Defeating Global Terror
Commentary
By Harlan Ullman
Proceedings, December 2004
The nation is at greater risk today than at any time since the Civil
War. Historically, all wars begot new ones. Two decades after World
War I, World
War II broke out; the Cold
War quickly followed. Now, following the Cold War’s demise and the
al Qaeda attacks on 11 September 2001, we are engaged in a new and different
conflict.
In Unfinished Business: Afghanistan,
the Middle East and Beyond—Defusing the Dangers That Threaten America’s
Security (London: Kensington Press, 2002), I identified five dangerous
circumstances: the often irrational performance of the U.S. political
system; its dysfunctional organization; the inherent vulnerability of
our society; the need to take on frontally the great challenges in the
greater Middle East and South Asia; and the need to embrace new strategic
relationships internationally. Sadly, those pieces of unfinished business
have been exacerbated badly by the Iraq war, its postwar failures, and
the growing danger of Jihadist extremism. Livelihoods and ways of life
are targets, not the physical destruction of our society. The terrorists
represent an ideology wrapped in a religion that is as dangerous as
Bolshevism and Fascism—and we ignore that reality to our peril. Consider:
• As in wars against crime and poverty, the war
on terror cannot bring total victory. The battle is against those who
captured a respected religion for political and revolutionary purposes,
and who use terror as a tactic to achieve political ends.
• The Jihadist extremists seek to establish a regime
that controls Saudi oil and Pakistani nuclear weapons.
• Rather than the destruction of society, the new
danger is massive disruption through real (or threatened) terrorist
attacks that dislocate lives, harm economies, and cause us to overreact
in ways that advance the enemies’ agenda by restricting freedom and
individual liberties.
• Governance in the United States is not up to the
task of keeping the nation safe; it must be repaired. There is an excessive
fixation on campaigning for and keeping office. Unless the U.S. government
radically changes priorities, policies, and organization, it will fail
to keep its people safe, secure, and prosperous.
• The White House and Congress must work more closely
in major reforms that move national security beyond the Cold War era
to meet the challenges and demands of the 21st century.
• To remove many dysfunctional aspects of government,
executive and legislative discipline must be instituted to improve the
governing process.
• Fundamental changes in law enforcement and intelligence
and in safeguards to protect individual liberties are needed when security
requires greater government imposition and intrusion.
• Defense is a subset of security, not the reverse.
This obviously affects how the government organizes, trains, equips,
and educates its military and civilian personnel.
• The United States must adopt global solutions
to major problems, including resolution of the intractable Israeli-Palestinian
and Indian-Pakistani conflicts. A comprehensive reconstruction plan
for the Middle East, with full international support, is essential.
• Regional security arrangements should be broadened.
NATO must be transformed in keeping with the commitments made at the
Prague Summit in November 2002, and new relationships must be established.
Four immediate actions are in order. First, we should create an expanded
Marshall-type plan for the greater Middle East. In October 2003, Congress
appropriated $18.7 billion for reconstruction of Iraq
on an emergency basis. Shamelessly, little of it was spent. The remaining
$18 billion should be used for funding this plan. As security improves
in Iraq, the money can be diverted for further reconstruction there.
Second, our alliances and regional relationships must be rejuvenated.
A NATO summit meeting should be called immediately after the presidential
inauguration for the purpose of putting new life in that crucial organization.
Third, a National Security Service Corps must be organized to bring
the best and brightest to government service as the role of security
grows and affects a greater cross section of society.
Finally, real government reform is necessary. The Sarbanes-Oxley bill
was enacted to hold corporations and their leaders accountable. A similar
measure could improve federal governance. For example, members of Congress
would be required to affirm that they read and understand all bills
prior to votes; senior executive branch officials would certify that
the bills and budgets they submit to Congress were true and accurate
regarding financial projections and requests.
The United States is at grave risk. It is time to face reality and
act.
Dr. Ullman, a former swift boat and destroyer skipper, is the inventor
of “shock and awe.” He is a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic
and International Studies, a columnist for the Washington Times, and
a commentator for Fox News and the BBC. His most recent book is Finishing
Business: Ten Steps to Defeat Global Terror (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute
Press, September 2004).
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