America’s presence in the Middle East traces back to the 1930s and is just one example of the multifacets of counterterrorism, Raphael S. Cohen said in a lecture hosted by the Alexander Hamilton Society.
Cohen is the director of RAND School of Public Policy’s National Security Program, Strategy and Doctrine Program, and Project Air Force, with an extensive background with U.S. defense, foreign policy, and counterterrorism.
A Harvard B.A. and Georgetown M.A., Cohen served on the 2018 National Defense Strategy Commission. He was also a lieutenant in the military intelligence branch and a colonel in the Army Reserve. Cohen participated in two combat tours in Iraq from 2005-2006 and again from 2000-2008.
Cohen’s lecture provided explanations for whether counterterrorism is a strategy, America’s reasons for fighting in the Middle East, and the approaches America has tried and whether or not they work.
Cohen said in the 1930s, the United States found an oil well in Saudi Arabia, leading to the initial U.S. presence there. Tensions along the borders drawn by Britain and France often produced internal turmoil.
“Weak, unstable, and corrupt governments lead to revolutions,” Cohen said. “Revolutions give way and devolve into terrorist groups.”
Cohen said Cold War politics played a big role in Middle East relations because it was a political fault line, with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel, and Jordan all being United States allies at the time, while Libya, Syria, and Iraq all sided with the U.S.S.R.
Cohen said several terrorist attacks had the most significant impact on our relations with Middle Eastern countries, such as the Tehran hostages, Operation Eagle Claw, the Hezbollah bombings, Gulf War I, and infamously, Sept. 11, which later led to the Global War on Terrorism.
Cohen explained the different ways the United States approached counterterrorism, noting that counterterrorism is less of a battle strategy and more of a form of policing, similar to the domestic war on drugs and crime.
Cohen said the U.S. has tried a multitude of responses, ranging from one-off retaliations to full invasions to “decapitating” groups by eliminating their leaders, buying off local and public support, and simply shrugging off the attacks. However, the results of each approach have yielded mixed results.
According to Cohen, America has not experienced a 9/11 caliber act of terrorism on U.S. soil in 25 years, most terror leaders have been killed, and ISIS no longer controls any territory. But on the other hand, terrorism very much still exists today.
“Counterterrorism has been a longtime issue, and it is still ongoing,” Cohen said. “We have made many advances, but there are no silver bullets to end terrorism altogether.”
Junior Malia Thibado, president of the Alexander Hamilton Society, said she appreciated the range of topics Cohen covered.
“I like how he elaborated on different strategies used to counter terrorism, and how, like the war on drugs and crime, it is cyclical,” Thibado said.
Junior Levi Mendel said he believes counterterrorism is a serious issue.
“It is often pushed to the back of our minds, and I think it’s valuable to listen to someone with a different viewpoint,” Mendel said.
