Letters to the Editor

Everyone we fight in Iraq is now "al-Qaida" A change in the way the Bush administration and military commanders refer to "the enemy" in Iraq has been almost immediately adopted by the media. Glenn Greenwald [2007-06-23]

• We are killing more al-Qaida: here's why

  I think Glenn is right that this is useful propaganda for Bush, but there is also a more complex reality underneath these headlines. The claims that we are killing al Qaida are not entirely spurious.

  The US Army is now cooperating with the 1920 Revolution Brigade, to the extent of fighting alongside them with helicopters overhead giving support. The 1920 Revolution Brigade is a major part of the Sunni insurgency, named after the revolution that threw the British out. Their ultimate goal is to throw out the Americans, but in the short term they've decided to cast out the al Qaida elements they used to collaborate with, and the US Army has decided to help them. This is a short-term alliance of debatable (and debated) wisdom, and the Army presumably realizes that as soon as al Qaida is knocked down our new allies in the insurgency will go back to shooting at us. In the meantime, they are enjoying newfound intelligence that lets them act more effectively against al Qaida, and Bush is enjoying the propaganda windfall of killing someone in Iraq who is one degree closer to bin Laden than Kevin Bacon.

  -- gadgiiberibimba
  [Read gadgiiberibimba's other letters]
  Permalink Flag Saturday, June 23, 2007 08:10 AM
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