Isn't this the same CIA that funded Bin Laden and other jihadists when the Evil Empire had a friendly government in Afghanistan. This chap disagrees with the invasion of Iraq, no doubt in part because it simply provided more evidence for the position that the jihadists hold and also has become a training ground for Al Qaeda operatives. However the invasion of Afghanistan also gives evidence of western imperialist motives. If one understands terrorist motives then one would get out of the middle East and Afghanistan or negotiate with the Taliban and leave Iraq to its own devices in order to defuse their appeal. However Scheuer apparently thinks he can defeat them. How understanding their motives can achieve this is not explained in fact this article doesn't even say what their motives are.
Afghan loss equals terrorist win: CIA analyst
Updated Sun. Sep. 16 2007 10:11 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
A former CIA analyst whose book was mentioned by Osama bin Laden in a video released last week says Canada and NATO countries will hand terrorists a victory if they give up combat operations in Afghanistan.
Michael Scheuer, a retired 22-year CIA veteran and author of "Through Our Enemies' Eyes" says that Canada, the U.S., and their allies have not devoted enough resources to winning the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan. He argues that too few soldiers and too many agendas have already led to a near-defeat in that country.
"I think it's a dastardly way to treat our people in uniform," Scheuer told CTV's Question Period on Sunday.
"They (the soldiers) have to keep Karzai's government in power, they have to defeat the Taliban insurgency, they have to reconstruct the economy, they're supposed to build a democracy, they're assigned to eradicate the heroin industry, and in their spare time they can go after bin Laden."
Scheuer says that Canadian and NATO leaders have "betrayed" their soldiers in Afghanistan by not providing a clear focus and enough support. He added that Osama bin Laden and other terrorists were inspired by their victory over the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Scheuer fears that a loss in Afghanistan will hand bin Laden another inspirational victory.
"When we're defeated there, and when we're defeated in Iraq, bin Laden suddenly becomes a figure of world importance because he predicted long ago that the Americans and their allies are soft ... and will eventually be easier to defeat than the Soviets."
Bin Laden mentioned Scheuer's books specifically in his latest video when he tried to explain why the West was losing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Scheuer told Question Period co-host Craig Oliver that Canada and its allies have not acknowledged the true reasons Islamic fundamentalists are engaged in terrorism. He says bin Laden and his followers are not fighting the West because of its freedom, democracy, or commitment to gender equality.
"We're fighting an enemy that doesn't exist ... if you don't fight the enemy in the way that he's motivated, you're going to lose" said Scheuer.
He said American and the West's unqualified support for Israel, support for tyrannical regimes in the Middle East, and dependence on oil in the region are all contributing to the real reasons for terrorist acts.
Scheuer says that the U.S. should never have entered Iraq and is on the verge of losing the war in that country. He also noted that neither the U.S. nor Canada have taken effective control of their borders, something which may lead to future terrorism.
"We're basically led by people who are unwilling to control their own borders," he says. "They say they don't worry about it, or it's gotten better, but the reality is North America is basically a wide open place for terrorism, whether in Canada or Mexico or the United States."
Scheuer says that victory against Islamic fundamentalists can only come if Canadian, U.S., and other Western governments change strategies and understand what motivates terrorists.
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