Delivered-To: dfarber+@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 15:38:28 -0400
From: Carolyn Gideon <carolyn.gideon@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Sept 11 Remarks of Stephen Bosworth,
Dean of Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Hello Dave,
Below I have copied the September 11 reflections of Stephen Bosworth, Dean
of the Fletcher School at Tufts and former ambassador to Korea and many
other countries. Stephen gave these remarks at the Tufts University
memorial service. I found this to be the best concise articulation of the
current concerns for the many changes in the post-9/11 world and the need
for tolerance and discussion, so often discussed on IP. I thought you
would also appreciate this.
Best regards,
Carolyn
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Carolyn Gideon
Assistant Professor of International Communications and Technology Policy
Fletcher School of Law and Dimplomacy
Tufts University
<mailto:Carolyn.Gideon@xxxxxxxxx>Carolyn.Gideon@xxxxxxxxx
<mailto:Carolyn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>Carolyn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
********************************************************************************************
<http://www.fletcher.tufts.edu/news/2003/09/bosworthremarks.shtml>http://www.fletcher.tufts.edu/news/2003/09/bosworthremarks.shtml
Remarks by Stephen W. Bosworth
Tufts University Memorial Service, September 11, 2003
We gather as a community to remember, reflect, and resolve. We are here to
honor the memories of all those, Americans and non-Americans, who were
victims on September 11, 2001.
September 11 was a devastating event, the memory of which remains sharp.
For Americans it was a hinge moment. Before September 11, Americans had a
certain conceit of invulnerability, of being insulated from the physical
insecurity with which so many in the rest of the world contend on a daily
basis. Since September 11, that sense of invulnerability is gone. We have
lost our innocence.
But now two years after the event, it is timely, I believe, to examine how
we, as a nation have responded to September 11. How our response has
affected ourselves and, importantly, how it has affected how we are seen
by the rest of the world, and finally, whether we have in fact reduced the
threat of terrorism.
Our first response immediately after the attacks was to look to our own
defenses. This was certainly correct. Clearly, we needed better control
over our own borders and who enters our country. We also needed to ensure
that our authorities had sufficient investigative and enforcement powers.
Now, however, I worry that in our desire for greater security we are
inadvertently isolating ourselves from the outside world and that this
will ultimately make us less, not more secure. I also worry that in our
concern over terrorism we are jeopardizing the very things that make this
country unique: freedom of speech, an appreciation of diversity, the rule
of law and due process. When I read that the number of foreign visitors to
the U.S. has declined by more than twenty percent, for example, I am
concerned. When I learn of foreign students who decide not to apply to
American institutions because of the difficulty of obtaining visas, I am
concerned. When I see our justice department requesting more powers from
the Congress, powers that some reasonable and sensible experts believe may
threaten due process and equality under the law, I am concerned.
I consider myself a patriot. I care deeply about this country. But as a
patriot I am especially worried by the extent to which our actions and
decisions are defended in terms of patriotism. As Jonathan Alter wrote
recently in Newsweek magazine, patriotism, which was a source of comfort
in the weeks immediately after September 11, risks becoming a cudgel used
against internal misgivings and disagreement. Patriotism is not a
substitute for critical thought.
I am also concerned about some of the words and terminology we use. The
very phrase ?War on Terror? is misleading. Americans tend to declare war a
lot. The reality is that terror is a technique, not a state or a people.
To declare a war on terror creates an expectation that it will eventually
be over, that it will end. In fact, that may not be the case. I suspect
that we will need to be concerned about terror for a long, long time and
that we will never be able to declare with confidence that the threat is
ended. We also continue to reassure ourselves that ?We will never forget?.
Certainly, we should not forget those who were lost. And we should be
aware of the continuing threat. We should do everything possible to
counter and neutralize that threat. But it would be a grave error to
proceed on the basis of a desire for vengeance.
In addition to what our response to September 11 has meant for us
internally, I am even more concerned by what is happening to the
relationship between ourselves and the rest of the world. In the weeks
after September 11, there was a tremendous outpouring of grief and
sympathy for the United States from virtually the entire world. Now, just
two years later, that has changed dramatically and everywhere there has
been a surge of anti-Americanism. We should, it seems to me, ask ourselves
why this has happened and what we might do about it. We are seen as almost
unimaginably powerful. But we are also seen as being frightened and
therefore unpredictable. That combination is in turn frightening to the
rest of the world, and the United States is now feared to an extent never
before experienced.
Yet, to combat terrorism successfully we need the full cooperation and
assistance of other countries. Our successes against terrorism to date
have been marked by joint action in terms of intelligence sharing and
police activity. We should be seeking to expand cooperation with the rest
of the world, not behaving in a manner that damages it.
In the immediate aftermath of September 11, it was apparent that we could
not allow international terrorist organizations a safe haven, a refuge
from which they could organize, plot and carry out attacks against us. In
that context, our decision to invade Afghanistan made good sense and was
in fact supported by most of the rest of the world, including our
traditional allies. But while the initial military action was successful,
we have been less successful in providing Afghanistan with the resources
it needs. The consequences of that failure are all too predictable.
We will need to be prepared to use military force in the future. However,
as we use military force we need to take great care that we are not in
fact creating conditions that will result in an increase in the threat of
terrorism. Iraq is an all too relevant example. Evidence of a link between
Sadam Hussein and Al-Quaida was scant at best. Now, as the Financial Times
said earlier this week, ?occupied Iraq has become a magnet, as well as a
recruiting sergeant, for itinerant jihadis who march to the drum of Osama
bin-Laden.?
I am most concerned, however, by what we have not done since September 11.
We have yet to initiate a discussion of why. Why did this happen? What
have we done to engender such antipathy that people are willing to die in
order to do us harm? It is not accurate to say that people attack us
because they hate our freedom. There is a history to the events of
September 11. I do not believe that there is a justification for what was
done to us, but there are explanations. Unless we try to understand why,
it is almost certain that we will never be able to eliminate the threat.
It is not enough to ask what it is about fundamentalism that feeds
extremism and violence. We have to accept that we too bear some
responsibility.
In our failure to have a national conversation about these things, we are
all culpable. Our political leaders are guilty of avoiding what will
clearly be a difficult and politically risky discussion. Our media are
guilty of not wanting to take on sensitive topics. And, I would concede,
our institutions of higher education have yet to meet fully their
responsibility to help examine these issues with the thoughtfulness and
courage that is required.
Asian philosophy and the Golden Mean ? balance in all things. In my years
living in Asia, I have come to appreciate the wisdom of the Golden Mean.
We need to beware of extremism, to seek balance in all things, including
our response to September 11.
We gather to remember, to comfort one another, and to honor the victims of
September 11. As we reflect and look to the future, we must remember that
events have histories and that actions have consequences.
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