The United States is at a unique position in history as it enjoys unparalleled military strength, the world’s strongest economy, and immeasurable international influence throughout the world. We have attained this position and defeated our enemies because our ideas were consistently better than our foes. America has done more to protect freedom, promote democracy, and establish free markets in the world than any other nation. We share an international commitment to protect the basic human rights of individuals throughout the world. While some might call this an unnecessary burden that we bear, it is our commitment to unleashing the power of individuals that is our greatest protection from rogue dictators and terrorists. In the end, people understand that our ideas are better, and it is only the radicals that do not adhere to rationale thought that misunderstand our motives.
Congress is the legislative branch of the American national government and plays an important role in national security. In Article I of the Constitution, Congress is charged with the duty to “provide for the common Defense and general welfare of the United States.” This includes the power to declare war; with this incredible power Congress must not only support the troops that it sends to war, but plays a critical role in the oversight of foreign policy and military action. This oversight may seem to be a method of “grandstanding” to some; however, it is the responsibility of the Congress to ensure that the powers of the President and the power of the purse are kept in check regardless of whether the United States has declared a state of War.
To defend our Nation, Congress should ensure that the United States uses all resources at its disposal, and we severely reduce our options when we act unilaterally or fail to weigh all of our diplomatic, economic, and military options. The international community is uniquely situated with all of the major powers on the same side and existing in peace rather than preparing for war. All of the countries face the same violent, chaotic threats posed by terrorists, and we can and should use this to help build common threads that promote security around the globe. When our partners in this war on terror localize the threats to themselves or the United States, we need to ensure they have the military, law enforcement, political, and financial tools necessary. The war against terrorism is a global enterprise with no end in sight, and we cannot continue this war without support from our allies in the form of intelligence, criminal prosecution, military support, and diplomatic assistance.
It is imperative that the United States join with other governments around the world to work through intelligence, law enforcement, military, financial, and diplomatic channels to identify, disrupt, capture, or kill individual terrorists. A complex international terrorist operation aimed at launching a catastrophic attack cannot be mounted by just anyone in any place. Such operations require planning, reconnaissance, logistics support, training, secure communications, and a group to execute the plan, and it is imperative that the United States and its allies try to thwart terrorists at each level of their planning. Prior to September 11th, terrorists lived in the United States and conducted training within our borders. Following the attacks, terrorists were forced to find sanctuary by fleeing to some of the least governed, most lawless places in the world. We must seek, identify, and prioritize potential terrorist sanctuaries in order to keep possible terrorists insecure and on the run, using all elements of national power with the support of the international community.
The United States faces its biggest threats from extremism in those areas disconnected from the modern world. Currently, those areas that are the most disconnected are Muslim and African nations, and the greatest immediate threats to the United States exist in those countries moving from the disconnected to the connected world.
We must actively work to improve our position with this group of people. We have a long and distinguished list of success working with and supporting people of the Islamic faith, and we should not be ashamed to continue our support and defense of all oppressed people. We know that our ideals are worth defending, and they are universal to all people throughout the world regardless of origin or religion. To help improve our relationships, the United States should also rebuild scholarship and exchange programs that were suspended following the attacks of September 11th. This offer of knowledge and hope to young people is still desired in the Muslim world, and where such assistance is provided, it should be identified as coming from the United States and its citizens who want to actively participate in the growth and development of communities throughout the world without regard for race or religion.
Promoting Freedom and Governance
Historically, we know that no two nations with a functioning democracy have gone to war with one another because there is no added value to going to war with another nation-state that promotes economic and political freedoms. As nations become closer in technology, trade, and ideas, the likelihood of war significantly diminishes. Therefore, we should actively try to extend the benefits of freedom and good governance to those who are impoverished, plagued by weak and corrupt institutions, or oppressed by those with power. We know now that weak states like Afghanistan can pose as great a danger to our nation as strong states. The internal strife surrounding failed states are now the breeding ground for radicals, terrorists, and criminals – making it imperative for us to actively support the rule of law and good governance in these states.
The leaders and governments of states are not the only causes for failure in states. The lack of education in failed and failing states prevents the development of their economies and accountability of their governments. The United States should continue to support educational opportunities in order to better support their economies and the development of their governments. One key ingredient that can be measured is literacy especially in it women; it is needed to support basic human dignity and is the foundation of a civil society. The United States can help eliminate illiteracy with the support of the international community through the support of basics, such as textbooks that translate the knowledge of the world into local languages. Providing this knowledge to the people, promotes education that teaches tolerance, the value of the individual, vocational and trade skills, and basic responsibilities of leaders in business and government.
Transforming the Security Establishment
While the role of the United States in international affairs is extremely important, we must also seek to transform the security establishment to better defend against the shadowy networks where terrorists operate. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security was a start in the right direction, but there are still significant changes that need to occur to eliminate bureaucracy and redundancy. The current structure of the Department of Homeland Security brought several new agencies under one roof, but it placed a new level of bureaucracy over all of the agencies without eliminating middle and upper management of the current agencies. These added levels will continue to slow the transfer of information and the consolidation of information for the defense of the United States.
Controlling the flow of people and products across the borders of the United States is imperative to the security of the United States. The Department of Homeland Security in conjunction with those in charge of immigration must develop a policy that both decreases a demand for illegal immigration and promotes entry and exit into the United States legally. By decreasing the number of people that desire to enter the United States illegally, the Department of Homeland Security can focus on those who have to enter illegally because they have been flagged as a threat to the United States rather than sifting through the significant numbers of illegal immigrants who do not pose a threat to our nation. Integrating technology into the border security system will also enhance our security by more effectively identifying people that should be denied entry into the United States especially when combined with a biometric screening system that links data between passports, immigration, and criminal databases throughout the world. The U.S. government cannot meet its own obligations to the American people to prevent the entry of terrorists without a major effort to collaborate with other governments. The United States should do more to exchange terrorist information with trusted allies, and raise U.S. and global border security standards for travel from all countries, including our allies.
The security establishment needs reform not just in the organizations that act within our borders, but also the organizations that act outside our borders, especially the Defense and State Departments. These organizations have grown into their own entities with their own agendas that are sustained through bureaucratic inertia. Congress must actively restrain their spending, growth, and monolithic size until they can effectively and accurately pursue a coherent policy for the United States. The United States has the resources and the people, but the government must use them more effectively by unifying intelligence collection and analysis, integrating foreign and domestic counterterrorism efforts, and strengthening the role of Congressional oversight into the activities of the intelligence agencies and defense department.
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