Just as head start and after school programs should be prioritized throughout our land, so, too, should our foreign policy, together with a western alliance, be geared to the infusion of education aid to the Muslim world for the development of secular education to counteract the Madrassas and other Islamic schools indifferent to enculturating its children into the modern world. Exclusive, rote study of the Qur’an without modern curriculum serves as an obsessive continuum of fundamentalism that blatantly diminishes the value of progress and democratization as was learned by the western world engulfed by a powerful theocracy in the Dark and Middle Ages.
The war on terrorism, not unlike the war on drugs and crime, relies more on the luck of a few dedicated investigators than a delimited but dramatic war. However, with the cooperation of investigators worldwide terrorism can be dramatically limited if not eliminated. Although no one argues — except for Michael Moore — that the war in Afghanistan was unnecessary, it was not technically a war on terrorism but a war of vengeance that lacked intensity, and if you will, savagery. The US timidly pulled back on its pursuit of Al Qaeda, rather than crushing it; nor would it have mattered had bin Laden been captured, or that he might indeed have been killed, since the devilish organization has been in all intents and purposes granted sanctuary in the mountains straddling two countries, in which they continue to send messages of strategies to cells throughout the world. That Afghanistan with much delayed free elections pending is of no consequence to terrorists or even emboldened Muslim warlords guarding their fundamentalism and territorial rights, let alone supplying opium and heroin to the underworld. Further, Taliban infiltration of the culture has not been smashed and will continue to impede the advance of democracy. It is thereby imperative to stress American and European funding for the education of Afghan children, as it appears the United States is doing for Iraqi children.
Of course, the current scenario requires — and has been rather successful in its police work — tracking down Al Qaeda cells, along with other terrorist organizations and contributors. There is, however, more work to be done: a multinational espionage team is essential in order to alert nations to muster special forces and local swat teams to act upon reliable leads and profiles. Small nations, especially Muslim, that have not the means of elaborate detection, should be funded internationally and trained by Scotland Yard, FBI, CIA and Interpol. A homeland security agency should be encouraged in every nation and 9/11 commission report be required reading. The secretary of Homeland Security in this country because of its vastness should be the super authoritative web to attract all coordinated data related to terrorist plotting and connections.
Naturally, this requires a change in policy of massive cooperation among nations. This nation in particular needs to exhibit the urgency of smart strategies against terrorism for the benefit of all nations, not just ours. The jury is still out on the strategies employed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Copyright © 2004 Richard R. Kennedy All rights reserved. Revised: August 6, 2004.