While Iraq dominates the headlines and the presidential campaign foreign policy debate, two speeches yesterday focused attention on the Sept. 11 attacks, Afghanistan and reform.
Appearing at the Miller Center for Public Affairs Forum, Washington Post Managing Editor Steve Coll discussed the American presence in Afghanistan and the current situation there. Philip Zelikow, executive director of both the 9/11 Commission and the Miller Center, concluded a two-part series on 9/11 by discussing the changes recommended by the commission.
Coll highlighted the challenges the United States faces in Afghanistan and elsewhere by discussing a situation in Feb. 1999, when then-President Bill Clinton ultimately declined to order a missile strike against Osama bin Laden, who appeared to be vulnerable while on a falcon-hunting trip.
According to Coll, political and military leaders faced several difficult questions, such as the fact that only one source placed bin Laden on the scene.
"That echoes today -- is one source good enough? When is one source good enough?" Coll said.
Despite reporting on Afghanistan emphasizing chaotic conditions and potential violence during the upcoming elections, Coll, who has covered the region as a foreign correspondent and editor for almost two decades, said he felt the situation was better than most Americans think.
"To date, the security situation is unsettled but impressive overall," Coll said.
Coll answered questions on several topics, including Pakistan's relationship with Afghanistan, the role of American foreign policy regarding Afghanistan before 2001 and Saudi Arabia.
Coll said he is worried by the lack of discussion surrounding the possibility of terrorists acquiring weapons of mass destruction, something bin Laden has repeatedly mentioned in interviews.
"That is the part of the conversation that seems so far away in this election," Coll said.
Countering efforts by terrorists to acquire weapons of mass destruction was one of dozens of recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission, according to Zelikow, who also labeled them the most serious threat facing America.
Zelikow said the commission's report focused on two things: "what to do and how to do it."
Before identifying strategies, Zelikow said the government and the American public need to be aware of several important ideas and trends, such as the shift from international threats among states to transnational threats such as terrorism, the long term crisis occurring in the Arab and Muslim world, and most importantly, the new presence of risk in American lives.
"They're going to have to learn to accept living with risk," Zelikow said.
The American strategy for dealing with terror, Zelikow said, involved three elements: attacking terrorists and terrorist organizations, preventing further growth of Islamic terrorism and protecting the country from further attacks.
To that end, Zelikow detailed a host of strategies in the commission's report, from specific strategies such as striking vulnerable terrorists who are traveling or focusing transportation security on sectors besides aviation, to broad strategies like helping Arab countries develop stable, non-oil based economies and communicating with the world.
"We need to engage the global struggle of ideas," Zelikow said.
Both of Zelikow's presentations were co-sponsored by the Miller Center and the International Relations Organization.
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