18 June 2003
"A Just War on Terror," by Senator Arlen Specter
(The Washington Times 06/18/03 op-ed) (850)
(This column by Senator Arlen Specter, who is a Republican from
Pennsylvania, first appeared in the Washington Times June 18 and is in
the public domain. No republication restrictions.)
(begin byliner)
A Just War on Terror
By Arlen Specter
During a visit to the United States last week, Ugandan President
Yoweri Museveni made some comments about terrorism that we do not
often hear anymore. Unfortunately, these comments received little
attention in the media. Mr. Museveni, who took up arms to oust Ugandan
dictator Idi Amin, noted that:
"Freedom-fighting is not the same thing as terrorism. If you are
oppressed, if you are colonized, you should fight for your freedom.
You can fight using peaceful means, like Gandhi did. You can use arms,
like we did. That, however, does not make me a terrorist.
If I target non-combatants deliberately, however, then I am a
terrorist."
Thank you, President Museveni, for reminding us of this important
distinction at a time when we in the United States have lost some of
our clarity on this issue. Public discussion of the tragic events in
Israel over the past week exemplifies how confused our view of the war
on terror has become. Almost every account I have read equates the
Palestinian attacks on Israel and the Israeli response. The term
"cycle of violence" is trotted out time and again to summarize the
actions of both sides. What is lost in the discussion is the fact that
in all of its operations this week, Israel has targeted operatives and
leaders from Hamas, a group openly committed to terrorism. Hamas, on
the other hand, has targeted innocent Israeli civilians on their way
home from work and school. Sadly, last week was a "successful" week
for Hamas -- a bus bombing for which they have claimed responsibility
killed 17 Israelis and wounded over 100.
Given the muddled state of the public discourse on this issue, let us
revisit the basics. Terrorists seek to kill innocent civilians. When
they kill innocents, it is neither a mistake nor an unfortunate
byproduct of conflict -- it is a mission accomplished. To the
terrorists, an attack that leaves dead civilians in its wake is a
success; an attack that leaves scores of dead civilians in its wake is
a great success. Such "victories" are often greeted by dancing in the
streets of the communities from which the terrorists have come.
When the United States, Israel and other victims of terrorism respond
to terror, they seek to kill and disrupt terrorists and thereby
prevent future attacks and loss of innocent life. The United States
and Israel take great pains, to the point of endangering their own
soldiers, to prevent or at least minimize innocent casualties. When
innocents are killed in such operations, it is a mistake, a terrible
byproduct of war. The deaths of innocents are a cause of regret and
recrimination, not celebration.
There is, therefore, no "cycle of violence" in the U.S. war against al
Qaeda. There was a terrible act of terrorism committed against
innocent Americans on September 11 followed by U.S military operations
against those responsible. Our troops have sought out the terrorists
and their leaders wherever they may hide, from caves in Afghanistan to
a dusty dirt road in Yemen. We have engaged in pre-emptive attacks on
those who plan terror because not to do so would be to permit the
spilling of more innocent American blood at some point in the future.
There is also no "cycle of violence" in Israel's war on terror. There
are repeated terror attacks from Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah's Al
Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, followed by Israeli military responses to
prevent more such attacks. Earlier this month we witnessed some
long-awaited movement towards peace under President Bush's strong
leadership at Sharm el-Sheikh. Yet, immediately thereafter, Hamas and
its brethren terror groups demonstrated in clear words and in bloody
deeds that they would not be a party to this peace process. They
removed themselves from any reconciliation.
A stretch of farmland in my home state remains scarred to this day
from the impact of an airplane that fell out of the sky on September
11. As we all came to learn, a great struggle took place on that plane
before it crashed in a Pennsylvania field. There was certainly
violence on that plane that day. But there was no "cycle of violence"
there. There were merely terrorists and the heroes who stopped them
from accomplishing their mission. For all I know, my colleagues in
Congress and I owe our lives to those brave men; the Capitol was a
likely final destination of that hijacked plane. In honor of those
American heroes, and all of the Americans who have fallen in our just
war on terror, I will never permit the line between terrorist and
defender to be blurred. Moral clarity is necessary for what will no
doubt be a long struggle against a ruthless enemy.
(Sen. Arlen Specter is a Republican from Pennsylvania.)
(end byliner)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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