Indonesia:
Its initiatives with respect to ethnic minorities, rule
of law, and accepting open markets "allows U.S. assistance
to make a difference."
Western Hemisphere
Violence engendered by "drug cartels and their accomplices...imperil
the health and security of the United States." Links between
"terrorist and extremist groups ... and drug trafficking
activities" in Colombia are specifically mentioned.
Africa:. "Disease,
war, and desperate poverty" are threats to "a core value
of the United States -- preserving human dignity -- and
our strategic priority -- combating global terror." U.S.
efforts, in consonance with European allies, will be directed
to "strengthen Africa's fragile states, help build indigenous
capability to secure porous borders, and help build up
the law enforcement and intelligence infrastructure to
deny havens for terrorists." Beyond this, the United States
will rely on "countries with major impact" to act as "anchors
for regional engagement," coordinate with European allies
and international institutions" on mediation and peace
operations, and strengthen Africa's sub-regional organizations.
Comment: It is
true that most problems can only be solved by the parties
involved and only when all sides are ready to solve them.
It is also true that the U.S. has limited resources. But
for the two most serious challenges to peace, Israel-Palestine
and India-Pakistan -- the NSS statement seems more muted
than the situations warrant. One has the sense that, since
these struggles are not directly germane to the global
war on terror, they are not as critical as are the other
areas. But even in Africa, which contains many potential
havens for terrorists, the U.S. involvement is couched
in remote terms. Here the United States will rely on "anchor
states" (as Iran under the Shah was in the Persian Gulf)
and on European allies, international institutions, and
sub-regional African organizations. Apparently, most of
the U.S. "limited resources" are reserved for the "war
on terror," for the entire regional conflicts section
comprises only two and a half pages.
This
analysis was prepared by Col. Dan Smith, U.S. Army (Ret.).
Dan, a West Point graduate and Vietnam veteran, is FCNL's
Senior Fellow on Military Affairs.
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