A Larger Anti-Terror Goal

The White House is commendably building a coalition to combat the global terrorists who struck the United States last Tuesday. In the days since passenger planes commandeered by terrorist hijackers crashed into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon, swift vengeance is tantalizing. But the United States and its allies also seek a more enduring goal of neutralizing terrorists’ ability to wreak destruction.

To do that, diplomats will be as important as soldiers. Finding the loose networks and easily concealed hiding places of terrorists will require the cooperation of many nations. Traditional allies in Europe have welcomed the return of the United States to engagement with the world and are actively helping. Countries in Asia and the Middle East that worry about Islamic fundamentalists within their borders are rightly being told they have no choice but to help. The United States and its allies will in return be obliged to more vigorously support certain undemocratic governments--think of Pakistan’s military rulers. At least the reason for such relationships will be clear.

Russia, still engaged in a nasty war with its own Islamic enemies in Chechnya, has promised support, although its extent is still being debated. China, too, is worried about Islamic extremism in its far west. Both Russia and China have challenged the Bush administration’s plans for a missile defense shield. Dropping the ill-conceived “star wars” plans could help win their support.

Washington has identified exiled Saudi Osama bin Laden as the prime suspect in last Tuesday’s attacks, as well as the suicide bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen last year and the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. Bin Laden’s base is Afghanistan, a country that Russia knows well, since the army of the Soviet Union was defeated there after invading the country in 1979. Next-door Pakistan recognizes and aids the extremist Taliban government of Afghanistan that shelters Bin Laden. On Sunday, however, Pakistan said it would send emissaries into Afghanistan to demand the handover of Bin Laden.

A pause in fighting between Israel and the Palestinians also would be welcome, for its own sake and as a boost to the U.S. coalition building. Arab countries that have supported the United States in the past have criticized its support for Israel since the the collapse of peace talks and renewal of violence.

Fortunately, power in the Bush administration is also shifting. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is sensitive to the balance between diplomacy and military force, is no longer in the administration’s shadows. Powell headed the joint chiefs of staff during the Gulf War, when the United States invaded Iraq after spending months building a battle coalition. Powell properly has moved out front since last Tuesday’s attacks, stressing the need for a long-term global commitment against terrorism.

The enemy is elusive and the war is not conventional. The sort of formal surrender that allows a claim of victory is highly improbable. But the battle can be fought with firm ties among many nations and an understanding that each must pull its weight.