Straw regrets terrorism delay

telegraph.co.uk | 3-20-04 | Helm, La Guardia

[doug from upland]

Straw regrets terrorism delay
By Toby Helm and Anton La Guardia
(Filed: 20/03/2004)

The international community could have prevented September 11 and other terrorist attacks by acting far earlier against al-Qa'eda rather than "turning the other cheek", Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, admits today.

In an interview with the Telegraph on the first anniversary of the Iraq war, Mr Straw says that despite the attack on Madrid which killed 202 people, the world is winning the war on terror.

But he expresses his deep regret that international leaders "turned the other cheek" for so long, ignoring for eight years "very, very clear" evidence about al-Qa'eda's intentions after its first attempt to blow up the World Trade Centre in 1993.

"What the international community should have done is to heed the earlier warnings about the nature of al-Qa'eda and taken earlier action to deal with it and the failing state which was harbouring it, which was Aghanistan," he says.

"Because if we had have done we might have avoided September 11 and everything that has followed that." His message is that the war on terrorism, while left too late, is the only way to combat a "cholera of the mind" that has infected "maniac" fundamentalists and made the world more dangerous.

His remarks contain implicit criticism of the former American administration led by President Bill Clinton, whose country was the main target for al-Qa'eda, and suggests that the war on terror should have been launched in the mid-Nineties.

Mr Straw says he understands British people's heightened feelings of insecurity after the Madrid attacks and says he has often thought about the war on terror and the wisdom of attacking Saddam. But he has always concluded that both were right.

The strategy of using force against Saddam is already paying off, he claims, citing the decision by Libya to destroy its weapons of mass destruction and progress in getting Iran to comply with internatonal demands over its weapons programme.

"I have never said that the reason we have been able to secure compliance from Libya and Iran was because in any sense they felt militarily threatened by the coalition but the effect was more subtle but nonetheless powerful.

"They felt threatened by Saddam and removing Saddam took away a threat and also exposed them to diplomatic action.

"So when the history books come to be written and when people are able to stand back they will be able to see that the strategy has been rational and effective." Mr Straw said the reason why many Spaniards changed their vote to the anti-war Socialists in last weekend's election was unclear.

Were there to be a terrorist attack here, he said, the British electorate would not be "blackmailed" by al-Qa'eda. "They are made of sterner stuff than that."

[Dog Gone]

Straw is an enigma. He can say things that are incredibly stupid. He was sucking up to Iran a couple of years ago in an astounding way.

But he was brilliant at the UN Security Council debates on Iraq, and he's right on here.

Every time I read a new story about him, I'm not sure what to expect.

[dirtboy]

But he expresses his deep regret that international leaders "turned the other cheek" for so long, ignoring for eight years "very, very clear" evidence about al-Qa'eda's intentions after its first attempt to blow up the World Trade Centre in 1993.

I will admit to my own culpability here. The Clinton years, coupled with the War on (Some) Drugs made me so cynical about government that I thought all the warnings about terrorism were just a facade to continue the expansion of government, since people were starting to resist some aspects of the War on Drugs. Well, 9/11 shows I was wrong. From this, we should draw two immediate lessons:

1 - government MUST be much more forthcoming and honest to avoid that kind of cynicism, and

2 - We need to be more diligent to examine these issues - there is an alarmism industry out there that thrives on generating controversy which makes it difficult to determine both the true nature of threats and the actual net results of government actions and legislation meant to counter those threats.

[dasboot]

Yeah, I remember being irritated by his spew several times...had him pegged on the dark side. He doesn't spend many words apologizing for his own culpability. Glass houses; stones.

[Dog Gone]

Excellent observations.

[Dog Gone]

Politicians never apologize unless it's an effort to save their job.

[doug from upland]

I think our president has had a talk with our British friends. They know how important it is to maintain their resolve in the face of pollo Spain. This is a very dangerous time in the War on Terror. We must hold the allies together.

[BenLurkin]

Bump for WOT victory.

[OldFriend]

Amazing!

[Cicero]

I have to wonder if Jack Straw has had a change of heart. He was one of the worst leftists in Blair's administration. He was ALWAYS on the wrong side. He was the most radical member of Blair's cabinet. But I agree that he seems to have come around. I especially admired the way he defended Blair on Iraq at the time that so many British Socialists were all ready to throw Blair to the lions.

Changes of heart are possible, but I never would have thought I'd be saying this about Straw. Let's hope.