Posted by Mark Silva at 10:20 am CDT
As the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks approaches, analysts are attempting to measure the progress that has been made in a war against terrorism and also to identify the “continuing challenges.”
A simple scorecard of what has been achieved during these five years since 9/11 and what has not has been compiled in a “pocket brochure” by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Among its findings: The newly created Department of Homeland Security is little more than “a holding company.” The guide, which could come in handy for those Labor Day weekend barbecue debates or perhaps online forums such as this, notes that an international coalition succeeded in evicting Al Qaeda from Afghanistan, yet Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden remains at large. It notes that Libya has surrendered weapons of mass destruction, but that the “risk of WMD acquisition by terrorists remains unacceptably high.”
The U.S. has a centralized line of leadership for the intelligence community with the creation of the Director of National Intelligence, the score-card notes, but Congress still has “weak, ineffective oversight.”
A Department of Homeland Security has been created, it notes, but there is no “risk-based approach” to the prioritization of resources and long-range planning. Homeland Security, the CSIS maintains, is a “holding company,” not a truly integrated department.
The promotion of democracy has been “elevated” on the American foreign policy agenda, the tally notes, but diplomacy has been undermined by “perceived unilateralism” on the part of the U.S.
There is a renewed emphasis at the Department of Defense on counter-terrorism and “irregular warfare,” the tally notes. But an “over-emphasis” on the use of the military is substantially straining forces.
For a full look at the countdown of progress and challenges remaining since 9/11, here’s a printable copy of the CSIS brochure:
