War on Terror - A Distraction?

This morning, I read a very thought-provoking editorial statement regarding the War on Terror:

“When the history of the 21at Century is written, what we call the war on terror will be seen as a peripheral event, an outbreak of murderous desperation by a relative handful of extremists trying to turn back the clock. They will not succeed except to the extent that they distract the United States from answering the far larger challenge of the century: the competition from the soon-to-be-economic superpowers in Asia.

Of course, the terrorists must be fought and contained, but America’s position in the world 50 years from now will depend more in its economic success than its skill in killing insurgents.”
- Des Moines Register (reprinted in Detroit Free Press 11/25/05)

Many continue to argue that the War on Terror is being waged in ways that undermine civil liberties and the United States Constitution. These political and philosophical arguments seem valid to this Blogger. Yet, when one looks at the structural and functional changes this war has wrought upon the US economy and economic institutions, it is not too much of a stretch to suggest that the strategies pursued by current political leaders have left America less competitive globally, and may undermine the stature of the United States over the long-run.

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