<
--------------
STRATFOR.com
--------------
THE INTERNET SOURCE FOR GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE
If it’s in the news, it’s too late...
War Plan Part V: Follow-On Theaters of Operation
September 28, 2001
Summary
Osama bin Laden's al-Qa'ida network wants to force the United States into launching simultaneous attacks on multiple Islamic countries. Such a reaction would diffuse U.S. forces and alienate the Islamic world. Washington has refused the gambit for now, but al-Qa'ida will likely try to create an Islamic threat in countries such as Egypt, Indonesia and Pakistan.
Analysis
Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the United States has been in the process of narrowing down the scope of its response. There was a substantial battle within the Bush administration, as well as between Washington and some of its allies, over who would be held responsible for the attack and how they would be dealt with.
There were powerful forces that wanted to place Iraq in the same class as Afghanistan as a purposeful facilitator and even planner of the attack. Other less powerful factions put forward countries including Libya, Syria, Sudan and Pakistan.
There were good and bad arguments to be made for the responsibility of each. The Bush administration does not appear to have spent much time trying to sort out culpability at this stage. Instead, the guiding principle in designing a response strategy appears to be about political and military necessity...
(The Rest of the Story)
Related Analyses:
* War Plan: Part I
Conceptual Framework of the War
September 24, 2001
* War Plan: Part II
Afghan Theater of Operations
September 25, 2001
* War Plan: Part III
North American Theater of Operations
September 26, 2001
* War Plan: Part IV
The Intercontinental Theater of Operations
September 27, 2001
(c) 2001 Stratfor, Inc.
Dan
War Plan: Part V . . .