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September
11, 2002
Fighting
Terrorism: The Way Ahead
Speech by Michael Guest, U.S. Ambassador to Romania
Cotroceni Palace
September 11, 2002
Today
is a difficult day of remembrance. Last year's tragic terrorist
attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon seem distant.
And yet even the approach of this anniversary has brought them
to mind as we relive the tragedy that gripped the world one year
ago today.
Immediately after the attacks, some newspapers in the United States
published brief biographies of each of the thousands of innocent
victims of these crimes -- a graphic reminder of the magnitude
of talent and promise that was taken from the world that day.
We should long recall their faces, and their names will forever
be etched on a heroes' roll of honor. But a year later, the most
fitting tribute to them is to ensure that such attacks can never
again succeed - that the terrorism we witnessed a year ago today
can no longer threaten our planet.
I thank you, Mr. President, for organizing this conference. You
have been steadfast in your support in the war against terrorism,
as have the Romanian Government and people. For that I thank you,
on behalf of my government. I hope that our discussions this morning
will point to common themes that unite not only our two countries,
but the world community, in recognizing the threat of terrorism
to the very foundations of our civilization.
I also hope that our discussions will reinforce the sense of unity
and resolve that has made the international community's response
to the events of last year so effective. In that regard, it's
important to recall what the world has accomplished to bring justice
for the victims, accountability for the perpetrators, and greater
security for all of us.
The most visible progress has been in Afghanistan, of course.
The Taliban, which provided haven to al-Qaida, has been routed.
Al-Qaida's leadership has been destroyed - even if elements of
that leadership still exist. American, Romanian and other forces
are assuring that Afghanistan no longer exports terrorism. And
international peacekeeping forces are helping Afghanistan rebuild
- offering its people the liberties they had been denied -- and
offering the region and, quite frankly, the world, a brighter,
more secure future.
In parallel, we are tracking terrorist assets, and freezing them.
We are reinforcing our borders against those who would destroy,
and against the arms and other equipment needed to carry out their
plots. And we are sharing rumors and intelligence that, pieced
together, can prevent the needless deaths of innocent civilians.
All of this is being accomplished through an unparalleled sense
of international solidarity and resolve. The UN has garnered the
international community through a series of action-focused measures.
Groups as disparate as the Organization of the Islamic Conference,
the Organization of American States, and NATO have been involved.
So have a cavalcade of individual countries - wider than the coalition
that fought together in World War II, and in some ways more purposeful
than those that stood together during the Cold War.
Why such solidarity? Maybe we've come to recognize that, whatever
our cultural and religious divides, we are all human - and our
aspirations are, in some fundamental way, the same. We know that
terrorist acts are meant to destabilize, and to kill. We know
the scope of their destruction is not limited by borders or by
convention. We understand that their targets can be indiscriminate.
And we know that there can be no neutrality in the fight for our
shared civilization.
The past year's accomplishments in the war against terrorism are
impressive. But the question we all hear now is "what next?" Generally
the question is framed with reference to Iraq - for good reason,
given its past and present behavior. As you know, the United States
is consulting with other countries on this issue. But just as
terrorism is by nature a global issue, rather than a geographic
one, so the question of "what next?" must be approached at a conference
like this more broadly.
First and foremost, we cannot allow the progress in Afghanistan
to wither. For more than two decades, Afghanistan has been a source
of repression for its people, and instability for the entire world.
How very strange that such a remote and rocky terrain could be
such fertile ground for hatred! Afghanistan now has a chance,
if our attention does not flag. I know from our commanders on
the ground what a terrific job Romania's men and women in uniform
are doing, serving side by side with America's finest soldiers.
And I'm amazed to see the progress in building a new government
that responds to the needs of Afghanistan's long-beleaguered people.
Our commitment to Afghanistan must continue -- not only to rid
the region of instability, but to consolidate a stronger and constructive
government that can ensure that Afghanistan never again exports
terror.
Second, and in parallel, we should examine our national and trans-national
structures to determine how to prevent and contain terrorism without
fundamentally altering the open and democratic nature that is
at the heart of our modern society. The attacks of 9/11 were driven
by a fundamentalist hatred of the openness, tolerance, and mutual
respect at the heart of our modern society. Our response to September
11 cannot come at the expense of who we are, and of the values
we hold. And so the decisions we take are critically important:
how to protect our borders, while encouraging travel and exchanges;
how to enhance the security of our global trade and banking systems,
without strangling world commerce; how to exclude extremism while
growing and benefiting from diversity of views.
As a child, I was fond of a little toy called the Rubik's cube.
Surely you've seen it - a small cube of multiple colors, the object
being to turn and twist the cube's components so as to make each
side of the cube a single color. We don't need to be a "one-color
society." But we do need to examine what I believe are the strengths
of our society - to turn the cube upside down, and to think of
how the terrorists of today and tomorrow might try to make weaknesses
of our strengths. Fulfilling the various UN resolutions regarding
financial transactions is part of that effort. So is examining
the safety of air travel, and of the delivery of products. Some
of these efforts can be carried out bilaterally; others regionally,
through groupings of states such as those found in SECI, which
is based here in Bucharest. Eventually, however, they must be
carried out on a wider international scale to be truly effective.
That leads to a third point. We'll no doubt discover, through
examining our structures, that there are threats and deficiencies
to address. But in addressing them, it's important to sustain
our common will. That's critical, whether the problem to be addressed
is functional in nature - such as banking transfers and false
foundations - or legal. And yes, in some cases we may find that
the source of instability isn't the system, but a particular state
-- whether Iraq or another. But most of our common effort will
be less about sending troops than about closing loopholes and
reforming institutions, to ensure that terrorists find nowhere
to hide.
Finally, as we work together, we need to understand how success
in the war against terrorism can be defined. In life, some individuals
are more ambitious than others. But in addressing the terrorist
threat, there really can't be a low bar to clear. Look at what
happened in my country on September 11. Any individual or group
responsible for such ambitiously destructive feats cannot be stopped
by minimalist measures, or by a half-hearted response. The scale
and devastation of the September 11 attacks are, in that sense,
the most convincing argument for a stringent coalition response.
I don't know that we can agree today on what will define success
in this effort to preserve, in fact, our way of life. But I would
suggest to you three points:
First, one measure of success must be the full implementation
of UN Resolution 1373, to render as difficult as possible the
funding of terrorist networks.
A second measure of success will be found in how we strengthen
our national infrastructures to fight terrorism, and how our international
cooperation is improved on a regular, sustained basis.
Finally, we really can claim success only when terrorism no longer
is considered a legitimate form of political expression. That
means a change of mentality - something that the events of a year
ago today already have empowered.
There will be benchmarks all along, and achievements to note and
celebrate. But until we assure the security of our institutions,
facilities, and global connections, our task will not be complete.
Mr. President, a year ago, the world watched in horror as the
World Trade Center -- a symbol not only of America, but also of
human accomplishment -- imploded. One year later, the World Trade
Center is a symbol of a different sort: the symbol of a cause
that we cannot, and will not, lose. The twin towers collapsed,
but they have given us their strength. Together in remembrance,
we will never forget those whose lives were lost. United in resolve,
we will persevere. We will win this fight. Nothing less than our
future is at stake.
Remarks
Of The President Bush To Commemorate September 11th
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"One
year later " >>
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