An End to Evil? (5)

In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the initial intervention in Afghanistan, Clark says that the most urgent need was to bolster the weaknesses that had come to light in homeland defense preparedness.

Instead, many in the Bush administration seemed focused on the prospective move against Iraq. This was the old idea of "state sponsorship" - even though there was no evidence of Iraqi sponsorship of 9/11 whatsoever - and the opportunity to "roll it all up." ...

As I went back through the Pentagon in November 2001, one of the senior military staff officers had time for a chat. Yes, we were still on track for going against Iraq, he said. But there was more. This was being discussed as part of a five-year campaign plan, he said, and there were a total of seven countries, beginning with Iraq, then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iran, Somalia, and Sudan. So, I thought, this is what they mean when they talk about "draining the swamp." It was further evidence of the Cold War approach: Terrorism must have a "state sponsor," and it would be more effective to attack a state - with complete confidence that it can be taken down - than to chase after individuals, nebulous organizations, and shadowy associations. ...

What a mistake! I reflected - as though the terrorism were simply coming from these states. Well, that might be true for Iran, which still supported Hezbollah, and Syria, complicit in aiding Hamas and Hezbollah. But neither Hezbollah nor Hamas were targeting Americans. Why not build international power against Al Qaeda? (Clark, p. 129-130)

Frum and Perle make the argument about state sponsorship of terrorism explicitly. "[B]ecause terrorism is difficult, terrorists almost always require some kind of support from a government somewhere." (p. 231; my emphasis)

The linkage between terror groups and terror states has become even more intimate as both terrorists and terror states seek and acquire weapons of mass destruction: nerve agents and other lethal chemical agents, anthrax and other biological agents, radioactive materials, and - the ultimate prize - nuclear weapons. (p. 232)

 

Tags: an end to evil, david frum, richard perle