Obama Administration Foolishly Believes Caliphate Would Never Evolve From al Qaeda

Obama Administration Always Scoffed At Idea A Caliphate Could Rise From Al-Qaida’s Ashes

August 12, 2014 by Ben Bullard 

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John Brennan, current director of the CIA and a former counterterrorism advisor to President Barack Obama, expressed the Administration’s dismissive attitude toward planning U.S. strategy around the real ambitions of al-Qaida and its offshoots back in 2011.

But here we are.

Brennan delivered his prepared remarks to the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies on June 29 of 2011, unveiling Obama’s National Strategy for Counterterrorism, “which formalizes the approach that we’ve been pursuing and adapting for the past two and half years to prevent terrorist attacks and to ensure al-Qa’ida’s demise.”

The idea that America needs to prepare itself for terrorism emanating from anything so organized and powerful as an Islamic caliphate, he said, is “absurd,” a “feckless delusion that is never going to happen.”

“Our strategy is also shaped by a deeper understanding of al-Qa’ida’s goals, strategy, and tactics. I’m not talking about al-Qa’ida’s grandiose vision of global domination through a violent Islamic caliphate.  That vision is absurd, and we are not going to organize our counterterrorism policies against a feckless delusion that is never going to happen.  We are not going to elevate these thugs and their murderous aspirations into something larger than they are.

“Rather, President Obama is determined that our foreign and national security policies not play into al-Qa’ida’s strategy or its warped ideology.  Al-Qa’ida seeks to terrorize us into retreating from the world stage.  But President Obama has made it a priority to renew American leadership in the world, strengthening our alliances and deepening partnerships.  Al-Qa’ida seeks to portray America as an enemy of the world’s Muslims.  But President Obama has made it clear that the United States is not, and never will be, at war with Islam.”