The United States cannot win the war against terrorism through military force alone, said General Wesley K. Clark, former Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. Clark spoke to the Georgetown community on Tuesday about the characteristics of modern warfare and the tactics necessary to win the war against terrorism.
In his remarks to a crowded ICC Auditorium, Clark said that the war in Afghanistan is a “modern war,” unlike any wars that have been previously fought.
“Something is different here. This is not World War II; this is not D-Day; this is not Pearl Harbor. We cannot win this war with bombs and bullets alone,” Clark said.
Clark stressed the importance of using diplomacy in the fight against terrorism, which he said is not only a military battle, but a struggle of ideas and principles which may be more powerful than any weapons. While weapons may temporarily solve problems, Clark said, diplomacy is the only tool that is able to identify and remedy the root of the problem.
“The strongest force in the world is an idea whose time has come,” Clark said.
Clark noted the importance of understanding the circumstances that led up to the war on terrorism. He specifically noted the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War as catalysts for the current global position of the United States.
“When the United States lost its adversary, it lost its strategy,” Clark said.
Clark explained that due to a period of prosperity and the absence of a primary enemy, the United States focused on globalization. However, the United States failed to recognize and safeguard against the possibility of a minor country becoming a threat to its security, he said.
“If we are going to profit from globalism, don’t we have the obligation to create a global safety net?” Clark asked.
Despite inability of the United States to identify the threat, Clark expressed his confidence in the ability of the U.S. military to win the war against terrorism and to find Osama bin Laden. He noted that finding bin Laden will not be easy.
“The search for Bin Laden will be like fighting up the side of Pike’s Peak,” Clark said. He suggested that the U.S. military combine with international forces to send ground troops and diplomats to Afghanistan.
“Bin Laden killed 4,000 Americans, and we will not forget that. He will be brought to justice. Our president said it, and we are going to do it,” Clark said.
However, Clark said that the United States cannot fight this war alone. It must rely on the support of many other countries in order to be victorious, he said.
“We have to understand that terrorism is a domestic problem. We have to make countries with terrorist groups want to stop them as badly as we do,” Clark said.
Clark asserted that America is a revolutionary country that has inspired the spread of ideas across the globe. He said that American values such as liberty and equality will protect the United States and other countries.
“These are the values that we must support, enhance and enlarge if we are to achieve our goals in the 21st century and make it not only the century of America but the century of humanity as well,” Clark said.
After Clark spoke, he was presented with the Jit Trainor Award for Distinction in the Conduct of Diplomacy.
