American officials fail Islam 101

Jeff Stein of CQ exposes the ignorance of the American political and intelligence leadership about Islam in a must-read New York Times op-ed:

FOR the past several months, I’ve been wrapping up lengthy interviews with Washington counterterrorism officials with a fundamental question: “Do you know the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite?”

A “gotcha” question? Perhaps. But if knowing your enemy is the most basic rule of war, I don’t think it’s out of bounds. And as I quickly explain to my subjects, I’m not looking for theological explanations, just the basics: Who’s on what side today, and what does each want?

After all, wouldn’t British counterterrorism officials responsible for Northern Ireland know the difference between Catholics and Protestants?...

But so far, most American officials I’ve interviewed don’t have a clue. That includes not just intelligence and law enforcement officials, but also members of Congress who have important roles overseeing our spy agencies. How can they do their jobs without knowing the basics?

The answer: They can't. What an embarrassment.

Comments

[bigbadjohnnylake]

I might have enjoyed your stimulating article more had you made some statements about the differences between the sects.
I have noticed that the bush administration, and the allied forces (and perhaps without realizing it, the american media) have favored the shiites since the on-set.