Getting National Security Right

This week, Americans will remember the somber anniversary of September 11. We all recall where we were that day, how we first heard of the devastating news and stood by our TVs and radios in disbelief, shock, and utter devastation as we watched the towers fall.

I'm sure many of you agree with me that the best way we can honor those who lost their lives or were injured that day is with a national security policy that will actually make America and our allies safer—from terrorism and from the threat of dangerous countries, whether Iran or Russia.

Unfortunately, what we've seen from current leaders in Washington is a dangerously short-sighted foreign policy, that's long on tough talk but short on planning, strategy, and results. As a national security analyst who has worked across the world to stop terrorism and warlords, I find this particularly troubling. Correcting these problems and getting our national security policy right is why I'm running for Congress.

The time after 9/11 was a golden period to recalibrate America's national security policy and focus on our real enemies: particularly terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda and the Taliban and rogue nations like Iran. In the weeks and months following 9/11, The world was ready to come together to achieve security.

But the Bush Administration squandered that moment. Instead, we rushed into a war with a poor understanding of our enemy and no strategy for victory.  The terrible planning not only created a recruiting ground for Al Qaeda in Iraq and a toehold in Pakistan, it distracted attention from Afghanistan, where the Taliban continues to strengthen today, and emboldened Iran—which is pursuing nuclear weapons.

I was disturbed by our bad decisions, and I didn't just talk the talk; I walked the walk. I was in Afghanistan in 2005 and again in 2007 to work on the recent resurgence of the Taliban. What I found was that the crucial mistake of the Bush Administration was to appease the very warlords it had sought to depose immediately following 9/11.

Based on my close work with local leaders, I came up with a four-point plan for Afghanistan I'd like to share with you. First, we must stop appeasing warlords and drug runners in the Afghani government. Second, we have to do better to win the hearts and minds of the citizens through improved aid and education. Third, we have to do everything we can to lower civilian casualties, which only end up strengthening the Taliban. Fourth, we must use all our diplomatic assets to gain more leverage over Afghanistan's next-door neighbor, Pakistan.

We need to move beyond all the partisan bickering and failed policies toward a real strategy in Afghanistan and other countries that will finally put America's national security interests first, rather than the ideology of one party or another. I believe that's the best way we can honor the fallen on this hallowed week of the memory of 9/11.

Tom Perriello is the Democratic candidate for Congress in Virginia's Fifth District. You can find out more about his campaign at www.PerrielloForCongress.com or by visiting one of our eight district offices in: Appomattox, Bedford, Charlottesville, Danville, Farmville, Martinsville, Moneta and South Hill.