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Now What? (The War on Terror Continues)
by Michael Spencer
The
flag pictured with this article is not just another flag in a sea of
commercialized patriotism. It means something. Today (12/18/01) this
flag is flying over the Kandahar airport in liberated Afghanistan. What
makes this flag different is that on 9-11-01 it was flying over the
World Trade Center. From start to finish, thirteen weeks. About the time
it took the Russians to find a good road map, we have exited the
terrorist regime and their terrorist guests, and our flag is flying over
their "spiritual" capital. (Who was talking about the
destruction of America a few weeks ago? Hello?) The only thing missing
from this flag-raising was a little entertainment, like maybe hanging
Mr. Bin Ladin and his pal Mullah Omar by the neck till they enter
paradise. But there's always tomorrow.
The aforementioned cowards are busy doing what they do best: hiding. Mullah Omar is holed up in the mountains near Kandahar with a few loyalists awaiting the inevitable. It must be difficult to sleep with the jets going over, Mullah. And Mr. Bin Ladin has, according to best evidence, either shaved, taken up Western clothes and hitched a ride to Pakistan, or is digging out from the hole we've sealed him in up in Tora Bora. (You know Osama, if the wives hear about the 25 million bounty, they may decide they've had enough of your itinerant lifestyle. Sleep well.)
With a new government in Kabul and international ground troops on the way, the U.S. must move on. This is a war on terrorism, not a project in Afghanistan. President Bush said from the beginning that this effort would take years, not weeks, and encompass many different kinds of warfare in many different places. While we will continue to hunt down the leadership of the Taliban and Al-Quaeda, it is time to answer the question "Now what?" Just this once, I will supply the answer at no charge.
1. Our military did the job in Afghanistan. Celebrate that fact in a big way. This was the most efficient American military victory since WWII. If we ever doubted that, start to finish, we have the military to do the job and to do it right, this ended the doubt. We need to stop and mark the victory. Let's have a few parades. We need to pray prayers of gratitude and hear some stories of heroes. We need to remember those who have died. And then we need to go back to work.
2. Iraq: Yes, but not yet. The pieces are not all in place. The President is right to start ratcheting up the international coalition against Saddam's development of weapons of mass destruction. But we need a viable opposition movement that can fight, and is willing to fight hard and die in the effort to overturn Saddam's dictatorship. We need Turkey and Iran and Pakistan on board at the least. So there is much work to be done politically and on the intelligence front before we make a move. (Does anyone else think Saddam would be a good target for assassination?)
3. We can immediately hit some smaller terrorist operations in Somalia, Sudan and the Philippines. Once the network is hurt, the worse thing we can do is stop. We must be relentless and fearless, determined and undistracted in eliminating this curse. We especially need to keep the pressure on any nation that is harboring terrorists that they will be next in line if they don't cooperate. These three countries can make that point easily.
4. We have some business in the middle east. We need to get Israel calmed down enough that the Palestinians can come up with a viable alternative to Arafat. If the Israelis create an all-out war with Palestinians, it will make our war on terror into a propaganda nightmare- a war supporting Israel. I agree that Arafat has to go, but we must have some kind of political leadership among the Palestinians that can deliver results. The slaughter of the Palestinians cannot go on any more than the slaughter of Israelis can go on. At the very least the violence has to stop. I for one, believe the President must get personally involved in creating a cooling off period and an incentive for both sides to stand down.
5. Some of our "friends" need a little wake-up call, namely Egypt and the Saudis. These two states are smiling to our face and then feeding the terrorist propaganda and money machines behind our back. These are states with fundamentalist opposition groups ready to overthrow the government at first opportunity. These guys need us to stay in power, but we can't support them if they are playing both sides. We can afford to get a bit tougher. (And we need to play the Russia Card a bit more.)
6. We need to get Iran on our team. I would make normalization of relations with Iran a priority. It would be a propaganda coup and provide major credibility to any overthrow of Saddam. Strategically, the time is right. Can Colin Powell do the job?
7. The President needs to go directly to the American people and say the economy is an issue of national concern. He needs to put the pressure of the bully pulpit right to the Democrats for any stalling on economic proposals that will get the country moving and unemployment down. The liberals are scouring the country for evidence of a Bush recession, and the President needs to fight them hard.
8. We need to find as many ways as possible to have a positive profile in the Muslim world. We must be fair, and even an advocate, for non-violent Palestinians. We must keep the support coming for Afghanistan. The President should visit Muslim countries where it is prudent. He should continue to make it plain that the terrorists have hijacked Islam for their own uses. He must praise Muslims as often as he denounces terrorism. He should have high profile Muslim leaders to the White House. Right now is a crucial time to win over many Muslim young people who may be doubting that all that talk about us being the devil was completely true.
9. John Walker needs to be tried as an American citizen- for treason. (And probably found innocent. I don't think you can make a case that the guy was a primarily a terrorist or motivated primarily against America. Just a victim of California multi-culturalism who got caught in what has to be called a cult mentality.)
10. Put forward a comprehensive, long-range plan to secure our nation. Homeland Security is the most crucial part of America's war on terror, yet it will be the most difficult area to keep focus while maintaining political and financial support. Despite 9/11, many Americans have not yet accepted what a major biological, chemical or radioactive attack would mean for every aspect of our national existence. The steps necessary to insure security will be opposed by civil libertarians, political opponents and the many varieties of the ignorant. If we love our freedom, we must insist that the government take whatever steps are necessary to control the flow of people into this country, secure any potential means of mass destruction and make travel safe and affordable. This aspect of the war may be the most difficult because every citizen must get involved, and it will not be short or easy.
10. Have a National Day of Thanksgiving and Prayer for the obvious blessing of God in this quest for righteous justice. If you cannot see the hand of God in recent events, you are simply too cynical. Out of enormous evil, good has come and will come. But evil will not be defeated in this war. There is a larger conflict where that will be resolved. More and worse may come, but the final outcome is not in doubt, and God is not neutral.
It is important for America to present a coherent response to the world and not simply go through the motions of getting revenge. As the world's only superpower, and a society founded on morality and truth, America bears a responsibility to our predecessors, future generations and even to a world that is not particularly supportive of our efforts. Moving into the next phase of this conflict, and the many phases beyond, will show our national character and vision.
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