CIA gets right man, will he deliver too? Tuesday, 19 July 2011 01:19

Yesterday David Petraeus handed over command of the US and coalition forces in Afghanistan to Gen John Allen ahead of taking over as CIA Director.

President Barack Obama’s choice of the CIA, to most, look but natural. Petraeus’s Middle East experience is highly acknowledged, especially since his military career rose when he saw combat during the Iraq war as the commander for the 101st Airborne Division that conducted the longest heliborne assault on record.

In Iraq, Petraeus showed acumen in diplomacy when he was able to get the trust of the Iraqis by employing counterinsurgency methods to build security and stability in the country. He has won numerous awards for helping to salvage the war effort in Iraq and is often credited with great insight into how things work in Iraq.

Petraeus appointment is a welcome change for CIA that has been struggling after September 11. In the past 10 years, the agency has faced formidable challenges since the events of September 11 changed the face of terrorism and intelligence gathering.

In the past, the US was focused on gathering information externally through its intelligence network. But Al Qaeda changed all this when it hit targets on US soil. The CIA was seemingly caught off guard and was not able to anticipate internal threats to national security.

The CIA was established in 1947 under President Harry Truman as a successor to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) of World War II. William J Donovan, founder of the OSS, proposed to then-President Franklin D Roosevelt to create a centralised civilian agency that will be directly supervised by the president. The primary role of this agency was obtaining intelligence to protect the US, especially from external threats to its security and to cooperate with other government agencies in gathering material and information.

However, September 11 changed all this and internal threats are becoming a big problem for the agency. A controversy ensued during the Bush administration when then Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld quarrelled with the CIA over the use of Predator drones in the war against Al Qaeda.

In Rowan Scarborough book titled “Sabotage: America’s Enemies within the CIA”, the author mentioned how enemies of the US are lurking inside the agency itself by giving misguided information which in turn affects US foreign policy.

The events of the past months have shown that things change in a matter of minutes. The Arab Spring that spread through the Middle East is an indication that the Arab world is changing as well.

The appointment of Petraeus could not have come at a better time. The US has had a long struggle when it came to making decisions and responding to the forces of change sweeping the Middle East.

With Petraeus in the CIA, the US will have invaluable insight into the Arab world.

From the desert to the head of one of the most powerful spy agencies in the world, Petraeus has indeed come a long way.

Many questions, however, come to mind. One is whether or not people in the CIA are keen to welcome Petraeus especially with his military background. There are some in the agency, especially the “old guard” who do not like seeing a military man head one of the most powerful civilian organisations in the world.

Another question is if Petraeus can successfully maneuver the transition period while restructuring the CIA. Will he be like the former CIA Director Stansfield Turner, a retired Admiral, who became infamous for eliminating over 800 positions in the CIA which became known as the Halloween Massacre?

Petraeus is in the best position to make a strong contribution in reshaping US foreign policy in the Arab world.

In a statement he made when testifying to the Senate Armed Service Committee in March 16, 2010, he said that US policy in the Middle East needs to be changed.

“The conflict (Israeli-Palestinian) foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception of US favouritism for Israel. Arab anger over the Palestinian question limits the strength and depth of US partnerships with governments and people in the AOR (area of responsibility) and weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in the Arab world.”

However, it still remains to be seen whether people in the CIA or within the US government will allow Petraeus to give his recommendations or whether his efforts will be blocked by AIPAC and other Jewish lobbying groups seeking to limit his influence in the US foreign policy.

The Peninsula