Experts: U.S. Needs Int'l Image Makeover
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp..._11_commission
By LAURENCE ARNOLD, Associated Press Writer
Quote:
WASHINGTON - The United States is less vulnerable to terrorism today because of heightened vigilance but must improve its international relations in order to starve terrorist groups of new recruits, experts said Wednesday.
Scholars on terrorism and al-Qaida told the independent commission studying the Sept. 11 attacks that the United States badly needs an image makeover in the eyes of the world.
"Although we are winning the war against the organization called al-Qaida, we seem to be losing the cultural war," said Mamoun Fandy, senior fellow at the United States Institute of Peace.
Fandy said leaders of other countries, particularly in the Middle East, should be expected to express public gratitude for U.S. help. "Somehow we tolerate Arab leaders telling us something in private rooms and then dealing with their public the way they want to," he said.
Rohan Gunaratna, head of terrorism research at the Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies in Singapore, told the bipartisan commission that the United States and the international community sat by for a decade as Afghanistan (news - web sites) became "a terrorist Disneyland" where attackers were trained and assaults were planned.
He also said U.S. and other intelligence services suffered "a grave failure" in not appreciating the significance of a January 2000 meeting in Malaysia at which the Sept. 11 attacks and other plots were discussed.
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What did we or should we have known before 9/11? How should we be handling our current status and perception in the Muslim world?
07-09-2003, 05:14 PM
Experts: U.S. Needs Int'l Image Makeover
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