In early August, Barack Obama – who for the purposes of full disclosure I support in the Democratic primaries – gave a speech called “The War We Need to Win.” Although it received most of its press attention due to a somewhat controversial assertion that if Musharraf would not act against actionable intelligence in Pakistan related to al-Qaeda targets, that he would authorize strikes to neutralize the targets.
The speech was so much more than that. It articulated a comprehensive strategy to fight Islamist terrorism – which, for the record, I believe is a sincere and pressing threat. Most importantly, it was a liberal strategy in the war on terror; the way we should have been fighting it from the beginning. Although this is somewhat old news, I wanted to go on the record with some analysis on the speech.
The speech can be found at barackobama.com:
We must not, however, repeat the mistakes of Iraq. The solution in Afghanistan is not just military — it is political and economic. As President, I would increase our non-military aid by $1 billion. These resources should fund projects at the local level to impact ordinary Afghans, including the development of alternative livelihoods for poppy farmers. And we must seek better performance from the Afghan government, and support that performance through tough anti-corruption safeguards on aid, and increased international support to develop the rule of law across the country.”
Here, he specifically outlines what he would do in Afghanistan outside the military realm. This is critical; the war on terror requires more than guns and troops. Having a comprehensive strategy to address some of the critical non-military issues in Afghanistan is critical to our success there. Most importantly, he talks about the need to address the widespread production of poppy plants and the proliferation of narcotics trafficking.
The paragraph immediately following the passage on attacking militants in Pakistan was:
And Pakistan needs more than F-16s to combat extremism. As the Pakistani government increases investment in secular education to counter radical madrasas, my Administration will increase America’s commitment. We must help Pakistan invest in the provinces along the Afghan border, so that the extremists’ program of hate is met with one of hope. And we must not turn a blind eye to elections that are neither free nor fair — our goal is not simply an ally in Pakistan, it is a democratic ally.”
Again, Obama emphasizes the need for non-military aid. Cuts in such aide have become commonplace under the Bush administration
To succeed, we must improve our civilian capacity. The finest military in the world is adapting to the challenges of the 21st century. But it cannot counter insurgent and terrorist threats without civilian counterparts who can carry out economic and political reconstruction missions — sometimes in dangerous places. As President, I will strengthen these civilian capacities, recruiting our best and brightest to take on this challenge. I will increase both the numbers and capabilities of our diplomats, development experts, and other civilians who can work alongside our military. We can’t just say there is no military solution to these problems. We need to integrate all aspects of American might.
Here, Obama talks about the need to engage Americans in service of their country. This would be great; to win this war, we need to use all of the weapons in our disposal. This includes talented Americans outside the military
As President, I will create a Shared Security Partnership Program to forge an international intelligence and law enforcement infrastructure to take down terrorist networks from the remote islands of Indonesia, to the sprawling cities of Africa. This program will provide $5 billion over three years for counter-terrorism cooperation with countries around the world, including information sharing, funding for training, operations, border security, anti-corruption programs, technology, and targeting terrorist financing. And this effort will focus on helping our partners succeed without repressive tactics, because brutality breeds terror, it does not defeat it.
Although there is already a good amount of international cooperation on the intelligence front, broadening this cooperation would sharpen our capabilities to track down terrorists. This section also shows that Obama recognizes that terrorism is not just in the Middle East. Indonesia and the Horn of Africa are emerging areas of concern. So is North Africa. Having a president who doesn’t hold such a simplistic view of the al-Qaeda threat would be important
And I won’t hesitate to use the power of American diplomacy to stop countries from obtaining these weapons or sponsoring terror. The lesson of the Bush years is that not talking does not work. Go down the list of countries we’ve ignored and see how successful that strategy has been. We haven’t talked to Iran, and they continue to build their nuclear program. We haven’t talked to Syria, and they continue support for terror. We tried not talking to North Korea, and they now have enough material for 6 to 8 more nuclear weapons.
It’s time to turn the page on the diplomacy of tough talk and no action. It’s time to turn the page on Washington’s conventional wisdom that agreement must be reached before you meet, that talking to other countries is some kind of reward, and that Presidents can only meet with people who will tell them what they want to hear.
What is most remarkable about this section is that despite all the flack he received for his debate answer on talking to dictators, Obama stresses his belief that we need to talk to our enemies. I particularly agree with his contention that somehow not talking to dictators is a punishment for them. More direct engagement with someone like Hugo Chavez might reorient his anti-American policies – which have been more anti-Bush than anything else.
too often since 9/11, the extremists have defined us, not the other way around. When I am President, that will change. We will author our own story. We do need to stand for democracy. And I will. But democracy is about more than a ballot box. America must show — through deeds as well as words — that we stand with those who seek a better life. That child looking up at the helicopter must see America and feel hope.
Obama knows we’re losing the propaganda war. This is just unbelievable given that we’re fighting against a bunch of terrorists who have no real appreciation for human life and are willing to use the most objectionable of means to achieve their goals. Most importantly, he recognizes that to win the propaganda war, we simply cannot have things like Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib.
This Administration also puts forward a false choice between the liberties we cherish and the security we demand. I will provide our intelligence and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to track and take out the terrorists without undermining our Constitution and our freedom.
An extension of the last point, we must protect our civil liberties in this fight. We are the most civilized country in the history of the world, but when we set aside our values in the effort to preserve them, we are seen as hypocrites.
Overall, a progressive war on terror requires us to continue the fight against al-Qaeda militarily while simultaneously expanding opportunity abroad. It also requires the symbol of America to be as compelling as possible. In this speech, Obama hits the right note.