Sept 11 Remarks of Stephen Bosworth, Dean of Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Delivered-To: dfarber+ () ux13 sp cs cmu edu
> Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 15:38:28 -0400
> From: Carolyn Gideon <carolyn.gideon () tufts edu>
> Subject: Sept 11 Remarks of Stephen Bosworth,
>  Dean of Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
> To: dave () farber net
>
> 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
>
> ********************************************************************************************
> Carolyn Gideon
> Assistant Professor of International Communications and Technology Policy
> Fletcher School of Law and Dimplomacy
> Tufts University
> <mailto:Carolyn.Gideon () tufts edu>Carolyn.Gideon () tufts edu
> <mailto:Carolyn () the-friedmans org>Carolyn () the-friedmans org
> ********************************************************************************************
>
> <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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> 160 Packard Avenue - Tufts University - Medford, Massachusetts 02155-7082 
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> Comments to: <mailto:FletcherWeb () tufts edu>FletcherWeb () tufts edu
> 2002 The Fletcher School, Tufts University
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