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This page contains all of the posts and discussion on MemeStreams referencing the following web page: Into al Qaeda's Lair. You can find discussions on MemeStreams as you surf the web, even if you aren't a MemeStreams member, using the Threads Bookmarklet.
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Into al Qaeda's Lair
by noteworthy at 6:15 am EDT, Jun 2, 2005 |
Gary C. Schroen's astonishing new book tells the story of how a handful of CIA agents led the initial post-Sept. 11 charge against al Qaeda and its Taliban patrons, far outstripping the agency's lumbering competitor, the U.S. military. The CIA, which had been working with Afghan assets since the 1980s jihad against the Soviet occupation, was quick out of the blocks after the 2001 terrorist attacks; the U.S. military, despite having bombed al Qaeda camps in August 1998, had no off-the-shelf invasion plans and had to scurry to the drawing board. The Pentagon's Special Operations units would hook up with their CIA counterparts weeks later. By underscoring that gap, the pointedly named First In will make Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld grind his teeth. The staggering detail in these pages -- operational, geopolitical -- makes First In unlike any other CIA memoir. ... a stunning book -- both an essential document about the strange and oft-forgotten war against the Taliban, a withering policy critique and a proud memoir from an aging man who risked life and limb to try to kill al Qaeda's masterminds. |
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RE: Into al Qaeda's Lair
by Decius at 9:50 am EDT, Jun 2, 2005 |
The U.S. military, despite having bombed al Qaeda camps in August 1998, had no off-the-shelf invasion plans and had to scurry to the drawing board.
I find that extremely hard to believe, given the context of the run up to september 11th, the attempts to get BL, the negotiating process with the Taliban, the UN security council resolutions... If the Pentagon didn't have a warplan they were totally out to lunch. Furthermore, if they developed the one they used in the period of time between the attacks and the start of activity under the level of pressure that would have been present at that time we're bloody lucky it worked. The Pentagon ought to have warplans for any military conflict we're likely to get into. They ought to have people playing with strategies for likely conflicts all the time, in close cooperation with country experts, so that when unpredictable events occur, we are prepared to respond and don't have to sit around arguing over maps. |
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