Bush's failed War on Terror

John Gershman with FPIF Task Force on Terrorism does and excellent job of pointing out Bush's failed policy in A Secure America
in a Secure World. It's long but worth the read.

The Bush administration’s “war on terrorism” reflects a major failure of leadership and makes Americans more vulnerable rather than more secure. The administration has chosen a path to combat terrorism that has weakened multilateral institutions and squandered international goodwill. Not only has Bush failed to support effective reconstruction in Afghanistan, but his war and occupation in Iraq have made the United States more vulnerable and have opened a new front and a recruiting tool for terrorists while diverting resources from essential homeland security efforts. In short, Washington’s approach to homeland security fails to address key vulnerabilities, undermines civil liberties, and misallocates resources.

The report spells out the six failures, details of each in the report.

• Overemphasis on Military Responses


• Failure in Intelligence Sharing


• Undermining Democracy and Civil Liberties


• Undermining Homeland Security


• Weakening International Institutions


• Failure to Attack Root Causes

And then lays out a framework for fighting terrorism, again details in the report.

• Strengthen Homeland Security


• Strengthen International and National Legal Systems to Hold Terrorists Accountable


• Defend and Promote Democracy at Home and Abroad


• Attack Root Causes

Finally.

"No single component of this framework is an adequate response to terrorism. Only by joining all four strategies—pursuing prevention and preparedness, strengthening the international framework for multilateral action, defending and promoting civil rights, and addressing root causes—will the U.S. government be able to truthfully tell the American people that it is doing all that it can to prevent future terrorist attacks. Our proposed security strategy would be more effective at making the U.S. a safer place for all its citizens. It would also have the added advantages of improving the nation’s quality of life by improving public safety, health care, and air quality."