A French oil super-tanker has caught fire and is sinking. It appears most likely to be the result of a sabotage attack although this is coming from the captain of the tanker who might have some interest in removing responsibility from himself or the corporation which owns the tanker. If this was indeed a ‘terrorist’ attack it could signal a new strategy…attacking the enemy where it hurts, in their addiction to cheap oil, destroying business infrastructure. Business is the invisible hand behind government, especially the American and European governments. I look forward to see what the future will hold. It’s always surprising.
However, the most significant aspect of the latest attack is that U.S. intelligence missed it.
Despite the U.S. and allied military presence throughout the region — and intelligence-sharing by many Middle Eastern governments, particularly that in Yemen — Washington did not anticipate the supertanker attack. Indeed, in U.S. President George W. Bush scaled back the terrorism assessment alert status in late September from “high” to “elevated,” saying the al Qaeda network had been disrupted.
The implication is clear: The United States is flying blind in the Middle East.