Democratic Plan To Win The War On Terrorism

Since this is sort of my hobbyhorse, I would be remiss in not doing my part to publicize the newly released portion of the Senate Democratic agenda for 2005 dedicated to winning the war on terrorism. You can find the full text below the fold. Naturally enough, a document this brief somewhat underdescribes the full scope of the problem. For people interested in learning more, let me once again recommend Winning The War On Terror, which the House Democrats put together last year and which spells out basically the same ideas in greater detail. Somewhat different in focus, but essentially consistent in spirit is the Century Foundation's Defeating The Jihadists. In particular, I would encourage rightwing critics of the Democrats to familiarize themselves with these and other documents spelling out the actual liberal approaches to national security policy rather than just kicking around underinformed speculation and random smears. Well, that's unlikely. But liberals at least should know what our side's experts are up to and familiarize themselves with the issue. Now for the Senate's contribution:

S. 12: TARGETTING THE TERRORISTS MORE EFFECTIVELY

Democrats are determined to wage the most effective war on terror. S. 12 lays out a comprehensive U.S. strategy to combat radical Islamic fundamentalism and win the war on international terrorism. In contrast to the Bush Administration’s piecemeal approach, S. 12 establishes four interlocking pillars necessary to wage an effective war on terrorism: (1) taking the fight to the terrorists, (2) drying up the breeding grounds that produce terrorism, (3) enhancing the U.S. government’s accountability and effectiveness to deal with this issue, and (4) reducing the possibility terrorists could acquire and use nuclear materials and other deadly materials as a weapon, the greatest single threat to U.S. national security.

Take the Fight to the Terrorists. S. 12 contains three basic provisions that will allow the U.S. to take the fight to the terrorists in a more effective manner. First, S. 12 increases the U.S. Special Forces capability by 2,000 personnel over the next several years, greatly enhancing this nation’s ability to track down and eliminate international terrorists in all corners of the globe. S. 12 also increases foreign language experts in the U.S. government, thereby ensuring that our troops and security personnel receive timely translations of critical conversations between terrorist organizations. S.12 also strengthens measures to combat terrorist financing, a critical aspect of the war on terror.

Dry up the Breeding Grounds that Produce Terrorism. A long term complement to the offensive measures, S. 12 contains four key long-term initiatives that are designed to dry up the breeding grounds of terrorism. S. 12 authorizes additional funding for basic education programs to help nations provide a clear alternative to the madrassas that preach radical Islam; support to non-governmental organizations working to enhance democracy and development in the Muslim world; new public diplomacy programs to explain U.S. policies and counter anti-U.S. propaganda, and a long term strategy to deal with key states; including Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.

Increase the U.S. Government’s Accountability and Effectiveness to Counter the Terrorist Threat. The U.S. government lacks the basic tools to determine if our efforts to combat terrorism are actually working. This fact was compounded by the errors in the State Department’s annual report on global terrorism. S. 12 deals with these problems by establishing a mechanism to assess the effectiveness of U.S. polices and programs on the war on terror; creates tough criminal penalties for anyone caught defrauding or profiteering from U.S. foreign assistance programs; and creates an independent commission to hold accountable all of those responsible for the Abu Ghraib scandal.

Prevent Terrorist Acts With Weapons of Mass Destruction. Terrorist acts with weapons of mass destruction are single greatest threat to U.S. national security. S. 12 expands the pace and scope of programs to eliminate and safeguard nuclear materials by authorizing a global cleanout of radioactive materials; constructs permanent security arrangements for radioactive materials; expands the Cooperative Threat Reduction program beyond the Former Soviet Union; and dramatically increases resources for a range of under-funded, yet vital, State and Defense Department programs. The bill also includes a number of measures to increase border and port security and respond to a catastrophic terrorist attack. It adds 1,500 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and Customs and Border Protection agents over 5 years; authorizes $3 billion over 4 years to ensure that MTSA standards are met and funds other port security measures; and creates or restores a number of programs designed to ensure that this nation’s state and local first responders have the training and equipment they need to deal with this threat.

Now, obviously, in the real world it doesn't really make sense to put this all forward as a single bill, since it involves a lot of independently alterable parts, but as a groundwork for a new agenda I think it's excellent and contains a number of items that Republicans should be able to embrace if they're really serious about fighting terrorism.