The upsurge in terrorist attacks on Western targets around the world over the past month, culminating in the bombings in Bali, has fuelled criticism of the Bush administration that its focus on Iraq has sapped its effort against an undefeated al-Qaeda.
Western intelligence services see Indonesia as both a haven and a target of Islamic extremists affiliated to al-Qaeda. However, there was also no immediate evidence that the Bush administration's current concentration on Iraq had diminished its efforts against al-Qaeda and its supporters in Indonesia.
During a visit to Jakarta in August, the US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, announced the renewal of US military assistance, a $50 million package over three years, ending a suspension imposed over concerns about the Indonesian army's human rights record.
But the administration's critics say that resources are being drained from the worldwide campaign against al-Qaeda and diverted to preparations for a war on Iraq, at a time when al-Qaeda is not only still functioning but showing signs of a resurgence.
Mr Bill Clinton and his former vice-president, Mr Al Gore, have led the charge against the Iraq policy. Mr Clinton broke with the ex-presidential tradition against criticism of the White House incumbent at the British Labour party conference earlier this month, when he cautioned against pre-emptive, unilateral action in Iraq and argued that "our most pressing security challenge" remained al-Qaeda.
Mr Gore launched a scathing attack on President Bush's foreign policy last month, saying a threatened war against Iraq had distracted attention from efforts to fight terrorism, neglected the need to stabilise Afghanistan and alienated America's allies.
"The resulting chaos in the aftermath of a military victory with Iraq could easily pose a far greater danger to the United States than does Saddam," Mr Gore said in last month's speech.
But the critics have also included Republicans, who point to the redeployment of special forces troops from anti-terrorist duties around the world to prepare for a possible invasion in Iraq. Intelligence sources have also claimed that overstretched CIA analysts have been put under pressure lately to produce evidence underpinning the administration's controversial claims of links between Baghdad and al-Qaeda.
In a flurry of attacks this month, Abu Sayyaf guerrillas detonated a nail bomb in an open-air market in the Philippines, killing three, including an American special forces soldier; an October 6th explosion on an oil tanker off the coast of Yemen has been shown to have been a terrorist attack similar to the bombing of the US warship Cole two years ago; and in Kuwait gunmen with suspected al-Qaeda links opened fire on US marines, killing one and injuring another.
At the same time, al-Qaeda has released two audio tapes - one a recording of Osama bin Laden himself which could not be dated, and another of his Egyptian deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, which was clearly made recently and urged the organisation's followers to carry out fresh attacks on American targets. - (Guardian Service)