THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume VI, Issue # 128, June 17, 2004
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
RONALD WILSON REAGAN & PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP:
THE GIPPER'S LEGACY FOR OUR TIME
By Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.
FULL STORY:
Three simple words comprise the motto of the American nation's newest and most powerful aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan:
"Peace through Strength." The choice of this phrase could scarcely be more appropriate, given that it captures both the purpose of
the vessel and the most important legacy of the U.S. President whose name she proudly bears.
What is more, the philosophy that guided Ronald Reagan throughout his life and whose practice made the 40th Presidency one of
this country's greatest -- the proposition that the competent exercise of American power is essential to maintaining international
peace and security -- remains a formula for guiding U.S. defense and foreign policy in our own time.
A MODEL FOR GEORGE W. BUSH
At a moment when the nation is in the throes of mourning and nostalgia for our fallen leader, it is easy to forget that this core Reagan
principle was once considered wildly controversial. In fact, it took great fortitude and robust leadership to overcome the virulent
opposition of those who railed against the then-President's costly military build-up and "aggressive" policies in Europe, Afghanistan,
and Central America.
The history of strenuous opposition to Mr. Reagan's application of the philosophy of peace through strength for the purpose of
ending the "Evil Empire" and liberating its oppressed subjects offers important perspective on the present controversy: George W.
Bush's determination that, among other things, the liberation of Iraq was required to achieve success against yet another global
threat -- the use of terrorism to advance political agendas.
One of the most important insights from the previous experience, however, is the importance of being clear about precisely who and
what we are up against. Ronald Reagan appreciated that it was necessary -- but not sufficient -- for America's military strength to be
rebuilt. He also understood the need to wage a "war of ideas" against the Soviet Union. Specifically, Mr. Reagan explicitly and
repeatedly addressed the odiousness and illegitimacy of Soviet Communism, discrediting it in the world's eyes, demoralizing its
proponents and emboldening those who longed to be free of that tyrannical ideology.
TODAY'S IDEOLOGICAL THREAT: ISLAMOFASCISM
In today's conflict, clarity about our enemy is no less essential. Most of those wielding terror against us, our allies, and our interests
adhere to an ideology every bit as dangerous as that of the Soviet Union. Some have described it as "Islamofascism", others as
Communism with a god. While not all who threaten us are Islamists -- the radical, intolerant and violently jihadist subsets (both Sunni
and Shiite) of the Muslim faith -- the latter tend to be the best organized, financed, and disciplined. And the rest, like Saddam
Hussein's regime in Iraq, either actively cooperate with the Islamofascists (see Stephen Hayes' excellent new book, The Connection:
How al-Qa'ida's Collaboration with Saddam Hussein Has Endangered America) or are, at the very least, supportive of their
hostility towards us.
The need for a "war of ideas" has been much on the mind of the man charged with securing peace through strength through more
obvious means, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. For months, he has been warning that the Islamist recruitment and
training pipeline is capable of generating jihadist cannon-fodder faster than U.S. and allied forces can kill them. According to the
Associated Press, in remarks to an international security conference in Singapore on June 6, Rumsfeld warned:
"The United States and its allies are winning some battles in the war against terror but may be losing
the broader struggle against Islamic extremism that is terrorism's source."
The Pentagon chief observed: "What you have is a civil war in [Islam] where a small minority are trying to hijack it."
Complicating matters further is the fact that Saudi Arabia -- ostensibly one of our most important allies in the war on terror -- is a
significant part of the problem. A featured article in The New York Times, June 6, 2004, was entitled, "The Saudis fight
terror, but not those who wage it." The article reports:
The attempt by some [Saudis] to expose and uproot the ideological and theocratic influences used
to justify [terrorist] attacks was suppressed by the religious establishment....Instead, the official line
became that the terrorists were infected with an alien ideology, imported by those who fought in
Afghanistan or Chechnya, and that the religion espoused by Saudis is a peaceful one....'The official
religious establishment does not admit there is a problem inside Wahhabism [the state-approved
fundamentalist version of Islam] itself,' said...a former radical turned reformer."
THE BOTTOM LINE
If President Bush is to succeed in defeating Islamofascism, as President Reagan defeated Soviet Communism, he must not only
rebuild and employ effectively America's military strength. He must also bring to bear, as Ronald Reagan did, reinvigorated U.S.
intelligence capabilities and the panoply of economic, financial, and technological assets at our disposal. But, arguably most
importantly, he must emulate Mr. Reagan's war of ideas by countering the Islamist ideology that animates our enemy and powers
its ambition to succeed in world domination where godless Communism failed.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
American Government & the U.S. Presidency
Islamism & Jihadism -- The Threat of Radical Islam
Page Three
Page Two
Page One
The Middle East & the Arabs
The Middle East & the Problem of Iraq
The Problem of Rogue States:
Iraq as a Case History
War & Peace in the Real World
Page Two
Page One
Islamist Terrorist Attacks on the U.S.A.
Osama bin Laden & the Islamist Declaration of War
Against the U.S.A. & Western Civilization
Islamist International Terrorism &
U.S. Intelligence Agencies
U.S. National Security Strategy
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr., is President of the Center for Security Policy, a non-profit, non-partisan organization committed to the philosophy
of promoting world peace and security through American strength. Gaffney served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International
Security Policy during the Presidency of Ronald W. Reagan, following four years of service as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of
Defense for Nuclear Forces and Arms Control Policy. Previously, he was professional staff member on the U.S. Senate Armed Services
Committee under the Chairmanship of the late Senator John Tower, and a national security legislative aide to the late Senator Henry M.
Jackson. The original version of Gaffney's article can be found on the Internet website maintained by the
Center for Security Policy.
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THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
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