Al Qaeda-type groups already have gained ground in the Middle East and North Africa as an unintended byproduct of US policies, creating fertile conditions for stepped-up international terrorism in the coming years. The US invasion and occupation of Iraq, for example, created a major opening for Al Qaeda, whose affiliates now represent the Sunni struggle against the Shia-dominated government.
基地组织已经在中东和北非生根发芽，给未来几年国际恐怖主义逐步升级创造了良好条件，这便是美国政策的一个意料之外的后果。比如，美国对伊拉克的入侵和占领给基地组织敞开了大门，其附属组织目前代表着逊尼派与什叶派控制的政府作对。