As I start this new year I have been reflecting on over 40 years of service in the Military, Law Enforcement, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism. After the military and local law enforcement I became involved with international issues around Intelligence and Counter Terrorism starting our of Israel and Lebanon.
In the seventies I saw the danger of terrorism spreading from the Middle East to Europe and the west through developing regional or national causes to help gain supports and participants to create terror through violent acts. In many cases they were loosely organization and the inter-cell cooperation was event specifically when skills were required that a group didn’t have.
As the 80’s came about and terrorism spread the political and public perception called a spade a spade and came down hard on the groups responsible. No matter what their affiliations were or when they tried to promote their cause as just, governments and the public weren’t deceived, political correctness was not around yet.
On one hand I saw hope as I was on the ground in southern Lebanon where Arab, Christian and Jew were fighting side by side against the terrorist attempting to take over Lebanon and destroy Israel. But on the other was the start of the bias western press reporting that attempted to paint Israel’s actions to protect themselves from destruction as being the problem. I witness first hand the press changing or exaggerating actions by Israel as they acted in their defense.
Little warnings begin to go off in my head that if this continues we are starting the slide to our own destruction with the last step being to destroying our will to fight as we try to appease our enemies.
This brings us to now. We are getting ready to complete the full circle from where we were in the fight to win and preserve our way life to the current administration approach is for a deal with Iran no matter what the cost. I have had many conversations with friends and associates both on the left and right about what is behind our current appeasement approach. Is it just misguided or amateurs in Washington or is it something more. The search goes on.
Perhaps the best hope for us in the West is the joining together of Israel and Saudi Arabia and others in the Gulf. The efforts I witnessed in Southern Lebanon with the Arab, Christian and Jew fighting side by side was effective and now perhaps it is time for the solution to stop Iran from getting the nuke up to joint Abra – Israel action.