Turning Vulnerability into Strength: 9/11 a Year On: October/December 2002 Issue: Peace Watch: U.S. Institute of Peace

How should the United States harness its unprecedented power and influence to meet long-term challenges to peace and at the same time deal with the immediate and overwhelming threat of terrorism?

"With the right blend of leadership, cooperation, and forethought, we'll not only win the war against terrorism, we will be placing this nation in a far better posture to meet every other challenge to our security in the 21st century," said deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage in his address to the "9/11 a Year On" conference.

Armitage pointed out that the challenges for the State Department are the same as they were before September 11—violence in the Middle East; the spread of weapons of mass destruction; cultivation of China, Russia, and India as partners rather than competitors; and extending the opportunities of globalization for all.

However, there has been a fundamental change in the way we view these challenges. Armitage described the change as "something of a conundrum": American preeminence is unprecedented but American vulnerability is more palpable than ever before.

Armitage noted Secretary Powell's comment that America may not be the world's policeman, but 911 emergency calls are routed to the United States. The United States has the capacity to quickly mobilize an array of resources. American leadership is vital to the struggle against terrorism as well as its underlying causes.

But leadership is not synonymous with unilateralism, cautioned Armitage. "We act and will continue to act in our own interests whenever necessary without asking for permission, but the fact is we rarely act alone. . . . Today, we would not be winning the war against terrorism without effective multilateral cooperation." He noted that the profound international implications of the September 11 attacks were evident soon thereafter, as al Qaeda cells were nested in 60 countries and the victims included nationals of 90 countries.

In the short term, international military forces, diplomacy, finance, and policy came together, with 180 countries signing onto the coalition and contributing varied forms of cooperation. In the longer term, the anti-terror effort is leading to patterns of cooperation for facing down future global challenges.

Patterns of cooperation will be necessary to secure lasting and peaceful prosperity, said Armitage. "It will take strong and unapologetic American leadership. But it will also take the singular and concerted efforts of many nations; and it will take global remedies for the underlying pathologies, such as poverty, disease, and tyranny that give rise to anger and to hopelessness and violence."

Looking forward, Armitage explained how building on shared values of security, family, and faith is the best long-term strategy. "We are building a baseline that might lead to richer bilateral engagement on a cross-section of issues, from economic development to human rights.

"It is better and cheaper—in terms of blood and money—to resolve some of the problems that can feed and sustain terrorism than to have military operations against it," concluded Armitage.

Other Institute Resources:

"America's Challenges in a Changed World"
Address by Richard Armitage, Deputy U.S. Secretary of State