Why is the United States reluctant to admit to its covert programs to fight terrorism?
1 Answer
Ostensibly for security, but also because of what is involved.
Explanation:
The fight against terrorism is a subjective statement. Certainly the USA and her Western allies have been involved in overthrowing Saddam Hussein in Iraq, because of alleged WOMD's and links to terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda. The same is true of Western involvement in Afghanistan after 9/11.
American governments would argue that to be successful their operations must be covert because of the nature of the war they are fighting.
However there are alternative explanations. Issues such as extraordinary rendition, waterboarding and holding suspects indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay are illegal under international law.
There is also considerable doubt about the legality of wars such as in Iraq and Afghanistan. No weapons of mass destruction were ever found. Moreover there were no links between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. However in the chaos which now exists in Iraq, Al Qaeda is prominent.
It is also the case that there is little consistency in American policy. For example Saddam Hussein was supported by the West for decades. He was seen as an important ally against the Shia threat of Iran.
When the Soviets were in Afghanistan Osama Bin Laden received $500 million dollars in illegal military aid from the CIA. The fact that he was killed in a house in Pakistan right next to a huge military base adds weight to the argument that the threat from the Taliban and Al Qaeda came from this country, an ally of the West, rather than Afghanistan.
It is interesting to note that when in power the Taliban, in return for aid, agreed to a UN request to destroy virtually all of the heroin production. Within a very short space of time after the American invasion heroin production was at record levels.
Like all countries American foreign policy is motivated by self-interest, whether it is control of narcotic production, development of natural resources, (Afghanistan is the most under-developed country in the world with one of the highest infant mortality rates) and access to strategic bases. As such the "fight against terrorism" has to be covert.
