[iwar] [fc:THE.OPEN.SOCIETY.IMPLICATIONS.OF.A.WAR.AGAINST.TERRORISM]

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2001-09-20 20:37:37
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From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net>
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Subject: [iwar] [fc:THE.OPEN.SOCIETY.IMPLICATIONS.OF.A.WAR.AGAINST.TERRORISM]
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THE OPEN SOCIETY IMPLICATIONS OF A WAR AGAINST TERRORISM
A EurasiaNet Commentary
The September 11 attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon
in Washington presents as grave a threat to the concept of Open Society as
those posed by Nazi Germany and Soviet Communism.
The scope and the nature of the terrorist strikes against American targets
are certainly sufficient to justify a comprehensive military response by the
United States. But in considering retaliation, the United States must think
twice about how its actions will impact individual liberties at home, as
well as the potential for civil society development in regions that stand to
be affected by armed action, in particular Central Asia and the Caucasus.
There is a significant risk that the United States, in moving to avenge the
assault against democratic values, could unintentionally fuel totalitarian
trends in Central Asia and the Caucasus. The decisions of US planners should
not provide repressive-minded regimes with carte blanche to impose a total
clampdown on society - all under the guise of waging war against terrorism.
Complicating matters for Central Asia is the fact that terrorism has widely
been conflated with Islam.
The Islamic threat in Central Asia is embodied by radical groups, especially
the Hizb-ut-Tahrir and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), which is
waging an insurgent campaign to oust Uzbek President Islam Karimov. The IMU,
in turn, reportedly has close ties to the Taliban, who control 90 percent of
Afghanistan's territory. Central Asian authorities, especially those in
Uzbekistan, have utilized Islamic radicalism to justify an increasingly
brutal crackdown on freedom of expression and worship. It has reached the
point in Uzbekistan that any expression of Islamic beliefs not explicitly
sanctioned by the state is regarded as a potential security threat by
officials.
Many international observers, however, lay much of the blame for unrest on
governmental malfeasance. Specifically, the failure of officials to address
pressing economic development challenges is fueling discontent. The
inability to express dissatisfaction in the political realm is likewise
causing people to turn to radical Islam to vent their frustrations. Thus the
action, or inaction, of local authorities is the prime factor in the
region's downward spiral towards instability.
As it goes about forging an anti-terrorism alliance, the United States will
doubtless court the support of Central Asian states, given their strategic
proximity to Afghanistan. In dealing with Central Asia, the United States
should not lose sight of these root causes of existing discontent in the
region. 
If the sources of unrest in Central Asia continue to go unaddressed, a whole
new set of security threats could arise. To avoid undesired consequences,
the United States should take care to articulate that its goal of winning a
war against terrorism does not imply support for authoritarian practices.
The United States has framed the fight against terrorism in moral terms --
as a struggle between good and evil. The country certainly has experience in
waging such moral crusades, and Americans have repeatedly demonstrated the
ability to persevere when the cause is considered just.
During the past 150 years, American democratic ideals have prevailed over
those who advocated slavery, fascism and communism. However, the looming war
against terrorism promises to be different from any previous moral war.
Unlike the American Civil War, World War II and the Cold War, the enemy may
not be so easy to identify. The enemy can't be found on a well-defined
territory. Indeed, the enemy can also be a neighbor.
In such a struggle, where the battle lines are vague, there is immense
pressure to restrict individual rights. Remember, Abraham Lincoln authorized
the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus during the Civil War, allowing
the Union government to imprison citizens indefinitely without due process.
Some measures may be necessary to enable the US government to enhance its
domestic intelligence gathering capabilities. Officials may need to curtail
some individual liberties for the sake of enhanced public security. But in
considering such measures, the US government must proceed judiciously.
Decisions should not be rooted in a spasm of knee-jerk reaction.
In the fight against terrorism, the principles of an Open Society should be
viewed as a strength and not as a weakness. An Open Society helps foster the
flexibility and initiative needed to overcome the challenges that will
doubtless arise in the prosecution of anti-terrorism efforts.
For more than two centuries, the United States has often been looked up to
by other nations hoping to emulate the democratic ideals enshrined in the US
Constitution. This fact imposes an enormous burden on the US government. To
achieve the twin objectives of defending democratic values and crushing the
terrorist scourge, the United States must be concerned not just with the
ends, but also with the means of waging a war against terrorists

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