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| Stop the Moral Equivalence | |
| 2004-05-19 | |
| BY GARRY KASPAROV It is said that to win a battle you must be the one to choose the battleground. Since the Abu Ghraib abuses were revealed, the battleground has been chosen by those who would blur the lines between terrorists and those fighting against them. The Bush administration has contributed to the confusion with its ambiguous "war on terror." You cannot fight a word. You need targets, you need to know what you are fighting for and against. Most importantly you must have beliefs that enable you to distinguish friend from foe. While al Qaeda may not have a headquarters to bomb, there is no shortage of visible adversaries. What is required is to name them and to take action against them. We must also drag into the light those leaders and media who fail to condemn acts of terror. It is not only Al Jazeera talking about "insurgents" in Iraq, it is CNN. Many in Europe and even some in the U.S. are trying to differentiate "legitimate" terrorism from "bad" terrorism. Those who intentionally kill innocent civilians are terrorists, as are their sponsors. No political agenda should be allowed to advance through terrorist activity. We need to identify our enemy, not play with words.
We have seen 25 years of anti-Western propaganda and hatred emanating from Iran, not only against Israel and the U.S. but against the liberal values that make up the core of our civilization. The effect has been to so polarize the Muslim world that we are left with two unappealing groups. On one side you have those who rally support by exhortation against a common foe: America and Israel. We may call this the Arafat model. By appearing to be the only viable leader in Palestine he has received billions of dollars from the European Union to prop up his corrupt organization and to fund terrorism. Hijacking, suicide bombings, hostage-taking--this "Palestinian know-how" has been exported throughout the region. Leaders of this type focus the energy of an impoverished people into fighting a sworn enemy. They realize that the free circulation of liberal ideas would threaten their hold on power. With modern methods of communication it is impossible to build a new Iron Curtain, so they convince their people that they are engaged in a war against the very source of these democratic ideals. Arafat has done this successfully for decades. On the other side of this dual model we have dictators who present themselves as the last bastion against religious extremists. Gen. Musharraf in Pakistan and the Saudi royal family are supported by the U.S. and given free reign to limit human rights because they are considered the lesser evil. Yet the more favor they have with the U.S., the more they are hated at home, empowering the extremist opposition. Everyone gets what they want in the short run but it is a recipe for inevitable meltdown. U.S. success in Iraq is essential in order to provide an alternative model. Unlike Vietnam, there will be repercussions for global security if America does not finish the job. This is the big picture that must stay in focus. We are dealing with an enemy who considers the concessions and privileges of democracy to be weaknesses. To prove them wrong we must follow through. The Islamic public-relations offensive is focused on proving that the West is corrupt and offers no improvement on the despots in charge throughout the Islamic world. At the same time, Al Jazeera isn’t examining Vladimir Putin’s war against Muslims in Chechnya. All of Chechnya is one big Abu Ghraib, but the Islamic world pays scant attention to the horrible crimes there because Mr. Putin shares their distaste for liberal democracy. The war is not about defending Muslims; it is about Western civilization and America as its representative. Meanwhile, Iran continues to pursue a nuclear arsenal and the U.N. Secretariat, France and Russia are busily covering up their involvement in the Oil-for-Food scandal. If we are to impress the superiority of the democratic model upon the Muslim world we must thoroughly investigate any and all allegations of abuse and clean up our act. This goes for plush U.N. offices as well as Iraqi prison cells. It is a mistake to see the debate on how to deal with terrorism along antiquated political lines. Partisan politics have played a role, but for the most part the battle to do what is necessary to win this war has freely crossed traditional party boundaries. One’s beliefs about tax policy and social benefits have little to do with how to deal with the terrorist threat being generated in the Islamic world. Every era dictates its own political divisions. In 19th century Great Britain, the political fight centered on the Corn Laws, reform bills and home rule for Ireland. Many of the old splits have vanished in Europe but this new divide is both wider and more vital. Jacques Chirac on the right is against intervention while Labour’s Tony Blair is for it. The consequences of José LuÃÂs RodrÃÂguez Zapatero caving in after the Madrid attack have yet to be felt, but I have no doubt that we will be facing more attacks in Europe based on the terrorists’ reading of the weakness of European leaders. In this fight the enemy does not play by our rules, or by any rules at all. WMD will be in terrorist hands eventually; conventional wisdom recognizes this reality. Concessions and negotiations at best only delay catastrophe. Europe and its people are in this war whether they acknowledge it or not. Those who would appease terrorists must realize that by pretending that this battle does not exist, they will soon have blood on their hands--both real and metaphorical. r. Kasparov, the world’s leading chess player, is chairman of the Free Choice 2008 Committee in Russia. | |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #9 Stands or falls on its own merits, yes, and from what I can tell it's standing quite nicely. We need a guy like this to be briefed on some history, given an office, and told to figure out what we need to prepare for. |
| Posted by: The Doctor 2004-05-19 10:41:53 PM |
| #8 Chess master yes, but I believe also an Armenian Jew who helped Armenians flee Baku when the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict led to pogrom-like unpleasantness there. I believe he also russified his name from Kasparyan to Kasparov on the advice of a professor early in his life who knew that while Armenians were a privileged minority in the Soviet system (at least among the various groups in the Caucasus), an Armenian name was still an impediment to his career. He's therefore got some background on intolerance, struggles against totalitarianism, and the like. Not that any of this matters either -- his analysis stands or falls on its own merits. |
| Posted by: Verlaine 2004-05-19 1:28:45 PM |
| #7 I want Texas Slim working on my WoT strategy. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-05-19 12:22:05 PM |
| #6 Taking the rhetorical question seriously: the only time I would want a Grand Master of Chess to be involved in developing WoT strategy and tactics is if we are facing the other side over an actual chess board. Face it, the specific skills required to be a chess expert revolve around deep knowledge of that game's rules, and understanding of the history of the game (eg. various tactics and strategies used by the greats). At the various military schools we have, the focus is on the "rules" and history of war-making. The graduates of those schools are the ones that need to be involved in the WoT, and they are. |
| Posted by: Carl in N.H 2004-05-19 11:53:48 AM |
| #5 In his trade you're supposed to be able to see several moves ahead. It seems he does. |
| Posted by: Nero 2004-05-19 11:06:49 AM |
| #4 ...Actually guys, think about it - wouldn't a chess Grand Master be the kind of guy you'd want figuring out how the other side is thinking? Hey, I'll take that kind of brainpower on my side any day of the week. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2004-05-19 11:03:27 AM |
| #3 Isn't he a Grand Master of chess? If anyone would know strategy, I think he would (if he is that Kaspariov). |
| Posted by: Sean 2004-05-19 11:03:02 AM |
| #2 GARRY KASPAROV? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-05-19 9:00:21 AM |
| #1 Any opinion pieces on the subject from Bobby Fisher? I'm sure they'd be real interesting... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-05-19 8:57:01 AM |