WASHINGTON -- The complexities of Washington's battle with terrorism -- so far, mainly radical Islamic terrorism -- are becoming increasingly evident.
Take, for example, the fact that the handful of suspected al-Qaeda operatives facing charges in specific plots as part of George W. Bush's war on terrorism includes a Briton, a Frenchman, a German and two Americans.
Mr. Bush's priorities in fighting terrorism, coping with the Middle East crisis and laying out Washington's rationale for toppling Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein may eclipse other G8 agenda items, such as African debt and global trade.
On the counterterrorism front, Mr. Bush is expected to seek much greater help from his G8 colleagues, especially in tracking suspected terrorists who hold passports from those countries.
Few of the hundreds of detainees held at the U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and elsewhere are from countries Washington fingers as sponsors of terrorism. Hardly any Iraqis, Iranians, Syrians, Libyans, or Sudanese have been caught, and no North Koreans are believed to have been detained.
Hundreds of captives are from Saudi Arabia and Egypt, two Arab countries considered to be Washington's closest allies. Others are citizens of G8 countries, and the United States itself.
A Briton is charged with attempting to blow up a jetliner with explosives-filled sneakers; a Frenchman is accused of being the 20th hijacker; a German is reportedly under arrest for helping create the Hamburg al-Qaeda cell where the Sept. 11 plot was hatched; one American faces trial after being captured alongside Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, and a second is held as an "enemy combatant" for being part of an alleged plot to plant a radiological bomb in a U.S. city.
While Mr. Bush will thank the G8 leaders for their help so far in America's war on terror, he is expected to ask for more. Washington isn't looking for military aid, however. It wants help sharing intelligence, tracking suspects, and unravelling the financial networks that fund terrorism.
"The Americans are coming with a long list of things that they want to see happen," said a senior Canadian official familiar with preparations for the summit.
The still-incomplete effort to create a "smart border" between Canada and the United States (including seamless intelligence sharing, positioning U.S. Customs officers in Canadian ports, and certifying shippers and companies for expedited clearance) is a model Washington wants to use with other countries.
At the same time, meanwhile, Mr. Bush's emerging new doctrine of pre-emptive strikes against countries that harbour terrorists or develop weapons of mass destruction may reduce Washington's interest in military coalitions to fight terrorism.
Although Washington wants its allies -- including Canada, Western European powers and Russia -- to take on a greater share of peacekeeping operations, the fear in the Pentagon is that military coalitions encumber and slow down overt operations, and may not be worth the political cover they offer.
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