda and Red October and The Stern Gang, too! We really hate you guys!"

If there WAS actual state sponsorship, it would be kept [Elmer Fudd] Vewwy, vewwy QWII-ettt.. .[/Elmer Fudd]

Having said that, though, yeah, I'll buy it...local groups, individuals, etc. being the root cause of terrorism.

Terrorism doesn't work, and leave it to a few hateful screwballs to believe it DOES. "

I agree and that was well said by the way. I think its also a thing were folks need to be able to relate to things. Lable them. So now terrorism and Al Qaeda go hand and hand. Regardless of wether it was a small group of wacko's or not. Plus its big payoff politically when you use Al Qaeda in your speaches. hehehe.