Experts: Openness reason for U.S. vulnerability

Deirdre Newman

UCI CAMPUS -- The United States was vulnerable to Tuesday’s terrorist

attack because of the openness of its society and the ambiguous nature of

terrorism, political science and economic experts at UC Irvine say.

“Like everybody else, I’m surprised that it actually took place in

such a sophisticated and well-coordinated manner,” said Caesar Sereseres,

associate dean in the university’s School of Social Sciences. “At the

same time, I’m not completely surprised that it could happen.”

The United States must act quickly to avert a major recession and step

up its deterrent efforts both at home and abroad, Sereseres and his

colleagues added.

On Tuesday morning, a plane slammed into each of the World Trade

Center Twin Towers in New York City, one crashed into the Pentagon and a

fourth plane nose dived into a rural area of Pennsylvania.

The terrorist attacks do not reflect a policy or intelligence failure,

Sereseres said. Rather, it’s the inevitable weaknesses of an open society

that make the country susceptible.

“Until we make it impossible to gain access or make a foolproof system

that doesn’t allow the ‘bad guys’ in, then something like this can always

happen,” Sereseres said.

Sereseres speculated on some of the reasons why the attacks might have

been carried out, including vengeance against U.S. foreign policy or as a

way to escalate the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Lina Kreidie, an authority on the West-Islam cultural and political

divide, said frustration and rage are inflamed when the United States

takes advantage of its position as a negotiator between Israel and the

Palestinians and takes sides.

“The United States says [it] is a mediator and is trying to reach a

peaceful resolution,” Kreidie said. “If this is the cast, you cannot just

say, ‘Israel is our strongest ally.’ This would create anger.”

Authorities are saying much of the evidence thus far, as well as their

investigation, is implicating suspects from the Middle East, including

Osama bin Laden.

The appropriate military response to the attacks ultimately depends on

the cause and will be the first true test of President Bush’s foreign

policy, Sereseres added.

In terms of deterrence, Patrick Morgan, the former director of the

Global Peace and Conflict Studies Center, suggested the United States

exert more pressure on governments that harbor and assist terrorists and

increase its capacity to arrest suspected terrorists before they strike.

“The United States has more intelligence capabilities to try and

ferret out terrorist groups and communications . . . than any other

government,” Morgan said. “It has more leverage on the world’s other

governments than any other government. The United States is a

tremendously powerful actor in this regard.”

While the United States continues to deal with the shock of the

attacks on its national psyche, it also has to deal with two types of

severe economic shocks, said Peter Navarro, associate professor of

economics and public policy for the university’s Graduate School of

Management.

There is the possibility of a drop in both consumer consumption and

investment, and the risk of rising oil prices, which could lead to a

weaker dollar and destabilization of both the stock market and

international monetary systems, he said.

Navarro emphasized time is of the essence.

“If those two shocks are not addressed by the president and the

chairman of the Federal Reserve in an expeditious and proper way, we run

the risk of a much deeper and longer recession that will start here and

basically affect the whole world economy,” Navarro said.

Another domestic challenge is how the country’s leaders respond to the

issue of national security, Sereseres said. He issued a caveat about

quick fixes that would infringe on the nation’s basic values.

“Although I’m a foreign policy specialist and support military action,

my immediate concern is we don’t start tampering too much with our basic

values and our basic access and freedom to move without too much

obstacles,” Sereseres said.

Bridging the gaps between the West and Muslims is also of paramount

importance, Kreidie stressed.

“It’s the role of leaders -- and the leaders in this country, that’s

the media, politicians, teachers, parents -- to take this stereotyping

out of their minds and educate people that we live in a global world,”

Kreidie said. “We can live together in peace and understanding. We have

to teach them tolerance.”

* Deirdre Newman covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at o7 deirdre.newman@latimes.comf7 .