Articles Online - Military Response and Homeland Security
Advocates
for Military Intervention | The
Role of Intelligence Gathering
The Threat of Chemical,
Biological, and Nuclear Weapons | Objections
to the Use of Military Force
Advocates for Military Intervention [back to top]
"Terrorism as Warfare: Lessons of Military History" This 1996 article by military historian Caleb Carr was reportedly circulated within the White House after the September attacks. Carr argues that terrorists are warriors, not criminals, and should be fought accordingly. <http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/boulevard/2739/carr.html>
Interview with Caleb Carr, New York and Company with Leonard Lopate. Carr discusses his ideas about how to counteract terrorism. http://stream.realimpact.net/?file=realimpact/wnyc/ranyco/calebcarr.ra
"How to Win World War IV" Conservative commentator Norman Podhoretz writes that the U.S. might have to topple multiple regimes, and occupy several different countries if it is to win the war on terrorism. <http://www.commentary.org/podhoretz.htm>
"DefenseLink: U.S. Department of Defense" A compendium of U.S. government information and positions about countering the terrorist attacks. <http://www.defenselink.mil/>
"Traditional Wars Are In Decline." Political science professor John Mueller says in this article that, "The United States can't just declare war or bomb something to deal with these terrorists. There has to be surveillance, infiltration of groups, information gathering and the arrest of those responsible." <http://www.acs.ohio-state.edu/researchnews/archive/crimwar.htm>
"The Clinton Administration's Strikes on Osama Bin Laden: Limits to Power" This article from the Congressional Quarterly outlines some problems with a military response to terrorism. http://www.cqpress.com/context/articles/contemp8.html
"War Could Make the Terrorist Threat Worse" Columnist Greg Hansen argues that a military solution will send the wrong message. "No use of military force could undermine terrorists and their constituents as effectively as a demonstration of restraint and redoubling of American goodwill abroad to match the outpouring of solidarity with America's own victims." <http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/0924/p9s2-coop.html>
"Can the US Be Defeated?" British columnist Seumas Milne asserts that the U.S. could overextend itself militarily in a war on terrorism. http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,649852,00.html
The Role of Intelligence Gathering [back to top]
Whatever role military action should have in fighting terrorism, all agree that good intelligence is essential. The following links explore some of the difficulties of gathering intelligence in the Middle East, and here at home.
"What Went Wrong" The New Yorker's Seymour M. Hersh says the C.I.A. may not be up to the job of collecting intelligence in today's world. "We've been hiring computer geeks," says one general. "[But] this is about going back to deep, hard dirty work, with tough people going down dark alleys with good instincts." <http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?011008fa_FACT>
Interview with former mideast CIA operative Milt Bearden. An inside look at the vicissitudes of intelligence work by the former head of covert operations in Afghanistan. < http://search1.npr.org/search97 >
"The Trouble with the CIA" Thomas Powers analyzes what our intelligence services may be lacking. <http://www.nybooks.com/articles/15109>
Interview with former CIA agent Robert Baer, author of "See No Evil." Baer believes ultra-modern technology cannot replace old fashioned spy work. http://search1.npr.org/search97
"The Intelligence Gap" Seymour M. Hersh's look at the National Security Agency in 1999. <http://www.newyorker.com/archive/content/?010924fr_archive04>
"A Nasty Business" Terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman considers the trade-offs between foreswearing torture and the necessity of acquiring information. <http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2002/01/hoffman.htm>
Interview with former mideast CIA agent Reuel Marc Gerecht. Thoughts from a man who spent almost a decade trying to catch Osama Bin Laden. < http://search1.npr.org/search97 >
"The Futility of Homeland Defense" This article from The Atlantic Monthly examines some of the issues surrounding intelligence, surveillance and security within our borders. <http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2002/01/carr.htm>
"Losing the Code War" Stephen Budiansky explores how encryption technology will hamper efforts against terrorism. The code makers, he writes, have "an unassailable lead" over the code breakers. <http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2002/02/budiansky.htm>
"The Encrypted Jihad" This article from Salon.com's technology section notes that "industrial-strength Windows 2000 128-bit High Encryption Pack is now freely available over the Internet to anyone, including Hamburg residents such as presumed Sept. 11 ringleader Mohammed Atta." <www.salon.com/tech/feature/2002/02/04/terror_encryption/>
The Threat of Chemical, Biological, and Nuclear Weapons [back to top]
The gathering of intelligence has become especially critical since terrorists have been acquiring chemical, biological and possibly even nuclear weapons. The links below provide perspectives on perhaps the most frightening aspect of the present terrorist threat.
"The Many Threats of Terror" Provides a good overview of possible terrorist use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), as well as some precautionary measures the government and corporations might take. http://www.nybooks.com/articles/14661
"Bioterror: What Can Be Done?" Matthew Meselson's review essay appraises methods of countering biological terrorism. http://www.nybooks.com/articles/14971
Two articles by Harvard bioterrorism expert Jessica Stern. Author of "The Ultimate Terrorists" (Harvard University Press, 2001): {<http://www.hup.harvard.edu./features/steult/>}
"Confronting Biological Terrorism" Stern insists that the danger of bioterrorism is real and should not be ignored by national and state authorities. <http://ksghome.harvard.edu/~.jstern.pdf>
"Terrorist Motivations and Unconventional Weapons" Argues that terrorist use of unconventional weapons will not be common, but is becoming increasingly likely. <http://ksghome.harvard.edu/~.jstern.>
Photo of Jessica Stern. Taken when Stern testified at a hearing about the danger of nuclear weapons falling into terrorist hands. The lead character in the movie "The Peacemaker" is based on Stern's career. <http://www.cnn.com/US/9710/02/missing.nukes/jessica.stern.jpg>
"Countering the Smallpox Threat" A new idea on how to fight smallpox used as a biological weapon. <http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2001/12/rauch.htm>
"One Alarm Fire" Makes a case that the threat of bioterrorism has been overstated. <http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2001/12/hoffmanbooks.htm>
"America's Achilles' Heel: Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Terrorism and Covert Attack" A review article considering four different books about terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. <http://www.foreignaffairs.org/ >
Objections to the Use of Military Force [back to top]
Fear that terrorists might use chemical, biological or nuclear weapons has helped gain support for U.S. military action in Afghanistan. Nonetheless, some believe that such actions will only make terrorist use of weapons of mass destruction more likely. Others object to the use of military force on humanitarian or religious grounds. Below are some links related to the small but tenacious U.S. anti-war movement that has protested our deployment in Afghanistan.
"A Just Cause, Not a Just War." Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States and a bombardier in WWII, believes that our military action in Afghanistan is as much a crime as the attacks of 9-11. <http://www.progressive.org/0901/zinn1101.html>
"Where are We Heading: Terrorism, Global Security, and the Peace Movement" Radio interview with historian Howard Zinn. http://stream.realimpact.org/rihurl.ram?file;
"A Message to Troops, Would-be Troops and Other Youth" Jeff Paterson, the first active-duty military resister of the Persian Gulf War, discusses his refusal to kill people in the Middle East, and says that troops in Afghanistan should do the same. <http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11648>
"The New War Against Terror" A talk given at MIT by linguist and anti-war activist Noam Chomsky. Audio link accompanied by a full transcript. http://www.zmag.org/GlobalWatch/chomskymit.htm
"Terrorism and Nonviolence" The grandson of the pioneer of nonviolent resistance, Mahatma Gandhi, considers nonviolent responses to terrorism. <http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11565>
"Grieving Families Walk For Peace" Article interviews families whose loved ones were murdered on 9/11, and yet who oppose America's war against terrorism. <http://www.commondreams.org/views01/1212-08.htm>
"Onward Christian Soldiers" Article from Foreign Policy In Focus. "The president talked of his concern for the proliferation of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons" notes Tom Barry, "yet the U.S. political leadership has long resisted international campaigns to control or abolish these weapons of mass destruction." <http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2002/0201onward.html>
"A Few Good Saints" Los Angeles columnist Joshuah Bearman wonders whether the theological approach to opposing war is more effective than street protest. To find out, he goes inside the church's anti-war movement. <http://www.laweekly.com/ink/02/01/new-bearman.shtml>
"Left Back" Jonathan Cohn of the New Republic takes a critical view of those who oppose the war. <http://www.thenewrepublic.com/100101/cohn100101.html>
"Squishier Than Thou" Satirist P. J. O'Rourke roasts the anti-war movement on both sides of the Atlantic. <http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2001/12/orourke.htm>
"Hon Barbara Lee's statement in the House of Representatives" The only representative who voted against giving the President a free hand to conduct war. <http://www.bradley.edu/las/soc/soc/classes/soc100/01valt18.html>
"A Dossier on Civilian Victims of United States' Aerial Bombing of Afghanistan: A Comprehensive Accounting" Professor Marc W. Herold of the University of New Hampshire prepared this dossier from a daily analysis of reports from the world press and from international aid organizations and other observers. http://www.democracynow.org/thndtrmb.doc
Also available is Herold's spreadsheet showing details of the death count, with locations, weapons used and information sources. http://pubpages.unh.edu/~mwherold.
"A Century of U.S. Military Interventions" A list of undeclared wars and U.S. military expeditions over the last hundred years. <http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/resources/index.html>
