The politics of jihad

The Counterterrorism Blog has a feature about AQ playing politics with Europe again by selectively attacking Italian forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan in the wake of Silvio Berlusconi's political defeat:

Since Prodi’s election Italian troops have been hit with repeated attacks in both Iraq (3 soldiers killed on April 27) and Afghanistan (2 killed today). The attacks came as surprises, since Italian troops are involved mostly in peace-keeping missions and have been attacked only sporadically in the three years they have been operating on the ground in the two countries.

The jist being the attacks were meant to speed up the removal of the troops.

It should be added that Saturday's attacks on the British troops in Basra also coincides with Tony Blair's political shake up at Downing Street, and is no doubt a timed attack. The culprit? Most likely al-Sadr's Iranian backed militia. Not surprisingly, it's already having it's intended effect.

The worldwide jihadi front cannot win this war with brute force, but they're pretty darn good at rank intimidation. The strategy might work if they can succeed in shattering the already weak public will of the peace-lovers in Rome and London resulting in the removal of troops. Such a retreat would amount to a defeat for George W. Bush and America without a single shot being fired at our GIs.

Of course, we could win this war all by ourselves if pressed, but such a thing would require a tremendous political will that doesn't seem to exist right now. For a perspective on "will" from someone who's 'been there, done that', take a look at this, then keep in mind she came to speak in Memphis recently and received a very rude welcome.

Depressing subject? Sure, but the jihadis aren't joking. They never joke (that's part of their problem). No sir, they have a plan and are carrying it out regardless of anyone's feelings. If you want to understand the mindset, recall how Moussaoui chastised the female Air Force cadet for crying when she testified about her lost loved ones on 9/11.

cross posted at MSJ.

MORE 5/7/06

Instapundit linked this article yesterday, and encouraged us to "read the whole thing". Don't know about you, but I don't always follow that advice. Sometimes I only read the partial thing, sometimes even no-thing.

But he wasn't just whistling Dixie on this one.

UPDATE 5/8/06

Reference the above link to Mudville Gazette and the attendant remark about how the jihadis never joke... well...apparently they do joke around sometimes, albeit in a sick kinda way.