H. Thomas Hayden was formerly the President and CEO of First Communications Company (FCC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a joint venture between Raytheon and a Saudi Company involved in Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) Systems for the Ministry of Defense and Aviation, Saudi Arabian National Guard and Ministry of Interior. Before retiring from the US Marine Corps, assignments included Commanding Officer (CO), Headquarters and Service Bn, 1st Force Service Support Group, which deployed to the Gulf War, CO Brigade Service Support Group – 9, which deployed to Somalia and CO MAU Service Support Group – 33, which deployed to The Philippines and Korea. He was Branch Head, Headquarters Marine Corps, Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict (SO/LIC), and Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for SO/LIC with assignments to Central America. He has participated in combat operations or contingency operations in the Republic of Vietnam, Central America, Gulf War, Somalia, and Colombia. Tom has a MBA, MA in International Relations, and a PhD candidate in Business Management. He is the author of two books and is currently writing a third: SHADOW WAR: Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict; WARFIGHTING: Maneuver Warfare in the US Marine Corps. He has published over 40 articles and has been awarded the Navy League’s Alfred Thayer Mahan award for literary achievement.
[Have an opinion on this column? Sound off in the discussion forum.]
There is something that I learned early in my first assignment to Vietnam - in combat, first reports are generally wrong.
Do you remember the news headlines a couple weeks ago?
"Who is Responsible for the Current Crisis in Iraq?"
"Shiite Uprising Totally Unexpected."
"Iraq Enters a New Phase - All Bad."
"Popular Uprising throughout Iraq."
"Greater Military Crises Ahead."
Well, as you now know, the news media continually plays to the emotional and the hysterical, and early news reports of the "popular uprising" were wrong.
The latest reports tell us of four suicide car bombs at three police stations and a police academy in the southern city of Basra, which killed over 68 people (including 12 school children) and wounding over 200. This is a Shiite city where the "popular uprising" was supposed to be in full swing.
Another suicide bomb in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killed an unknown number of people and wounded many more. The attacks in Riyadh are signs that the Saudi government has begun to have measurable success in cracking down on the Al Qaeda extremist in Saudi Arabia.
The bombing of the Saudi National Police Headquarters was just a block from my former office, when I worked in Riyadh just over a year ago. I had a number of Saudi friends who worked at the National Police Headquarters and I hope for the best.
Twice last year, jihadists with reported ties to Al Qaeda, struck at American civilian employees of US companies. One compound where I used to live lost 25 people to the bombing. Then in late November, a truck bomb struck another housing complex, home to mostly Lebanese families, killing 17 people.
Saudi Arabia is continuing its massive hunt of Al Qaeda extremists, financial supporters and recruiters, and is seriously working to eliminate all remnants of terrorist support in Saudi Arabia. The inevitable consequences have been an attack on the Saudi government and more attempts to gain supporters to help overthrow it.
This is another area where the American news media have it all wrong. They're too busy chasing boogey men who are opposed to the US activities in Iraq, and blame the Saudis for all our problems since 9/11, and are not interested in the dull roar of diplomacy. Diplomacy has brought Libya out of the terrorist camp. Diplomacy has encouraged Egypt and Jordan to help train Iraqi police and soldiers. Yet we do not see many news pictures of the new Iraqi police graduates.
Also, it must be understood that many more Iraqis, mostly policemen, have lost their lives trying to fight terrorists than American military have been killed in Iraq. As they fight terrorists, neighboring countries are playing a part in Iraq's reconstruction, and some, like Saudi Arabia, are paying the price for helping the Americans.
It is most unlikely that these attacks were scheduled to coincide. Yet, these bombings are clear - the jihadist attacks are aimed at Arabs and clearly point to the success the Americas have had on a strategic level.
Even the tactical situation for the Al Qaeda and jihadist extremists has apparently deteriorated. These bombings can be seen as a measure of how much success the Americans have had fighting the terrorist and using diplomacy through out the Middle East. In Iraq, the Al Qaeda terrorists and their running mates have given up on the American news media's so called "Shiite Uprising." The bombings were to punish the Shiites for not supporting the terrorists, payback for trying to work with the Coalition and build a better life for the Shiite community. The bombings in Basra are a sign that the attempt to force Sunnis in the northern part of Iraq and the Shia in the southern Part of Iraq, into a general uprising against the Coalition, has failed.
Muqtada al Sadr, the radical Shiite cleric aligned with Iran, is isolated in An Najaf, and has neither been able to generate an "uprising" or to force the Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani to join him in opposition to the Coalition. The vast majority of Shia continue to follow Al Sistani and other "mainstream" Shia, rather than the radical elements.
What is wrong with this picture? Do the American news media have it all wrong? Do they think the attacks on Iraqis or Saudis were to intimidate American resolve and tarnish the American policy in the Middle East?
These were attacks on Arabs - Muslim Arabs.
Am I missing something here?
America's initial irrational policies in Iraq, disbanding the army, not having enough troops to stop the looting & anarchy, and not working with local religious and popular leaders have had serious delaying effects on the "end game." However, the continued march to handing over power to Iraqis on June 30, 2004, is a promising sign. But I have seen promising signs before, and our inept and ill-informed Coalition Provisional Authority continues to let defeat be snatched from the jaws of victory.
