PHARES ON BIN LADEN AUDIO TAPE
"THE DISCOURSE IS GENUINE, THE THREATS ARE CREDIBLE"
IRAQ AND AL-QAIDA ROUTES ARE CONVERGING"
Washington DC, September 7, 2002
Commenting on the newly released audio tape of Bin Laden
Mideast and Terrorism expert Walid Phares said
"the discourse on the tape is a genuine al-Qaida
statement. It expresses the general ideological and strategic thinking of
the Bin Laden's group regardless of
who's voice it is." Phares, who monitors the
Jihadist movement
worldwide said "the threats announced by the audio tape and aired
by al-Jazeera are credible. They do not divert
from the essential and consistent doctrine of the
Jihadist movement. If you read the content of this tape -in plain
Arabic- and compare it to the vast literature produced by al-Qaida
after September 11, and even since 1998, you would certainly find that the
intentions of resuming the campaign against the United States and its
allies are solid and systematic."
An
interesting segment, added Phares, is the direct threat against "America's
economic lifeline." "This suggest a clear
geo-political message by al-Qaida. It puts the
maritime lines in the Gulf, the Mediterranean and South Asia under fire.
The opening of the seas as a new Jihad area of operation should draw the
attention of the Western strategic planners. Remember that al-Qaida
has developed a "naval unit" which it has used against the USS Cole. It
can, and would probably use it again. The Iraq and al-Qaida
routes are converging more then ever.
Phares
once again questioned the exact role of al-Jazeera
in the broadcast of Bin Laden's appeals. "The
timing of the airing, the comments made after the broadcast and the
repetitiveness of those broadcasts leads me to conclude that al-Jazeera
is a decision-maker in the propagation of this literature and doctrine. By
simply reviewing the methods, analysis and chronology of the video
campaign of al-Jazeera, any observer would
conclude that the station is playing a tremendous role in getting the
message through to the Arab and Muslim masses. The efficiency of al-Jazeera's
media activism has at some point more impact then the actual message."
Walid
Phares, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Middle
East Studies
Ethnic
and Religious Conflict
