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Terrorism probably will never be completely eliminated from the world, but measures can be taken to help clear up the conditions that give birth to terrorists, an expert told the Warsaw Kiwanis Club Thursday.
The expert, Philip C. Wilcox, has an impressive set of credentials: He was ambassador-at-large for counterterrorism at the U.S. State Department, principal deputy assistant Secretary of State for intelligence and research and chief of mission and counsel general for Jerusalem.
A lunchtime teleconference Thursday linked the Kiwanians, who met at the Westminster Hotel in Winona Lake, to Wilcox in Washington, D.C. The teleconference was arranged and sponsored by the American Foreign Service Association, and took place at the State Department.
Wilcox said he believes the way to help alleviate the problem is for the United States to "think harder about societies where conflict is common," where the residents cannot participate in the political system or vote, where they can't get jobs and where their leaders are corrupt.
"I think that's the missing link - go to the roots of terrorism and take what measures we can," he said.
Wilcox characterized terrorism as "a weapon of the weak." He said the United States is vulnerable because it is a large, wealthy nation, and terrorists such as those who struck Sept. 11 are from the fringes of Arab and Islamic society who take out their hopelessness and anger at their own countries against the United States.
"These men are criminals," he said. "There can never be a political cause or grievance, right or wrong, that can justify killing innocent people."
Part of the reason the Sept. 11 attacks occurred was because the U.S. was "too lax in defending airports and aircraft," he said. No aerial hijackings occurred in the 1990s, which led authorities to believe terrorism was in decline.
"That shows you can't rely on statistics," he said. "There's usually no warning in advance of a terrorism attack. ... We had no idea that they would use aircraft as cruise missiles against buildings."
Another part of the problem is the "long, festering conflict between Israel and the Palestinians," he said. By now, both Israelis and Palestinians feel a sense of hopelessness, and the U.S. must intervene because the Israelis and Palestinians can't do it themselves, he said.
In the Arab world, it is perceived that the continuing war in the Middle East is the fault of the U.S., he said.
"As a great nation with wealth, we must intervene in foreign affairs to protect ourselves, not just for generous or humanitarian purposes," he said.
After the Soviet Union was driven out of Afghanistan, the U.S. walked away, he said, leaving a nation ruined by 10 years of civil war in disorder.
"That's a good example of where neglecting economic support has cost us dearly," he said.
The threat of terrorism will not end with the death or capture of Osama bin Laden, he said, and it will not always be possible to use military means against other countries that harbor terrorism. So intelligence sources and diplomacy will be even more important.
Still, he said, "I think it's wrong to think we can win a total victory against terrorism. ... It's been around forever and it will continue to be."
Americans must not undermine their freedoms and civil liberties, he said. After the attacks, the U.S. developed an urge to curtail freedoms and civil liberties, "and that's a mistake. It's a gift to the terrorists," he said.
He also said he does not understand why U.S. officials believe it is necessary to use military tribunals.
"We have used the courts for years to prosecute terrorists, and we have been successful," he said. "Why we have to abandon those now in favor of military courts that operate in secret I don't understand."
After the war on the Taliban in Afghanistan, he said, a successful Afghan government should represent the tribal and ethnic makeup of the country. Tribal groups should have a large role in governing themselves in the provinces, and neighboring countries - Pakistan, Russia, India, Iran - must stop meddling in Afghan affairs.
Thursday's teleconference was the first time the American Foreign Service Association has used this format long-distance, said Kiwanis moderator Jerry Irvine, and because of its success, may be done again in the future.
