September 11, 2001
Political analysis unfolds following Tuesday's attacks
By Jennifer McNulty
As U.S. leaders denounced the attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., as "an
act of war," political experts on campus urged restraint, saying the underlying
causes of Tuesday's deadly terrorist strikes must be addressed if there is any hope
of restoring the nation's security.
"There is enormous pressure to attack somebody, somewhere, but I have very
serious doubts that the use of military force would have the desired effect, and
it could have disastrous consequences for foreign relations," said Ronnie Lipschutz,
associate professor of politics at UCSC, who specializes in international relations
and global security issues.
Although the Bush administration appears to have set its sights on eliminating nonstate
organizations that are challenging the power of states, Lipschutz cautioned against
creating martyrs and inflaming public opinion.
"When you cut off the head of an organization, you don't necessarily kill the
organism," he warned. "You create a situation of anarchy in which there
is no leadership. Replacements rise up, and they may not be as rich or as canny,
but they will be every bit as troublesome."
"I know it will be politically impossible, but I would counsel waiting,"
he said.
Alan Richards, a professor of environmental studies and an expert on the political
economy of the Middle East, has been a frequent consultant to the State Department
and the Department of Defense on Middle Eastern affairs during the past 10 years.
He shared Lipschutz's concern that terrorist forces are hard to expunge.
"When you blow up the World Trade Center and hit the Pentagon, you're sending
a message that the United States is not invulnerable," said Richards. "And
you do that to embolden your followers and set a heroic example."
Americans, he added, like "quick fixes," but the deep historical roots
that underlie Tuesday's tragedy will defy "a John Wayne ending."
"The hatred toward the United States in the Arab and Muslim world is very much
related to our perceived bias toward Israel," he said. "There's so much
tinder that has been laid up over so many years--unemployment, lack of opportunities,
and the list goes on--and there has been a perceived consistent series of affronts
from Israel and the United States."
Referring to terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden, a potential suspect behind Tuesday's
carnage, Richards noted that he has not always been an enemy of the United States.
"He became an enemy of the United States in 1990 when we sent troops to Saudi
Arabia as part of Operation Desert Shield," said Richards. "So it was the
Gulf War, our connections to Israel, and the perception that we were responsible
for keeping the screws on Iraq--causing huge hardships for the people there--and
that we have done little to nothing to restrain the Israelis. . . . Actions have
consequences. This didn't just come out of nowhere."
The loss of life Tuesday and the emotional impact of the attacks on such prominent
symbols of American economic and military power are hard to stomach, said Lipschutz.
"No other country in the world is challenging the United States, but there are
these guys out there doing this," marveled Lipschutz. "What kind of nerve
do these guys have? The United States is the most powerful nation in the world, and
with apparent impunity, these guys do this. It's humiliation." Yet Lipschutz
emphasized that the perpetrators "don't have the power to bring down the United
States. They don't have the force. In the grand scheme of things, this is a kick
in the shin."
Rather, he urged, Americans should be asking themselves what the United States has
done to make its enemies "so mad at us."
"This was not an irrational act," he said. "This was a very political
act. It was well-planned and well thought-out."
The United States could--and should--choose to exercise its enormous power in nonmilitary
ways, such as political coalition-building, multilateralism, and "good works,"
emphasized Lipschutz. "I disagree with people who say morals and ethics have
no place in international politics," he said.
