Now who's the expert on foreign policy, @Barack Obama??http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/war-terrorists-libya-attack/2012/09/13/id/451746?s=al&promo_code=10100-1
5:38 PM - 13 Sep 12 · Details
Middle East expert Walid Phares tells Newsmax.TV that “the war with the jihadists is on” and that “the whole world is a battlefield” as a result.
“The administration needs to explain to the American public that the war with the Jihadists is on, even if we withdraw from Iraq, even if we withdraw from Afghanistan,” Phares tells Newsmax in an exclusive interview. “The jihadists are not withdrawing. So it is a unilateral withdrawal from the confrontation on behalf of the Obama administration.
And we do need to, if not expect, but at least project, that as long as this enemy – these terrorists – have any intention of harming us, the whole world is a battlefield, not just Iraq and Afghanistan.
“They hit in Libya. They could hit in any other place,” he added. “So the American public should be prepared, better prepared, by its administration.”
Phares, an adviser to Congress on terrorism, called the attack in Libya that killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans “an absolute act of terrorism with another layer of war crime.
“This is an attack against our diplomats in a country with which we’ve had good relations since the rebels took over and took down Gadhafi.
“But this is also indicative on the strategic level,” he added. “President Obama said that after bin Laden, al-Qaida is going down – and this is evidence that al-Qaida is spreading in areas where it was not operational, such as Libya and, of course, Somalia, Northern Mali, Syria, Iraq.”
As such, President Barack Obama’s White House “needs to review its own assessment of the strength of al-Qaida and its response to al-Qaida,” Phares said. “It also needs to review its policy with regard to the Arab Spring because, unfortunately, the administration partnered – politically partnered – with the Muslim Brotherhood, giving a lot of visibility to those movements. And, of course, al-Qaida took advantage of it.”
It also requires the administration to be even more forthcoming with the American people, he said.
“The administration must address the American public with a clear explanation of what the assessment of the jihadi movement is – what the assessment is of al-Qaida – because what we hear from the administration is that we are winning this confrontation. What we see on the ground, not just in Libya with this dramatic development, but also in Afghanistan, is that the Taliban and their allies are making inroads in Somalia and many other places.”
The administration also must “be very tough with the governments that are supposed to protect our consulates and embassies, including the governments that we helped,” Phares said. “We helped the political forces in Libya to bring down Gadhafi – and the same goes for Egypt and Tunisia.
Read more on Newsmax.com: Walid Phares to Newsmax: ‘War With the Jihadists Is On’
Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!
“The administration needs to explain to the American public that the war with the Jihadists is on, even if we withdraw from Iraq, even if we withdraw from Afghanistan,” Phares tells Newsmax in an exclusive interview. “The jihadists are not withdrawing. So it is a unilateral withdrawal from the confrontation on behalf of the Obama administration.
And we do need to, if not expect, but at least project, that as long as this enemy – these terrorists – have any intention of harming us, the whole world is a battlefield, not just Iraq and Afghanistan.
“They hit in Libya. They could hit in any other place,” he added. “So the American public should be prepared, better prepared, by its administration.”
Phares, an adviser to Congress on terrorism, called the attack in Libya that killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans “an absolute act of terrorism with another layer of war crime.
“This is an attack against our diplomats in a country with which we’ve had good relations since the rebels took over and took down Gadhafi.
“But this is also indicative on the strategic level,” he added. “President Obama said that after bin Laden, al-Qaida is going down – and this is evidence that al-Qaida is spreading in areas where it was not operational, such as Libya and, of course, Somalia, Northern Mali, Syria, Iraq.”
As such, President Barack Obama’s White House “needs to review its own assessment of the strength of al-Qaida and its response to al-Qaida,” Phares said. “It also needs to review its policy with regard to the Arab Spring because, unfortunately, the administration partnered – politically partnered – with the Muslim Brotherhood, giving a lot of visibility to those movements. And, of course, al-Qaida took advantage of it.”
It also requires the administration to be even more forthcoming with the American people, he said.
“The administration must address the American public with a clear explanation of what the assessment of the jihadi movement is – what the assessment is of al-Qaida – because what we hear from the administration is that we are winning this confrontation. What we see on the ground, not just in Libya with this dramatic development, but also in Afghanistan, is that the Taliban and their allies are making inroads in Somalia and many other places.”
The administration also must “be very tough with the governments that are supposed to protect our consulates and embassies, including the governments that we helped,” Phares said. “We helped the political forces in Libya to bring down Gadhafi – and the same goes for Egypt and Tunisia.
Read more on Newsmax.com: Walid Phares to Newsmax: ‘War With the Jihadists Is On’
Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!
