Intelligence report shows need to make Iraq secure

THE ISSUE Federal intelligence agencies agree that the war has become a "cause celebre" for terrorists.

PARTS of a classified intelligence assessment made public by the White House support what many Americans already knew: that the Iraq war is fostering terrorism. That does not mean a premature withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq would reduce terrorism. Instead, such a withdrawal could lead to a civil war and an eventual home base for al-Qaida.

The notion that Saddam Hussein posed a threat to the United States has been proved to be false. He did not possess large stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction and had no links to al-Qaida, contrary to the very reasons given for invading Iraq.

As a result, according to a National Intelligence Estimate representing the consensus view of the government's 16 intelligence agencies, the war in Iraq "has become the 'cause celebre' for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of U.S. involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement."

Jihadist success in Iraq "would inspire more fighters to continue the struggle elsewhere," the document says. On the contrary, it adds, "Should jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves, and be perceived, to have failed, we judge fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight."

While Bush was badly mistaken to invade Iraq, most Americans understand that its conversion into a battlefield in the war against terrorism requires that U.S. troops remain until its new government can achieve security. Three months ago the Senate rejected a deadline of next July for the United States to depart Iraq; only 13 senators -- including Inouye and Akaka -- voted in favor of such a timetable.

President Bush continues to insist that invading Iraq was needed to take action against terrorists in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, although he now concedes that Iraq was not responsible for 9/11. "The only way to protect this country is to stay on the offense," he said this week at a news conference.

The Iraq jihad is only one of what the document calls "the underlying factors fueling spread of the (terrorist) movement." Other factors are "entrenched grievances, such as corruption, injustice and fear of Western domination," the slow pace of economic, social and political reforms in the Middle East and "pervasive anti-U.S. sentiment among most Muslims." It states that those factors "fueling the spread of the movement outweigh its vulnerabilities and are likely to do so" for the next five years.

While seeing the Iraq war through to a satisfactory conclusion is necessary, improvement of U.S. relations in the Middle East is important in combating those other factors. That should include assisting attempts to begin Palestinian unity talks aimed at bringing an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and improving diplomatic relations throughout the region.