War On Terrorism Are

War On Terrorism: Are We Winning?  
Lecture by Martha Crenshaw
The war on terrorism is unlike any other military conflict in United States history and, perhaps, impossible to win, according to Martha Crenshaw.
Crenshaw, professor of government at Weselyan University, headlined the seventh installment of a semester-long lecture series about terrorism.  Her presentation to more than 250 in attendance at the March 23 event in the Hardy Tower auditorium was titled, "The War on Terrorism: Are We Winning?"
Crenshaw outlining the objectives of her presntation: discuss why a public debate on the war on terrorism is essential; explain what a counter-terrorist strategy is; define the United States strategy; and determine how the war should be evaluated.
Crenshaw said President Bush and members of his administration – particularly Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld – are unwilling to critically evaluate the risks of their policies or military strategies.  She said it is apparent that they will not consider correcting or altering their plans, no matter how much evidence suggests those plans aren’t working.
Crenshaw said a counter-terrorism strategy should have a detailed plan to reach clearly-defined goals.  She said the strategy can’t be too ambitious or grand.  It also should not have ambiguous ends.  She said the strategy should include cost and benefit projections, which would make it possible to properly calculate results.
Crenshaw evaluated the United States’ anti-terrorism strategy, starting with President Bush’s remarks following the tragic events Sept. 11, 2001 and how he immediately framed the response as a "war of terrorism."
According to Crenshaw, the current counter-terrorist strategy of military pre-emption is highly ambiguous and completely at odds with what Crenshaw stated a proper strategy should be.
She said United States policy can be defined by four tenets known as the "Four Ds:" defeat terrorism by force; deny terrorists the luxury of state sponsorships, and safe havens; diminish root causes for the support of terrorism; and defend the American homeland and American interests abroad against terrorist attacks.
Crenshaw evaluated the results for each tenet.  Although many top terrorist leaders and their followers have been killed, captured or on the run, according to Crenshaw, terrorist groups are continuing to recruit new members at a record pace.
Crenshaw said is too early to know if the strategy to deny terrorists state sponsorship is successful or not.  She said diminishing the support for terrorism has also proved problematic.  She said relief efforts following the tsunamis in South-East Asia and the earthquakes in Pakistan have done little to change the negative perception of the United States among groups that are producing terrorists.