Boston Marathon Bombing will not Change US Anti-Terrorism Plans

The Boston Marathon bombing will not change US plans to pull back on the fight against al-Qaeda and terrorists, according to defence and security expert Dr James Jay Carafano.

The absence of any 'game changing' revelations from the terrorist investigation is unlikely to alter the course of the White House in scaling back the scope of its global counter-terrorism activities.

"The weakening of al-Qaeda 'central', combined with the success of domestic security activities, has allowed the White House to make the case that scaling back global counter-terrorism operations is a reasonable and responsible course of action," he says. "There are many indicators that this trend will continue."

Washington has been able to justify its success in combating global terrorism in part by narrowing the definition of what it worries about. He adds:

"The US, for example, is in the process of disengaging from direct counter-terrorism activities in Iraq and Afghanistan even as al-Qaeda and its affiliates are ramping up activities."

Furthermore, "The US has claimed 'progress' in Pakistan and Afghanistan largely by ignoring the activities of affiliate groups engaged in terrorist activities, who may not be directly targeting US forces."

The US administration's public assessments of the terror bombings during the Boston Marathon offer little to suggest that the White House will shift tactics in its counter-terrorism efforts. The remarkably well-organised response and investigation significantly assuaged public concerns.

"It is unlikely that there will be significant pressure on the administration to do much differently unless further investigation reveals a serious lapse which could have prevented the attack or a demonstrable link to a transnational terrorist group," he says.

The global terrorist threats which may one day turn on America and its allies seem a diminishing priority for Washington at present.

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About the author

World Review author Dr James Jay Carafano is a leading expert in America's national security and foreign policy challenges. He is the Washington-based Heritage Foundation's vice president for foreign and defence policy studies and director of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies.

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