Episode 15 Show Notes- Reflecting on 9/11, al-Qaeda and the War on Terror

 

Episode Description

Professor Giordano takes time this week to reflect on the 18^th anniversary of 9/11. In this episode, we pay tribute to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice from our first responders to our soldiers in battle. We reflect how Democrats and Republicans were able to put politics aside and unite in the face of evil. We also explore the War on Terror and how terrorism has evolved. Professor Giordano provides a crash course on al-Qaeda and ISIS, as the news media fails to do its job. Visit The PAS Report for show notes.

Intro

Welcome everyone to another episode of The PAS Report Weekly Roundup Podcast. This is your host Nick Giordano.

In the last couple of episodes, we have focused on those trying to remake America and our institutions. We are going to take a break this week to reflect on 9/11. I want to put politics aside this week to honor those who have paid the ultimate price for Liberty.

I also want to provide a crash course to understanding the evolution of Islamic radicalism and groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS. Sadly, the advocacy news media doesn’t have focused less and less on Islamic terrorism and the War in Afghanistan. However, after 18 years, it is time to reacquaint ourselves to the enemy we face.

As always, if you want to see the show notes or the sourcing of my material, go to thepasreport.com.

18 Years Later

I started teaching in 2006. Whenever the 9/11 anniversary was upon us, I would always discuss it in class, and you could see the emotion. But this week, I came to a realization as I was talking to my classes. It dawned on me that most of my students were only 1-2 years old when 9/11 happened. Some were not even born yet. The class was less emotional, and it appears the way they view 9/11 is the way I view Pearl Harbor.

When you live through an event, you have an emotional attachment. However, I wasn’t even close to being alive, and I learned about Pearl Harbor through textbooks and research. It was horrible and tragic, but it was a part of history. Unfortunately, that’s how many of today’s youth view 9/11 today. Nothing more than a tragic footnote and a piece of history.

They don’t understand the tremendous cost of 9/11 and how many lives were lost. They don’t know or understand the evolution of al-Qaeda or ISIS. They will never know what America was like pre-9/11. Before 9/11, America was just different. It’s hard to explain, but we gave a lot up.

Honoring those who lost their lives

Before we go on, I want to take a moment and thank all of the first responders and service members to their sacrifice and dedication. On 9/11, we lost 2,997 people. Sadly, every year the death toll grows as first responders continue to battle and succumb to respiratory illnesses. We have lost nearly 7,000 service members since the start of the War on Terror. (The Balance) We have soldiers returning from 3, 4, 5 tours who struggle with injuries and PTSD.

Whenever you see a service member or a first responder, don’t forget to thank them for their service. If you can afford it, buy them a cup of coffee. These are people who sacrifice day in and day out, and ask little in return.

Unity

Following 9/11, I remember how Democrats and Republicans put aside their partisan blinders and united for a greater cause. They came together to develop legislation to protect America and Americans from terrorism. While I disagree with many parts of the Patriot Act, which I will discuss on a future episode because I don’t want this to be an episode about politics, it was reassuring to see that the partisan bickering can end in a time of tragedy and challenge.

I remember when people would line the streets with signs thanking the first responders. We were grateful for what police, fire, and EMS do in our communities. They were the heroes. Not the actors and athletes making millions of dollars. It became a time when we revered first responders and service members.

How much has changed

And look at where we are today. Eighteen years later, and we are at each other’s throats. The partisan divide has never been sharper. It’s a time when, rather than view each other as Americans that are all in this together, we continually divide ourselves along ideological lines. The term traitor and treason are thrown around at will. Where relationships are ended based on who someone supports politically. The advocacy news media and political hacks are dividing us on every aspect, including race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and they are doing it for nothing more than political gain.

It’s a time where kneeling for the flag has become routine, and we elevate morons like Colin Kaepernick. It is a time where there is no longer respect for authority or law enforcement, where ICE and border patrol agents are compared to Nazi’s. Where police officers are having water thrown at them. Where morons complain, that feel unsafe when they see a uniformed officer, and the stores ask the uniformed officers to leave.

My how far we have come. It’s scary stuff, and it’s just really sad.

We forgot who the real enemy is

Unfortunately, we had forgotten how we felt that day when the planes crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. We forgot how we felt when the brave passengers on flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, PA. We forgot how we felt when the Twin Towers came crashing down.

Perhaps we need a reminding that we are not enemies of each other. We are all Americans in this fight together. Our enemies don’t care about ideological divides. They don’t care if you are Republican, Democrat, liberal or conservative. They view all Americans as the enemy.

Eighteen years later, and it is clear we have dropped the ball. This is the longest war in U.S. history, and since the 9/11 attacks, we have consistently failed to identify and know the enemy. Our media completely mischaracterizes the threat posed by Radical Islam.

In order to be successful in the War on Terrorism, we need to understand how al-Qaeda and ISIS emerged. We need to understand their motives, their goals, and objectives. The media doesn’t even cover these organizations anymore, and when they do, most of the talking heads get it wrong.

The birth of al-Qaeda

Al-Qaeda was born out of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The idea that the CIA created Osama bin Laden is a myth. The truth is the United States supported the Mujahedeen. At the time, the Afghans were fighting our mortal enemy, and it made sense. No one clearly understood at the time, the dangers of arming, and training these Islamists. In hindsight, we made some mistakes.

Most are unaware that bin Laden was heavily influenced by Sheikh Abdullah Azzam. Azzam was a firm believer in global jihad, and bin Laden was his student. Azzam incorporated militant interpretations of Islam in his teachings and edicts. While the Salafism sect of Islam originated in the 19^th century, Azzam takes the concept of jihad to a new level by preaching violent jihad is a “compulsory duty” of every Muslim whenever Muslim land is attacked. (United States Military Academy)

With Azzam’s radical teachings, bin Laden would take what he learned and begin to build out his global terror network. Bin Laden was not a dumb man, and he understood globalization and power. It was something that consumed him, and he capitalized on Islamism gaining strength. During the Soviet-Afghan War, bin Laden traveled to Afghanistan, bringing with him his enormous wealth. Bin Laden’s stock began to rise. Here is someone who is highly educated and comes from a well-to-do family, fighting alongside other Arab’s against the evil Soviet empire.

Esam Daraz, an Egyptian documentary filmmaker, began covering the war, and quickly found himself covering bin Laden. In one of his documentary films, he features bin Laden. According to Daraz, the films sold quickly and began being distributed around mosques for free. (CNN) These films can be attributed to inspiring Arab youth throughout the world and illustrates bin Laden’s media savviness. It also marks the creation of al-Qaeda in 1988, which translates into “the Base.”

At the same time bin Laden’s stock was rising, Ayman al-Zawahiri, leader of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad and jailed following the assassination of Anwar Sadat, openly declared in an Egyptian court, “We are Muslims who believe in our religion. We are trying to establish an Islamic state and Islamic society.” (BBC) Sometime in 1985 or 1986, al-Zawahiri met bin Laden, and a link was formed even though al-Zawahiri didn’t officially merge his organization with bin Laden’s until the late ’90s.

Bin Laden’s ambitions

Bin Laden’s ambitions went beyond the Soviet-Afghan War. He would begin laying the groundwork for a global jihad and began to develop relationships with other groups throughout the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Bin Laden’s hatred of the U.S. was solidified during the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Bin Laden, with his connections to the royal family due to his father, went to the royal family to explain his organization and that he could revive the Mujahedeen to take on Saddam’s forces. The Saudi government quickly rejected his offer and turned to the United States for help. The Saudi’s understood that they could not afford a long-protracted war. The life-blood of Saudi Arabia’s economy is oil, and while the war was going on, it would be impossible for Saudi Arabia to operate at peak capacity.

This incensed bin Laden. He believed that the Saudi Royal family betrayed Islam by inviting non-believers, infidels into the holiest lands of Islam, and establish military bases. And so, the war begins. Throughout the 1990s, bin Laden was growing al-Qaeda and creating other branches of al-Qaeda throughout the world. In addition, al-Qaeda was busy conducting attacks as well.

Those that say al-Qaeda’s hatred of the U.S. stems from our support for Israel, then why hasn’t al-Qaeda attacked Israel? The Wahabi/Salafist sect of Islam long predates the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

12/29/1992– bombed a hotel where U.S. troops were staying during a humanitarian mission in Somalia.

02/26/1993– First World Trade Center bombing- 6 killed, 1,500 wounded

04/23/1993– 12 arrested after a plot to bomb the bridges and tunnels around NYC

06/1993– al-Qaeda attempts to assassinate Jordanian Crown Prince (now King) Abdullah who is one of the U.S.’s staunchest allies in the Middle East

10/3/1993– 18 members of U.S. special forces killed in Somalia by al-Qaeda trained Somali’s

11/12/1994– al-Qaeda members conduct surveillance on President Clinton in order to conduct an assassination of President Clinton in his 1996 visit to the Philippines

12/1994– Assassination plot on Pope John Paul II

12/1994– Bomb onboard Philippines airliner that kills one. A bomb was used as a test to calibrate what it would take to take down an airliner

06/26/1995– al-Qaeda attempts to assassinate Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak

11/1995– al-Qaeda uses a truck bomb outside a Saudi military base killing 5 U.S. service members

06/1996– Khobar Towers bombing kills 19 U.S. service members

08/08/1998– al-Qaeda bombs U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killing 240 people including 12 Americans

01/01/2000– Jordanian and U.S. officials uncover a plot to bomb three locations where American tourists gather in Jordan, as well as a bombing on LAX airport

10/12/2000– al-Qaeda bombs the USS Cole killing 17 U.S. service members. Another attack that was planned, but never happened was for the USS Sullivan at the same port

The culmination of ignoring the terror threat and not understanding the enemy

Ignoring al-Qaeda’s growth throughout the 1990s was to our detriment and culminated in the 9/11 attacks. Intelligence analysts sounded the alarm bells about al-Qaeda and the threat it posed. People from well-to-do families, who were well-educated, were joining the jihad. Doctor’s, lawyers, and engineers. We are not talking about economically desperate people. Many of them came from families that were considered the elite in their societies. Hardly oppressed. It was all about power and ideology.

While many viewed these people as crazed fanatics, the policymakers failed to realize that these people were not a bunch of unsophisticated cave dwellers. These are very rational individuals who know exactly what they are doing. They view their tactics as legitimate, and they believe citizens are responsible for their government’s actions. They believe people are just as complicit as governments. They also understand the cost-effectiveness of terrorism. It is a lot cheaper and feasible to buy box cutters and plane tickets than it is to buy tanks and fighter jets.

More importantly, they understand that terrorism is an effective tool against governments with superior military capabilities. They are well-aware that if they met our soldiers on the battlefield, it would be a two-day war and they would be annihilated. Rather than fight in a conventional war, they exist in the shadows, blending in with populations.

Throughout the 2000s

Groups like al-Qaeda are flexible and know how to adapt to the changing environments. Throughout the 2000s, they were still able to conduct global attacks. While many were not the spectacular attacks we have to recognize from al-Qaeda, these attacks were devastating, particularly in the Middle East. In addition, new players began to emerge.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq began to take a more prominent role once we invaded. Started in 1998 under Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, they began a difficult insurgency campaign in 2004, challenging our poorly planned strategy in Iraq. Finally, as we began the surge strategy and partnered with the Sunni Awakening, we were able to devastate al-Qaeda in Iraq and Syria to the point where we killed the leadership, and many of the members went underground.

At the same time, Anwar al-Awlaki, a Yemini-American Imam, began to assume leadership command of al-Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula. His sermons would inspire thousands including the Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hassan.

In 2010, the Arab Spring started. These terror organizations understand well how to exploit instability. As the Arab Spring begins to spread, al-Qaeda of Iraq and Syria/Levant begins to grow again.

In 2011, we found bin Laden, and by May, Seal Team Six kills him. This causes a civil war within al-Qaeda as to who is now going to lead the organization. While normal succession would say it was going to be Ayman al-Zawahiri, many wanted Anwar al-Awlaki because of his charisma, and his American connection.

While al-Zawahiri of al-Qaeda International and al-Awlaki of al-Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula were disputing leadership, no one was paying attention to al-Qaeda in Iraq and Syria, and in 2014, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared their faction won the internal civil war, and they were no longer part of al-Qaeda, now they were the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

Whenever anyone tells you al-Qaeda and ISIS are different organizations, remember they are one and the same. They have the same goals and strategies. The main difference is ISIS was much more effective at using social media to gain recruits, and they carry out all types of attacks. Al-Qaeda is much more patient and focuses on large-scale spectacular attacks.

Al-Qaeda’s objectives and Strategies

In order to win a war, you must know your enemy. Groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS want to reshape the Muslim world. They want to replace secular states and secular leaders with a single Islamic Caliphate. The Caliphate controls all political, economic, and social activity. They want to impose Islamic law on both Muslims and non-Muslims. They also want to drive the West out of the Middle East and Muslim countries. Their goal is one of conquest, and we underestimate them at our peril.

They are strategic thinkers, and they want to overwhelm and stretch the enemy thin. Al-Qaeda and ISIS have a presence in over 50 countries. (Heritage) They understand there is no way to defeat us militarily. To bring down the United States, they want to drive a wedge between our allies, and destroy us economically. An al-Qaeda general, Saif al-Adel, wrote a document, “Al-Qaeda’s Strategy to the Year 2020.” (Journal of Peace & Prosperity) It’s estimated the document was developed in the late 1990’s/early2000’s before 9/11. In the document, the strategy has five stages:

• Provoke the United States and the West into invading a Muslim country by staging a massive attack or string of attacks on US soil that results in massive civilian casualties.

 

• Incite local resistance to occupying forces.

 

• Expand the conflict to neighboring countries, and engage the US and its allies in a long war of attrition.

 

• Convert al-Qaeda into an ideology and set of operating principles that can be loosely franchised in other countries without requiring direct command and control, and via these franchises incite attacks against the US and countries allied with the US until they withdraw from the conflict.

 

• The US economy will finally collapse by the year 2020, under the strain of multiple engagements in numerous places. This will lead to a collapse in the worldwide economic system, and lead to global political instability. This will lead to a global jihad led by al-Qaeda, and a Wahhabi Caliphate will then be installed across the world.

Looking forward

A few weeks ago, we got a big win when it was announced that Hamza bin Laden was killed. Hamza was slated to take over al-Qaeda and was a lot more charismatic than Ayman al-Zawahiri. Reports have it that al-Zawahiri is in ill health, but never underestimate al-Qaeda. They are a patient organization, and as I said, they focus on the spectacular attacks. Due to their sophistication, al-Qaeda is a group that I worry about.

As far as ISIS goes, while they have been beaten back, they are still a potent force. There are active investigations all over the country. Al-Baghdadi remains, and the social media manipulation cannot be matched. It’s interesting how these groups have taken the technology we created and are using it to further radicalizing people from around the world.

They have weaponized the internet, and I am not sure we have fully recognized their sophistication. While I worry about ISIS less than al-Qaeda, they are still a worrying group, especially since ISIS conducts small scale attacks that are much more difficult to stop.

Closing

Defeating radical Islam is one of the greatest challenges in the 21^st century. Unfortunately, we have the attention span of gnats and don’t do any real long-term planning. Their goals are for the long term.

A senior al-Qaeda official, Abu Yahya al-Liby, (killed in 2012) stated, “We do not restrict ourselves to one type [of infidels] or one region. This [Jihad] will continue until they all submit to the religion of Allah, yield to its laws, and surrender to its rule.” (MEMRI)

This is a war that cannot be won through military means, and sadly, our policies don’t reflect the generational struggle this will be. Children of Islamic extremists are radicalized from the moment they are born. They are instilled with hatred of the West. The continued brainwashing of these children ensures the continuation of radical Islam which is intent on advancing the causes of an Islamic state by using terrorism as the fundamental weapon of choice.

According to Arasiab Khattuk, chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, these madrassas are primarily focused on arms training, the indoctrination of radical Islam and “indulge in brainwashing on a large scale, of the young children and those in their early teens.” (U.S. House of Representatives)

In order to win, we must defeat the ideology, and we need the help of our allies in the Middle East and Muslims throughout the world. In 2018, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called for the reform and modernization of Islam. (Washington Post)

Saudi Arabia may be the one country that could pull this off considering the royal family traces their bloodline back to their prophet Muhammad, and they funded these madrassas in the first place. The U.S. needs to hold the Saudi Royal family’s feet to the fire and push them to make these reforms. The Arab world is not going to listen to the West, but they will listen to other Muslims, especially the Imams paid by the Saudi Royal family.

When we talk about terrorism, we need to be honest and stick to the facts. The PAS Report will never shy away from or sugarcoat any issue. As we take 9/11 to recognize all those who have fallen, it is important to remember; the war is not over. Each and every day our brave men and women are fighting the enemy. Every day our intelligence analysts are working diligently to prevent the next 9/11. Each and everyday our first responders, including police, fire, and EMS, are preparing for and training to respond to these types of 9/11 incidents. So, as I said before, if you see them, thank them. If you can buy them a cup of coffee, do it. It is the least we can do for our heroes.

Please share this episode with others and leave a good review on whatever platform you listen to the podcast on.

As always if there is a topic or issue you would like me to focus on, send an email to podcast@pasreport.com.

Thank you for joining us, stay safe, and I’ll be back next week.

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