By Anna Cameron
Former CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden said Wednesday that recent events in the Arab world, particularly the revolution in Egypt, represent instances of “great hope” in long-term counterterrorism efforts.
“Here is a vision for the future, for particularly the Arab Islamic world, that has nothing to do with al Qaeda’s vision for the future,” Hayden said of the Egyptian protests. “It is not some view of transcendental religion descending upon man and directing all action. It is empowerment from people through popular choice.”
Though the United States has been effective in tracking and eliminating threats that come from those already committed to executing terrorist attacks, Hayden stressed the importance of improving the identification of new threats and sources of terrorist recruitment.
“We have to deal with the long battle that has to do with the production rate of people who want to come kill us,” Hayden said. “These changes give us the opportunity.”
Notable counterterrorism experts Captain Glenn Sulmasy of the U.S Coast Guard Academy, and Marc Thiessen, chief speechwriter to both President George W. Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, appeared alongside Hayden Wednesday to discuss a new counterterrorism agenda for Congress.
While Hayden highlighted the parallels between the Bush and Obama administrations in terms of counterterrorism policy, all three panelists emphasized the need for reform in Congress’ approach to an “intelligence driven war on al Qaeda.”
“We seem to be in a position where we are not capturing high value detainees. This is a conscious choice by the president to kill rather than capture senior terrorist leaders,” said Thiessen. “Our time for dining out on the successes of the Bush administration’s interrogation policy under the Obama administration is [running out]. We need to start replenishing that strategic intelligence or we’re going to get hit.”