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Arab Media Not Too Interested in al-Qaida's Yemen Ties

By Jeralyn

Foreign policy expert Marc Lynch points out the Christmas Day bomb attempt by Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab is barely causing a stir in the Arab media.

Whether it's AQ or not, nobody in Arab media cares

I don't know what kind of contacts the failed airplane bomber did or didn't have with Al-Qaeda Central or Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and neither does anybody else who has commented since it happened. The extent of such contacts will be mildly interesting, but it surprises nobody working on CT issues that there are still people swimming in the AQ milieu who want to hit the United States, whether on their own or with support from some AQ affiliates. One of the real stories here, which has gone largely unremarked in the coverage I've seen, is that the Arab media generally couldn't care less.

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Today's news and opinion is dominated by Gaza -- an issue which commands far more popular outrage, anger, and politically mobilized attention than does anything to do with al-Qaeda.

No doubt this will upset those in this country who are determined to see a vast conspiracy in everything terror-related. Like Republican Congressman Pete Hoekstra who seems desperate to link Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to U.S. born Yemeni cleric Anwar al Awlaki, who exchanged e-mails with the Ft. Hood defendant Major Nidal Malik Hasan.

Or Evan Kohlman, the Doogie Howser of Terrorism Expertise, who wants to link Abdulmutallab to Naser Abdel-Karim al-Wahishi and his deputy former Gitmo detainee Said Ali al Shihri, leaders of the merged Saudi and Yemeni branches of al Qaida ( Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula or AQAP), because al-Wahishi posted a missive urging attacks on U.S. airports, planes and tourists in October, 2009? See Doogie's twitter feed.

What's next? Will the Xmas day airplane bomber be linked to the 18 year old suicide bomber responsible for killing four South Korean tourists because he also wrote a letter to his parents and once traveled to the U.S.?, or because he was recruited by al-Raymi, another al Qaida person and linked to al Qaida in Yemen?

Or because some other al Qaida guy released a video four days ago urging attacks?

As Lynch points out, al Qaida is a waning force:

The Arab media's indifference to the story speaks to a vitally important trend. Al-Qaeda's attempted acts of terrorism simply no longer carry the kind of persuasive political force with mass Arab or Muslim publics which they may have commanded in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. Even as the microscopically small radicalized and mobilized base continues to plot and even to thrive in its isolated pockets, it has largely lost its ability to break out into mainstream public appeal. I doubt this would have been any different even had the plot been successful -- more attention and coverage, to be sure, but not sympathy or translation into political support. It is just too far gone to resonate with Arab or Muslim publics at this point.

But I guess if you're in the counter-terrorism industry, acknowledging the declining influence of al Qaida is bad for business:

The failure of the failed plot to capture even a modicum of mainstream Arab public interest speaks volumes to the robustness of this trend... though the frankly disturbing enthusiasm for the story in some quarters in the U.S. suggests that not everybody is happy to see al-Qaeda recede.

Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano today said there's no indication Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is part of a larger al Qaida plot -- and it's unknown if he even has ties to al Qaida.

Will that stop the Hoekstras and Kohlmans? Of course not. Hoekstra needs it as political fodder to attack Obama and for Doogie, I guess it's good for business.

For us, according to Richard Clarke today, it may mean full body scans.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on December 27, 2009 (boomark / email).