US closing all Embassies,Consulates in Islamic world due to unspecified threat

[George Wallace]

The fact that this alert is being portrayed in the media as applying throughout the Muslim world makes me shake my head. 13 years after 9/11, the west, by and large, still doesn't get it. Not all Muslims are Arabs. Not all Arabs are Muslims. And there are lots of people in those countries, both Arabs and Muslims, that are our friends, allies, and strategic partners.

At the same time, we are witnessing (for those who wish to look) an exodus of non-Muslims from many of these countries.  That is a significant development.

 

[a_majoor]

And of course the closures of even more diplomatic missions is a huge propaganda victory for AQ and its affiliates. Read what they have to say very carefully:

http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2013/08/09/terror-on-the-run-us-pulls-staff-from-pakistan-consulate/

Terror on the Run? US Pulls Staff from Pakistan Consulate

Diplomats stationed at the US consulate in Lahore have been moved to Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, because of a specific terrorist threat, American officials said Friday. It appears that this threat is separate from the one that caused the US to close down 19 other embassies and consulates this week. The US also advised Americans not to travel to Pakistan: “The presence of several foreign and indigenous terrorist groups poses a potential danger to U.S. citizens throughout Pakistan.”

There are some who say that the Obama administration overreacted to the intercepted al-Qaeda communications that caused the diplomatic closures.

Without a security clearance, we can’t know much about whether or not the actions were warranted, but the truth of the matter is that the Obama administration’s assertions that the war on terror is over were plainly premature. Terror groups in Pakistan are causing the US to fear for the safety of its citizens and diplomats. Al-Qaeda is threatening enough to force the closure of diplomatic missions worldwide. “God is great! America is in a condition of terror and fear from Al-Qaeda,” a jihadist wrote in an online forum, as the NYT reported yesterday. “The mobilization and security precautions are costing them billions of dollars. We hope to hear more of such psychological warfare, even if there are no actual jihadi operations on the ground.”

In general, the Obama administration’s foreign policy work in difficult areas like the Middle East and Pakistan hasn’t lived up to its initial promise. Despite supposedly “warming” relations between the US and Pakistan after Secretary Kerry’s recent visit, the US is still no closer to finding a way to work with the Pakistani security establishment on its inability to deal with terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan and within Pakistan itself. Even more frustrating for the excellent US diplomats in difficult places like Pakistan, these threats and US reaction make it that much harder for them to do their jobs.