The Bush administration believed that these other wars would provide tactical experience for the “Global War On Terror”. Insurgencies around the world became experiments to test different strategies, some with very high civilian casualties. Most western nations, including the US, and even the UN, are now tolerating severe human rights violations by rogue nations which carry out their civil wars under the cover of counter terrorism.
While American soldiers serving in Afghanistan were losing their lives, a stretched-out policy of GWOT without any index to measure its progress allowed the Bush administration to return to power for a second ter,m taking advantage of the patriotic sentiments of Americans.
The broad-based approach and lack of any benchmark resulted in the "War On Terror" becoming similar to the "War On Drugs" or the "War On Poverty;" without a timeline or definitive goal by which to measure its success or failure.
In the first 100 days of the Obama administration we are seeing a new approach on the horizon. Obama calling sections of Taleban to work with the US is not only a tactical and strategic move, but could be a diplomatic one too. Working with other Islamic groups will open new doors for US diplomacy in the Muslim world. While the US is currently seen by many in Islamic societies as an enemy of Muslim interests, the new policy offers an opportunity for the USA to counter Al Qaeda's propaganda and split the support base for Al-Qaeda on their home ground.
The option of networking with non-state players was never studied by the Bush administration. The possibilities can be quite significant, however, as US intelligence could gain unprecedented access to and knowledge of financial, communications and other infrastructure networks of terrorist organizations.
The US administration can also look for partners from other parts of Asia. The recent developments in Sri Lanka, where the Tamil minorities have been pursuing a 30 year struggle against the ruling regime, offer an opportunity for the USA to network with another insurgency group: the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), known to be a very innovative and motivated armed group. However, their use of suicide bombers for military and political targets has landed them on the USA's FTO list. Though the group has met some setbacks recently, it is known to have a strong global network and enjoy widespread support from the Tamil Diaspora. A timely intervention in the crisis could not only arrest the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in that nation, but could also serve the strategic interests of USA.
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