CATO:Does US intervention overseas breed terrorism? The Historical Record (Old Article, Dec '98)

CATO Institute ^ | December 17, 1998 | Iven Eland

[zapiks44]

http://www.cato.org/pubs/fpbriefs/fpb-050es.html

[zapiks44]

I just digged up this old article from the Cato Institute. It tries to show how foreign intervention by the US breeds terrorism, but overall I wasn't convinced.

The author ends by advocating that we reduce our overseas military presence, but few of the terrorist attacks he cites seemed to be related to that. Most of the ones that were took place in Japan or the Balkans, and seemed to be isolated incidents.

Most of the terrorist attacks that took place in the Middle East or had their origin in the Middle-East seemed to be more related to US policy than a US military presence. Support for Israel seemed to be the overriding factor.

To be sure, there have been terrorist attacks on the military, but most of the examples he also cites were on peacekeeping missions than outright military campaigns. Lebanon and Somalia, for example. And those were part of a multinational force approved by the UN (that idol of the left).

Overall, the terrorist attacks cited in the article appeared to be most related to US policy toward Israel. We could never abandon Israel, and I'm willing to bet that most committ terrorist attacks because of our support of Israel are of the extremist tilt who seek the total destruction of Israel. While we should not unconiditionally support everything Israel does, we will unconditionally support it's right to exist, particularly within it's pre-1967 borders.

I welcome any comments you may have on this old, somewhat prophetic article.

[RLK]

There are several sources of so-called terrorism. One is support of Israel which enrages the entire Mohammedan world. A second is international Marxism which believes the economy of the United States should be redistributed.

[Rudder]

Why not post the damn article?

[zapiks44]

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