tailieunhanh - The Aftermath Of The Achille Lauro

This paper, an abbreviated version of which appeared in the Los Angeles Times on October 27, 1985, discusses mistakes in diplomacy made by the . government following the capture of the four hijackers of the Italian cruise ship, the Achille Lauro, and the subsequent demands for their extradition. The author suggests that these actions may have done more to damage relationships with Italy and Egy | THE AFTERMATH OF THE ACHILLE LAURO Brian Michael Jenkins November 1985 P-7163 The Rand Paper Series Papers are issued by The Rand Corporation as a service to its professional staff. Their purpose is to facilitate the exchange of ideas among those who share the author s research interests Papers are not reports prepared in fulfillment of Rand s contracts or grants. Views expressed in a Paper are the author s own and are not necessarily shared by Rand or its research sponsors. The Rand Corporation 1700 Main Street . Box 2138 Santa Monica CA 90406-2138 THE AFTERMATH OF THE ACHILLE LAURO The President I believe did the right thing in ordering American fighters to force down the Egyptian airliner and deliver the four hijackers of the Achille Lauro--the murderers of an American citizen--to justice. It was an opportunity that we could not afford to miss. The handling of the aftermath however has been terrible. We humiliated a friend. We bashed an ally. We snatched diplomatic disaster from the jaws of rare victory against terrorists. And despite current efforts to repair the damage we remain pugnacious in mood mistaken in the belief that by applying bold military force and bullying reluctant governments to action we can defeat terrorism. In our single-minded pursuit of terrorists a campaign that has perhaps become too high on the list of priorities we run the danger of combatting terrorism the same way we fought the war in Vietnam--unmindful of the collateral damage. There too we faced an elusive foe who did not fight by our rules. There too we sought a quick military victory. In our euphoria over the successful capture of four terrorists we would now like to believe that we have turned the tide against terrorism that terrorists now will think twice before attacking Americans. It is far more likely that the war against terrorism will be a protracted contest with dramatic victories on our side few and far between and ultimately no final victory. In this case the two .