As promised the NIE report, which has been a rallying point for the anti-Bush crowd was released, at least partially, last night. In total, only about 3 pages of the 31 page report where released. I am glad that the majority of the report has remained classified, as this type of report should not be used as a piece in a political game.

But I digress – to the point. What did the NIE report have to say? I think the Chicago Tribune summed it up best:

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It does indeed make the sobering assessment that “the Iraq jihad is shaping a new generation of terrorist leaders and operatives … ” It says “the Iraq conflict has become the `cause celebre’ for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of U.S. involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement.” But it says far more than that.

It says that the jihadist movement is being fueled by the slow pace of political, economic and social reforms in Muslim nations, by corruption and injustice there, and by anti-U.S. sentiment among most Muslims.

It says that success for jihadists in Iraq “would inspire more fighters to continue the struggle elsewhere”–a pointed argument for why the U.S.-backed government in Iraq must prevail.

It says that democratic reforms, more responsive political systems and greater pluralism could create opportunities for the jihadists to exploit–but could ultimately erode their support.

Finally, a bit of good news: U.S. counterterrorism efforts “have seriously damaged the leadership of Al Qaeda and disrupted its operations…”

In other words, we’re in for a very long struggle. The assessment that Iraq has become a “cause celebre’ for jihadists? That’s probably true. American-led coalition forces are attacker-occupiers, first planting and now defending democracy amid a regional constellation of monarchies, theocracies and dictatorships. The U.S. has reversed its prior policy of encouraging euphemistic “stability.”

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