[iwar] [fc:U.S..Campaign.On.A.Second.Front:.Public.Opinion]

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2001-10-31 05:16:39
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From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net>
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Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 05:16:39 -0800 (PST)
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New York Times
October 31, 2001
U.S. Campaign On A Second Front: Public Opinion
By Michael R. Gordon and Eric Schmitt
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is planning to
leave this week for Russia and nations near Afghanistan as the Bush
administration strives to hold together its coalition for the military
campaign against Osama bin Laden and the Taliban government that protects
him.
The United States has deployed 1,000 Army troops, as well as special
operations forces, in Uzbekistan, a move that Mr. Rumsfeld helped arrange on
a previous trip. Now the military may need more cooperation from Central
Asian states to keep up military pressure on the Taliban, support the
Northern Alliance and continue its search for Mr. bin Laden.
Gen. Tommy R. Franks, the head of the United States Central Command, met
today with Uzbek leaders and later said American military activity there
might "change from day to day and from week to week."
Carl Levin, a Democrat of Michigan who is chairman of the Senate Armed
Services Committee, said in an interview that the arrangements the United
States has for bases in the region for its commandos might not be adequate
and that it might have to add special operations forces in Central Asia. It
will take time, Mr. Levin said, to strengthen the American military presence
in the region for future phases of the campaign.
Mr. Rumsfeld's travels will come after more than three weeks of bombing
across Afghanistan and a commando raid near Kandahar, a Taliban stronghold.
The Taliban has proved to be a more tenacious opponent than the Pentagon had
hoped, prompting prominent lawmakers here to advocate ways to increase the
pressure, including the more extensive use of special operations forces and
even major ground units.
Even as the Pentagon searches for ways to intensify pressure on the Taliban,
there has also been growing unease in Pakistan and other Islamic nations
over the continuing toll of civilian casualties as the United States
conducts day and night bombing against Afghanistan.
Even Britain, the United States' staunchest supporter and the sole nation
whose forces are participating with the United States in combat operations,
has been concerned that the allies may lose the battle for international
public opinion in the Islamic world and even in Western Europe.
Defense Minister Geoff Hoon of Britain, who met Mr. Rumsfeld and other top
officials here today, suggested that Washington slow the air campaign in the
Muslim holy month of Ramadan to avoid further strains in the anti-Taliban
coalition.
"I think we should indicate to the states in the region that we are taking
account of Ramadan," he told reporters before the meeting.
Mr. Hoon said the allies should not say in advance exactly how they plan to
treat Ramadan to keep the Taliban off balance and make it hard for them to
regroup in any lull in the bombing. But the British clearly think that one
way to address Pakistan's concerns would be to reduce the pace of the
bombing without stopping it entirely.
"His idea was to slow it down, but keep the Taliban guessing,"
Representative Christopher Shays, Republican of Connecticut, said after
meeting Mr. Hoon. "He didn't want to give them a blank check for a month."
Mr. Shays, who heads the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National
Security, said Mr. Hoon had indicated that public opinion in Britain was
beginning to swing against the war, driven in large measure by the
increasing reports of civilian bombing casualties.
"I was emphasizing that we're at war, that we're in a race against
terrorists," Mr. Shays said after talking with Mr. Hoon. "His response was
that the tone was changing in Britain, and he wanted us to be aware of it.
He was expressing a cautionary note. He was also taking our temperature."
Mr. Rumsfeld has previously argued that the United States should continue
its airstrikes during Ramadan, citing the need to suppress terrorist attacks
and historical instances in which Islamic nations have waged war during the
holy days.
"Needless to say, the Taliban and Al Qaeda are unlikely to take a holiday,"
Mr. Rumsfeld said on Monday. "And given the fact that they have killed
thousands of Americans and people from 50 or 60 other countries and given
the fact that they have sworn to continue such attacks, we have an
obligation to defend the American people, and we intend to work diligently
to do that."
With Mr. Hoon by his side today, Mr. Rumsfeld said Washington would be
respectful of the religious sensitivities of Islamic nations but declined to
elaborate.
Mr. Hoon's proposal on Ramadan reflects sensitivity to crucial Islamic
allies like Pakistan, as well as public opinion in Europe.
In the United States, some seem increasingly frustrated by the slow pace of
the military campaign, and conservative politicians have begun to talk about
escalating it by using ground forces on a larger scale. In Britain and other
European countries, however, public opinion seemed headed in the other
direction. The European public appears more concerned about civilian
casualties than ending the war swiftly.
"People are starting to wonder where does this way of waging war bring us?"
a Western diplomat said today, referring to European sentiment. "There are
no evident results. There are no big Taliban leaders captured or killed. And
the collateral damage doesn't make nice pictures in the newspapers. I just
don't know what's been achieved."
In Wales, Prime Minister Tony Blair sought to bolster support for what he
called "a principled conflict," urging his audience, the National Assembly
in Cardiff, to "never forget" the horror of the attacks on Sept. 11.
Mr. Hoon presented the British views today in meetings with Mr. Rumsfeld;
the national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice; Deputy Secretary of State
Richard L. Armitage; and senior lawmakers. However gentle, Mr. Hoon's
remarks in private and in public amounted to a call to shift to a new phase
of the war.
Although the United States has been engaged in around-the-clock bombing in
an effort to crack the Taliban, Mr. Hoon argued for a more varied and,
occasionally, more limited use of air power. Airstrikes would not
necessarily be relentless, and they would be one element of a long-term
campaign that would use commando operations and support for the Northern
Alliance.
"It is important that we are not predictable and that this is a way we will
maintain pressure," Mr. Hoon told reporters this morning. "There should be
period of intense activity. There should be period of lesser activity. There
may well be periods over the winter in which you cannot detect any activity.
But I assure you some will be taking place."
Some British military officers have been even more pointed. Adm. Sir Michael
Boyce, the chief of the British defense staff, has said the allies should
gird for a methodical campaign that might last as long as three or four
years.
Brig. Roger Lane, the officer in charge of the Royal Marines, which London
has earmarked for the conflict in Afghanistan, has warned that they should
not be rushed into battle because they need several weeks of added training
and because the United States lacks good intelligence on targets in
Afghanistan.
"We will be ready when suitable targets have been identified," Brigadier
Lane said last weekend. "We do not want to be too hasty."
In Russia, Mr. Rumsfeld will meet Defense Minister Sergei B. Ivanov and
discuss joint efforts against terrorism, the military campaign and the
effort to forge an agreement on missile defense and strategic arms. Russia
is supplying arms to the Northern Alliance and retains considerable
influence in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, former Soviet republics that border
Afghanistan.
In Asia, Mr. Rumsfeld is widely expected to discuss the military campaign
and requirements in the region, including additional access to bases in
Central Asia. The Pentagon has also acknowledged that it is considering
establishing a temporary base in Afghanistan.
"In the Persian Gulf," Senator Levin said, "it took four or five months
before we were ready to move, and it will take time before we have force in
place to make the move here."

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