The Long War Journal: Power and Impotence
Written by Bill Roggio on January 30, 2005 2:22 PM to The Long War Journal
Available online at: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2005/01/power_and_impot_1.php
"I walked forward to my station, cast my vote and then headed to the box, where I wanted to stand as long as I could, then I moved to mark my finger with ink, I dipped it deep as if I was poking the eyes of all the world's tyrants."
Go read the words of Mohammed and Omar of Iraq The Model. Excerpting the letter further would be wrong. Aasha Al-Iraq.
The Iraqi people have braved the threats of violence at the poll and demonstrated their commitment to self-rule. The Iraq Election Newswire reports that turnout was high, and is expected to be over 70 percent. The newly elected assembly has some tough tasks ahead, including writing and compromising on a constitution, providing services, establishing law and order, cooperating with the Coalition forces and defeating the terrorist and Baathist holdouts.
The successful election in Iraq, like the election in Afghanistan last fall, has provided yet another defeat for al Qaeda. In a recent tape, Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the commander of al Qaeda in Iraq, has "declared a bitter war against democracy and all those who seek to enact it" and "against, and whoever helps promote this and all those candidates, as well as the voter". Everyone who has cooperated in the election is "considered enemies of God." Clearly al Qaeda considers democracy in Iraq a dire threat to its efforts to defeat the Great Satan and reestablish the Caliphate in the Middle East.
The Counterterrorism Blog reports on the violence al Qaeda has taken credit for on Election Day. Behold the might of al Qaeda:
- At least four coordinated attacks on election centers in and around Baghdad - A rocket barrage fired at the protected Green Zone in Baghdad- The destruction of a U.S. armored vehicle in Mosul
- The destruction of an Iraqi army Humvee with a large roadside bomb in Mosul
- Two separate mortar attacks on the same election center in the Wahdah neighborhood of Mosul
- A mortar and small arms attack on an election center in the Al-Nahrwan neighborhood of Mosul
- A small arms attack on the election center in the Andalusia neighborhood of Mosul
- A mortar attack on the election center in the Palestine neighborhood of Mosul.
- Various other alleged operations in Tel Afar, Ar-Ramadi, and the Diyala province
Fearsome, isn't it? Based on al Qaeda's prior statements, nothing short of a full out offensive should have been expected in Iraq on Election Day. Al Qaeda desired that the streets run red with blood of infidels, yet all al Qaeda could muster were minor skirmishes, a couple of destroyed vehicles, and a few rocket and mortar attacks.
Al Qaeda claims to be the voice of the Arab Street, the heart and souls of the Arab people, and the fist of Allah. The Iraqi Street believes otherwise, and showed up to vote in overwhelming numbers, despite the terror promised by al Qaeda and other terrorists groups.
Al Qaeda may be able to indiscriminately murder civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, but they are impotent when it comes to influencing the establishment of democracy in these young nations. Their "power" can only be used to murder and maim innocents or create bluster-filled propaganda tapes, but they cannot influence the future of Iraq. The Iraqi people possess this power, and flexed it today.