More Work Left

Here is a follow up to yesterday's "we're not done yet" post on the war.

Via Instapundit, Ralph Peters is singing the same tune. He specifically mentions the areas where we have a lot of work left to do:

Iran: We're in a race against time with Tehran. Will the Iranian people rid themselves of their oppressors before the ruling mullahs gain nuclear weapons? Would those "men of God" use nukes against Israel as their regime crumbled?

Iraq: Every current indicator is positive. But a unified, democratic Iraq isn't yet a reality. Old rivalries and the cancer of corruption could still undo much of what's been achieved. If the Kurds are cheated, the country will disintegrate.

Syria: The clumsy Baathist regime could topple with surprising swiftness or it could turn even more oppressive and provide even greater support to the terrorists it harbors. Cornered by history, Syria's rulers could lash out or divide against themselves in civil strife. We still may need to conduct military operations against yesterday's men in Damascus.

Saudi Arabia: Our continued indulgence of the "royal" mafia that runs this country is an ugly blot on America's refurbished record of fighting for freedom, human rights and democracy. We can't change everything at once, but our pressure on the Saudis to reform should be relentless even if we don't like all the choices the population makes in future elections. This perverted state could implode if it clings to the past and yes, the oil matters. We may need to intervene to keep it flowing.

Egypt: President Hosni Mubarak is trying to stave off serious change with a promise of "free" elections his government intends to manipulate. We need to cut off the annual billions in aid we send to Egypt until the regime frees legitimate dissidents from its jails and allows truly free, multi-party elections. Half-measures play into the hands of Islamic extremists.

Terror: Al Qaeda and its affiliates have suffered one catastrophic defeat after another since 9/11. Our efforts have cut deep into their base and reduced their freedom of action. But the hard-core terrorists will continue to use slaughter as a tool to advance their agenda until the last man among them is killed or captured. Progress in the Middle East will cut the ranks of future terrorists, but for now we must fight those already converted to fanaticism. This war is far from over.

I would also specifically add "Islamic Extremism in Europe" to this list. When I say, "we aren't done yet," "we" includes our European bretheran. We may have substantial disagreements over what methods to pursue in defeating Islamofascism (where I argue they are wrong), but the terrorists see us as one in the same. I think the probability of another big terrorist attack is more likely to occur in Europe as a result of their increasing unassimilated, Islamic immigrants living off of a comfortable welfare system along with how easily certain European countries have submitted to previous threats and acts from terrorists. Also, Europe is geographically closer and less of a logistical problem than is the United States. I hope that our intellegence agencies are dutifuly putting politics on the backburner and working closely together in tracking these cells down.

Regardless, remember the "Tortoise and the Hare." We've sprinted out into the lead, but the slower and extremely determined (and psychotic) Islamofacists are still moving behind us.