[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 10 (Monday, March 14, 2005)]
[Pages 384-389]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the War on Terror

March 8, 2005

    Thank you all. Please be seated. It is great to be back to this fine 
university. Many great military leaders of the 20th century, from Dwight 
Eisenhower to Colin Powell, studied on this campus. And today, the 
National Defense University is training a new generation of leaders who 
will serve and defend this Nation in a new century. Americans are 
grateful for your devotion to duty, and so is your Commander in Chief.
    I am honored that two influential and important Members of the 
United States Congress have joined us. First, Senator Joe Lieberman, 
strong defender of freedom, thank you for coming, Senator. And the 
chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Duncan 
Hunter, proud you're here, Dunc. Thanks for coming. In the midst of what 
we hope will be the final snow blizzard of 2005--[laughter]--I'm honored 
you two men slushed here to this event.
    I appreciate so very much Lieutenant General Michael Dunn and his 
wife, Pam, for greeting me and for serving our Nation. I want to thank 
all the National Defense University students for being here. I 
appreciate the staff for joining us. I want to thank the members of the 
diplomatic corps who have come today. It is an honor to see you all 
again. I want to thank my fellow Americans for caring about the subject 
of peace, and that's what I'm here to discuss.
    We meet at a time of great consequence for the security of our 
Nation, a time when the defense of freedom requires the advance of 
freedom, a time with echoes in our history. Twice in six decades, a 
sudden attack on the United States launched our country into a global 
conflict and began a period of serious reflection on America's place in 
the world.
    The bombing of Pearl Harbor taught America that unopposed tyranny, 
even on faraway continents, could draw our country into a struggle for 
our own survival. And our reflection on that lesson led us to help build

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peaceful democracies in the ruins of tyranny, to unite free nations in 
the NATO Alliance, and to establish a firm commitment to peace in the 
Pacific that continues to this day.
    The attacks of September the 11th, 2001, also revealed the outlines 
of a new world. In one way, that assault was the culmination of decades 
of escalating violence, from the killing of U.S. marines in Beirut to 
the bombing at the World Trade Center, to the attacks on American 
Embassies in Africa, to the attacks on the U.S.S. Cole. In another way, 
September the 11th provided a warning of future dangers, of terror 
networks aided by outlaw regimes and ideologies that incite the murder 
of the innocent and biological and chemical and nuclear weapons that 
multiply destructive power.
    Like an earlier generation, America is answering new dangers with 
firm resolve. No matter how long it takes, no matter how difficult the 
task, we will fight the enemy and lift the shadow of fear and lead free 
nations to victory.
    Like an earlier generation, America is pursuing a clear strategy 
with our allies to achieve victory. Our immediate strategy is to 
eliminate terrorist threats abroad so we do not have to face them here 
at home. The theory here is straightforward: Terrorists are less likely 
to endanger our security if they are worried about their own security. 
When terrorists spend their days struggling to avoid death or capture, 
they are less capable of arming and training to commit new attacks. We 
will keep the terrorists on the run until they have nowhere left to 
hide.
    In 3\1/2\ years, the United States and our allies have waged a 
campaign of global scale, from the mountains of Afghanistan to the 
border regions of Pakistan, to the Horn of Africa, to the islands of the 
Philippines, to the plains of North Central Iraq. The Al Qaida terror 
network that attacked our country still has leaders, but many of its top 
commanders have been removed. There are still governments that sponsor 
and harbor terrorists, but their number has declined. There are still 
regimes seeking weapons of mass destruction but no longer without 
attention and without consequence. Our country is still the target of 
terrorists who want to kill many and intimidate us all. We will stay on 
the offensive against them until the fight is won.
    Members of our military are undertaking difficult missions in some 
of the most dangerous and desolate parts of the world. These volunteers 
know the risk they face, and they know the cause they serve. As one 
marine sergeant put it, ``I never want my children to experience what we 
saw in New York, at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania.'' He said, ``If 
we can eliminate whatever threat we can on foreign soil, I would rather 
do it there than have it come home to us.'' In this vital cause, some of 
our men and women in uniform have fallen. Some have returned home with 
terrible injuries. And all who sacrifice will have the permanent 
gratitude of the United States of America.
    In this war on terror, America is not alone. Many governments have 
awakened to the dangers we share and have begun to take serious action. 
Global terror requires a global response, and America is more secure 
today because dozens of other countries have stepped up to the fight.
    We're more secure because Pakistani forces captured more than 100 
extremists across the country last year, including operatives who were 
plotting attacks against the United States. We're more secure because 
Britain arrested an Al Qaida operative who had provided detailed casing 
reports on American targets to senior Al Qaida leaders. We're more 
secure because German authorities arrested extremists who were planning 
attacks against U.S. and coalition targets in Iraq. We're more secure 
because the Philippines' new Anti-Terrorism Task Force has helped 
capture more than a dozen terrorist suspects, including seven members of 
Al Qaida and affiliated networks. We're more secure because Poland is 
leading a 15-nation multinational division in Iraq, and forces from 23 
countries have given their lives in the struggle against terrorists and 
insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq.
    Our allies in the war on terror are making tough decisions, and 
they're taking risks, and they're losing lives. These countries have 
proven themselves trusted friends and reliable allies. So I urge the 
Congress to pass the Solidarity Initiative I have proposed to

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stand by the countries that are standing by us in the war on terror.
    Our strategy to keep the peace in the longer term is to help change 
the conditions that give rise to extremism and terror, especially in the 
broader Middle East. Parts of that region have been caught for 
generations in a cycle of tyranny and despair and radicalism. When a 
dictatorship controls the political life of a country, responsible 
opposition cannot develop, and dissent is driven underground and toward 
the extreme. And to draw attention away from their social and economic 
failures, dictators place blame on other countries and other races and 
stir the hatred that leads to violence. This status quo of despotism and 
anger cannot be ignored or appeased, kept in a box or bought off, 
because we have witnessed how the violence in that region can reach 
easily across borders and oceans. The entire world has an urgent 
interest in the progress and hope and freedom in the broader Middle 
East.
    The advance of hope in the Middle East requires new thinking in the 
region. By now it should be clear that authoritarian rule is not the 
wave of the future. It is the last gasp of a discredited past. It should 
be clear that free nations escape stagnation and grow stronger with 
time, because they encourage the creativity and enterprise of their 
people. It should be clear that economic progress requires political 
modernization, including honest representative government and the rule 
of law. And it should be clear that no society can advance with only 
half of its talent and energy, and that demands the full participation 
of women.
    The advance of hope in the Middle East also requires new thinking in 
the capitals of great democracies, including Washington, DC. By now it 
should be clear that decades of excusing and accommodating tyranny in 
the pursuit of stability have only led to injustice and instability and 
tragedy. It should be clear that the advance of democracy leads to 
peace, because governments that respect the rights of their people also 
respect the rights of their neighbors. It should be clear that the best 
antidote to radicalism and terror is the tolerance and hope kindled in 
free societies. And our duty is now clear: For the sake of our long-term 
security, all free nations must stand with the forces of democracy and 
justice that have begun to transform the Middle East.
    Encouraging democracy in that region is a generational commitment. 
It's also a difficult commitment, demanding patience and resolve when 
the headlines are good and when the headlines aren't so good. Freedom 
has determined enemies, who show no mercy for the innocent and no 
respect for the rules of warfare. Many societies in the region struggle 
with poverty and illiteracy. Many rulers in the region have longstanding 
habits of control. Many people in the region have deeply ingrained 
habits of fear.
    For all these reasons, the chances of democratic progress in the 
broader Middle East have seemed frozen in place for decades. Yet at 
last, clearly and suddenly, the thaw has begun. The people of 
Afghanistan have embraced free government after suffering under one of 
the most backward tyrannies on Earth. The voters in Iraq defied threats 
of murder and have set their country on a path to full democracy. The 
people of the Palestinian Territories cast their ballots against 
violence and corruption of the past. And any who doubt the appeal of 
freedom in the Middle East can look to Lebanon, where the Lebanese 
people are demanding a free and independent nation. In the words of one 
Lebanese observer, ``Democracy is knocking at the door of this country, 
and if it's successful in Lebanon, it is going to ring the doors of 
every Arab regime.''
    Across the Middle East, a critical mass of events is taking that 
region in a hopeful new direction. Historic changes have many causes, 
yet these changes have one factor in common. A businessman in Beirut 
recently said, ``We have removed the mask of fear. We're not afraid 
anymore.'' Pervasive fear is the foundation of every dictatorial regime, 
the prop that holds up all power not based on consent. And when the 
regime of fear is broken and the people find their courage and find 
their voice, democracy is their goal and tyrants, themselves, have 
reason to fear.
    History is moving quickly, and leaders in the Middle East have 
important choices to make. The world community, including Russia and 
Germany and France and Saudi Arabia and the United States, has presented 
the

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Syrian Government with one of those choices, to end its nearly 30-year 
occupation of Lebanon or become even more isolated from the world. The 
Lebanese people have heard the speech by the Syrian President. They've 
seen these delaying tactics and half measures before.
    The time has come for Syria to fully implement Security Council 
Resolution 1559. All Syrian military forces and intelligence personnel 
must withdraw before the Lebanese elections, for those elections to be 
free and fair.
    The elections in Lebanon must be fully and carefully monitored by 
international observers. The Lebanese people have the right to determine 
their future, free from domination by a foreign power. The Lebanese 
people have the right to choose their own parliament this spring, free 
of intimidation. And that new Government will have the help of the 
international community in building sound political, economic, and 
military institutions, so the great nation of Lebanon can move forward 
in security and freedom.
    Today I have a message for the people of Lebanon: All the world is 
witnessing your great movement of conscience. Lebanon's future belongs 
in your hands, and by your courage, Lebanon's future will be in your 
hands. The American people are on your side. Millions across the Earth 
are on your side. The momentum of freedom is on your side, and freedom 
will prevail in Lebanon.
    America and other nations are also aware that the recent terrorist 
attack in Tel Aviv was conducted by a radical Palestinian group 
headquartered in Damascus. Syria as well as Iran has a long history of 
supporting terrorist groups determined to sow division and chaos in the 
Middle East, and there is every possibility they will try this strategy 
again. The time has come for Syria and Iran to stop using murder as a 
tool of policy and to end all support for terrorism.
    In spite of attacks by extremists, the world is seeing hopeful 
progress in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There is only one outcome 
that will end the tyranny, danger, violence, and hopelessness and meet 
the aspirations of all people in the region: We seek two democratic 
states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.
    And that goal is within reach, if all the parties meet their 
responsibilities and if terrorism is brought to an end. Arab states must 
end incitement in their own media, cut off public and private funding 
for terrorism, stop their support for extremist education, and establish 
normal relations with Israel. Israel must freeze settlement activity, 
help the Palestinians build a thriving economy, and ensure that a new 
Palestinian state is truly viable, with contiguous territory on the West 
Bank. Palestinian leaders must fight corruption, encourage free 
enterprise, rest true authority with the people, and actively confront 
terrorist groups.
    The bombing in Tel Aviv is a reminder that the fight against 
terrorists is critical to the search for peace and for Palestinian 
statehood. In an interview last week, Palestinian President Abbas 
strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Tel Aviv, declaring, quote, 
``Ending violence and security chaos is first and foremost a Palestinian 
interest.'' He went on to say, ``We cannot build the foundations of a 
state without the rule of law and public order.''
    President Abbas is correct. And so the United States will help the 
Palestinian Authority build the security services that current peace and 
future statehood require, security forces which are effective, 
responsive to civilian control, and dedicated to fighting terror and 
upholding the rule of law. We will coordinate with the Government of 
Israel, with neighbors such as Egypt and Jordan, and with other donors 
to ensure that Palestinians get the training and equipment they need. 
The United States is determined to help the parties remove obstacles to 
progress and move forward in practical ways, so we can seize this moment 
for peace in the Holy Land.
    In other parts of the Middle East, we're seeing small but welcome 
steps. Saudi Arabia's recent municipal elections were the beginning of 
reform that may allow greater participation in the future. Egypt has now 
the prospect of competitive, multiparty elections for President in 
September. Like all free elections, these require freedom of assembly, 
multiple candidates, free access by those candidates to the media, and 
the right to form political parties. Each country in the Middle

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East will take a different path of reform. And every nation that starts 
on that journey can know that America will walk at its side.
    Progress in the Middle East is threatened by weapons of mass 
destruction and their proliferation. Today, Great Britain, France, and 
Germany are involved in a difficult negotiation with Iran, aimed at 
stopping its nuclear weapons program. We want our allies to succeed, 
because we share the view that Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons 
would be destabilizing and threatening to all of Iran's neighbors. The 
Iranian regime should listen to the concerns of the world and listen to 
the voice of the Iranian people, who long for their liberty and want 
their country to be a respected member of the international community. 
We look forward to the day when Iran joins in the hopeful changes taking 
place across the region. We look forward to the day when the Iranian 
people are free.
    Iran and other nations have an example in Iraq. The recent elections 
have begun a process of debate and coalition building unique in Iraqi 
history and inspiring to see. Iraq's leaders are forming a Government 
that will oversee the next and critical stage in Iraq's political 
transition, the writing of a permanent constitution. This process must 
take place without external influence. The shape of Iraq's democracy 
must be determined by the Iraqis, themselves.
    Iraq's democracy, in the long run, must also be defended by Iraqis, 
themselves. Our goal is to help Iraqi security forces move toward self-
reliance, and they are making daily progress. Iraqi forces were the main 
providers of security at about 5,000 polling places in the January 
elections. Our coalition is providing equipment and training to the new 
Iraqi military, yet they bring a spirit all of their own.
    Last month, when soldiers of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment were on 
combat patrol north of Baghdad, one of their Humvees fell into a canal, 
and Iraqi troops came to their rescue, plunging into the water again and 
again, until the last American was recovered. The Army colonel in charge 
of the unit said, ``When I saw those Iraqis in the water, fighting to 
save their American brothers, I saw a glimpse of the future of this 
country.'' One of the Iraqi soldiers commented, ``These people have come 
100--or 10,000 miles to help my country. They've left their families and 
their children. If we can give them something back, just a little, we 
can show our thanks.'' America is proud to defend freedom in Iraq, and 
America is proud to stand with the brave Iraqis as they defend their own 
freedom.
    Three-and-a-half years ago, the United States mourned our dead, 
gathered our resolve, and accepted a mission. We made a decision to stop 
threats to the American people before they arrive on our shores, and we 
have acted on that decision. We're also determined to seek and support 
the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and 
culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.
    This objective will not be achieved easily or all at once or 
primarily by force of arms. We know that freedom, by definition, must be 
chosen and that the democratic institutions of other nations will not 
look like our own. Yet we also know that our security increasingly 
depends on the hope and progress of other nations now simmering in 
despair and resentment. And that hope and progress is found only in the 
advance of freedom.
    This advance is a consistent theme of American strategy, from the 
Fourteen Points to the Four Freedoms, to the Marshall plan, to the 
Reagan doctrine. Yet the success of this approach does not depend on 
grand strategy alone. We are confident that the desire for freedom, even 
when repressed for generations, is present in every human heart. And 
that desire can emerge with sudden power to change the course of 
history.
    Americans, of all people, should not be surprised by freedom's 
power. A nation founded on the universal claim of individual rights 
should not be surprised when other people claim those rights. Those who 
place their hope in freedom may be attacked and challenged, but they 
will not ultimately be disappointed, because freedom is the design of 
humanity and freedom is the direction of history.
    In our time, America has been attacked; America has been challenged. 
Yet the uncertainty and sorrow and sacrifice of these years have not 
been in vain. Millions have gained their liberty, and millions more have 
gained the hope of liberty that will not be denied.

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The trumpet of freedom has been sounded, and that trumpet never calls 
retreat.
    Before history is written in books, it is written in courage, the 
courage of honorable soldiers, the courage of oppressed peoples, the 
courage of free nations in difficult tasks. Our generation is fortunate 
to live in a time of courage, and we are proud to serve in freedom's 
cause.
    May God bless you all.

Note: The President spoke at 10:17 a.m. at the National Defense 
University at Fort Lesley J. McNair. In his remarks, he referred to 
former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell; Lt. Gen. Michael M. Dunn, 
USAF, president, National Defense University; President Bashar al-Asad 
of Syria; President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) of the Palestinian 
Authority; and Col. Mark McKnight, USA, commander, 1st Brigade Combat 
Team, 3d Infantry Division. The Office of the Press Secretary also 
released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.