by Joe Snyder
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Our new Secretary of State, Colin Powell, is one of the most trusted and well known personalities in the new administration. He is a black man accepted in all major levels of society and had a great career in the United States Army. Some people believe he should have been appointed Secretary of Defense, but his skin color may prove an asset in the nation’s dealings with the more troubled nations around the world, particularly Africa.
Powell certainly deserves credit for America’s victory in the Persian Gulf War. As Secretary of State, however, his job will not be to conduct a war, but help to decide whether we should engage the nation in it.
But let’s go back a decade. Before the Gulf war began, General Powell was so opposed to fighting it that Dick Cheney, who was at that time Secretary of Defense, had to order Powell to provide military options to President George Bush. Before his confirmation as Secretary of State, Powell should have been asked, in view of what we know about Iraq’s production of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, how he underestimated the danger from Saddam Hussein. He should have been asked: “Do you still believe, as you did in 1990, that it was wrong to confront Iraq over it’s invasion of Kuwait?
As that war began, Powell said of the Iraqi army: “First we’re going to cut it off, and then we’re going to kill it.” Yet at the end of the ground war there, the Bush Administration allowed much of Iraq’s army to escape, including the Republican Guard, which has sustained Hussein in power ever since. Powell should have been asked now if he still believes we should have destroyed that army while we had the chance.
Former President Bush and his advisors said one reason they didn’t try harder to unseat Hussein and wipe out the Iraqi army was the risk of offending Arab nations. Today, Powell and the new Bush team say they will strengthen sanctions on Iraq even though many Arab and European allies say that’s wrong. So, do we want to ignore international sentiments and demand, as Powell suggests, that they help increase pressure with sanctions?
Who can forget the Balkans? As chairman of the Joint Chiefs, later as a private citizen, Powell was opposed to our involvement in Bosnia and Kosovo. He argued that anything but a massive ground offensive was unlikely to produce a settlement. I agreed with him on that and still do.
However, the solution we achieved there is far from a final settlement. It would be interesting to ask him if our Balkan experience proved that limited use of force can achieve important, lasting objectives.
Clearly, the United States is better off now that the Balkan conflicts have ended if, indeed, that is the case. Ethnic differences have festered there for centuries.
Remember Somalia? Eighteen U.S. soldiers, lacking supporting troops and equipment, were lost in a mission to capture Warlord Muhammad Farah Aidid. Powell recommended that President Clinton approve the mission. He should have been asked why he did so.
General Powell has the experience to become a fine Secretary of State, but the Senate should have asked more questions. A Secretary of State’s errors in judgement can create a firestorm of problems for America, thus I hope Powell will serve successfully.