America's War Against Terror

AT last on 16^th July, President George W. Bush publicly announced that the long awaited American Strategy to protect its people from terrorist attacks. In his address he said, “Protecting American citizens from attack is our most urgent priority and we must act on that”.

                Shri Tom Ridge, the newly appointed Homeland Security Advisor and his associates took nearly 8 months to shape 71 page controversial proposal, America’s first National Homeland Security Strategy (NHSS) and its implementation would require a spending of nearly  $100 billion (Rs. 5,00,000 crore) per year. The proposal asks for sweeping new powers for the federal government such as (1) legislative new extradition and secrecy laws, (2) stockpiling of newly developed anti-terror vaccines, (3) creation of federal ‘red teams’ who would dream up possible ways the terrorists might strike an attack on US targets and (4) hence to expose the weak points of the US security system.

                The efforts are being made to empower the US army to impose quarantine in the wake of a biological attack, and to introduce computerized thumb print comparators and eyeball scanners so that the security officials can identify a terrorist from among the foreign visitors. The NIISS also calls for stricter federal security procedure on state driving licenses and intensive inspection of the 16 million ship containers that enters the US ports every year.

                The entire security budget has as (1) research to develop new and effective vaccines for anthrax and small pox, (2) creation of ‘biometric’ .

Travel documents for the foreign visitor that would contain scans of physical feature. (3) Development of screening tools cable of predicting the behavior of the visitor. (4) Greatly expanded use of improved sensors capable of detecting nuclear and radiological devices at border, ports, airports and main highways and (5) massive inspection programme to protect critical infrastructures including highways, pipelines, agriculture, the internet, power plants and power transmission lines. The scheme indeed relies heavily on science and technology, which is obvious for combating new kind of terrorism that includes catastrophic threats of nuclear, radiological, chemical and biological weapons.

President Bush asked the Congress at to spend $38 billion for boosting the inspection of the import ships to detect whether a nuclear, or a bio- weapon is inside the containers. He also told the Congress to pass the bio-terrorism bill that looks for spending the money to appoint inspectors to check for contamination of food and drinking water and to vaccinate the 50,000 emergency rescue operators. The Congress has already allocated $ 28.9 billion for counter- terrorism package on July 24. Nearly half of the money would be spent by the Pentagon to boost its intelligence activities and the rest would be spent to enhance security activities at the ports, nuclear establishments and New York’s efforts for rebuilding the World Trade Centre. It has been well know that the Congress has provided $ 48 billion for the reconstruction of WTC.

Russian’s policy in Iran is also quite disturbing. Now it helps Tehran to build a light water nuclear reactor at Bushehr, which will certainly give a fillip to Iran’s WMD programme. But Moscow is giving lame excuse and says that the reactor will be closely monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and hence does not pose any proliferation risk. It is well known that such reactors produce plutonium, which can be used for making bombs, and it would not be possible for IAEA to monitor and check the quantity of the dreaded metal produced.       

Another field where the Bush Administration’s attention is being paid to curb terrorism and is lowering the number of immigrant workers, especially the Muslim immigrants from the Middle East. Every year the country’s take in 7,00,000 to 9,00,000 immigrants and it is unlikely to be changed due to stiff opposition by the strong pro-immigration lobby. But in an opinion poll conducted just after the September 11, 92 percent respondents suggested a stricter immigration and border crossing law. In another poll conducted in June, 65 per cent Americans wanted the border to be sealed and a temporary halt in the intake of immigrants.  

                Shri Steven Camarota, a senior Research Director at the Center for Immigration Studies, Washington, pleads a cut in immigration and says, “Immigration system is the most important tool for preventing a terrorist attack on the US soil”, While the pro-immigration lobbyist Smt. Tamar Jacoby, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, New York, says, “Immigration policies fornicated by President Bush last summer would have allowed more temporary ‘gust workers’ into the country”. To defend the existing immigration rules, she also said, “There are very little unemployment among the new immigrants in the US. It helps them to integrate faster into the American society than in the Europe, where they are regarded more or less as second class citizens”.

New Threats

                According to international arms control experts, the unstable regimes and the rogue states are long determined to acquire weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and at present many of them close in obtaining them. When the US and the former Soviet Union agreed to abandon arms race and destroy their stockpile of WMD, it was hoped that the end of the cold war era would curb the menace of these weapons. But the threats are now coming from different quarters.       

                 In 1960s, it was apprehended that by the turn of the century, between 40 and 80 countries would possess nuclear weapons. But now only 8 nations, namely the US, Russia, China, France, Britain, Israel, India and Pakistan posses the same and, according to experts, this reflects the success of the global non-proliferation efforts. But now it seems that this achievement in jeopardy and the proliferation of nuclear weapons and its technology is expanding very fast among the rogue states and the terrorist organizations.

                The Western observers generally blame India for the present surge in nuclear weapons proliferation and say that the May 1998 nuclear tests conducted by it at Pokhran has opened the floodgate. Shri Liapson, the former deputy chairman of the CIA sponsored National Intelligence Council, in this regard says, “The taboo on new entrants to the international nuclear club has unfortunately been lifted. The Indians and the Pakistanis have pushed the analysts to ask-What the world would be like if 10 to 20 nations acquire nuclear capability?” But ironically, all such allegations against India are entirely baseless as India has never helped proliferation by selling, either nuclear weapons or its technology, to any other country.

                The Middle East is a region of very serious concern. If Iran and Iraq acquire nuclear weapon, the entire balance of power would be shifted in that region and beyond. “Once Iran or Iraq acquires nuclear capability, then it would be very difficult to stop the slide down the slippery slope to a very unstable kind of world”, says Robert Einhorn, a former assistant secretary of state during the Clinton era.        

                “Iraq is dangerous”, says Khiair Hamza, the former head of Iraqi nuclear weapons programme who defected to the US in 1994. Khidir adds “Baghdad got plenty of help from European and Ukraininan companies and scientists”. “Iraq’s procurement efforts (of nuclear weapons components) are also directed to Russia and the Russian government is unwilling to stop it”, says Gary Milhollin, director of the Wiscosin Project on Nuclear Arms Control, in Washington. Throughout 1990s UN weapons inspection team sought to dismantle Iraq’s WMD programmes, but all such efforts were failed due to Baghdad’s non-coperation. Finally the team was expelled in 1918, putting an end to such initiatives.

                Russian’s policy in Iran is also quite disturbing. Now it helps Tehran to build a light water nuclear reactor at Bushehr, which will certainly give a fillip to Han’s WMD programme. But Moscow is giving lame excuse and says that the reactor will be closely monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and hence dose not pose any proliferation risk. It is well know that such reactors produce plutonium, which can be used for making bombs, and it would not be possible for IAEA to monitor and cheek the quantity of the dreaded metal produced.      

                Most of the experts believe that Beijing sometimes deliberately help proliferation for political reasons. “China’s proliferation efforts are sometimes deliberate for cementing strategic relationship with its allies or for extracting concession from the US”, says Bates Gill, a senior fellow at the North-cast Asian Policy Studies, Brookings Institutes.

                China’s friendship with Pakistan is another area of very serious concern. A US intelligence report in this regard says that despite a moratorium agreed with the US in 2000, Beijing continued to help Pakistan with clandestine supply of weapons and missile technology, even violating the International treaty called Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which declares such technology transfers illegal. Many believe that China helped Pakistan with finished weapons and Islamabad detonated such a bomb, just after India’s Pokhran test, in 1998.

                Experts believe that North Korea, the secretive Communist regime has biological, chemical and nuclear weapons programme as well. But the most serious proliferation risks it poss. is exclusively related to missile and missile technology. It sells this technology to anyone who has the case to buy. Many believe that Pakistan’s Ghauri missiles are nothing but carbon copies of North Korean prototypes. A British defence official says, “North Korea has single handedly undermined the MTCR and its No –Dong missiles, copied from Russian Scud, has become the industry standard”, North Korea helped missile programmes in Iraq, Iran Libya, Pakistan and possibly Syria and it stunned the world. In August 1999, when launched its 3 - stage rocks Taepo-Dong that fell into the Pacific after flying over Japan. According to experts, the missile could hit Alaska with a heavy payload and with a light payload it could reach California.

Bio-threat

                An experiment that conducted in between February and April 2001, by the Canadian defence department, revealed that a single gram of power containing deadly anthrax spores could trigger an epidemic of the disease. It is really surprising that such letters were actually delivered in the US a year later, after the September 11 attacks. Microscopic examination showed that the anthrax had diameters from 1.5 to 4.0 microns, fine enough to through the paper of the envelope and contaminate other letters and people who were handling them,. Usually                 of the said power contains nearly 1000 billion spores, sufficient to affect several thousand people.

America’s war

It may be recalled here that, nearly a month after the September 11, repeated anthrax hoaxes started to come. Then seven prepaid letters containing real spores killed five and infected seventeen people. The letters came from Trenton, New Jersey and hence FBI is not quite sure whether the attack was domestic or international. FBI investigators believe that a single man is most likely responsible for all those mailings. Meanwhile, the Congress has passed $11 billion for an anthrax related biological defence programme.

                Recently the American bio-experts have alleged existence of clandestine bio-weapons programme in half a dozen countries and all of them have some links with the terrorists. There are worries too about Russia’s secretive bio-defence establishments, which were, once upon a time centers of Soviet Union’s massive bio-weapons programme. In fact, specimens of deadly smallpox virus are stored in two laboratories in the world; one in the US and the other is in Russia. Experts believe that rogue states or terrorists organizations may secure samples of that virus by bribing the low paid Russia security guards.

                There are concerns rooted in the rapid spread of genetic engineering and commercial microbiology. Biotechnology is a friend when used for improving human conditions, but a deadly foe when manipulated to destroy life. Experts believe that it will play a vital role in armed conflicts of the forthcoming days. George Poste, a member of the Defence Science Board and an advisor to the US secretary of defence on bio-security, says,” “While physics dominated weapons in the 20^th century, biology will dominant weapons in 21^st”. Oliver Thranert, a German expert, says, “Biological weapons proliferation is becoming a bigger threat for the 21^st century.

US Policy

Two factors are paving most serious threat today, (1) rise in Islamic extremis and (2) the spread of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons. The developments have lead to great uncertainty in international relations. The alliances, treaties, international organizations and military capabilities during the cold war era failing to tackle the new challenges. The situation would turn extremely dangerous if the killers could get an access to weapons of mass destruction. To explain the situation, President Bush, in January, said, “Terrorism and weapons of mass destruction linked to one another is the gravest danger to freedom at present. We will not allow the world’s most dangerous regimes to threaten us with world’s most dangerous weapons”.

                Shri Bush has already grouped three countries, namely Iraq, Iran and North Korea, as the ‘Axis of Evil’ and alleged that they are pursuing WMD programme and sponsoring terrorism. While addressing a gathering in June, President Bush said, “The deterrence and containment doctrines of the cold war era are insufficient to cope with the new threats. And as a new doctrine, US have reserved the right to strike first against the foes. If we wait for threats to fully materialized, we will have waited too long. America has, and intends to keep, military strengths beyond challenge”. Many believe that through such uttering Shri Bush hinted to strike even a non-nuclear state with nuclear weapons.

                Defence analysts apprehend that the border conflict between India and Pakistan may mature into a global crisis and in such a situation terrorist organization and other Islamic States may get an access to Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.

                In June, there has been a series of warnings from intelligence and law enforcing agencies of some sort of terrorist attack somewhere in the US. The possible targets have included everything from the Status of Liberty to nuclear power-plants, gas pipe lines and so on, but the authorities have little or no idea how or when terrorists might strike again. “There are a nearly infinite number of feasible targets that the terrorists could strike in the US”, said Shri Bush, “and our highest priority is to prevent the terrorists from striking the US with nuclear, biological and chemical weapons”.

                It should be pointed out here that this war is no longer a war of America alone but, in fact, it is a war of the civilized world against the uncivilized brute killers. It is a war between good and evil and if the evil wins, the result will be catastrophic for the entire human civilization. Hence every sensible government and every freedom-loving and thinking individual should extend their moral and material support in favor of good force.

                So far the budget allocation for this war is concerned, it appears that the US is more worried about protecting its land, life and properties of its citizens and that is the reason for which the entire money is going to spend for enhancing the protection efforts, in this regard. Shri Sam Nunn, a former Senator, has made a vital remark. He said, “US is building a wall around itself, like the Maginot Line, which is destined to fail. US should be concentrating on keeping such weapons out of terrorist hands, in the first place. Acquiring weapons is the hardest step for the terrorists to take and the earlier step for us to stop”.

                We appreciate Shri Nunn’s view because the easiest way to eliminate mosquito-menace is to destroy their breeding grounds. And hence the Congress should allocate a substantial amount to isolate the killers at their own places and destroy their universities of terror, so that they might not get and access to the dangerous weapons.

                At the same time, we like to ask President Bush the following questions – “Is it possible to uproot terrorism without hurting the creed that propagates terrorism?” More precisely, “Is it possible to eliminate terrorism without eliminating the holy book that preaches and inspire terrorism?” We, therefore request President Bush to concentrate upon the creed, the book and the seat of the creed to which every follower turns during prayer. And hence it becomes ardent that other kinds of efforts are necessary along with military effort.