The Big Picture (World War IV)

Scripps Howard News Service via FDD ^ | August 28, 2003 | Clifford D. May

[Bobibutu]

The war liberated millions. But the post-war period proved difficult. Members of the former regime went underground and continued to fight, using terrorist tactics – even against their fellow countrymen. Those who had been freed lacked essential services, including food, clean water, jobs and housing. Opposition to the “occupation” persisted. The reconstruction progressed slowly. True democracy took years to establish.

Nevertheless, most Americans today agree that President Lincoln was right to wage the Civil War.

Eventually, a similar view will likely prevail regarding the U.S.-led war to liberate Iraq. The vast majority of Americans will understand that the war was both just and necessary – and that regime change was bound to be followed by a prolonged low-intensity conflict, waged in large part by people whom U.S. troops took pains to spare during the major combat phase of the war.

Americans will see that just as the Ku Klux Klan's terrorism was one response to the Union victory, so it was to be expected that Ba'athist remnants -- and their Jihadist allies from abroad -- would employ terrorism against U.S. soldiers, international civil servants and free Iraqis working to build a decent society. Americans also will recognize that there was no quick and easy way to transform a damaged and oppressed society into a free, democratic and prosperous nation.

For now, however, a debate still rages on several levels.

Some people continue to argue that Saddam Hussein should not have been removed, that the threat he represented was not sufficiently “imminent” as to require military intervention. These are, presumably, the same people who throughout the 1990s also were confident that Osama bin Laden's takeover of Afghanistan represented no imminent threat to the U.S.

Others maintain that to pacify and democratize Iraq requires ceding authority to the United Nations and the Europeans. That ignores the obvious fact that the UN has no terrorist-fighting capability – it doesn't even have a clear definition of terrorism. What's more, a UN democratization effort is unrealistic so long as the UN Security Council includes such states as China and Syria. Nor can the UN be taken seriously on human rights as long as its Human Rights Commission is headed by Libya. As for the European aptitude for nation-building, which former European colony in Africa has been built into a successful democracy?

Perhaps most troubling are those who remain unable -- or unwilling -- to see the big picture, who fail to connect the ideological, strategic and tactical dots linking suicide-bombings in such apparently disparate places as Bombay, Baghdad, Jakarta, and Jerusalem.

They claim to see no pattern -- even as al Qaeda joins Saddam Hussein in calling for “jihad” against Americans in Iraq, Hamas wages “jihad” against Jews in Israel, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad wage “jihad” against Hindus and moderate Muslims in India, the Abu Sayyaf group wages “jihad” against Christians in the Philippines, and Jemaah Islamiah wages “jihad” against Christians and Buddhists in Indonesia.

Author Elliot Cohen and former CIA Director Jim Woolsey have given the big picture a name: They call it World War IV (the Cold War having been World War III). This conflict did not start on 9/11. Battles were fought -- and lost – twenty years ago in Beirut (when the US Marine barracks and embassy were suicide-bombed by Hezbollah), ten years ago at New York's World Trade Center (a suicide-bombing masterminded by Ramzi Yousef, who traveled on an Iraqi passport and may or may not have been acting on Saddam's instructions), in Mogadishu that same year, as well as at the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia in 1996, at the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, and when the USS Cole was attacked in the Red Sea in 2000.

(And, of course, the roots of this war go back even further, to such early 20th century figures as Sayyid Qutb, an Egyptian member of the Muslim Brotherhood who helped create the theoretical framework for an ideology of anti-democratic jihadism and Islamic supremacism.)

Astonishingly, none of this prompted Americans to action. Over the past 20 years, we should have been developing the most sophisticated intelligence-gathering capability the world has ever seen. We should have been infiltrating terrorist organizations and jihadist groups. We should have been training more elite military and clandestine counter-terrorism forces. Instead, we cashed in the “peace dividend” and went to the beach where we fretted over shark attacks.

Now, we have a lot of catching up to do. Now we have to learn to fight a different kind of enemy waging a different kind of war. But the first step is simply to recognize the nature, gravity and scope of the threat we face. The second step is to acknowledge that winning this war will be neither cheap nor easy. The third step is to have faith that, years from now, most Americans will agree that we were right to wage it.

Clifford D. May, a former New York Times foreign correspondent, is president of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a research institute focusing on terrorism.

[Paladin2]

"Stop Jihad now!"

[Ethyl]

Clifford D. May, a former New York Times foreign correspondent, is president of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a research institute focusing on terrorism.

I can understand why he is a "former New York Times foreign correspondent" I wouldn't want to be associated with them either. Good Post.

---

[tkathy]

Terrific article. I will email this to my brother who votes liberal, but I think he's starting to get it.

[Valin]

They claim to see no pattern -- even as al Qaeda joins Saddam Hussein in calling for “jihad” against Americans in Iraq, Hamas wages “jihad” against Jews in Israel, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad wage “jihad” against Hindus and moderate Muslims in India, the Abu Sayyaf group wages “jihad” against Christians in the Philippines, and Jemaah Islamiah wages “jihad” against Christians and Buddhists in Indonesia.

None are so blind as those how will not see.
It really is all the same war, just different fronts, different battles.

Welcome to the XXI century..please fasten your seatbelt.

[Valin]

PING

[Mr. Jeeves]

The vast majority of Americans will understand that the war was both just and necessary...

The vast majority of Americans already understand that - it's the Europeans and journalists of all nations who are having trouble with the concept.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for the ping Valin.

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

An essential part of this war that is still being roundly denied by those who should be doing something is the period of Deconstruction that is nearing it's final phase.

The war is bigger than Islam. Indeed, islam is only a faction.

For decades now we have seen the revision of our history, the destruction of our culture, the perversion of our laws and moral standards.

Truth is lies, right is wrong and "Diversity" is essential to life.

When the deconstuctionists are finished, we will have fallen from within, whether there is another shot fired or not.

Oh, I think they'll kill us just because they can, but they won't have to.

[SAMWolf]

They claim to see no pattern -- even as al Qaeda joins Saddam Hussein in calling for “jihad” against Americans in Iraq, Hamas wages “jihad” against Jews in Israel, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad wage “jihad” against Hindus and moderate Muslims in India, the Abu Sayyaf group wages “jihad” against Christians in the Philippines, and Jemaah Islamiah wages “jihad” against Christians and Buddhists in Indonesia.

It seems the majority of the conflicts/terrorist attacks around the world have one thing in common, "The Relgion of Peace".

Islam refuses to tolerate anything else. We better wake up.

[SAMWolf]

None are so blind as those how will not see. It really is all the same war, just different fronts, different battles

Amen to that

[snippy_about_it]

Well said Valin, thanks for the ping. There is so much that is so wrong.

Islam is the enemy and folks need to "get" that. The UN needs to go to hell and stay there, or at minimum get out of the US and then we need to ignore their evil existence.

[Porterville]

God, this guy is a terrible writer.... I wonder how much he gets paid?????

[Valin]

I'm not a big fan of PJB, but he is correct when he said we are in a culture war. You see it everday on so many levels and issues.
And yet I remain optimistic.

[CDHart]

My father was in the military, and stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, from 1953 to 1955. We all went with him, and I can remember that even then, several years after WWII was over, there were still DPs (displaced persons) and many bombed out buildings that had not been restored. This sort of thing takes time.

Carolyn

[Bobibutu]

The vast majority of Americans will understand that the war was both just and necessary...

The vast majority of Americans already understand that - it's the Europeans and journalists of all nations who are having trouble with the concept.


I wonder - based on the responses from some - I really wonder.

Thx

[Bobibutu]

The radicals are a small percentage - Most Muslims I personally know (15 years in Asia) are sweethearts. Yes there are some nutcakes - and we have a few Christian killers here in the US as well.

Belief systems are fundamental to ones thinking.

I have problems with virgin births; golden plates and metorites.

That does not detract from the fundamental compassion of Christians; Jews; LDS; Muslims; and all the rest.

To say that "all" Texans are Rednecks is in error and inappropriate.

There are Texan Rednecks ... but there are some sweethearts as well.

Yes I have a problem with what is happening in France al la BHAGWAN SHREE RAJNEESH in Oregon a few decades back.

Keep our guard up? U bet - brand all "those" as - whatever- uh unh -

Think about it... Think about it... Think about it... Think about it...

[SevenDaysInMay]

Lincoln's unConstitutional war of aggression was unjust. He deserved to be a fatality of his war.

Even today, some liberal pundits sight Appomattox Courthouse as an amedment to our federal Constitution establishing federal "soveriegn immunity" in forcing social changes by unelected blackrobes "for life" contriving "compelling State interests" as reasons to void individual and states' rights pursuant to our RATIFIED Constitution.

Iraq must be a killing field for islamists and launching point for defeat of the gangs in Syria and Iran.

There is no comparison with Lincoln's federals' war crimes in the American South, continuing under Bill and Hillary Clinton at Mt. Carmel near Waco in 1993.

Federal power to be feared is the power mad statists' compelling State interest.

[Bobibutu]

"Lincoln's unConstitutional war of aggression was unjust. He deserved to be a fatality of his war."


What were, in your opinion, were the alternatives?

Deserved?


"Even today, some liberal pundits sight Appomattox Courthouse as an amedment to our federal Constitution establishing federal "soveriegn immunity" in forcing social changes by unelected blackrobes "for life" contriving "compelling State interests" as reasons to void individual and states' rights pursuant to our RATIFIED Constitution."

Specifically - what? - I to have a problem with our judges and the system. How may it be rectified?

"Iraq must be a killing field for islamists and launching point for defeat of the gangs in Syria and Iran."

I have no problem with this other than adding the word "radical."

"There is no comparison with Lincoln's federals' war crimes in the American South, continuing under Bill and Hillary Clinton at Mt. Carmel near Waco in 1993."

Given the world is not a perfect place - what would you have done? Waco was a misshandled disaster - no arguement - under the circumstances how should it have been handeled?

"Federal power to be feared is the power mad statists' compelling State interest."

We should not fear our government - agreed! We are guilty for being sucked in and voting and/or allowing voter fraud gotten away with.

We have what we deserve.

So what do we do? You have a keen sense and obvious intellectual prowess, abit with some anger - let the anger go and the past as it does not serve us in the present situation other than acknowledging mistakes done. Where do we go from where we are - for the good of all?