Posted on 01/26/2007 7:11:36 PM PST by FairOpinion
Washington –- Today, the international community faces a test of its willingness to stop nuclear terrorism, says Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
“You can’t put that genie back in the bottle once a weapon of mass destruction or a nuclear bomb gets into the hands of a terrorist,” Chertoff said in a January 26 panel discussion at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
Terrorism is high on the forum’s agenda this year. It constitutes one of the top threats to global security, according to a survey of international business and political leaders attending the event.
“What we face in the 21st century is the ability of even a single individual, and certainly a group, to leverage technology in a way to cause a type of destruction and a magnitude of destruction that would have been unthinkable a century ago,” Chertoff said.
As the destructive potential of the next large-scale terrorist attack grows with every technological advance, Chertoff said, so too does the risk of failing to detect terrorists before they strike.
Governments thus are faced with the challenge of striking the right balance among providing security, facilitating free flow of goods and services, and protecting citizens’ civil liberties.
It is for this reason, Chertoff said, the United States approaches counterterrorism from the perspective of risk management. Because working to prevent every conceivable threat would be virtually impossible, the United States focuses its efforts on identifying and preventing the greatest threats.
Countries must be willing to stand together and take decisive action against hostile regimes and nonstate entities seeking to acquire weapons of mass destruction for future attacks, he said.
“At the end of the day, if those who are trafficking in this activity don’t take seriously our will to enforce the rules, all the paperwork in the world is not going to make a difference,” Chertoff said.
PANELISTS CONSIDER ROOT CAUSES OF TERRORISM
Chertoff joined Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukut Aziz, leader of the British Conservative Party David Cameron and the European Union’s counterterrorism coordinator, Gijs de Vries, who also discussed the root causes of terrorism and how best to confront them.
Tackling terrorism requires more than security operations and sophisticated technologies. Deprivation, in the form of poverty and the lack of basic political freedoms and economic opportunities, turns people into terrorists, Aziz said.
The international community must do more to help alleviate poverty and must redouble diplomatic efforts to promote a working Israeli-Palestinian peace, a settlement in Lebanon and progress in Iraq -- all causes exploited by terrorists to rationalize their attacks, he said.
The world must reject terrorists’ attempts to justify their murderous acts in the name of religion, the panelists said.
"Terrorism is not a friend of anybody. Terrorism is not linked to any faith," Aziz told the panel. “It is a mindset we are dealing with.”
“I accept that Islam is a peaceful religion and does not endorse this use of violence,” Chertoff said.
The panelists also agreed that a careful balance between security and civil liberties is essential.
“We’ve got to be very strong in combating terrorism but equally strong in defending liberty, democracy and the things we are actually fighting for,” Cameron said.
“That means that not everything is permitted in the War on Terror,” de Vries said. “To use detention without trial, or detention without charge, to use secret prisons, should not be acceptable.”
Chertoff, a former prosecutor and federal judge, agreed, but added that governments must weigh the potentially catastrophic consequences of a successful terrorist attack as they pursue terrorists. Because of “the complexity of global terrorism,” thwarting terrorism might require measures beyond those commonly utilized in prosecuting criminals, such as increased intelligence collection.
“We are going to have to come to a sustainable approach to this that safeguards fundamental liberties, but does not regard every security measure as inherently a civil liberties problem,” Chertoff said.
A video link to the panel discussion and more information on the 2007 annual meeting are on the World Economic Forum's Web site.
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
"there is an urgent need to address radicalized Islamic states, terrorists, and their supporters in the Islamic world.”
Without a doubt.
PANELISTS CONSIDER ROOT CAUSES OF TERRORISM
duh! It is Islam.
“I accept that Islam is a peaceful religion and does not endorse this use of violence,” Chertoff said.
Chertoff is WRONG.
Every so many centuries the planet needs to thin out the demonic Islamic religion. Whatever we call it: The Crusades; The War on Terror -- all the same thing!
Same old load of crap. None of the "terrorists" we've seen were poor, or came from poor families, or suffered any lack of political freedom or opportunities. Strangely, they all come from well off Islamic families. The only thing in common they all share is a Koran.
As long as we continue down the river of denial, terrorism will continue to flourish. Building nukes isn't cheap, and it isn't done by poor goat herding Muslims lacking opportunities. Who knows how many have already be sold by Aziz to those poor underprivileged terrorists.
"What did you expect him to say -- a battle cry to eradicate the however many billion Muslims there are in the world?"
Better to say nothing than to lie. Especially such a laughable lie.
is he going to spoil an 24 episode
global jihad bump
He should know. Personally, I think he's close enough to the puppet masters scheduling such to know directly.
HOpe I'm wrong.
But I think he's right on this score regardless of where he gets his info.
Terrorism is not linked to any faith?? Tell that to Mohammad, Aziz. Islamic "scripture" teaches terrorism.
| Bukhari:V4B52N220 | "Allah's Apostle said, ‘I have been made victorious with terror.'" |
| Qur'an:8:12 | "I shall terrorize the infidels. So wound their bodies and incapacitate them because they oppose Allah and His Apostle." |
| Qur'an:8:57 | "If you gain mastery over them in battle, inflict such a defeat as would terrorize them, so that they would learn a lesson and be warned." |
| Ishaq:326 | "If you come upon them, deal so forcibly as to terrify those who would follow, that they may be warned. Make a severe example of them by terrorizing Allah's enemies." |
| Tabari IX:42 | "We have been dealt a situation from which there is no escape. You have seen what Muhammad has done. Arabs have submitted to him and we do not have the strength to fight. You know that no herd is safe from him. And no one even dares go outside for fear of being terrorized." |
| Ishaq:326 |
| "Allah said, ‘No Prophet before Muhammad took booty from his enemy nor prisoners for ransom.' Muhammad said, ‘I was made victorious with terror. The earth was made a place for me to clean. I was given the most powerful words. Booty was made lawful for me. I was given the power to intercede. These five privileges were awarded to no prophet before me.'" |
| Ishaq:327 |
| "Allah said, ‘A prophet must slaughter before collecting captives. A slaughtered enemy is driven from the land. Muhammad, you craved the desires of this world, its goods and the ransom captives would bring. But Allah desires killing them to manifest the religion.'" |
| Qur'an:7:3 | "Little do you remember My warning. How many towns have We destroyed as a raid by night? Our punishment took them suddenly while they slept for their afternoon rest. Our terror came to them; Our punishment overtook them." |
| Ishaq:510 | "When the Apostle looked down on Khaybar he told his Companions, ‘O Allah, Lord of the Devils and what into error they throw, and Lord of the winds and what they winnow, we ask Thee for the booty of this town and its people. Forward in the name of Allah.' He used to say this of every town he raided." |
| Bukhari:V9B87N127 | "The Prophet said, ‘I have been given the keys of eloquent speech and given victory with terror.'" |
| Bukhari:V5B59N512 | "The Prophet had their men killed, their children and women taken captive." |
| Tabari VIII:129 | "After the Messenger had finished with the Khaybar Jews, Allah cast terror into the hearts of the Jews in Fadak when they received news of what Allah had brought upon Khaybar. Fadak became the exclusive property of Allah's Messenger." |
| Qur'an:33:26 | "Allah made the Jews leave their homes by terrorizing them so that you killed some and made many captive. And He made you inherit their lands, their homes, and their wealth. He gave you a country you had not traversed before." |
| Ishaq:580 | "Our strong warriors obey his orders to the letter. By us Allah's religion is undeniably strong. You would think when our horses gallop with bits in their mouths that the sounds of demons are among them. The day we trod down the unbelievers there was no deviation or turning from the Apostle's order. During the battle the people heard our exhortations to fight and the smashing of skulls by swords that sent heads flying. We severed necks with a warrior's blow. Often we have left the slain cut to pieces and a widow crying alas over her mutilated husband. 'Tis Allah, not man we seek to please." |
| Tabari IX:69 | "He who believes in Allah and His Messenger has protected his life and possessions from us. As for those who disbelieve, we will fight them forever in the Cause of Allah. Killing them is a small matter to us." |
"Well seal the damn then borders fool!"
LOL!
Don't worry. There will be plenty of Americans offering their necks without resisting. And they will be more than happy to slice through them while crying out Allahu akbar! (means "allah" is great)
We'd better be prepared to find alternative solutions to killing Muslims, as there is some evidence that they are outbreeding Christians in Europe, and in the third world. While there are arguments that Christianity is out-converting Islam, its not likely that they will conveniently disappear.
The argument that poverty plays a part in terrorism has its detractors, as this pdf shows, as well as the anecdotal evidence of the Saudi 9-11 terrorists. I think that we need as policy is to try to limit the number of states who are in transition from authoritarianism to democracy or vice-versa at any given time. Authoritarian states are capable of constraining their terrorist activities as long as we can bring sufficient military or diplomatic pressure to bear on them. I'm not sure what constrains the citizens of democracies from participating in terrorism. Perhaps the opportunity for those of such bent to profit from criminal enterprise instead?
I'm recovering from illness today, forgive the clumsy wording of my post.
International terrorism by it's definition is going to be restricted to those with the means to travel, and therefore self-select for wealth and/or education. Domestic terrorism however is open to the poor, and I suspect among the Palestinian suicide bombers in Israel you'll find more poor than wealthy.
However, for the US with our small Muslim population, the risk from International terrorism seems much greater to me.
Could you summarize for those of us who are not 24/7 members?
I can already tell you that it will be Bush's fault if that happens. (sarc)
[We'd better be prepared to find alternative solutions to killing Muslims,]
Nuke Meca with 3 days warning.
You don't have to kill Muslims if you kill Islam.
Small? 10 million Muslims is a "small" population? Granted, I doubt even half of them are serious Muslims. (Muslim in name only) and of the remaining number, only a tenth serious enough to become a "Shaheed". (that's 500,000 potential walking bombs) That leaves 4.5 million willing to support and contribute cash to a group or individuals jihad mission. That to me is a fairly large internal threat. Policable? Lets hope so, because that is how we are dealing with it. If we can only prevent more from flooding in, that would be good. Dealing with terrorism somewhere else in the world is preferable.
What's scary is we have no idea just how much of that stuff is already in "terrorist" hands, considering the sloppyness of the Ruskies handling of it in all the former soviet bloc "Stans", many of which have large muslim populations.
People just aren't going to wake up and take Jihad seriously until a "24" effects them directly. The trouble is, it will be too late then.
Guess who our national guard and police will be shooting? It won't be the Muslims in our midst. It will be the angry citizens looking for them.
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