DISADVANTAGE/LEADERSHIP BAD

USA LEADERSHIP MAKES AMERICA A TARGET FOR WMD TERRORISM

US�A� �L�E�A�D�E�R�S�H�I�P� �M�A�K�E�S� �T�H�E� �U�S�A� �A� �T�A�R�G�E�T� �F�O�IR� �W�M�D� �T�E�R�RO�R�I�S�M�

U.S. meddling in foreign conflicts also increases the prospect that proliferated weapons will be used against the United States. According to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, terrorism is the most important threat the United States and the world face as the 21st century begins. Secretary of Defense William Cohen has noted the increased risk that such groups will obtain and use weapons of mass destruction. In a December 17, 1998, Cato Foreign Policy Briefing entitled "Does U.S. Intervention Breed Terrorism: The Historical Record," I catalog at least 63 terrorist incidents that were retaliation for U.S. interventions overseas.

Defense experts believe that the greatest threat to the United States from proliferating weapons of mass destruction is posed by terrorist groups, because, unlike nations, they might not have a "return address" to which disproportionate retaliation could be directed. If terrorists obtain weapons of mass destruction, it will be difficult for the U.S. government to deter, prevent or mitigate such an attack--no matter how the bureaucracy is organized. The best defense against attacks by terrorist groups is to lower the profile of the United States as a target. This goal can best be accomplished by intervening in the affairs of other nations only in rare instances when U.S. vital interests are at stake.

CRISES IN THE MAJORITY WORLD THREATEN USA SECURITY

The Toronto Star January 28, 2001, HEADLINE: DEVELOPING WORLD MUST HAVE A SAY //VT2002acsln

A recent report from the National Intelligence Council in the U.S. provides a compelling reason why it's in our own best interest to heed the concerns of developing countries.

It warned that, over the next 15 years, world population would expand by 1.1 billion to 7.2 billion people, with nearly 95 per cent of that population growth occurring in developing countries. So the developing world will represent an even larger share of world population than today.

Under scenarios prepared by the intelligence community, even with continued economic growth and rising living standards in the developing world, the potential for all kinds of environmental crises, conflict, societal breakdown and other strains is real. Failure to manage the process of globalization well could plunge the world into all kinds of ugly difficulties, including the use of weapons of mass destruction.

So, it is in our own interest to pay attention to the demands of the developing countries for a greater role in global governance and greater attention to their needs, interests and circumstances.

US LEADERSHIP MEANS TERRORISTS STRIKE AT THE USA

ROBERT J. KELLEY, Prof Criminal Justice at Brooklyn College, 1998; THE FUTURE OF TERRORISM p. 28 (acs)

The point may seem labored, but why the United States? Why is the United States targeted by terrorists? One obvious answer is that the United States is the unchallenged superpower, the leader and symbol of the West, and the foreign power most actively involved in the Middle East. It is thus the biggest and best target. To challenge America, to hurt and humiliate her, may bring glory and prestige.