The Carrot and Stick Approach

Libya, and Col Qadhafi, is by no means America's greatest friend. Col Qadhafi has personally ordered numerous terrorist attacks, including the 1988 bombing of a Pam Am flight over Lockerbie Scotland. As a strong believer that the US needs to stand strong against terrorism, why then do I applaud this move by the US?

Because it shows us the War on Terror is working. If you had asked me in 2000 what states were the largest sponsors of terrorism, I would have answered Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Libya. Strike two state sponsors of terrorism to military action. Which leaves Iran, Syria, and Libya.

Iran remains belligerent. Syria has been making baby steps, pulling out of Lebanon and attempting to stem the flow of foreign fighters across their border in Iraq. While these measures by Syria show some willingness to join the international community of civilized nations, they are not enough. Libya, on the other hand, has seen the light.

Col Qadhafi's decision to renounce his WMD program, even though the West had no solid evidence of illegal weapons, and thus had not applied pressure on him to disarm, caught many by surprise. Examining Libyan nuclear weapons research, US intelligence analysts discovered they were far more advanced than previously believed. Why would a dictator who was successfully hiding his WMD come clean?

The answer is obvious. For the first time in modern history, America has a president that is serious about confronting terrorists and rogue states. Bill Clinton responded to Al Qaeda's twin bombings of US embassies by firing missiles at a camp in Afghanistan, but took no further action when it was discovered that Bin Laden was not hurt in the attack. And his response to a failed assassination attempt by Iraq against a former president of the United States was... firing missiles. It may have come as a surprise to America, but the rogue nations of the world already knew that no country has ever fallen to missiles alone. Without the threat of boots on the ground, all America could do was talk loudly and carry a very small stick.

With the successful overthrow of two rogue states and sponsors of terrorism, Libya knew that America was no longer the paper tiger of the West. Bush's foreign policy had teeth. Given the carrot of renewed trade and the stick of serious military action, Col Qadhafi's decision makes perfect sense. This is the power diplomacy that is understood by Arab culture, and this is evidence that the world is, despite CNN's insistence to the contrary, becoming a safer place.

Labels: libya, terrorism

Permalink