27 February 2002
Asia Panel Chairman Says Terrorism Poses Policy Challenges
(Rep. James Leach's Feb. 27 opening statement) (970)
The threat of international terrorism confronts the United States with
a unique foreign policy and national security challenge, according to
the chairman of the House International Relations Subcommittee on East
Asia and the Pacific.
In opening remarks at a joint hearing of his panel and the
Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia February 27,
Representative James Leach (Republican of Iowa) asked what the United
States should do if it were established that a country had within its
borders "an activist al-Qaeda-related movement that the government is
unable or perhaps unwilling to take decisive action against."
The Iowa Republican wondered whether it would be best for U.S. armed
forces to be dispatched to such a country, or whether that course of
action might be "as deeply counterproductive an engagement as one
could conceive."
Leach noted that in the wake of the terror attacks on America on
September 11, "well-organized terrorist cells linked to al-Qaeda have
been discovered and partly dismantled, throughout a wide swath of
Southeast Asia."
In this context, "U.S. bilateral treaties and security partnerships,
backed by capable forward-stationed and deployed armed forces, remain
essential for deterring aggression and promoting peaceful development
in the region," he said.
Following is the text of Leach's February 27 opening statement:
(begin text)
Opening Statement
Representative James A. Leach
Chairman, Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific
U.S. Security Policy in Asia and the Pacific: the View from Pacific
Command
February 27, 2002
On behalf of my colleagues, I would like to warmly welcome Admiral
Dennis C. Blair, Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command, to this
joint hearing before the Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, as
well as the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. We deeply
appreciate the cooperation of the Admiral and his staff for agreeing
to appear before us today, and for expediting review of the U.S.
Pacific Command Fiscal 2003 "posture statement" that forms the basis
for his testimony.
The purpose of today's hearing is to review the priorities and
challenges for U.S. security policy in the Asia-Pacific, as assessed
by America's ranking military commander in the region.
As Members are aware, the Asia-Pacific region is looming larger in
American national security policy. The reasons are self-evident. The
U.S. has fought three major wars in Asia over the past century. Great
powers and aspiring great powers, each with substantial and
increasingly sophisticated military establishments, rub shoulders
there. Although for the last quarter century the area has enjoyed a
relatively placid security climate, this surface calm remains
vulnerable to latent tension on the Korean peninsula, the Taiwan
Strait, and Kashmir. And in the wake of the terrorist attacks of
September 11, well-organized terrorist cells linked to al-Qaeda have
been discovered and partly dismantled, throughout a wide swath of
Southeast Asia. America's economic stake in the region is also
profound. Approximately 400,000 U.S. citizens live, work and study in
the region. U.S. businesses conduct roughly $500 billion in trade and
have invested more than $150 billion throughout the region.
People-to-people and cultural ties, which result in part from growing
commercial interaction, continue to expand at an impressive rate.
In this context, it is widely appreciated throughout the region that
U.S. bilateral treaties and security partnerships, backed by capable
forward-stationed and deployed armed forces, remain essential for
deterring aggression and promoting peaceful development in the region.
Having said that, the threat of international terrorism now confronts
the United States with a unique foreign policy and national security
challenge. We would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the sacrifice
of so many young American men and women serving with Pacific Command
and elsewhere around the world, who are doing so much in so many ways
to provide for our security. Likewise, as Admiral Blair knows so well,
success in the campaign against terrorism crucially depends on
intensive and ongoing multilateral cooperation between the United
States and a broad coalition of other countries. Here it should be
noted that America is deeply appreciative for all the assistance we
have received from so many in the Asian region.
In the wake of our engagement in Afghanistan and deployment to the
Philippines, some are asking what comes next -- particularly in
Southeast Asia.
In this regard, one has the sense that Washington is wrestling with
novel and awkward judgment calls in East Asia that have yet to be
explicitly articulated in a public setting, although there are some
historical parallels. That is, what happens when we are dealing with
an imperfect government, or let us put it a little bit different, an
imperfect movement in an imperfect society? Should the U.S. be
actively involved in military intervention, either in conjunction with
that government or preemptively based on compelling exigencies? Or are
U.S. interests better served, generally speaking, emphasizing
appropriate intelligence and law enforcement cooperation, coupled more
broadly with economic and cultural engagement? Obviously, it is not
always an either/or and one has to reserve flexibility for
differentiating judgments. But if it is established that country X has
an activist al-Qaeda-related movement that the government is unable or
perhaps unwilling to take decisive action against, should U.S. armed
forces be sent in, or would that be as deeply counterproductive an
engagement as one could conceive?
I raise this philosophical issue because this hearing affords the
Committee a unique opportunity to engage the "CINC" on a wide range of
exceptionally important issues touching on critical U.S. interests in
Asia and the Pacific.
We look forward to your testimony and the exchange of views to follow.
(end text)
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