Richard A. Clarke, the chief counter-terrorism adviser under President Clinton and President Bush, spoke on Tuesday at the Middle East Institute Conference which took place at the National Press Club. He discussed various myths about Al Qaeda and the Middle East that are frequently heard.

Al Qaeda threat

- Two-thirds of top Al Qaeda leaders have been captured or killed
- By 2003-2004, Al Qaeda had become irrelevant and no longer mattered. They had become a “spent force”, in part because the United States invaded Afghanistan and “smashed” the sanctuary there and damaged Al Qaeda’s infrastructure.

Fact is that Al Qaeda has reconstituted in in northwest Pakistan, in Warziristan and along the Afghanistan border. Those leaders that have been captured, have since been replaced. Al Qaeda has been recruiting throughout the Islamic world, and has newly established training facilities where they teach recruits. Then, those recruits are sent back out in the world. Now, Al Qaeda is just as strong as they were pre-9/11, as documented in this year’s National Intelligence Estimate

• 6 Years After 9/11, the Same Threat - The New York Times

Al Qaeda is as strong as ever, top leaders not captured, mid-level leaders replaced, and the group now poses a threat.

He also spoke about the “Global War on Terrorism”, Iraq, and Iran - summaries of his remarks will come in later posts here.