Forum tells of complex war

The war on terrorism will be dirty, a YSU military science professor said.
By RON COLE
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- If a forum on terrorism Thursday at Youngstown State University accomplished anything, it drove home the multilayered, deep-rooted complexity of the problem.
And there are no quick solutions.
"We need to look at terrorism not as a war to be won, but more like a criminal activity that has been there forever and will require a continual fight," said Dr. David Porter, YSU political science associate professor.
Porter joined four other YSU faculty members in a two-hour discussion on global terrorism and the U.S. response, touching on topics ranging from President Bush's handling of the current crisis to U.S. policy in the Middle East.
More to come: The forums, led by Dr. Keith Lepak of YSU's political science department, will be conducted biweekly. The next session is Oct. 18.
Much of the discussion was dominated by Dr. Mustansir Mir, head of Islamic studies at YSU, who said most of the Muslim world admires the United States.
"In almost every sector of life, the standards that people want to achieve are the standards set by the West, and especially the United States," he said.
Policy problem: Yet there also is resentment, mostly because of the United States' support of oppressive Middle East leaders who don't have the support of the people of the region, Mir said.
"If the United States works with the people of the Muslim nations, they'll win these people over and those people will be the greatest allies of the Western World," he added.
That's why Mir thinks Bush is handling the crisis well, building coalitions, providing aid to Afghan refugees and drawing a distinct line between the people of the region and the terrorists.
Retired Lt. Col. Roderick Hosler, YSU assistant professor of military science, said many people want the United States to strike out in vengeance with massive bombing attacks.
But Hosler said that most likely would backfire, resulting in civilian casualties and damaging the United States' chances of building a strong international coalition against terrorism.
War games: It will be a "dirty war," he said. "We try to play according to the law of warfare and international nations; terrorists don't."
Although World War II and, most recently, the Gulf War had clear-cut enemies, "this is far, far more muddy than that," Porter said. "We need to get down in the mud."
Dr. Paul Sracic, YSU associate professor of political science, said Osama bin Ladin, the wealthy Saudi exile believed to be responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, understands democracy, equality and freedom very well.
He knows that freedom and fear do not mix well and that the best way to destroy democracy is to take away freedom and equality.
"If we get scared enough, the enemies of freedom and equality will have won," he said.