 |
||||||||||||
|
April 1, 2016
|
||||||||||||
 This article first
appeared at Foxnews.com
Imagine more of the African continent engulfed in the
Islamist savagery of Libya and Nigeria. Imagine Jordan and Saudi Arabia
undergoing the same turmoil as Iraq and Syria. Imagine a Europe that begins
to resemble Lebanon more than its American cousin.
These are frightening scenarios that could unfold over
the next few years should trends identified in a new analysis by the Investigative
Project on Terrorism (IPT) continue unchecked. Western leaders
will need to recognize that the Islamist threat is growing in lethality and
geography because current strategies to combat it do not work.
Islamist violence has escalated to an unprecedented
degree. Ground taken and controlled by ISIS provides bases for planning and
preparing attacks throughout the Middle East, Africa and Europe, most
recently in Brussels and France. Genocide against religious minorities in
the Middle East is inflicting untold suffering. It is also causing millions
of refugees to overwhelm the region and Europe.
Most problematic is that NATO and the U.S. signal no
real reassessments in their failing approach to the rapidly spiraling
viciousness as they help history to repeat itself.
Engaging jihadists in Libya resulted in the U.S.
returning to conduct
strikes with fighter jets and drones
five years after leaving.
The Obama administration is abandoning
a program of training Syrian rebels after spending hundreds of
millions of dollars on the futile effort.
Appeasing the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt allowed for
its disastrous rise to power, yet the White House still
welcomes them into the conversation.
The IPT
– through analyzing current and future radical Islamist threats based upon
its extensive contacts, sources and internal databases -- predicts that the
situation will continue to deteriorate over the next 18 to 24 months
without a course correction. Here are four reasons why.
1. Islamist brutality in Africa will increase in
fatalities and territory. Terrorism in Africa was largely confined to Algeria
from 2001 to 2006 when it experienced 275 deaths on average annually. It
rose to nine countries with 11,085 fatalities on average annually during
2014 to 2015. Boko Haram, al-Shabaab and Al-Qaida in the Lands of the
Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) will lead its further expansion on the continent.
2. Relatively stable regimes in the Middle East will
face increasing pressure from jihadists who will threaten the ability of
central governments to provide security. With no change in strategy to confront
ISIS, the governments of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE could
break down.
Jordan recently killed seven Islamists
linked to ISIS in an eight-hour raid that disrupted attacks
against civilian and military targets within the country.
Turkish security forces have prevented 18 suicide
attacks since the start of 2016. A car filled with explosives
killed 29 people in Ankara in February. Yemeni rebels have murdered or
captured hundreds of Saudi
soldiers in cross-border clashes.
3. With the established ISIS caliphate in Iraq and
Syria, and its new caliphate in Libya along the Mediterranean coast, the
humanitarian crisis of refugees will overwhelm Europe's internal security
forces and social services. Islamist violence will increase significantly within
its borders.
4. ISIS and like-minded groups will build upon their
success to launch new attacks on perceived soft targets in the Philippines,
Bangladesh and Thailand.
The West needs to recognize the current scope of failure
and the momentum of the evolving jihadist threat.
Islamists will quickly capitalize on the current
friendly environment. The damage to authority and stability in the Middle
East, Africa and Europe could require decades to reestablish once lost.
Also, in a neighborhood like this, what happens to our
strongest and most reliable ally in the Middle East, Israel? Weapons are trained
on the Jewish state on all sides from the likes of Hizballah, Hamas and
Islamic jihad.
Western leaders must take measure of the defeat
confronting them and understand that radical Islam directly jeopardizes
Judeo-Christian civilization. A very disturbing future may already be
written with no change in direction.
Steve Emerson is the Executive Director of the Investigative
Project on Terrorism. Pete Hoekstra is the Shillman Senior
Fellow at the Investigative Project on Terrorism and former Chairman of the
U.S. House Intelligence Committee.
Related Topics: Steve
Emerson | Pete
Hoekstra
|
The IPT
accepts no funding from outside the United States, or from any governmental
agency or political or religious institutions. Your support of The
Investigative Project on Terrorism is critical in winning a battle we
cannot afford to lose. All donations are tax-deductible. Click here to donate online.
The Investigative Project on Terrorism Foundation is a recognized 501(c)3
organization.
To
subscribe: http://www.investigativeproject.org/list_subscribe.php
202-363-8602 - main
202-966-5191 - fax
|
Friday, April 1, 2016
Islamist Volence Spreads in Africa, Theatens Western Culture
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment