A Good First Step

While I find I often do not agree with President Obama's policies, I applaud the tone of his speech today in Cairo. Our relations with predominantly Islamic nations has been badly frayed the last several years. The speech today was a first step. Just a baby step. But a step in the right direction.

Do we still need to fight a "war on terror"? I believe we do. Terrorists must be dealt with harshly. All they understand is the business end of a loaded gun. Remember, they are at war with us. Make no mistake about that. But, in order to successfully fight a war on terror we need the cooperation of predominantly Islamic nations and their governments. We cannot fight this war alone, nor should we.

It is unbelievable to think that back on September 12, 2001, we enjoyed the good will of every civilized nation on earth. The world all became Americans after the attacks on September 11, 2001. Unfortunately, President Bush and his Administration blew every bit of that goodwill. Clearly, a new approach is needed. Conceptually, a war on terror is a great idea. However, the Bush Administration so badly executed every phase of this, that many people now regard a war on terror as unnecessary. We were extremely fortunate that the US did not suffer another major terrorist attack after September 11, and the Bush Administration deserves credit for this. But, the overall management of the war on terror was a disappointment at best, and a possible disaster at worst.

Terrorists see themselves in the midst of a 1,000 year struggle against the West and against the Israeli nation. They see themselves as freedom fighters...and one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. I'm sure many British citizens thought of our revolutionaries as nothing more than the 18th century equivalent of the modern day terrorist. However, today's terrorist knows no boundaries, is not governed by any nation, and has no qualms about killing innocent people. These people must be dealt with harshly. And this requires massive worldwide cooperation. Mavericks and lone cowboys will not win this war on terror.

What or who will win the war on terror? I believe peaceful people, who have the courage to fight when necessary will win. Who are these people? On the front lines are bankers, accountants, and intelligence investigators. I believe funding sources need to be cut off first. Since terrorists are not bound by any national government, they have no power to tax. Second, we need to present opportunities to oppressed peoples. People with no hope, people who only know oppression and endless poverty will join up with the terrorists. They have nothing to lose at that point. Make no mistake, these are long-term solutions. Soldiers and weapons should be our last resort in the war on terror, not the first.

We have a long way to go in the Muslim world. The Iranians hit it on the head when they noted deep resentment against the U.S. in the region. The resentment will not go away with a pretty speech or two. We will have to follow up with action. But we need to approach this more cooperatively, not unilaterally. Mr. Obama gave us a good first step.