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Countering al-Qaeda 2.0
(Washington Post) David Ignatius - The Obama administration is working with its allies to combat "al-Qaeda 2.0," an evolving terrorist threat that is causing growing trouble in chaotic, poorly governed areas such as Libya, Yemen, Syria and Mali. The CIA seeks to build up the security services of regional allies that can help penetrate and disrupt the terrorists in ways that would be impossible for the U.S. acting alone. However, some key liaison partners, such as Libya, Egypt and Yemen, are no longer as helpful because of the changes brought by the Arab Spring. The most dangerous new al-Qaeda threat may be the al-Nusra Front in Syria. Though it emerged as an affiliate of al-Qaeda in Iraq, it's now seen by U.S. analysts as independent, in terms of funding and personnel, and increasingly able to consider attacks on targets in Europe. Furthermore, as the local cells adapt and spread, al-Qaeda 2.0 will almost certainly move through the global bloodstream toward targets in the U.S.