"Al Qaeda Is More Like a State of Mind..."

By DemocracyRules

Here's an interesting post from an the Iranian-Brit, Ben Madidi, entitled, McCain is Right.

Ben is ... "an Iranian, from Iranian Azerbaijan, doing what I can to talk often about issues that are not so often talked about among Iranians..."

"...Watching democracy's works in the US, where commander of the US army in Iraq and an ambassador, answer to the questions of the elected officials for 9 hours, makes you wonder when this kind of a scene may be possible in a country like Iran, where not only the people do not have access to the information (for instance why is Iranian money and man-power is engaged in creating chaos in a neighbouring country) but even many of the high-ranking officials are kept in the dark by those who are operating behind the scenes... 

I listened to the senators’ speeches, Obama, Clinton and McCain. I agree with Mr McCain's assertions on Iraq; they seemed courageous and noble...  both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, wanted to retreat from Iraq as soon as possible... I could not exactly grasp the point why!... I think they are both doomed...

The US is losing vast amounts of money in its operations in Iraq and it is actually paying for most of the Iraqi reconstruction, while Iraq is selling its oil in the free market and the money is not being spent properly because Al Qaeda terrorists, and the Iranian-backed groups, are disrupting the reconciliation and reconstruction efforts... the US has the moral obligation to stay in Iraq and create a stable democracy and a prosperous society. It can be done, but it may take time. It can be done because also Iraq has oil. It is as simple as that...  Without the US, Iraq will be the battleground of both Iraqi factions and also foreign meddlers, for years and years to come...Iran will be no friend of a free Iraq if the Americans will retreat...

Iran does not have Iraq's oil compared to the population (it has much less oil per capita), and the more Iran's neighbours prosper the more the Iranian regime fears for its survival... Many American politicians, mostly left-leaning, say that America must focus on Afghanistan, rather than Iraq... 

Afghanistan is a primitive country, with extremely poor infrastructure...  Afghanistan can do well, but it cannot become something like the UAE. But Iraq can. That is why America needs to focus on Iraq more. Will Al Qaeda continue to use Afghanistan as one of its land bases? Possibly! But as far as we know Al Qaeda is based in Pakistan, rather than Afghanistan...

Actually Al Qaeda does not necessarily need such a base. Al Qaeda is more like a state of mind, and it can stay alive and well in the minds of ordinary dissatisfied Sunni Muslims, especially young and naive ones, as long as there are serious reasons for their being so. Al Qaeda can do quite well in the cyber-space, as it already is doing...

The best way to tackle Al Qaeda is to tackle its foundation where it attracts its followers, by proving it wrong, through the promotion of prosperity and democracy in Iraq, where the only serious chance of having some sort of a success story (as senator McCain was also saying) exists. A free and prosperous Iraq will do the greatest damage to Islamic extremism. And this will also be a huge blow for the Iranian fundamentalist regime, and definitely good for the Iranian people and their future."