Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

Texas A&M speaker: War on Terror is learning experience
By Joel Woodward
The Battalion (Texas A&M)
03/08/2006

(U-WIRE) COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Since Sept. 11 there has been a realization in the United States that even the world's most powerful nation cannot accomplish everything by itself, Peter Gottwald said Tuesday night at Texas A&M University.

Gottwald, minister and chief of missions at the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., discussed the United States, Europe and the War on Terror in "Germany, the U.S. and a World in Turmoil" at the George Bush Presidential Library. The event was sponsored by the Texas A&M Integrated Center for Homeland Security (ICHS), MSC Lecture Series and the European Union Center of Excellence.

Gottwald related the War on Terror to the Cold War of the late 20th Century.

"Most people, for decades, saw no way for the Cold War to end," he said. "The organization that helped end the Cold War — NATO — is perfect for fighting terror as well."

Globalization has motivated Islamic nations to inflict terror, Gottwald said.

"The Islamic world is feeling left out of globalization," he said. "Fifty years ago the lag (of the Middle-East behind other nations) was not so apparent. (Groups like Al-Qaida) are taught that (their predicament) is the fault of others and that their problems will leave if they fight."

The War on Terror has been a learning experience for Germany and the United States, he said.

"Once the (U.S.) military victory had been achieved in Afghanistan, Western cooperation was needed," he said. "Today, German forces are the second largest in number behind the U.S. in Afghanistan."

A key goal in the Middle East, spreading democracy, will not be easily achieved, he said.

"Democracy is the only way to achieve a pluralist world society, but there are no one-dimensional answers to bring in democracy," he said. "We must give (nations in which terrorists reside) the alternative of being a recognized part of the globe."

Lectures like Gottwald's provide opportunities for students, said Alex Brown, a senior political science major.

"In a time of unprecedented media capabilities, it is rare to have the ability to ask questions," Brown said. "Because A&M is such a large University, we are able to have opportunities that other universities may not."

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