The Clipboard: Is the U.S. playing into the hands of terrorists?

From an article¹:

And that gets to my worries over the direction of United States policy. I don't think it could have done anything to prevent the blasts in Bali - but the attack does suggest that its early military success in Afghanistan has done little to weaken terrorist capabilities.

It is not clear whether the US could have done anything to improve the situation in Pakistan, though it might have helped if it had done a better job in Afghanistan, both in pursuing its foes and in helping its friends.

What is clear is that the biggest terrorist threat we face is that one or more big Muslim countries will be radicalised. And yet that is a threat hawks advising the US administration do not seem to take seriously.

Meanwhile, plans to invade Iraq proceed. It's like the man who looks for his keys on the sidewalk, even though he dropped them in a nearby alley, because he can see better under the streetlight. (link)

Yes, what does Iraq have to do with anything?

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Complete text of the article, US playing into the hands of terrorists?, by Paul Krugman

A smart terrorist understands that he is not engaged in conventional warfare.

He kills to call attention to his cause, to radicalise moderates, to disrupt the lives and livelihoods of those who would prefer not to be involved, to provoke his opponents into actions that drive more people into his camp.

Saturday's bombing in Bali, carried out presumably by a group linked to Al-Qaeda, was monstrously evil. It was also, I'm sorry to say, very clever.

And it reinforces the sinking feeling that America's leaders, who seem determined to have a conventional war, are playing right into the hands of terrorists.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, has not been a major breeding ground for terrorists. It is, however, a nation with severe economic, social and political problems - the kind of problems that could radicalise the population and turn it into a terrorist asset.

Saturday's bombing was clearly an attempt to intensify those problems.

Five years ago, the country became the biggest victim of the Asian financial crisis. What saved Indonesia from complete economic collapse, and made a partial recovery possible, was the resilience of the country's economic and geographical periphery.

The big firms on Java were devastated by the plunge of the rupiah, but smaller enterprises, especially on the other islands, saw the weak currency as an export opportunity. That included the tourism industry of Bali, which has flourished in post-crisis Indonesia as an affordable destination for foreigners.

Now who will vacation on Bali? Indonesian officials are putting on a brave face, assuring tourists that they are still safe, insisting that the economy can handle the blow. But it seems all too likely that the bombing has destroyed one of the country's key industries.

And given the already-wobbly economy and the already-weak authority of the government, a serious setback might set the stage for social and political turmoil - maybe with an ethnic and religious edge.

For Indonesia is an overwhelmingly Muslim country in which a small ethnic Chinese minority, mainly Buddhist or Christian, dominates the economy. In short, the people who set off that bomb knew what they were doing.

The blasts in Bali followed bad news from the world's second-most-populous Muslim country. Hardline Islamic parties did unexpectedly well in Pakistan's election last week, and General Pervez Musharraf's hold on power may be slipping. Do I need to point out that Pakistan is a lot bigger than Iraq, and already has nuclear weapons?

And that gets to my worries over the direction of United States policy. I don't think it could have done anything to prevent the blasts in Bali - but the attack does suggest that its early military success in Afghanistan has done little to weaken terrorist capabilities.

It is not clear whether the US could have done anything to improve the situation in Pakistan, though it might have helped if it had done a better job in Afghanistan, both in pursuing its foes and in helping its friends.

What is clear is that the biggest terrorist threat we face is that one or more big Muslim countries will be radicalised. And yet that is a threat hawks advising the US administration do not seem to take seriously.

Meanwhile, plans to invade Iraq proceed. It's like the man who looks for his keys on the sidewalk, even though he dropped them in a nearby alley, because he can see better under the streetlight.

These guys want to fight a conventional war; since Al-Qaeda won't oblige, they will attack someone else who will. And watching from the alley, the terrorists are pleased.

reference=http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/commentary/story/0,4386,149465,00.html