[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 126 (Tuesday, September 25, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H5977-H5978]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




U.S. POLICY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM ORIGINATING IN 
                               SOUTH ASIA

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, a regional approach to the war on 
terrorism is critical to success.
  The U.S. national security team must fully understand the dynamics 
between actors, as well as the strategic considerations which are 
guiding the responses to U.S. requests in this battle of good versus 
evil.
  In developing our policy toward Pakistan, for example, some have 
argued that it is imperative that we address the long-standing 
relationship between the ISI and the Taliban and between the ISI and 
Osama bin Laden. We must not ignore facts such as the ISI's past 
warnings to bin Laden about U.S. military action.
  There are reports that on August 20, 1998, when the United States 
launched cruise missile strikes on bin Laden terrorist training camps 
in southeastern Afghanistan, it was the head of Pakistan's ISI at the 
time who contacted bin Laden to warn him about U.S. surveillance and 
attempts to track down his whereabouts. He also cautioned bin Laden to 
relocate immediately because U.S. strikes were imminent.
  We must also address the power relations within the Pakistani 
government to accurately assess the General's ability to contain 
challenges from the ISI. These and other factors have a direct bearing 
on U.S. short-term capabilities and long-term response to terrorism 
originating in this region.
  In looking at Afghanistan, we must be careful not to follow a 
microcosmic view of the problem. While an immediate, comprehensive and 
multi-tiered military and political response to the September 11 
terrorist attacks is necessary, the U.S. must also prepare a strategy 
which takes into consideration the myriad of factors contributing to 
the proliferation of terrorist activities in Afghanistan.
  For one, we must look at the nature of the regime. This is not a 
reference to the process offered by the administration to evaluate 
intelligence sources. However, when formulating and implementing U.S. 
foreign policy toward a state, the nature and behavior of the regimes 
or governments which rule these countries is a critical variable to be 
considered.
  As chairman of the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human 
Rights, I bear witness on a regular basis to the carnage that some 
regimes undertake against their own people and how this abhorrent 
behavior manifests itself in their views and approach to global 
relations.
  As the President stated during his address to the Congress last week, 
a regime such as the Taliban which tortures its own people and shows no 
regard for human life can never be trusted.
  A regime such as the Taliban can never understand or appreciate the 
magnitude of the loss suffered by our country 2 weeks ago.
  Secretary of State Powell stated, when he was chairman to the Joint 
Chiefs of Staff, that our military objective must also have a political 
objective. This political objective in Afghanistan and elsewhere in 
south Asia should be to support and promote pluralistic representative 
systems guided by respect for human rights, civil liberties and 
religious freedoms; governments who would not promote and foster 
terrorism. Only then can we hope to achieve our long-term goal of 
eradicating the world of the cancer of terrorism.
  As many have stated in the aftermath of the brutal attacks of 
September 11, democracy is the best antidote for Islamic militancy and 
radicalism. In studying the nature of the leadership which rules these 
countries and these regions, we must also differentiate between those 
who oppress and those who are guided by democratic tenets.
  The U.S. must, as the Financial Times stated on September 17, be 
careful not to align itself too closely with authoritarian regimes that 
have dreadful records of suppressing minority groups. This view was 
echoed in a Washington Post editorial of September 24 that warned 
against forming tactical bonds with central Asian republics. It stated 
that in forming such bonds, America must not forget what it is fighting 
for as well as what it is fighting against.
  Further, cooperation with the U.S. should not require inducements. 
Support for the U.S. and the war against terrorism should come from an 
understanding of the abhorrent nature of terrorist methods and tactics, 
not from a quid pro quo.
  As President Bush has underscored, you are either with us or you are 
with the terrorists.
  Ultimately, having learned the lessons of the Cold War, the U.S. must 
embark on this battle from a position

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 of overwhelming strength if we are to be victorious.
  I fully support the President and his advisors in this difficult 
journey and I wish them Godspeed.

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