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What’s going on in the Middle East right now causes turbulence in the near term for counterterrorism policy. Instability and stalemate in Libya would create real dangers. Egypt is another example, a country that has been a good partner and, at a minimum, they’re distracted.
But over the long term, this is really something of great hope. Here is a vision for the future—particularly for the Arab Islamic world. It has nothing to do with al Qaeda’s vision for the future. It’s not some view of transcendental religion descending upon man and directing all actions. It’s empowerment from people, through popular choice and plurality.
If we can nurture that, it will take care of something which we have not done well. We have done quite well in dealing with people who are already committed to killing us. But we have not done as well with the production rate (so to speak) of such people.
In the military we call that the deep battle. We have to deal with the long battle, the deep battle. And that has to do with the production rate of people who want to come kill us. In the past, the deep battle—the ideological battle—was largely a discussion about Islam, a topic about which we carried little authenticity. The events of the past two months have thrust a new question onto the stage, and it’s a question we know something about and have genuine authenticity on: political freedom.
This will play out in its own way in each of these countries. They have their own histories and their own cultures. And success is far from guaranteed. But this is a real opportunity to change the post-9/11 narrative.
Michael V. Hayden is former director of the CIA.
Image by wilpf.org.
Some observers are describing the repeal of the mandate as a tax increase. In reality, the repeal is a tax cut, though not a sensible one.
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