[Vision2020] message from Tom Trail

[bill london]

Tom Trail asked that this message from his friend John Barbee be 
forwarded to V2020:
BL

---

OPINION & COMMENTARY

 

Dear Peace Corps colleagues and friends:

 

Since the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and especially now, in the run-up to 
the November Presidential election, it is increasingly difficult for US 
citizens to judge what is fact and what is fiction (or political 
hyperbole) in regard to US security, the war in Iraq and the war on 
terrorism.  Everyone seems to be confused and unable to interpret what 
they have heard or seen on TV about the situation we are in, how we got 
there and what to do about it.

 

Despite my experience working in civil society development in 
Afghanistan,  Iraq and other countries impacted by conflict, I also have 
been confused and highly concerned by what I have seen on the ground, 
the reported actions taken and contentions made by our nation's elected 
and appointed leaders in the Bush Administration and Congress. Until 
recently I was very frustrated also with my unsuccessful efforts to find 
out what principles, logic and processes have been driving our foreign 
and domestic anti-terrorism policies and dominating their very 
questionable implementation. 

 

But in the last three months, I finally came across some excellent 
detailed Information resources that have helped me to understand and 
appreciate what has been going on at the highest levels in our 
government, both since the first Gulf War and especially in the last 
three years.  I think these resource books will be very useful and 
informative for readers who, as in my case, want to become better 
informed on these very serious and critically important issues for our 
country.  The resources I am recommending are non-partisan and seek to 
inform and point out both the errors of our recent past and present, and 
some specific constructive courses of action that we should implement to 
deal with these important and complex problems.

 

The two books I recommend are:

 

"Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terrorism," by Richard 
Clarke, a Senior Executive Service civil servant for nearly thirty 
years, who worked for the current and last three presidents and who was 
the National Security Council's Counter-terrorism Coordinator in the 
White House during the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

 

             "Plan of Attack,"  by Bob Woodward, reporter and editor at 
the Washington Post for 33 years, and a nationally and internationally 
respected writer.  Along with Carl Bernstein, he did the investigation 
and reportage that brought the facts of the Watergate affair to public 
attention and action.

 

Both Clarke and Woodward are highly respected and well known in their 
fields for their honesty and forthrightness in their work and their 
dealings.  Neither of them is seeking public office nor is involved 
directly in political campaigns.  Clearly, their books were written and 
published for the primary purpose of helping to enlighten Americans and 
to help us as citizens to better understand the issues and to make 
better choices in exercising our privileges and carrying out our 
responsibilities as citizens in the most advanced democracy in the 
world.   They can be found in libraries, bookstores and also on the web 
in both text and audio format.  If your local library does not have 
copies, or if they are over-demanded and unavailable, I am sure that 
libraries would gladly receive additional copies after you have bought 
and read them.

 

After you have read the books, a really good and useful follow-up might 
be to convene special issue-related discussion groups that lead to 
development of strategies and action, e.g.  the war in Iraq, democracy 
and peacebuilding in Iraq, How to best help Afghanistan, what is needed 
for more appropriate foreign policies and practices, etc.   This is 
critically important to security in the US and abroad and the overall 
interests in democracy and civil society worldwide. 

 

Most sincerely,

John W. Barbee

 

[John Barbee has been a lifelong resident of the mountain west and has 
served in humanitarian assistance and the development of civil society 
in Central Asia, Afghanistan Africa and, most recently, Iraq. He is also 
a former Volunteer and staff officer with Peace Corps in Afghanistan and 
Africa.]



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