Winning the real war on terrorism - Up Front - Brief Article

Humanist, Jan-Feb, 2002 by Saibal Mitra

Weith the defeat of the Taliban government in Afghanistan, it is appropriate to go back and revisit some of the promises made by George W. Bush in his September 20, 2001, speech to Congress. He made two major points. First, terrorism is a "global threat" and the United States is going to go after the terrorists and "those who harbor them." Second, the war against terrorism will be won when there are no more terrorist incidents in the world.

It is clear that this bombing/shooting war will be considered only a partial success if it results in the capture of Osama bin Laden, dead or alive. The chances are that this will require a prolonged effort, resulting in more civilian casualties. Great loss of civilian life would, at best, deny the United States the moral high ground and, at worst, sow the seeds of a deeper conflict. However, by Bush's own standard, the capture of bin Laden isn't the yardstick by which to judge Bush's policy on global terrorism. Success will be achieved only if global terrorism is completely stamped out. Herein lies the rub. Terrorism is a chronic disease that may be controlled but probably never eliminated. Thus, military victory over the Taliban and bin Laden will prove illusory.

The growth and spread of terrorism depends on myriad conditions including poverty, hopelessness, lack of secular education, and, above all, frustration at the inability of citizens to control their own destiny. After all, participatory democracy provides ownership in government, which, in my opinion, is key to a deep sense of personal dignity. That is an effective antidote for terrorism.

So how do we get from here to there? Though the answer isn't straightforward, it is clear that this journey would demand visionary leadership from Bush. But it is in the "vision" area that Bush has yet to prove himself. For starters, I would like to see him declare war on the root causes of terrorism.

The signs are not encouraging. Bush, despite his stirring speech to Congress, misdiagnosed the causes of terrorism and hence his solutions are likely to be ineffective. The cause of terrorism isn't jealousy of our freedoms, as Bush implied in his speech to Congress, but rather a deep sense of frustration at the lack of freedom in other societies. There is a deep sense of alienation on the Arab street in relation to the United States and its policies. Right or wrong, many think the United States has a sorry track record of supporting oppressive kings, emirs, and dictators. They blame the United States for "oppressive" policies--like the sanctions against Iraq which have resulted in the deaths of half a million children. They argue that, like Saddam Hussein, the United States has made Iraqi children the pawn of international politics. Hussein, most acknowledge, is a monster. What's the United States' excuse, they ask?

Bush has shown considerable disdain for the concept of nation building. Yet, the Marshall Plan, which rebuilt Europe both physically and psychologically after World War II, was all about nation building. The task ahead is even more difficult. We have to win the battle of ideas. And our approach should be built around two principles. First, we should work toward political and economic freedom in these countries. Nations like Saudi Arabia should be encouraged, even pressured, to open up their political process and let the people have a voice in their own governance. Second, we should encourage the growth of secular education in these societies. In the fundamentalist circles of Islam, not many are aware of the poems of Omar Khayyam or Rumi. Nor are they aware of the contribution of Islamic scholars in the area of mathematics, science, and arts, and so on.

If the rest of the world can help these ideas take root, we would be pleasantly surprised at the quality of artists, doctors, lawyers, and investment bankers that come out of countries like Afghanistan within a generation or two. Then, we will have finally won the war on global terrorism.

Saibal Mitra is a professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma.