Transsylvania - Erdélyi Tájékoztató, 2002 (43. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)

2002 / 1. szám

Transsylvania English Language Supplement Published by the American Transyluanian Federation Inc. 319 Bement Ave. Staten Island, MY 10310 Editor in chief: Tibor Cseh Editorial Correspondence: 8 Estes Court, Midland Park, MJ 07432 e-mail: csernaton@aol.com ADVICE TO THE SUPERPOWER go ahead and make the world safer Margaret Thatcher LONDON - Milton’s words perfectly describe America today: “Methinks I see in my mind a noble and puissant nation rousing herself like a strong man after sleep, and shaking her invincible locks.” After the horror of Sept. 11. the world has seen America gather its strength, summon its allies and proceed to wage war halfway across the globe against its enemy - and ours. America will never be the same again. It has proved to itself and to others that it is in truth the only global superpower, indeed a power that enjoys a level of superi­ority over its actual or potential rivals unmatched by any other nation in modern times. Consequently, the world outside America should never be the same, either. There will, of course, arise new threats from new directions. But as long as America works to maintain its technological lead, there is no reason why any challenge to American dominance should succeed. And that in turn will help ensure stability and peace. Yet, as George W. Bush has reminded Americans, there is no room for complacency. America and its allies, indeed the Western world and its values, are still under deadly threat. That threat must be eliminated, and now it the time to act vigorously. In many respects the challenge of Islamic terror is unique, hence the difficulty Western intelligence services encountered trying to predict and prevent its onslaughts. The enemy is not, of course, a religion - most Muslims deplore what has occurred. Nor is it a single state, although this form of terrorism needs the support of states to give it succor. Perhaps the best parallel is with early communism, Islamic extremism today, like Bolshevism in the past, is an armed doctrine. It is an aggressive ideology promoted by fanatical, well-armed devotees. And, like communism, it requires an all-embracing long-term strategy to defeat it. The first phase of that strategy had to be a military assault on the enemy in Afghanistan. I believe that while the new interim government there deserves support, the United States is right not to allow itself to become bogged down with ambitious nation-building in that treacherous territory. Some would disagree, arguing that the lesson of the present crisis is that neglect of failed states causes terror­ism. But this is trite. It implies a level of global interven­tionism that almost everyone recognizes is quite impracti­cal. The more important lesson is that the West failed to act early and strongly enough against A1 Qaeda and the regime that harbored it. And because there is always a choice in where you concentrate international efforts, it is best that the United States, as the only global military superpower, deploy its energies militarily rather than on social work. Trying to promote civil society and democratic insti­tutions in Afghanistan is best left to others - and since those others now include the British, I only hope that we, too, are going to be realistic about what can (and cannot) be achieved. The second phase of the war against terrorism should be to strike at other centers of Islamic terror that have taken root in Africa, Southeast Asia and elsewhere. This will require first-rate intelligence, shrewd diplomacy and a continued extensive military commitment. Our enemies have had years to entrench themselves, and they will not be dislodged without fierce and bloody resistance. The third phase is to deal with those hostile states that support terrorism and seek to acquire or trade in weap­ons of mass destruction. Iran and Syria were both sharply critical of Osama bin Laden, the Taliban and the attacks of Sept. 11. Never­theless, they are both enemies of Western values and in­terests. Both have energetically backed terrorism - the former has just been caught out dispatching arms to use violence against Israel. Iran is also making steps toward developing long-range missiles that could be armed with nuclear warheads. Libya still hates the West and would dearly like re­venge against us. And Sudan undertakes genocide against its own citizens in the name of Islam. As for North Korea, the regime of Kim Jong II is as mad as ever and is the world’s main proliferator of long­­range ballistic missiles that can deliver nuclear, chemical or biological warheads. Vol XLIII, No.l. Supplement of Transsylvania Vol. A3. No. 1 1

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