Al-Qaeda’s Protocols

June 29th, 2006 at 13:49 Björn Hallberg

The Harvard Olin Institute and the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point have just finished their reimagined “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” of the 21st century. It’s quite pathetic even though the material contained within the text, allegedly pieced together from a breadcrumb paper trail that “al-Qaeda” just happened to leave, is quite sympathetic and enlightening.

The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point has translated a 268-page book written by al-Qaida (PDF). The book, written in 2004 by a top al-Qaida insider, is called Management of Savagery. I think it’s safe to assume we’re the savages. It’s a really interesting read. I think it’s easier for us to think of al-Qaida operatives as idiots, or at best, misinformed. Well, turns out that’s exactly what they think of us. And boy, they don’t appreciate our media slogans.

I find it fascinating how well they encapsulate the U.S. position. Anybody who may have thought maybe they just weren’t hearing the message (I mean, who doesn’t want freedom, justice, equality among humanity?) — well, they heard it. They’re just not buying it.

So, “al-Qaeda”, had they actually been what they were said to be, suddenly stands out as more of an engaging and nuanced organization. No doubt this serves to fuel the arguments needed to maintain a long-standing conflict against the Muslim world from an American perspective. Bottom line, America needs a more nuanced enemy as the old fanatical “al-Qaeda” hype has largely abated. So this is the new levelheaded “al-Qaeda” which walks and talks like an actual enemy. The only trouble is that in their desire to paint the perfect, unbending and passionate enemy, the US war apologists at Harvard and West Point have come frighteningly close to des pudels kern as it were. The argument they pen on behalf of “al-Qaeda” seems a quite compelling one.

Or as one commentator, Pelle Lindbergh, notes.

What they probably found was some “aspirational” plans — at best. More than likely the whole thing’s been blown way out of proportion. In other words, somebody “data mined” it and somebody like al-Qaeda leaves shit like this laying around.

The “Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point”? Give me a break! That’s like getting a report from the “School of the Americas” a few years back. No conflicts of interest or orders to follow at West Point, either.

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