A Self-Defeating War

The metaphor “war on terror” is inappropriate, leading to real conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon and causing far more civilian deaths than the 9/11 attacks. A majority in the US now recognizes that the war in Iraq in particular is a huge and costly blunder, but remains stymied, like US leaders, about how to withdraw from the nation without creating more problems. More Iraqis died in July from the war than the total deaths from the 9/11 attacks. Yet the US public still supports the so-called “war on terror.” Relying on “war” as metaphor for fighting terrorism leads to confusion and self-defeat, according to financier and philanthropist George Soros. The simple metaphor, emphasizing military strategies over diplomacy or intelligence, has fooled the US public into thinking that all groups who rely on terror share similar goals. The metaphor establishes a mindset of “us versus them,” an attempt to justify attacks on ethnic groups, some of whom have been marginalized throughout history. By continuing to pursue its misconceptions and strategies on terror, the US only compounds hatred and violence in years ahead. As Soros points out, “The strength of an open society lies in its ability to recognize and correct its mistakes.” – YaleGlobal

A Self-Defeating War

George Soros
Wednesday, August 16, 2006

The war on terror is a false metaphor that has led to counterproductive and self-defeating policies. Five years after 9/11, a misleading figure of speech applied literally has unleashed a real war fought on several fronts – Iraq, Gaza, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Somalia – a war that has killed thousands of innocent civilians and enraged millions around the world. Yet al Qaeda has not been subdued; a plot that could have claimed more victims than 9/11 has just been foiled by the vigilance of British intelligence.

Unfortunately, the "war on terror" metaphor was uncritically accepted by the American public as the obvious response to 9/11. It is now widely admitted that the invasion of Iraq was a blunder. But the war on terror remains the frame into which American policy has to fit. Most Democratic politicians subscribe to it for fear of being tagged as weak on defense.

What makes the war on terror self-defeating?

• First, war by its very nature creates innocent victims. A war waged against terrorists is even more likely to claim innocent victims because terrorists tend to keep their whereabouts hidden. The deaths, injuries and humiliation of civilians generate rage and resentment among their families and communities that in turn serves to build support for terrorists.

• Second, terrorism is an abstraction. It lumps together all political movements that use terrorist tactics. Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Sunni insurrection and the Mahdi army in Iraq are very different forces, but President Bush's global war on terror prevents us from differentiating between them and dealing with them accordingly. It inhibits much-needed negotiations with Iran and Syria because they are states that support terrorist groups.

• Third, the war on terror emphasizes military action while most territorial conflicts require political solutions. And, as the British have shown, al Qaeda is best dealt with by good intelligence. The war on terror increases the terrorist threat and makes the task of the intelligence agencies more difficult. Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri are still at large; we need to focus on finding them, and preventing attacks like the one foiled in England.

• Fourth, the war on terror drives a wedge between "us" and "them." We are innocent victims. They are perpetrators. But we fail to notice that we also become perpetrators in the process; the rest of the world, however, does notice. That is how such a wide gap has arisen between America and much of the world.

Taken together, these four factors ensure that the war on terror cannot be won. An endless war waged against an unseen enemy is doing great damage to our power and prestige abroad and to our open society at home. It has led to a dangerous extension of executive powers; it has tarnished our adherence to universal human rights; it has inhibited the critical process that is at the heart of an open society; and it has cost a lot of money. Most importantly, it has diverted attention from other urgent tasks that require American leadership, such as finishing the job we so correctly began in Afghanistan, addressing the looming global energy crisis, and dealing with nuclear proliferation.

With American influence at low ebb, the world is in danger of sliding into a vicious circle of escalating violence. We can escape it only if we Americans repudiate the war on terror as a false metaphor. If we persevere on the wrong course, the situation will continue to deteriorate. It is not our will that is being tested, but our understanding of reality. It is painful to admit that our current predicaments are brought about by our own misconceptions. However, not admitting it is bound to prove even more painful in the long run. The strength of an open society lies in its ability to recognize and correct its mistakes. This is the test that confronts us.

Mr. Soros, a financier, is author of “The Age of Fallibility: Consequences of the War on Terror” (Public Affairs, 2006).

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