Jack Reed: “considering all of this, it is alarming to see the inattention that the administration is paying to homeland security.…”

“considering all of this, it is alarming to see the inattention that the administration is paying to homeland security. What is also very disconcerting about the administration's view is that they see al-Qaida as an institution rather than an ideology. It is an ideology, and it is an ideology that is spreading in the Islamic world despite our huge efforts in Iraq, some might say even because of our efforts in Iraq. This ideological battle will not be won by military means alone. It will be won by providing Muslim populations around the world with a compelling alternative to the jihad as a means of enhancing their sense of empowerment and defusing their sense of frustration. Education and economic development spring to mind as ways to begin to counter the appeal of the jihad. Once again, our choice of massive military involvement in Iraq has constrained the resources that we can deploy throughout the Muslim world to directly challenge the ideology of al-Qaida through education and economic development. Here also is another example of where an international approach would have given us much more credibility and, potentially, more resources to advance this agenda of education and economic development. The administration entered Iraq with illusions, and they struggle today in Iraq because of these illusions. The unfolding crisis in Iraq can no longer tolerate illusion. It demands a realistic assessment of the risks and resources, and a pragmatic plan to prevail.”