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Shultz ties war on terror to Cold War
Likening the war on terror to the Cold War, George Shultz '42 said in a lecture yesterday that economic and political sustainability, coupled with military preparedness, is the only method to combat terrorism. "The world has never been in a situation of better promise than now," Shultz, who served as secretary of state for seven years under President Ronald Reagan, said. "The terrorists must not be allowed to abort this opportunity. We win the war against them by positive action and helping people see these improvements."This is the great optomism of Reagan shining through. The lecture, sponsored by the Wilson School, was held in McCosh 50 in front of a half-capacity audience of faculty, community members and a few students. This is an absolute disgrace. I believe Schultz is bested only by George Catlett Marshall as most unappreciated American of the 20th Century. To win the war on terror, Shultz said the United States should focus on education and communication within the Islamic world, while also cutting off funds to terrorists and controlling nuclear proliferation. "Strength and diplomacy are complements rather than alternatives," he said. Addressing the recent controversy over domestic wiretapping, Shultz said he supported the administration's policy despite widespread public criticism. "I believe the program is important," he said. "It's too bad it's had all this publicity, because it has diminished our ability to use the program." Shultz, who traced the war on terror back to the 1970s, divided the struggle into three stages. The first period, which lasted until Sept. 11, 2001, was marked by U.S. passivity and inaction toward terrorist attacks. Even in the 1990s, the U.S. government was aware of Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda but failed to check their growth, much like American inaction during Hitler's rise to power, Shultz said. "The terrorists had completely free rein," he said. September 11 set off the second, active military phase of the war against radical Islam, Shultz said. Americans were now aware that terrorist groups could target not just sovereign states, but also world finance, tourism and even air travel. At present, with the war in its third stage, Shultz said that economic and military sustainability are vital for America to prevail. And in Iraq, he said, Americans must remain dedicated to the cause. "We took far too long to put an Iraqi face on what we are doing in that country, but Iraqis now have responsibility," he said. I'm hoping the second stage isn't quite over. Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-03-17 |
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