Re: Summer 2001: "The time has come for the U.S. government to declar

interesting find! I find the rest of the description of the think tank and
its staff important as well as the quote below:
"The Forum holds that the United States has vital interests in the region;
in particular, it believes in strong ties with Israel, Turkey, and other
democracies as they emerge; works for human rights throughout the region;
seeks a stable supply and a low price of oil"

"Director - Daniel Pipes
Daniel Pipes is director of the Middle East Forum and a columnist at The
Jerusalem Post. A former official in the Departments of State and Defense,
he has taught at the University of Chicago, Harvard University, and the
U.S. Naval War College." and "He serves on three editorial boards and
belongs to the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Pipes has testified
before many congressional committees and served on three presidential
campaigns."




 Brian Klocke

"Let us make the risk of peace and not impose the risk of war upon the
world"

On Mon, 12 Nov 2001, Kotouza, Demetra wrote:

> I have just come across a Summer 2001 Middle East Quarterly article that
> makes recommendations on how the US Government should deal with the Taliban.
>
>
> "Since its founding in 1994, the Quarterly has had influence in Washington -
> prompting the State Department to review policy, helping lobbyists make
> compelling arguments on Capitol Hill, and providing speechwriters with
> sensible policy ideas".
>
> The journal is published by "The Middle East Forum, a think tank" which
> "works to define and promote American interests in the Middle East".
>
> The article is entitled "The Taliban's International Ambitions: Interviews
> with Taliban POWs reveal their agenda", by Julie Sirrs. "Julie Sirrs, a
> former analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency, made four trips into
> Afghanistan from 1997 to 2000, visiting both Taliban and United Front areas.
> She is currently vice president of Safehaven Productions as well as a
> consultant with Argus International."
> http://www.meforum.org/meq/taliban0103.shtml
>
>
> Sirrs made a number of suggestions for US policy, which are briefly as
> follows:
>
> ""
> Arms sanctions against the Taliban are difficult to enforce given how deeply
> the Taliban already are involved in smuggling. What is needed therefore is a
> more comprehensive U.S. policy against the Taliban, one that correctly
> identifies the movement as an enemy of the United States.
>
> Options for toughening U.S. policy against the Taliban include the
> following:
>
> * Designate the Taliban as a terrorist organization that aids other
> terrorist groups such as Al-Qa'ida, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Harakat
> al-Ansar/Mujahideen, Hamas, and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.
>
> * Allow the United Front (Northern Alliance?) to reopen Afghanistan's
> Washington embassy.  The United States should instead follow the United
> Nations and its European allies in recognizing the the United Front's
> political arm, the Islamic State of Afghanistan (ISA) as the legitimate
> government of Afghanistan.
>
> * Directly aid the United Front. To maximize the effectiveness of a policy
> against the Taliban, the U.S. government should provide the United Front
> with funding, perhaps from the more than $1 billion currently designated for
> counterterrorism.
>
> A more aggressive U.S. policy against the Taliban would demonstrate that
> Washington is serious about waging war on terrorism.
>
> "The time has come for the U.S. government to declare war on the Taliban.
> Just as Washington worked with the Afghan mujahidin to help defeat the
> Soviet Union, so too could the United States now work with the Afghan
> opposition to defeat a new common enemy- terrorism."
>
> http://www.meforum.org/meq/taliban0103.shtml
>
>