Speaker: Ambassador Edward S. Walker
Date of Event:  9/8/04

In a talk held at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, Ambassador Richard Walker cautioned that we must “sharpen our skills in diplomacy,” particularly when dealing with the current conflict in the Middle East and with the war on terrorism.  Drawing on his unique experience of having served as an Ambassador to both Israel and Egypt, he reported, “America’s never been so low in the estimation of the world.”  Furthermore, he urged that the fight against terrorism will never be won without the support of the people in the region.  Despite assertions by the current administration that terrorists hate us for our values, Ambassador Walker asserted that polls on Arab attitudes “overwhelmingly support the same things.”  He suggested it is not our wealth and freedom that makes us the target of hatred; rather, it is the widespread perception that we are “uncaring” of casualties in the region, and the debacle of military detention without trial.  He recalled an Egyptian friend of his who summarized the issue, “We wanted to follow your example, not have you follow ours.” 

Ambassador Walker highlighted the importance of accurately understanding “who the enemy is.”  For example, the 9-11 commission’s report found “no particular sponsorship” of Bin Laden by Iran, Iraq, Libya, or Syria, and “no evidence that Iraq cooperated with Al Qaeda” in coordinating the attacks against the U.S.  The movement spawned by Al Qaeda is now a loose collection of small cells that does not depend on a centralized command.  He characterized these terrorists as people who are “driven by frustration in their private lives,” in part because the paucity of economic opportunity in their homelands prevent them from marrying or reaping any benefit from an education.  He suggested they see themselves as fighting against “entrenched power.” 

In discussing how terrorism should be fought, he stated that unilateral action should be a “last resort.”  He noted that the costs of financing terror operations are low enough that such networks can successfully fund themselves with gainful employment and petty crime.  Thus, fighting terrorism by freezing their funding may not be particularly effective.  Using Egypt as an example, he stated that he had observed an effective model whereby multiple countries cooperating together were able to successfully stem terrorism.  He suggests that through multilateral action and diplomacy, we can “tighten a more effective network of protection.”  The U.N. offers a place for small countries to have a voice, and therefore supplies an important counterbalance to the perception of the U.S. as an oversized bully in international affairs.  He urged the U.S. to discard its “hubris” and take a “lower profile” in leading the world.  Another issue Ambassador Walker cited as being critical to mending the schism between the Western and Arab worlds was the perception that the U.S. had “walked away” from the Palestinian issue.  He suggested that even if the issue does not become fully resolved, even making a sincere attempt to solicit advice from neighboring countries and involve them in forging a potential solution would go a long way to engendering better attitudes toward the U.S. 

In summary, the thrust of his message was that we must redouble our efforts in diplomacy, involve the rest of the world in the fight against terrorism, and strive to gain the support of people in Iraq and the Middle East as a whole.  Moreover, he cautioned against the false conclusion that terrorism is synonymous with Islam.  Instead, he emphasized that strengthening international diplomacy and cooperation against terror networks while fostering economic development may go a long way toward preventing the conditions that breed terrorism.