Mosquito!

William Arkin has an interesting blog post over at the WaPo blogsite that digs into the issue of "permanent bases". He points out, as most of us have sensed for a very long time, that there is no intention, whatever, to remove American forces from the Persian Gulf any time in the forseeable future. Despite all the pledges of no "permanent bases" in Iraq, permanent bases are being constructed and the infrastructure for a permanent American military presence is being built in the Persian Gulf right now, in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, etc. Ultimately, there will be a significant permanent American military presence throughout the region. Period.

Ah. More Imperial hubris?

This has nothing to do with fighting terrorism, and it has everything to do with regional hegemony. Which has been the point all along.

Terrorism -- whether Islamic jihadi, homegrown, or anarchic -- is a mosquito in the context of that all important power projection game that is American foreign and military policy. "Fighting terrorism" is a convenient excuse for the imposition of American power abroad and the imposition of a domestic Autocracy at home.

Mosquitos may be insignificant creatures when compared with the bulk of their prey. But they have been known to do considerable damage if they carry disease.

As much as we may not like to think so, the jihadi mosquitos seem to be loaded up with microbes fatal to their American targets.