Michael
Oct 28th 2008, 11:46 PM
CIA led mystery Syria raid that killed terrorist leader
By Jonathan S. Landay and Nancy A. Youssef | McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON — A CIA-led raid on a compound in eastern Syria killed an al Qaida in Iraq commander who oversaw the smuggling into Iraq of foreign fighters whose attacks claimed thousands of Iraqi and American lives, three U.S. officials said Monday.
Source: McClatchy (http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/54828.html)
I don't have a problem with actions like this from any legalist perspective - there are no rules in war. I've always described myself as a pragmatic realist in foreign policy issues. If doing assassination raids works well as policy, then I can live with that policy.
But I respectfully submit that that this kind of action, no matter how much you want to kill this guy just isn't worth the political price to be paid by having the whole world read about a CIA raid into Syria - particularly in the context of present US political initiatives in the Middle East.
Even the 'machismo' psychological game the US likes to play against Arabs doesn't make sense here since the political price will be probably be paid in Europe, Pakistan and India.
By Jonathan S. Landay and Nancy A. Youssef | McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON — A CIA-led raid on a compound in eastern Syria killed an al Qaida in Iraq commander who oversaw the smuggling into Iraq of foreign fighters whose attacks claimed thousands of Iraqi and American lives, three U.S. officials said Monday.
Source: McClatchy (http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/54828.html)
I don't have a problem with actions like this from any legalist perspective - there are no rules in war. I've always described myself as a pragmatic realist in foreign policy issues. If doing assassination raids works well as policy, then I can live with that policy.
But I respectfully submit that that this kind of action, no matter how much you want to kill this guy just isn't worth the political price to be paid by having the whole world read about a CIA raid into Syria - particularly in the context of present US political initiatives in the Middle East.
Even the 'machismo' psychological game the US likes to play against Arabs doesn't make sense here since the political price will be probably be paid in Europe, Pakistan and India.