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 hile
the horrible terrorist attacks yesterday morning seem like something
from a movie — the perpetrators are not James Bond villains
in secret fortresses. These terrorists have political ideologies
that were shaped by a culture that encourages violent radicalism
— they do not exist in a vacuum. America's initial focus, quite
properly, will be on developing the appropriate military response
and security procedures to prevent future attacks. But ultimately,
the political culture that nurtures this monstrous evil must be
addressed and this will require an offensive for freedom.
Most analysts
have focused on the Middle East in general and Osama bin Laden in
particular as the source of this attack. While this assumption is
not proven, it is not without foundations. The Middle East has been
the source of many major terrorist attacks against American targets,
including the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center. The celebrations
throughout the Middle East of the attack on America are nothing
new, public discourse throughout the region has long been shocking
and anti-American.
For example,
a Palestinian Sheikh, in a sermon broadcast on Palestinian Authority
TV exhorts, "Wherever you are, kill those Jews and those Americans
who are like them…"
In Egypt, an
ostensible ally, and the recipient of billions of dollars of U.S.
aid annually, the United States is frequently accused of plotting
against Egypt. For example, when Egypt Air 990 crashed off of Long
Island, Egyptian parliamentarians insisted that an American-Zionist
conspiracy was the cause.
These examples
and many others from the Middle East are available on the website
of the Middle East
Media Research Institute.
This overheated
rhetoric is inextricably linked to the general lack of freedom throughout
the Middle East — excepting Israel. As dictatorships always
have done, the leaders of the Middle East use an external enemy
to distract their people from their oppression. Israel as a free
country and the United States as a free country that supports Israel
fill the role of external enemy. This combination of repression
and incitement is a fertile ground for terrorism. Whatever military
action the United States takes, this dangerous political culture
must be viewed as an integral part of the problem.
Just as yesterday
morning's horrors revealed failures of American intelligence, the
lack of liberty in the Middle East is a failure in American foreign
policy — a failure to promote freedom. Nations don't have to
embrace Western-style liberal democracy. But the U.S. should support
and promote governments that institute rule of law, protect their
citizens, and permit them to lead their lives with minimal interference.
For the most part people must achieve freedom for themselves, but
the United States does have diplomatic options and sponsors programs
that extend liberty around the world.
For example,
the Voice of American (VOA) radio network played a crucial role
in the Cold War — reminding dissidents that freedom existed
in other parts of the world and inspiring many to quietly resist
the Soviet regime. Those who suffer under the yoke of tyranny hunger
for words of freedom. The demonization of the United States has
led to enormous curiosity about it. The VOA introduces Middle Easterners
to American culture as a path to promulgating American values. (But
VOA programming to the Middle East has been woefully under funded
and ineffective. Congress is in the process of authorizing funds
to expand the quality, quantity, and range of VOA broadcasting in
the Middle East.)
The United
States supported dissident groups such as Charter 77 during the
Cold War. These groups of intellectuals did not have an immediate
impact, but they played a role in crystallizing opposition to the
Soviet Union. The United States could begin to sponsor similar groups
from the closed regimes of the Middle East, such as Syria, Iran,
and Libya.
These are just
a few of the options available to the United States to promote freedom
— there are many other programs. These important programs are
relatively inexpensive — budgets are in the tens of millions
of dollars. None of them will bring quick results, but given time
they can — combined with a robust and assertive U.S. diplomacy
supporting human rights — ameliorate some of the prevailing
anti-American ideologies. The war against terrorism promises to
be a long one, and expanding freedom is an essential strategy that
will undercut terrorism's base of support. While it cannot replace
the necessary military response, an offensive for freedom is a deadly
weapon against tyranny and the terrorism it spawns.
Caveat: It
remains uncertain what organization or nation was responsible for
the terrorist attacks. Regardless of the origin, promoting freedom
is the right thing to do and can help counter the growth of terrorism.
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