I don't completely disagree but I think you are missing a huge point about in your analysis, which is that our intelligence apparatus was geared toward Europe and the Soviet Union. The intelligence services were (and still largely are) filled with white guys that can operate in Europe but stick out like sore thumbs in the Middle East and Asia Minor.
We had an opportunity to regroup after the end of the Cold War but it doesn't seem that we identified the next major threat correctly. Or if we did, we don't seem to have geared up for it. If we want to have good human intelligence in our struggle with terror groups in the Middle East, Asia Minor and SE Asia, then we will need to do a much better job of making the existing (relatively small) group of Americans who grew up in those areas believe that they really ought to put their lives on the line for us. That's a big, delicate, job that will take time, concentration and effort. Judah On Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 11:37 AM, Scott Stewart <[email protected]> wrote: > > The modern definition of terrorist requires something that the US doesn't > have any more, and that's a credible intelligence community. > > We never had problems with terrorism until the CIA was crippled by the Ford > administration ("We're out of the assassination business"). Now we're trying > to apply a technological solution to a problem that requires good old > fashioned "police" work (infiltration and destruction from the inside out). > > They know that we don't have anyone on the "inside". Until we can pick them > off one at a time, covertly we don't stand a chance. > > Right now, we're trying to swat a fly with a pile driver. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Vivec [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Friday, January 15, 2010 11:34 AM > To: cf-community > Subject: Now there is a credible threat in yemen... > > > Should the US invade Yemen next? > > And if not...what is the long term solution to this problem of terrorism? > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Want to reach the ColdFusion community with something they want? Let them know on the House of Fusion mailing lists Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:310628 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
