Browse archives: 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995

Published on 01/18/1999 All articles from this issue

Expert: U.S. limiting itself in fight against terrorism

printer friendly version

By Laura Brown

Special to the Town Crier

Abraham Sofaer, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, and legal advisor to the State Department under presidents Reagan and Bush, likens U.S. piecemeal attempts at combating terrorism to keeping burglars out of the bedroom: "Let them enter the house and ransack it and burn it down, as long as they don't get through the bedroom door," Sofaer told to the Morning Forum of Los Altos on Jan. 5.

By treating terrorism as a criminal act rather than an act of war, Sofaer said the United States fails to use its considerable resources effectively to stop attacks on U.S. citizens and facilities. Saying that denouncing terrorists as "criminals and cowards," and threatening to try them in court has little effect on those dedicated to a religious war against America, Sofaer advocates fighting terrorism in the same way we would fight a real war: using technology, intelligence, deterrent capability, diplomacy and accountability.

Although the U.S. has a critical advantage in technology, it has not used that technology to protect citizens, overseas facilities, the U S. infrastructure, or US. borders from terrorists, Sofaer said. Recalling the early 1960s, Sofaer noted that "we had a hijacking a week until metal detectors were installed," and suggested that practical implementation of existing, more sophisticated technology could similarly reduce terrorist activity now.

The United States also has an advantage in intelligence gathering and is, in fact, embarrassed by the amount of advance information it had about terrorist acts, which was not acted upon to prevent them, Sofaer said. He said the U.S. had enough knowledge about the activities of Osama bin Laden to secretly indict him before the bombing of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, yet nothing was done to prevent the attacks.

To deter terrorism, the U.S. must be willing to use necessary force, Sofaer said. Strategic use of force, attacking terrorist strongholds while avoiding killing of civilians, is a more effective and more humane deterrent than economic sanctions, he said.

Noting that while he supports the Clinton administration's decision to mount air strikes against Iraq, Sofaer questioned the limitation to three days, saying it was a public relations war rather than a war to succeed.

Sofaer said enduring three days of bombing to oust the U.N. inspection teams from Iraq was worth it to Saddam Hussein.

"To be effective, force must be steady and consistent," he said.

Morning Forum is a members-only lecture series held at the United Methodist Church of Los Altos. To get on a waiting list for membership, write to: Morning Forum, P.O. Box 274, Los Altos 94023-0274.