Asia Times: Give war a chance


	February 1, 2002	atimes.com

Editorials

Give war a chance

"What we have found in Afghanistan confirms that - far from ending there - our war against terror is only beginning ... Thousands of dangerous killers, schooled in the methods of murder, often supported by outlaw regimes, are now spread throughout the world like ticking time bombs set to go off without warning."

Thus spake President George W Bush in his State of the Union speech before the US Congress on Tuesday to sustained applause. And he laid out the scope of the continuing war; his words are worth citing at some length:

"Our nation will continue to be steadfast, and patient, and persistent in the pursuit of two great objectives. First, we will shut down terrorist camps, disrupt terrorist plans, and bring terrorists to justice. And second, we must prevent the terrorists and regimes who seek chemical, biological or nuclear weapons from threatening the United States and the world ...

"And we have a great opportunity during this time of war to lead the world toward the values that will bring lasting peace. All fathers and mothers, in all societies, want their children to be educated and live free from poverty and violence. No people on Earth yearn to be oppressed, or aspire to servitude or eagerly await the midnight knock of the secret police ...

"America will lead by defending liberty and justice, because they are right and true and unchanging for all people everywhere. No nation owns these aspirations, and no nation is exempt from them. We have no intention of imposing our culture, but America will always stand firm for the non-negotiable demands of human dignity: the rule of law, limits on the power of the state, respect for women, private property, free speech, equal justice and religious tolerance ...

"America will take the side of brave men and women who advocate these values around the world, including the Islamic world, because we have a greater objective than eliminating threats and containing resentment. We seek a just and peaceful world beyond the war on terror ...

"Steadfast in our purpose, we now press on. We have known freedom's price; we have shown freedom's power, and in this great conflict, my fellow Americans, we will see freedom's victory."

George W has learned from his father's mistake of ending the Gulf War with resounding military victory but leaving the culprit, Saddam Hussein, who caused the war by invading Kuwait, untouched and free to continue his oppressive rule. Unlike George Senior, George W will not stop with victory in Afghanistan, but pursue Osama bin Laden and bin Ladenism to the furthest corners of the globe. (And he and his domestic political advisers have also learnt that popularity gained as the result of military victory can be short-lived if the economy falters; hence his speech declared continuing war on terror and war on recession in one breath).

But where does this war against terror that "is only beginning" lead? How will it be pursued? When, given its above-defined scope, will it end?

Bush is certainly right in not mistaking military victory over the Taliban for victory over bin Laden and his creed. Mullah Omar - though he remains at large - and his Taliban regime are politically finished. But Afghanistan was only a base of convenience for bin Laden's al-Qaeda, a safe haven and secure base of operations and planning while it lasted. It may not be possible re-establish such a base elsewhere, but then again, it may not be necessary to do so. Thus Bush is also right in calling for relentless pursuit of al-Qaeda remnants and related terrorist cells worldwide.

One may also agree - though few nations even among America's allies now do - that it is necessary to extend the anti-terrorism campaign to "rogue" states in possession of weapons of mass destruction and with the possible present or future intent of passing such weapons to terrorist groups.

But it is far from clear what sort of course Bush is charting when he speaks of having "a great opportunity during this time of war to lead the world toward the values that will bring lasting peace", or of taking "the side of brave men and women who advocate these values around the world, including the Islamic world ..." Is the war on terror, already pretty open-ended and - perhaps of necessity - without a precise exit strategy, to be converted into a "war of liberation"? Is Bush declaring Leon Trotsky-style "permanent revolution" in which wars afford the opportunity of speeding up the liberation process? On Tuesday, did we witness the birth of George W Bush the revolutionary?

Well, tell us it is so, George! Tell us that the US henceforward will shun alliances with rotten regimes if somehow that suits the national interest. Tell us that the very definition of the American national interest and purpose forecloses making rotten compromises not just with Iraq, Iran or North Korea, but also with the likes of Abdullah's Saudi Arabia or Karimov's Uzbekistan. Yes, George, in that sense, give war a chance. But beware your own caveat against "imposing our [American] culture" and beware not to confuse universal values with objectives of American power.

((c)2001 Asia Times Online Co, Ltd. All rights reserved. Please contact ads@atimes.com for information on our sales and syndication policies.)