By Bill Gertz, The Ring, The Washington Times

President Obama has dialed back his earlier optimistic assessment of global efforts to defeat Al Qaida. Instead of nearing defeat, the terrorist group is planting new roots in North Africa and the Middle East…..In his fifth State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday, Mr. Obama offered a pessimistic analysis in a five-sentence mention of Al Qaida.

Counterterrorism officials tell Inside the Ring that the president’s policies have increased the danger of al Qaeda terrorism against the U.S. and its allies.

Libya and other parts of North Africa have become an “Al Qaida safe haven,” said one official. And Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula continues to pose a serious threat to the Yemeni government, despite U.S. covert and overt support, including drone strikes.

Additionally, the Obama administration, fearing backlash from Muslims, has no ideological programs against Islamist extremism like those used during the Cold War to defeat the Soviet Union.

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  Background-Brief, Obama changes his tune about Al Qaida in fifth State of the Union address