Rep. Lynn Woolsey: Introduction of SMART Security in the 109th Congress
May 18, 2005

Mr. Speaker, the time has come for a new national security strategy, because our current path will only lead to future acts of terrorism and an increasingly insecure United States.

Most Americans understand that the best way to protect our country is through smarter policies here at home, not through aggressive military combat abroad.

In fact, a poll released today indicates that support for the war in Iraq is at its lowest level yet. Maybe that’s because Americans know that Iraq never possessed nuclear weapons; never maintained connections to al Qaeda; and never played a role in the terrorist attacks of September 11th.

Yet, the Bush administration claimed each of these examples as fact in order to justify going to war with Iraq. Sadly, many members of Congress were convinced by the administration’s false case for war, and just over two years ago the U.S. invaded Iraq.

Since then, more than 1,600 American soldiers and at least 24,000 non-insurgent Iraqi civilians have paid for this false war with their lives. Another 12,000 American soldiers are forever wounded, as well.

And yet, this war never had any link to fighting terrorism. The terrorism we’ve fought over the last two years is that of our own making – countless battles against Iraqi insurgents, who are angry that the U.S. invaded their country and now refuses to leave.

Clearly, the President’s national security platform isn’t just immoral, it’s incompetent. There has to be a better way than this. Fortunately, there is.

Earlier tonight I re-introduced the SMART Security resolution for the 21st Century. SMART Security clearly has increasing support among Members of Congress: at the end of the 108th Congress, SMART had 50 cosponsors; this year alone SMART already has 50 original cosponsors – and it was just introduced today.

SMART, which is a Sensible, Multilateral, American Response to Terrorism, has 5 components:

First, we must prevent future acts of terrorism by strengthening international institutions and the rule of law. For the past four years, the Bush administration has worked to discourage international cooperation.

The perfect example of the administration’s hostility for diplomacy is the nomination of the hard-line unilateralist John Bolton to represent our country to the United Nations.

Unilateralism is not the right answer, because terrorism is not just America’s problem. We can reinvigorate our international relationships by encouraging our United Nations and NATO partners to help us root out terrorist networks and put a stop to financing for international terrorist groups.

Second, we must stop the proliferation and spread of weapons of mass destruction. In the past, President Bush has indicated that this is the greatest threat America faces. Yet, he has both aggressively pursued new nuclear weapons like the bunker buster bomb, and has also removed the U.S. from international treaties that seek to end the spread of chemical and biological weapons.

Not only does SMART Security promote compliance with America’s commitments to existing treaties, it also calls for the U.S. to set an example for the rest of the world by renouncing the development and testing of new nuclear weapons.

Third, we must address the root causes of terrorism. The first front in fighting terrorism has to be confronting the despair and deprivation that foster it.

There is a demonstrated link between an educated citizenry and a decrease in support for terrorism, which is why SMART Security wholly encourages democracy-building; human rights education; sustainable development; and education for women and girls. These are the kinds of programs we need to pursue in Iraq, not continued military operations.

Fourth, we must shift America’s budget priorities to more effectively meet our security needs. We need stronger investments in peacekeeping, reconstruction, and humanitarian and developmental aid. We simply cannot afford to spend billions each year on outdated or unproven weapons systems, like the missile defense shield – which still has never been proven successful.

Fifth, the U.S. must pursue to the fullest extent alternatives to war. It’s not in our national best interest to go to war at the drop of a hat. War needs to be the very last resort, to be considered only after every possible diplomatic solution has been exhausted.

Mr. Speaker, the security of the American people is perhaps the most important issue we must address in the post-September 11th world, but we must address it in a smart way. As the world’s largest democracy, we have a responsibility to utilize all diplomatic possibilities before resorting to force.

While it may be frustrating and time-consuming to negotiate with other countries when disagreements arise, in the long run cooperating with the international community will make the world more peaceful, and Americans far safer, than aggressive unilateralism. I urge all of my colleagues to cosponsor the SMART Security resolution. Thank you, and I yield back.