Terrorism must be faced squarely

Terrorism isn't going away.

It is an effective and cheap means to obtain political results, and as long as it is effective, it is going to continue to be used by desperate or determined people to get what they want.

You can think of terrorism as the political equivalent of blackmail. Neither terrorism nor blackmail will be eliminated by education or betterment of people's lifestyles, because they are not caused by monetary poverty but rather moral poverty.

It is unfortunate but inevitable that some people don't understand this. In their eyes, the United States can avoid terrorism simply by being nicer.

In a sense, that might be true, if by being nicer you mean surrendering our influence in the world, giving up any interest in how the rest of the world behaves or evolves, and retreating to our own borders while despots and tyrants work their ill will across the globe.

But of course that will never happen, and would have its own combination of tragic and calamitous results even if it did. The world may think it is sick of the United States playing at policeman, but that is only because it has not seen the alternative for many years.

And the world of today is not the same as the world of before World War II. Everything is interconnected in so many ways that the notion of a retreat to our own borders is patently absurd. A huge percentage of our wealth and our goodwill is expended beyond our borders, as well as a part of our military blood and weaponry.

To give in to Muslim terrorism, in particular, would be to turn our back on the modern world itself. The enemy we face has no interest in the global marketplace, the community of nations or the spread of freedom. It wants one thing only - sectarian domination - and it will stop at nothing until it achieves that goal.

You can look at Afghanistan under the Taliban to see that terrorism under such a regime does not have to take the form of suicide bombs and rocket attacks only. Once it has gained a foothold as the power behind a state, terrorism exhibits itself in the form of oppression of the people, control of movement and thought, and a never-ending threat to life and liberty.

Today, Afghanistan at least has a chance for a better life, and the United States has a chance to remain a force for good, if we do not weaken or become forgetful.

We face an enemy that has struck us repeatedly. To lose sight of that is to live in a dream world. We saw in the London terror plot that was foiled last week just how much damage can be done if we are not vigilant. The plan to bring down as many as 10 passenger jets was devilishly simple, involving explosive liquids and disposable cameras.

Fortunately, the plan failed, saving the lives of as many as 2,000 people, or possibly more. The world should not need to experience the catastrophe of another 9/11 to get the message.

We are under attack.

Therefore, we need to stay on the offensive against terrorists. That means going after them before they attack and not just after they blow up a building or a plane. It means realizing that our enemy will strike at any target of opportunity, and does not follow the same rules of engagement we are used to. It means accepting the fact that we are engaged in a long-term struggle that won't go away just because we seek peace through negotiation.

We were seeking peace with Japan at the hour when the emperor's planes were flying across the Pacific toward Pearl Harbor with their deadly load of bombs. We should have learned a lesson then, and must keep it in mind whenever we seek peace today:

Sometimes a hand extended with an olive branch is sincere, but sometimes it is mere sleight of hand to distract potential victims while another hand reaches for a gun.

We must remain vigilant.