For American to win this war on terrorism, it must have a comprehensive plan. Most importantly, it needs to rewrite its rules on engagement with terrorists, both at home and abroad. The statutary framework based on current law is outmoded. It needs to remove obstacles that impede its operations to eliminate terrorists and terrorist suspects. Currently, it is restrained and curtailed by its righteous principles and limited by the need to be transparent in all dealings. The greatest weapons fighting terrorism is secrecy and covert operations.
The current justice system of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ cannot be accorded to terrorist suspects or terrorists planning an attack. To apply such rules, it may be fatal and too late. It is impossible to prove an intention to ‘terrorise’ in court. It is time for politicians to justify that it is better to erroneously jail a few innocent person than to put thousands of innocent lives in harm way. American should adopt the Singapore style ISA and jail potential terrorist without trial.
America needs to create an anti-terrorist agency solely for the purpose to conduct secret and covert operations worldwide to eliminate and destroy terrorists. This agency is answerable only to the President. The agency must have the tentacles to reach even the remotest corner of the world. Agents must have the stealth to penetrate the core of the terrorist networks. It must have financial strength to conduct complex operations deep behind enemy position, hire and deploy network of informants and agents to achieve its mission objective. In no times a worldwide group of bounty hunters will emerged on this agency payroll. These mercenary hunters will be paid commensurate with the status of the terrorists compromised or eliminated. News coverage of all operation should not be allowed.
America is already involved in two wars. It cannot afford to go to Yemen, Sudan, Somalia or Ethiopia to open new fronts. It will be bankrupted by these costly wars. An anti-terrorist agency will be far more flexible, less costly and effective than to send in conventional army. Secret operations will reduce collateral damages and killing of innocents. American soldiers need not die in vain too.
The use of UAVs and drones should be increased. Using drones enable targets deep in extreme terrain to be destroyed. Striking the targets constantly can ‘terrorise’ the terrorists, in turn demoralise the ranks and files. This also disrupts their bases and denies them from secured bases for training and planning attacks. In order to achieve this, more local agents are needed to provide intelligence and they should be rewarded handsomely for the info provided.
Across the Muslim world from Pakistan to Yemen, loyalty to tribal rulers has been a norm since time immemorial. Historically, these tribes or clans are more loyal to clans than to their countries. Inter tribes or clan rivalries are common. This is where covert operations can exploit rivalries to gain cooperation to help in anti terrorist operations by providing valuable intelligence or secured sites for Special Forces to carry out secret operations. Ironically, that was how US help the tribal Afghanis defeated the occupying Soviet army. If the price is right, certainly there will be takers to do the dirty job for America.
In the non-Muslim free world countries where terrorist cells exist, special and covert operations must neutralise known terrorists. As arresting and charging these terrorists by western judicial system can be fruitless, an alternative is to have secret squads to make them “disappear”. High profile and radical clerics too can be made to “disappear”. American can learn this skill from former “police states” of Soviet Union or East Germany. With enough of disappearing radicals, no one will dare to flout the rule of freedom of speech?
America politicians need to muster political will to create special law to fight terrorism. The law should exempt American and indemnify itself for any human right abuses. Protecting human right and freedom of speech should be completely ignored where fighting against terrorism is concerned. American must acknowledges that it cannot provide human rights protection to those committed to American destruction.
Congress and the Senate must muster the courage to unilaterally denouncing human rights for terrorists and stop berating the world on human rights. It needs to change its mindset that every human is entitled to justice. That is naively stupid. Do the perpetrators of 9/11 deserve human right protection? It is for American to justify such stand to NGOs that champions human rights. For America to make a U turn on this principle and ideal that has championed for so long and fundamentally so dear to America, is, I think almost an impossible call. But if a few more 9/11 hit American, then America will realise it have no choice.
In other non-Muslim free world countries where terrorist cells do exist, special and covert operations must neutralise known terrorists. As charging these terrorists by western judicial system will be fruitless, it is better to have secret squad to make them “disappear”. High profile and radical clerics too can be made to “disappear”. American can learn this skill from former “police states” of Soviet Union or East Germany. With enough of disappearing radicals, no one will dare to flout the rule of freedom of speech.
On its own home ground, radical clerics are preaching ‘jihad’ against American using the internet technology as well as sermons in parks and mosques. It is preaching hatred and alienating Muslims against non-Muslims. Unfortunately, these people are protected by American freedom of speech and religion. American law makers should repeal this law. All these activities should be banned and those that continue preaching hatred and ‘jihad’ against the west should be locked up. Perhaps American should follow Singapore ISA. By acting this way, it also encourages and motivates all its allies in Europe and the rest of the world to adopt the same stand. I can bet you, all this radical clerics will disappear in no time.
On the internet, web sites on ‘jihad’ should be censured or shut. Service providers are to ensure that or else their licences will be revoked. Special intelligence officers should tapped phones of potential terrorists and monitor and scrutinise the internet. With modern technology, it should be able to trawl for sympathisers, radical converts as well as terrorist perpetrators. America needs to learn that many countries who adopt these anti-terrorism measures are far more effective in capturing terrorists.
The most effective means to eliminate terrorists is secrecy and covert actions. Terrorists operated under the same mode too. American too often is bogged down by negatives news media reports and excessively high numbers of commentaries from ‘experts’. When the war is debated on TV too often, public support wanes. Many operations are also hampered and restricted due to the need for transparency. It is time for American to hide behind the curtain of transparency just like the terrorists hiding behind the skirts of women and the sanctity of the mosques.
Terrorists need funding, weapons, and human capital. Coverts operations to limit and disrupt the flow of funds and weapons can choke off the terrorist life line. Following this trails also lead to valuable leads and intelligence.
From the political perspective, America must work hard to create a two states solution in the Israeli Palestinian conflict. It has to stand up to Israel and not allowed to be arm twisted by the powerful Jewish lobby in US. If that can be achieved, American can prove its impartiality and will win worldwide Muslim support. Then the moderate Muslims will not be perceived as American lackey when they isolate and denounce Muslim radicals like Al-Qaeda.
On foreign policies, America must adopt principle of mutual respect for others culture, tradition and religion. It must not assume the role of guardian of moral principles and enforce America’s ideals on others. America must acknowledge that nation take time to evolve, just like America itself. How one nation chooses to manage its citizen is that nation’s prerogatives. Whether it is stoning, caning or hanging, it is not America business. Whatever political process one nation chooses, or if the nations mistreat its own citizens, they too are not America business. That way, America can get even rogue government to cooperate on anti-terrorism.
So Obama, please bring home all your soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan. It is doomed the same way as Vietnam as this war is unwinable. All America need to do is to change tactics. Any tactics is better than conventional war.
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