June 16, 2017
The Cyclical Politics of Counterterrorism
Why didn’t the United States invade Afghanistan and destroy Al Qaeda before September 11, 2001?
This isn’t as farfetched as it might sound. In 2001, President Bush issued a presidential directive instructing the Department of Defense to “‘develop contingency plans’ to attack both al-Qaeda and Taliban targets in Afghanistan.” After the 1998 East Africa embassy bombings, CIA Director George Tenet told employees that the Agency was “at war” with Al Qaeda. And the intelligence community well understood Al Qaeda’s grave threat to the homeland: the August 6, 2001, President’s Daily Brief included an item entitled “Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US,” the 36th PDB item briefed that year on Al Qaeda.
Read the full piece on Lawfare.
More from CNAS
-
Don’t Trust Russia to Mediate the Iran Nuclear Deal
Preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon is of critical importance to U.S. security and the security of Israel and partners throughout the Middle East....
By Jonathan Lord
-
Iraq’s Population Grows to 46 Million People Following Nationwide Census
Iraq’s population now stands at 46 million people following a nationwide census that was held in November of 2024. The census, the first in 40 years, has been billed as a succ...
By Hamzeh Hadad
-
Gaza After Hamas
To permanently remove Hamas from power, the United States must work alongside its Arab and Israeli partners to support the PA’s return to Gaza....
By Delaney Soliday
-
Sharper: Iran and the Axis of Upheaval
Despite suffering geopolitical setbacks since Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel, a potentially nuclear Iran continues to pose a significant threat to U.S. and allied interes...
By Delaney Soliday & Charles Horn