"Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror" is the second book by 20-year CIA veteran Michael Scheuer. At the time of publication the author was "Anonymous" but he has since left the agency and come out in the open. While the book went to press after the Iraq invasion, the majority of the material was written beforehand. This gives a refreshing view of the War On Terror without being cluttered by the contentious issue of Iraq.
Scheuer argues that we are destined to lose with our current strategy because it ignores reality. While George Bush has said time and time again Al Qaeda "hates our freedom", the author presents bin Laden's goals as:
- The end of all U.S. aid to Israel and elimination of the Jewish State.
- Withdrawal of all U.S. forces from the Arabian Peninsula.
- End of all U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq.
- End of U.S. support for governments that oppress Muslims (China, Russia, India, etc.)
- Muslim control of the Islamic world's oil resources and a return to true market prices.
- Replacement of U.S-backed Muslim regimes that do not govern according to Islam.
Having listened to translations of Osama's declarations over the years, as opposed to the words Republicans put in his mouth, I find Scheuer spot-on. In addition he points out that Iranian leaders rallied against the decadent ways of the Great Satan to little avail, while bin Laden has motivated people to take up arms. One of my favorite lines in the book was "While many Muslims agreed - and agree still - with Ayatollah Khomeini's claims about the West's moral and spiritual turpitude, few joined a jihad and gave their lives to stop Americans from brewing Budweiser, making X-rated movies, and buying Salman Rushdie's Books". When Bush talks of Al Qaeda attacking us because they hate Walmart, he is warping the facts to fit part of his overall agenda. What matters are the actions taken by the U.S. in the Muslim world.
Scheuer warns against calling bin Laden a criminal, fanatic, or otherwise marginalizing him. One of the author's big points is that we are facing a "global Islamist insurgency". By this is he means that the Islamic world feels it is under attack. [In my opinion, whether they are or not is immaterial. Anyone who remembers the bogus 2005 "War on Christmas" in the U.S. knows that religious people can feel threatened without just cause]. Bin Laden has used this feeling to gather support around the world. Getting rid of him and a handful of other al Qaeda leaders will not solve the larger problem. A combination of a change in U.S. policy and its perception in the Muslim world is the answer.
To measure the progress of the War On Terror the author presents an extensive list of foiled plots and successful terrorist acts. The former is quite interesting, as I had only heard of a few of the items. By sheer volume, the terrorists are gaining ground.
Right wingers out there fear not. Scheuer is by no means a lefty peacenik. He goes off the handle on government leaks to the press about CIA operations. He doesn't believe putting terrorists on trial will deter further action by Al Qaeda. And he states that overcoming a Global Islamist Insurgency will require killing a lot more people.
The book as a whole reads a little on the dry side, but the description of terrorist defeats and the concluding chapters make it worth the time. Scheuer presents his take on the War On Terror not from an ideological point of view, but from studying the Islamic world since the 1980's. Right or wrong, he is a refreshing break from the debate we see on television news.
