open Democracy News Analysis - Beyond terrorism: towards sustainable security, Chris Abbott - Comments

EDT on "Beyond terrorism: towards sustainable security"

EDT — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 05:08:08 +0100

The Bush administration's policy and execution has been dismal and I agree sadly has been counter productive, but that does not mean that we can somehow wish problems away with a litany of "shoulds." Just because the Bush administration has made tragic errors in its use of hard power, and neglect of soft power, does not render hard power obsolete, nor soft power paramount. A better strategy will incorporate both. Is Iran or North Korea or Sudan going to make nice if we all lay down our weapons. Closing Guantanamo may be the right thing to do, but it will not change the policies of actors like north korea, iran, sudan and various terrorist groups, it will just give them one less cynical rhetorical weapon. I agree more should be done to reduce disparities of wealth and opportunity, but nations like iran have significant oil wealth and significant poverty. This is a matter of Iranian domestic policy, and poor governance and the choice to spend money on arming south Lebanon and building nuclear weapons. Yes resources should be allocated to rebuild Iraq, but note that resources were allocated but reconstruction could not be implemented because efforts were targeted for attack. Yes a 3rd party could help broker peace in the middle east, but remember that U.S. President Clinton did just that and might have been successful if Europe and been more forceful to bring Arafat to accept needed compromise. As well the link between poverty and terror is not well established. A stronger link can be made to demagoguery and fanaticism among religious and secular leaders. Some good ideas but nothing that I have not read before. Sloppy links between cause and effect and some solutions will fail from naivet�

graham_14 on "Beyond terrorism: towards sustainable security"

graham_14 — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 08:16:43 +0100

I fully heartedly agree that we need to look at the deeper causes of our situation rather than the superficial symptoms. However, you do not state what you think the underlying 'disease' is as you put it, nor have you stated how to tackle the disease when we isolate it.

Can you fill in the blanks or point me somewhere that I can find out more?

douglas-jones on "Beyond terrorism: towards sustainable security"

douglas-jones — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 01:35:51 +0100

Having no professional expertise in the area, I agree, but how is such to be implemented?

Foreign policy has reverted to pre WW2, bilateral treaties, individual countries interest and protection even at the expense of others. See National Security agenda of Bush September 2002.

Information is now almost all spin where once it contained some investigative articles in which reporters toiled to find truth and accuracy not accepting Government hand outs. For one paper and that an American see Friel and Falk the record of a paper (NY Times).

Vietnam to now.

Political action deals with the present and immediate future not the future. In Australia a commission for the future whose task it was to examine the coming big issues was disbanded. Cost/benefit analysis impossible thus a waste of present money!

The big issues, degradation pollution energy population water and more have all been in the world of academia for years. In Western Australia water shortage requirements and decreasing rain have been apparent for many years as have the others, attention directed to the immediate jobs, export income and continuance of personal office.

My guess is that these issues will be ignored until as in Australia at the present time a drought provokes headless chicken behaviour-panic and passing the buck!

We can't even apologise for the wrong of Iraq, the trashing ofpeople country andinternational law. Might is indeed right!

mmurphy10 on "Beyond terrorism: towards sustainable security"

mmurphy10 — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 00:45:17 +0100

Chris Abbott's analysis and proposal for the several crises that are facing mankind, plus the mess the US & others have made of Iraq, and what can practically and fairly be cdone, is nothing short amazingly sensible. It is that very rare thing in this world: Comprehensive and sane at the same time. Five stars!!!!!

Beyond terrorism: towards sustainable security, Chris Abbott

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0100

The nature and scale of the security threats facing the world make a radical shift of thinking about global security essential, says Chris Abbott. Read the rest of this post...