July 28, 2004: Diplomats & Military Commanders for Change

July 28, 2004
For a list of signatories, click here.

AMERICANS ARE LESS SAFE UNDER BUSH ADMINISTRATION POLICIESWHY AMERICA IS LESS SECURE

President Bush asserts that America is safer as a result of the war in Iraq. But, according to recent Gallup, CBS and NBC polls, Americans increasingly feel less secure because of the war. They are right. While the president declared victory in Afghanistan after the major battles with Al Qaeda, it is clear Al Qaeda is still active, and according to senior Bush Administration officials is currently plotting new attacks against the US from the Afghan-Pakistan border. Al Qaeda has also worked successfully to help new terrorist organizations and activities around the world – Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Spain – as well as Iraq.

In Afghanistan, the US has been diverted by war in Iraq into a woefully inadequate investment of military, financial and political resources – including the leadership needed to mobilize strong international support. Military and reconstruction assistance levels per capita by the US and its NATO allies are about one tenth of that for Bosnia and Kosovo. As a result, security has declined, opium production is soaring (90% of world total), Taliban has made a comeback, planned parliamentary elections for October have been postponed, and international assistance workers have ceased to operate in many provinces. After two and one half years of trumpeting victory, we are bogged down. Our enemies are encouraged.

In Iraq, we are also bogged down in insurgency and terrorism. The mission has not been accomplished, despite political changes and a belated role for the United Nations. American and Iraqi casualties continue to mount. Security is highly problematic and the political future is murky. The US occupation of an Islamic country is seen by most in the Muslin world as comparable to the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. Muslim fighters flock to Iraq as they once did to Afghanistan. Our friends are discouraged and unwilling to contribute the needed additional resources, even to protect the new UN Representative. Some countries and companies have pulled out, under threat. Our enemies around the world are heartened.

The perception of US military strength is being eroded, as equipment and personnel and budgets are strained to the limit in Iraq. Once again, as in Vietnam, Lebanon and Somalia, highly superior US forces are now seen as vulnerable to guerilla warfare and terrorism. The deterrent value of US military might has been weakened.

Iran and North Korea, the other two members of the “Axis of Evil”, have not been intimidated by threats of unilateral US preemptive action. Nor have they responded to ambivalent United States diplomacy. As a result, North Korea is apparently producing more nuclear weapons and Iran has continued to develop its nuclear capacity. Due to the situation in Iraq, Iran is also assuming an increasingly powerful regional role.

Absent a truly serious visible effort to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or restrain the aggressive Israeli tactics on the ground, the US is increasingly identified in the Arab world as totally supportive of Israeli PM Sharon’s policies. This further exacerbates worldwide Muslim anger at the US over Iraq, undercuts efforts at reform, and increases likelihood of future anti-US terrorism among young people.

In short, progress in the struggle against terrorism has been offset by faulty policy. The overall result is that the Bush Administration’s war in Iraq leaves the United States less secure rather than more. It is time for a change.