| The
Small Arm of Terror |
| Politics have certainly changed in the nation since Sept.
11, but the most noticeable change has been in the political
direction of White House. |
| One of the quickest criticisms that surfaced after the election
last year was that the Bush administration would not be strong
on foreign policy. George W. Bush had hardly been out of the
country at all, and really only to Mexico. |
| The Bush administration answered that criticism by practicing
what critics began to call "the Politics of Isolationism,"
in which long-standing treaties and agreements between nations
were set aside, disputed or disregarded. |
| The Kyoto global warming treaty, which only a couple of
years before was heralded as a good attempt to address a growing
international concern, was spurned by the Bush administration. |
| Bush's insistence on a missile defense system for the United
States put Russia and other nations on alert that treaties
that had been a part of international politics and stability
for decades might be set aside by the new president. |
| But the treaty that I particularly enjoyed reading about
was one that would limit the sale of small arms around the
world. The Bush administration decided that would not be a
good idea for America, because it could have a very bad effect
on U.S. weapons companies, which rely on exports as a primary
part of their business. |
| Also, the Bush administration thought it might interfere
with our Constitutional right to bear arms, for the United
States might be in violation of such a treaty if it didn't
more strictly control who gun-making companies could sell
their products to. |
| But that was six weeks ago. This is now. Global warming
is forgotten, if not by everyone certainly by everyone in
the United States. |
| The missile defense shield that Bush had struggled so long
to get support for is looking better and better, and the administration
will probably have a easier time of collecting support for
it in the wake of an international crime wave. |
| But I think Mr. Bush and his advisors need to take another
look at that small arms treaty they rejected so early on,
for in the wake of Sept. 11, the treaty addresses some of
the very things the American military now wants to curtail. |
| As soon as Afghanistan was identified as playing a key role
in the terrorist attacks, the media poured into Pakistan and
the Middle East. One of the stories I saw reported that guns
stores in Islamabad were offering $100 discounts on all guns
for customers who said they would use their weapons in a holy
war against the United States. |
| And the video was of long racks of every combat weapon imaginable,
sold right on the street as if they were fresh eggplants and
celery. If you think gun control in America was a little lax,
don't take a step off American soil. It's a different world
out there. |
| While it wasn't a priority before Sept. 11, getting small
arms out of the hands of terrorists worldwide, and out of
the reach of people who could become terrorists, is exactly
what the Bush administration wants to do. |
| By putting together an international coalition of support
for military action around the world in response to the terrorism
attacks on America, the Bush administration has been turned
a full 180 degrees from where they were heading six months
ago. |
| And they seem to be doing a great job. I approve, anyway. |
| Now they need to go the extra step, and have the courage
to establish treaties that will limit the supply of weapons
everywhere, not just in Russia or America. |
| The consequences of turning a blind eye to a minor arms
sale in Indonesia or some other place could be devastating. |
