Former CIA Director Michael Hayden: ISIS Will Become a Tangible Threat to the U.S. and Its Allies

In an Al-Jazeera TV interview, former CIA director Michael Hayden said that he expected the Syrian region to become a launching pad for global terrorism and that the direct threat posed by ISIS might grow. "I am talking about a tangible threat to the U.S. and its allies," he said in the interview, which aired on August 19 with Arabic voice-over translation.

NSA Director General Michael Hayden: I used to think that) there were only three possible outcomes (for Syria): A victory for Assad, the continuation of the humanitarian crisis, or the establishment of a fundamentalist state in the heart of the Middle East. Unfortunately, it turns out that I was wrong. There is no contradiction. All three can happen simultaneously. Assad continues to rule, even though he hasn’t really won, the humanitarian disaster continues as well, and the region has become a safe haven for various branches of Al-Qaeda. This is a terrible outcome. The states of Iraq and Syria do not exist anymore, and I do not expect them to return ever again. I expect (the region) to become a launching pad for global terrorism, just like Afghanistan was 12 or 13 years ago.

The difference is that Afghanistan was an isolated country, whereas the region we are talking about is in the heart of the Middle East. This is a new threat in the heart of the Middle East. ISIS is a terrorist organization with an effective leadership, operating from a safe haven. I have said publicly that with regard to our long-term strategy, the direct threat might intensify. I am talking about a tangible threat to the US and its allies. We should deal with ISIS the way we dealt with Waziristan in the past 10 years.