A New Trend?

Paul Cruickshank makes the case that Afghans have not traditionally been terrorists but that times are changing:

For most of its 20 years, al Qaeda's commanders recruited very few Afghan militants into their ranks because their parochial world views, their lack of international travel experience, and their poor education made them useless as global operatives. But when the Taliban was forced from power across the border in Pakistan -- where it became a target in what the Bush administration called "the global war on terrorism" -- its members became much more worldly. As they came to see the United States, rather than rival Afghan tribes, as their enemy, Pashtuns were radicalized in the border region, where they had easy access to al Qaeda's training facilities. The war in Iraq, the mushrooming of Internet cafés in the region, and al Qaeda's relentless propaganda efforts have widened the horizons of Pashtun militants who, a decade ago, had little concept of the outside world, let alone global jihad.

We should always be cognizant that ill-thought-out wars against terror can easily end up provoking more of it. Even Rumsfeld figured that out.