The Foreign Service Journal, December 2006

They are learning lessons in tactics and weapons that can be applied elsewhere against other targets, like Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt. They have also used the surge of anti-American anger in the region and in expatriate communities in Europe as an effective recruiting tool. The recent release by the White House of the less damaging portions of the National Intelligence Estimate from April 2006 reinforces the argument that our continuing occupation is growing the terrorist threat in the region, at least temporarily. Fueling Terrorism When President Bush says that if we walk away from the problem, Iraq could become an even greater breed- ing ground for international terrorism, he is correct. The president would also be correct if he were to say that the U.S. would lose “soft power” if it turned away from its commitments to Iraq (not that he is like- ly to use that term). And finally, he would be correct if he said the U.S. would lose deterrent power against the terrorists, if we are seen to be “cutting and running.” In fact, the president has magnified the negative effect of withdrawal by so char- acterizing it. But even in the absence of withdrawal, the fact that it appears that we have been unsuccessful in achieving our objectives is giving terrorists around the world heart. What the example of Iraq is doing, thus far, is to offer encouragement to radical Islamists and other terrorist wanna-bes. Because we have not yet been able to bring the violence under control, meet the challenge of asym- metrical warfare or defeat the insurgency, we have encour- aged the aspirations of other militant groups in the region, like Hezbollah and Hamas, and provided an example of a superpower that does not seem to be all that super. F O C U S D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 41 The asset of invincibility that we projected in 1991 has been eroded. SERVING THOSE WHO SERVE AMERICA S I NCE 1 9 7 1 2006 represents our 36 th year helping to maintain America’s fleet of vehicles throughout the world. All of us at D & M consider it an honor to have worked with all of you through these years. We are aware of the importance of your official and private vehicles, forklifts, generators, tools and equipment. We look forward to continuing this service in a professional manner. We are here to help, just ask! Gary Vlahov www.dmauto.com (516) 822-6662; FAX: (516) 822-5020; E-mail: info@dmauto.com