Intelligence, Iraq, and Terrorism

[GOTUS-GadflyOF TheUnitedStates]

it would probably be more prudent to say that some terrorism exist 
because of the loopholes or even failure in intelligence.

no doubt that there would be some terrorists, i think, that would be 
deterred if they were caught and punished before they've done 
anything cataclysmic and catastrophic.  on the other hand, there are 
terrorists, as in most likely the most extreme ones who do not give a 
whit what the goddamn consequences are.  and those are the ones you 
either cannot reason with or would take forever reasoning with (as in 
while we're young.  hello).

and when governments think that time is of the essence as most of 
them do, they then take measures that are expedient and may only work 
in the short-term but would backfire in the long-term.  to each his 
or her own government, i suppose.

unfortunately, constituents and citizens often have to pay a very, 
very steep, high and heavy price for their leaders' misguidedness. 
it's all very, very messy and distasteful, i tell you.  sometimes i 
wonder what i'm doing giving my opinion in these things.  (i'm 
reminded of that saying about laws being made are like watching how 
sausages are made or something like that.)

cheers
carina flores


JOSIAH T REDFORD <jtredford at students.wisc.edu> wrote:
When thinking of the Intelligence "failures" in Iraq, a glaring fact
becomes obvious regarding terrorism. Terrorism exists because of the
loopholes in Intelligence. Add to this the assumption, to some, that
many terrorist groups were aided to combat communism and we are left
with an interesting relationship between Intelligence and Terrorism.
Is Terrorism a beast that has outgrown its master? If so, can it be
contained or eliminated? I suspect that it is possible to do so.
However, fundamental changes need to be enacted within the
Intelligence Community that far outstretch information sharing.
Perhaps, one insight that I may offer towards a vision for the 21st
century of Intelligence is a new philosophy. I would reccomend that
intelligence be seen not as a pillar of security, but as it is, an
ideological tool. With the one year anniversary of the Department of
Homeland Security we must not only analyse and critique its
effectiveness in making the homeland secure, but we must also observe
and think about what are we creating on the "other" side of the law
with its policies and procedures. Ideology has become the central
tenet in the war on terror, because it is central to terrorism and
intelligence. I believe that a re-evaluation of the relationship
between the two is essential to understanding, predicting, and
preventing the battle that rages between both sides. I have much
more to say about this topic, therefore, as my thoughts become more
clear this philosophy will develop. I also hope that your comments
will add to my development. Thank you.

Josiah Redford


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