Future US Diplomatic and Intelligence Actions in Fighting the Worldwide Jihadist Threat

Diplomatic Relations

President Obama’s speech to the Muslim community in Cairo during 2009 set the stage for improved diplomatic relations with Muslims worldwide. While we have increased diplomatic presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, there is still a great need to improve upon diplomatic relations with other Muslim nations. Most notably, the Department of State must more publicly hold Muslim nations such as Sudan and Saudi Arabia accountable for their human rights violations and their willingness to harbor jihadists and extremist clerics. Similarly, the US must begin to listen to the cries of jihadists and Muslims worldwide who view the atrocities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an extension of the United States. While it may not be politically beneficial to hold Israel accountable for its violation of UN sanctions and poor treatment of Palestinians, in the long run, making a clear distinction between the US and Israel will go a long way in winning the hearts and minds of Muslims worldwide. Focusing our foreign aid and efforts on developing areas of the Middle East other than Israel will signal the rise of a more balanced US foreign policy.

As the US government has expressed concern over Iran’s growing nuclear capabilities, it may be time to reconsider the choice to completely sever diplomatic relations with the country. Though controversial, initiating diplomatic relations with Iran will allow for greater political influence and recognition of the growing discontent and call for democracy by Iranians. Similarly, increasing diplomatic relations through what Secretary Hillary Clinton calls “21st Century Statecraft” will expand US influence on groups which are not as accessible through traditional channels of diplomacy. By focusing on gaining the support of the current and future leaders of the Middle East, the US will experience better relations in the short and long term. Utilizing technology and the worldwide web will counter the spread of jihadist ideology and recruitment through these mediums.

Human Intelligence

As seen by the recent “Christmas Day Bombing” attempt and a suicide bombing of a U.S. base in eastern Afghanistan which killed 8 CIA employees, there is a need to improve the human intelligence aspect of our fight against jihadists. There have been significant failures since even before September 11th in the ability of the US intelligence agencies to share and coordinate information concerning terror plots. Appropriately combining the efforts of the CIA, DHS, DoJ, DoS Bureau of Diplomatic Security, FBI, and NSA will go a long way in protecting the American people.

While we have avoided an attack on US soil since 2001, we must continue to be vigilant, making prevention of an attack of the utmost importance. We must also prepare ourselves and the American public for the fact that a terrorist attack in the US is imminent—a question of “when” rather than “if.” The CIA had virtually unlimited autonomy in its activities during the Cold War and conversely extremely limited autonomy during the Clinton administration. The relationship between the US government and the Agency must take a more balanced approach to funding and oversight in order for it to be effective while avoiding “blowback.” By improving the ability of intelligence agencies to conduct their human intelligence activities, we will better be able to analyze and prevent future attacks. Though the political tides in Washington may change, consistent support for the intelligence community both financially and politically is imperative
Continuing strategic relationships with foreign intelligence agencies including the Jordanian Intelligence Agency and the British MI-5 and MI-6 will be beneficial to intercepting and thwarting threats. Conversely, greater discretion needs to be taken with the Pakistani ISI and the Saudi GIP. Using discretion will prevent Pakistani and Saudi government and military officials who are sympathetic to the Bin Laden and the Taliban from foiling US intelligence and military actions against al-Qaeda and the Taliban.