Terrorism a tactic, not a doctrine

I am writing to respond to Rhajiv Ratnatunga’s column in the Oct. 14 edition of The Pitt… I am writing to respond to Rhajiv Ratnatunga’s column in the Oct. 14 edition of The Pitt News. This column exhibits breathtaking logical flaws. For example, discussing Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry’s anti-terrorism strategy, Ratnatunga writes that the “type of policy Kerry is talking about is strikingly analogous to the appeasement policy that former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain advocated.”

History has proven correct the postulate that appeasement towards totalitarian ideology failed. However, terrorism is a tactic, a modus operandi. It, unlike fascism, is not an ideology. Broad tools used to combat an ideology would nonetheless fail to combat terrorist activities. Using military tools crafted to combat an ideology for the purposes of securing domestic security is not unlike seeing an accountant to cure a toothache.

For example, by diverting resources away from domestic security towards the war in Iraq, the current administration has failed to put more resources into police and fire protection. Police officers and firefighters, along with emergency medical technicians, are on the frontlines of preventing and containing terrorism. The lessons of Sept. 11, 2001, demonstrate this. The terrorists exploited weaknesses in our airport security system. Had airport security been stronger on that fateful day, the attacks might have been averred.

Furthermore, the tragic losses incurred by the brave police officers and firefighters of the City of New York and of the Washington, D.C.-area bear further witness to the critical fact that combating terrorism requires an investment in domestic defenses and not in unilateral military exploits concocted in the fantasies of President Bush’s advisors.

Despite what Ratnatunga believes, Bush’s policies have not made the United States safer. To be safer, we need competent leadership grounded in reality, not spotty leadership grounded in arrogance and delusion.

Jacob M. Simon

School of Law

Grad. School of Pub. ‘ Int’l Affairs

2005