Joel Stuthman
The Journalist
James Wooley, a former CIA director, addressed the E.N. Thompson
Forum on World Issues at the Lied Center Wednesday, describing parallels between
today's political and economic situation and the 1920s.
Woolsey likened America's instinct for dealing with crises to a
wagon train.
"During World War II we formed the whole country into a big wagon
train," he said.
But America isn't nearly as good at dealing with the world
between wagon trains, in his opinion.
He said the nation's isolationism during the 1920s was partially
to blame for totalitarianism of the 1930s.
"We roared in the '20s, and while we were roaring, we blew it,"
Woolsey said.
Future security threats are as cloudy today as they were in the
'20s, but Woolsey said he sees three areas of concern.
The first is that China or Russia will turn belligerent.
Russia's new democracy has become, in part, "a kleptocracy, the
rule by thieves," he said.
The chances that Russia will dissolve into chaos have diminished,
Woolsey said, but the sale of advanced weapons to other countries is still a
serious threat.
"Russia is clearly a nation on which we need to keep a weathered
eye," he said.
The second threat to America's national security comes from a
handful of rogue nations.
During the Gulf War, Iraq came close to controlling half the
world's oil. This could happen again, he warned.
Terrorism, both internal and external, is Woolsey's third area of
concern.
The face of terrorism has changed during the past 20 years.
Terrorists of the '70s and '80s wanted a place at the conference table, he said.
Today's terrorists aren't interested in talking.
"They want to blow up the table and the people sitting at it," he
said.
Protecting America's future interests requires action today, he
said.
The computer networks that keep the oil flowing are another point
of vulnerability. They need to be protected from computer hackers, both foreign and
domestic.
The United States also needs to protect itself and American
allies from ballistic missiles. It is extremely important to continue working with
Russia on strategic issues, Woolsey said.
Another concern is rooted in what Woolsey called "our remarkable
propensity for naivete."
The United States needs to take a hard look at changing the CIA
guidelines that deter recruitment of informants within terrorist organizations, he
said.
Patrice McMahon, an assistant professor of political science at
the university, agreed. The guidelines, which discourage the CIA from recruiting
people who have violent backgrounds, are unrealistic, she said.
McMahon, who is a member of the planning committee for the
Thompson Forum, said, "Sometimes you have to work with nasty people who aren't nice
and who aren't going to do nice things."
Woolsey ended his speech by asking the audience to not repeat the
mistakes of the '20s.
"As we roar into a new millennium, full of ourselves and
prosperous, we need to stop and think a little bit," he said. "This time, my
friends, let's not blow it."
http://journalism.unl.edu/joe/fall00/1101/state4.html