Dealing with Terror

Dealing with Terror after 9/11

How do dealing with terrorism and trying to develop and practice peace fit together?

Three Major Concerns

1. How to guarantee security – no more attacks now, and little possibility of more later
2. How to respond in a manner consistent with achieving security and with the expectations the world will have of a great power under attack
3. How to set in place new global arrangements which will deal with this - and related – problems
   

The War Model vs. the International Crime Model

Why the War Model wins:

•  We do war well – and many aspects of the event fit our paradigm for war
• Singular control for a singular situation
• War mobilization works well in foreign & domestic affairs
• War rewards come early (Oct – Dec 2001) (Iraq: 3/15 – 5/5) and easy
• Past efforts that were less than war and criminal law-focused have failed. These terrorists have networks that are fuller and deeper - only a full scale response will work.
• International rules vary and take time to develop regarding an international “posse” and it will invariably lead to constraining us.
  

Are we winning the war militarily against al-Qaeda?

• There have been moderate gains regarding leaders captured or killed – estimates range from 50-75%.
• Probably 70% of the “rank and file” in Afghanistan have been captured or killed.
• But dispersion and hiding likely are high; posse cooperation has been low.
  

However…

• It is forever open-ended. Criteria of victory is specified by whom? When?
• The diplomacy may have given way to only military effort
• Do we want a permanent war economy? Do we want a permanent war society?
  

 How do we discuss and decide each?

Brainstorming

• EVERY government in the system is committed to and has the capacity to combat terrorism within its borders – AND it does so
• EVERY group committed to terror has its grievances heard and “discussed” and thus they can renounce terrorism without “surrender”
• Criminal terror is dealt with via law & order
•  The result is not just the “end of terror” but the development of a different set of methods and relationships by which grievances are processed & resolved – you might call it PEACE

The Tensions and Challenges

• What does love of others and/or citizen-ship (local, national, global) require of me?
• What works against terrorism?
• How does what works fit with peace? Which may beg the question: What is peace?  Or, at least, what are policies which get us to peace?

What are the aims of global counter-terrorist policies?

Destroy networks, cells, leadership

• Law enforcement, military means, legal and diplomatic

Deny assets and resources

• Law enforcement, legal, diplomatic and economic means

Diminish underlying causes & conditions

• Economic, legal, political and social means
  

Most peace folks:

• Have real problems related to “destroy”
• Can live with (and thus accent) the “deny”
• Work hardest on the “diminish”