Rebel Commander in Libya Fought Against U.S. in Afghanistan
Mr. Rosenthal:
“The revelations about al-Hasadi’s involvement in the anti-American jihad are particularly troubling in light of clear evidence that Western forces are coordinating their attacks on Libyan government targets with rebel forces.”
Why do you characterize this as troubling?
So we are allies, temporarily, with a small-time erstwhile unlawful combatant in a struggle to overthrow a big-time erstwhile terrorist.
In two words…so what?
When we were supporting the Mujahadeen against the Soviets in Afghanistan, Osama Bin Laden was likely thought of as the greatest thing since sliced white bread by our intelligence assets.
Have we learned NOTHING about applied realpolitik in the Middle East?
Yesterday’s ally is tomorrow’s enemy, and today’s enemy is tomorrow’s ally. It is always thus when dealing with tribal peoples who never had benefit of the nation-state system instituted by the Treaty of Westphalia.
The only constant out around and beyond the Suez is that you better keep your “Pimp Hand” strong. You turn THEM out…or they will turn YOU out. You don’t get hung up by trying to apply our way of thinking to an alien environment, you do what is in your own interest…always.
You’d think that after fighting the Arab and Muslim world for nearly 1500 years that we’d have stumbled across a few clues.
