Al Qaeda (Not) in Iraq

As we all know so very well, the administration likes to trumpet the notion that its actions in Iraq are part of the same “war on terror” that began on 9/11. Despite the massive volumes of evidence to the contrary, they like to point to the fact that there is a group called “Al Qaeda in Iraq” that must be stopped at all costs. But how significant is this group, in reality? Not very, according to a recent study. As reported by Andrew Tilghman in the Washington Monthly, the best estimate is that Al Qaeda in Iraq comprises about 850 fighters, or about 2-5 percent of the entire Sunni insurgency (not even counting the Shia groups). In other words, the vast majority of Sunni insurgents are driven by a simpler motive: a nationalistic desire to end the American occupation.