Here is another sensible piece about Iraq by a former US intelligence officer, Ralph Peters. Yes, he says, the violence is terrible but it’s nevertheless localised and is alienating the population against their attackers. Fallujah is the epicentre of the terror; the Iraqi government wants it sorted, but the Americans won’t risk a conflagration before the presidential election:

‘Allawi wants Fallujah brought into line. Our military has the muscle. Operations will be harder now than they would have been four months ago, since our enemies have had time to prepare for a siege. But we can do it. The delay is because the Bush administration wants to avoid serious combat until after our elections. The Bushies are using airstrikes against terrorist safe houses, but that won't retake the city. The truth is that the terrorists are the lesser problem. The greater impediment to progress has been our presidential elections and the policy distortions they create.

‘The polarization, dishonesty and manipulation on both sides aids the terrorists. When John Kerry states categorically that he'll bring our troops home within four years, it promises the terrorists that they only have to hang on. When he declares our efforts a disaster, he encourages our enemies to believe they're winning. And when he promises a "more sensitive" war on terror, it's read as a pending declaration of surrender. Kerry blathers. Bush delays. Iraq burns. Meanwhile, our intelligence community has once again shown its weakness by covering its backside, instead of finding terrorists. A National Intelligence Council report revealed this week paints a bleak picture of the future of Iraq. Why? Because the intel bureaucrats don't want to be blamed if things go wrong. There's nothing safer than assuming failure. I dealt with the NIC during my days as an intelligence officer. I always found it more interested in playing it safe than in serving our country. Clearly, nothing has changed.’

Exactly the same is going on here on this side of the pond, as the Telegraph’s story on Friday revealed (see above).

Posted by melanie at September 20, 2004