January 18, 2002
From the desk of Mindles H. Dreck:Reasons for Enduring Freedom - Intelligence
A reporter observed on NPR this morning that one of the benefits of military victory is an abundance of new intelligence. Apparently, our intelligence services have been inundated with computer files, videos and original documents from Taliban and Al Qaeda hideouts, such as the ruins of Mohammed Atef's house. That's where the video tape of these aspiring terrorists was found.
Opposition to this war has come on several fronts, but one of the persistent arguments is that we have not significantly improved our security through military action.
While it's true that armed pursuit may not pacify terrorists (although it sure preoccupies them), neither will turning a blind eye or attempting to submit them to an international justice they have always rejected.
The next best thing is to know who they are and what they look like. We are demonstrably safer with that information, and that is a direct result of our victory in the war.
Good intelligence is costly, not only in monetary terms, but in human and sometimes ethical terms. If you want to maintain a deterring "threat power", potential enemies must see you as ruthless in your acquisition of and action upon intelligence information. The intelligence we have gained in Afghanistan came cheap relative to much we gained during the cold war. It's just that the costs were sudden and in our face every day instead of buried in a file.
Posted by Mindles H. Dreck at January 18, 2002 08:35 AM | Technorati inbound links