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Libyan Amb. Chris Stevens Murdered by Al-Qaeda

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Killed by an al-Qaeda rocket attack Sept. 11 in Benghazi, Libya, 52-year-old Amb. Chris Stevens and three other U.S. diplomatic personnel succumbed to the latest tit-for-tat retaliation. Two days ago U.S. officials celebrated the predator drone killing of Yemen’s No. 2 al-Qaeda leader, 30-something Saeed al-Shihri. Detained in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for six years before his release, al-Shihri served with U.S.-born Yemen al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki killed Sept. 30, 2011. Al-Qaeda somehow managed to breach security of the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, suggesting something went very wrong. Fortifications at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad make it virtually impossible for terrorists to breach security. Stevens was the first U.S. diplomatic casualty since U.S. Amb. Adolf Dubs was gunned down in Afghanistan in 1979. “I had the privilege of swearing in Chis for his post in Libya only a few months ago,” said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Neither President Barack Obama nor GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney nor Clinton mentioned anything about the predator drone killing of al-Shihri in Yemen Sept. 10. Protesters in Cairo and Benghazi complained about a U.S.-backed film that apparently defamed the Prophet Mohammed. “It’s especially tragic because Chris Stevens died in Benghazi because it is a city he fought to save,” said Barack. Stevens becomes the latest casualty in the U.S. ongoing war against the late Bin Laden’s al-Qaeda global terror organization. U.S. Navy Seals breached Bin Laden’s Abbottabad, Pakistan lair May 1, 2011, killing the 54-year old Saud-born terrorist. Yesterday marked the 11th anniversary of Bin Laden’s Sept. 11 terror attacks causing 2,996 deaths. U.S. diplomatic personnel are prime targets in the ongoing war with al-Qaeda. Eliminating key al-Qaeda leadership—including Bin Laden—doesn’t assure diplomatic safety or stop the war.

Trying to make political hay, Romney pounced on the U.S embassy’s response to violent protests in Cairo. Romney insisted the White House, not the embassy, “apologized” for the protests on U.S. embassy grounds. Romney insisted the White House sent “mixed signals,” showing some empathy to demonstrators when a forceful condemnation was in order. Calling the embassy response “akin to apology” and a “severe miscalculation,” Romney sought to take political advantage at a time he’s slipping in the polls. While Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton forcefully condemned the killings, Romney insisted the White House offered a feckless response, talking about his differences with the White House. Instead of simply offering his condolences, Romney blasted Obama for a lack of clarity with his foreign policy. Mitt was rushed off the podium when it became clear he was losing ground with reporters seeking clarification for his remarks.

Steven’s death underscores the extreme risks to U.S. diplomatic personnel in the Middle East and the South Asian subcontinent. Al-Qaeda splinter groups make U.S. efforts at democratizing formerly repressive dictatorships all the more difficult. Before the Arab Spring and Libyan revolution in 2011, Col. Moammar Gaddafi ruled Libya with an iron fist since March 2, 1969 until his death Oct. 20, 2011. Various extremist groups, especially al-Qaeda, seek to radicalize former authoritarian regimes. While dictators like Gaddafi and Iraq’s Saddam Hussein were able to keep extremists in check, once regime change took place, it opened extremist floodgates. Since Bin Laden’s death May 1, 2011, al-Qaeda has promised retaliatory attacks. Stevens got caught in the crossfire of the U.S. war with al-Qaeda. When former President George W. Bush said “bring ‘em on” July 3, 2003, only four months after the Iraq War began, he didn’t know what he was getting into.

President Obama’s aggressive predator drone program has put al-Qaeda on notice that the U.S. won’t back down. Getting Bin Laden May 1, 2011 was a huge political victory, prompting al-Qaeda’s latest attacks. Al-Qaeda’s new No. 1, 60-year-old Egyptian-born physician Ayama al-Zawahri, shows no signs of letting up. Since Bin Laden’s death, al-Qaeda seeks any chance to retaliate against U.S. targets. Steven’s death revealed a chink in the U.S. armor, a breach in U.S. security. “It’s a terrible course for America to stand in apology for our values,” said Romney, condemning an initial embassy response to violent protests in Cairo. How Romney stretched that statement to Obama’s overall foreign policy is anyone’s guess. “It is never too early for the U.S. government to condemn attacks on Americas and defend our values . . . when our grounds are being attacked, being breached, the first response of the United States must be outrage,” said Mitt.

Obama and Clinton made the strongest possible condemnation of Steven’s death. Romney‘s criticism shows the same profound disconnect expressed about most political differences with the Obama campaign. Unable to slow Barack’s momentum following the DNC convention, Romney seeks any chance to condemn the White House. Picking Steven’s death to launch fresh political attacks on Obama’s foreign policy showed Mitt’s tone deafness to what’s appropriate. Turning a national tragedy into political capital can’t go unnoticed. Whether or not Mitt disagrees with Barack’s foreign policy, Steven’s death hits both sides of the aisle. Neither side should seek political advantage at the expense of tragic U.S. deaths. If Sept. 11 taught any lesson, there are no red states and blue states when it comes to U.S. national security. Mitt jumped the gun twisting the Cairo embassy’s statement to bash the Obama administration once again.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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