Counterterrorism Strategies Vary in U.S. Election

The two major U.S. presidential candidates offer starkly different counterterrorism strategies, varying widely in their proposed application of military power and other issues, the McClatchy News Service reported yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 3).

Senator Barack Obama (Ill.), the Democratic contender, has called for the removal of most U.S. troops from Iraq by 2011.  The ongoing conflict gives terrorists a valuable recruiting tool, he has argued (see related GSN story, today), adding that he would send an additional 20,000 military personnel to counter Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in Afghanistan.

Senator John McCain (Ariz.) has called Iraq the “central front” in fighting Islamic extremism.  "Their ultimate goal is not Iraq.  Their ultimate goal is us," the Republican candidate said in April 2007.  "They want to destroy us, and if we leave, they will follow us home."

A panel of more than 70 experts assembled last year by Obama produced a comprehensive counterterrorism strategy emphasizing the use of police forces, diplomacy and aid to combat poverty.

"The overall philosophy is to move away from a predominantly military approach. … That means using the military when appropriate," said Richard Clarke, an Obama counterterrorism adviser who served under the Clinton and early Bush administrations.

Obama has also promised to launch a $5 billion initiative to bolster international intelligence sharing, border security and law enforcement efforts, and he has pledged to secure all nuclear storage facilities around the world within four years.

McCain, however, has called the military “the most important part” of his strategy, stating that the “ruthless” use of military power can “change permanently the mindset” of terrorists and their sympathizers.

While McCain does not seem to have a single, unified strategy, his policies on countries throughout the Middle East and Asia all take counterterrorism demands into consideration, McClatchy reported.  He wrote in Foreign Affairs last year that he would "employ every economic, diplomatic, political, legal and ideological tool" to assist Islamic moderates in opposing their extremist counterparts.

McCain has promised to create a new intelligence service, based on the World War II-era Office of Strategic Services, that would "fight terrorist subversion around the world and in cyberspace."  He said he would create a new information service with the "sole purpose of getting America's message to the world — a critical element in combating Islamic extremism and restoring the positive image of our country" (Jonathan Landay, McClatchy News Service/Kansas City Star, Oct. 27).

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