A new threat from al Qaida
The Yemeni government foiled an al Qaida plot days after the U.S. shut 19 diplomatic posts in anticipation of a terrorist attack.
The Yemeni government said it had foiled an al Qaida plot to blow up oil pipelines and seize the country’s main ports this week, days after the Obama administration shut U.S. diplomatic posts across the Middle East in anticipation of a terrorist attack. Almost 100 U.S. government staff were evacuated from Yemen, and a total of 19 embassies and consulates were closed across the Arab world. Intelligence agencies learned of a possible attack on Western targets after intercepting a conference call between Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden’s successor as chief of the terrorist organization, and senior al Qaida figures. This week alone, drone strikes killed at least 12 alleged members of the Yemen-based al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.
“There is no end in sight to al Qaida,” said Bruce Riedel in TheDailyBeast.com. The Egyptian coup and the “ill-starred Arab awakening” have created a new generation of jihadists in unstable countries like Syria, Libya, and Iraq, focused on sowing internal strife and targeting “foreign ‘crusaders’” in the oil and gas industry. Thanks to “drones, poverty, and desperation,” there are plenty of new recruits in Yemen.
So much for Obama’s claim that al Qaida was “on the path to defeat,” said Bret Stephens in WSJ.com. He mistook Osama bin Laden’s death last year for a strategic blow, when it was a “symbolic one.” He said staying out of Syria would contain the war, but that has allowed al Qaida to fester there and fan out into Yemen and Iraq. On nearly every measure, Obama’s “facts and analysis were wrong.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
We are “playing a dangerous game” in Yemen, said Gregory D. Johnsen in ForeignPolicy.com. The U.S. targets supposed al Qaida leaders with drone strikes, without diplomatic outreach to stem the rising tide of jihadism there. “This is not a war it can win on its own.” Until Yemeni tribal leaders and clerics are enlisted in the fight, al Qaida will maintain “the type of power that sends the United States into panic mode.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Xi-Biden meeting: what's in it for both leaders?
Today's Big Question Two superpowers seek to stabilise relations amid global turmoil but core issues of security, trade and Taiwan remain
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Will North Korea take advantage of Israel-Hamas conflict?
Today's Big Question Pyongyang's ties with Russia are 'growing and dangerous' amid reports it sent weapons to Gaza
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published