A decade later - Fundação Luso-Americana

RUI OChÔA
Teixeira, professor of political science and
international relations at the Universidade
Nova de Lisboa and former Portuguese
minister of the interior and defense, discussed
the new strategic concept spearheaded
by George W. Bush, the Global War
on Terrorism, and its impact on US policy
since 9/11, as well as the different government
approaches to combating terrorism.
They examined how today security is being
perceived as a global phenomenon requiring
well-coordinated measures, strategies,
and policies among the world’s players.
They also discussed the nature of today’s
terrorism, whose main dissimilarity with
terrorism of the traditional ilk is that it
makes civilians its principle target.
Mitchell Cohen analyzed the Global War
on Terror, a new concept implemented by
George W. Bush that consisted of combating
“terrorist groups of global reach and
their helpers.” However, he adds, “reality
has a way of overwhelming definitions.”
Nuno Severiano Teixeira mentioned that
9/11
A decade later
Lisbon’s Literary Guild was the venue for a series of talks on the 10 years that have ensued since 9/11. The main hall was filled to capacity
with the general public and students from portuguese universities.
9/11 had reinforced his perception that
“security, or the nature of security had
changed and was now absolutely global.”
In his talk he gave special attention to the
issue of security vs. freedom and the
unavoidably conflictual relationship
between the two concepts saying that,
“transnational terrorism has raised issues
between two fundamental values of democratic
societies- – freedom and security
(...) The way in which freedom relates to
security has changed since 9/11 because,
to guarantee our safety, which is a fundamental
right of all citizens, to some extent
we had to (...) make compromises, and
rework some of the rights, guarantees, and
freedoms that were also an integral part
of our democratic society.”
AFGHAnisTAn And irAq
The third conference featured Carlos
Gaspar from the Portuguese Institute for
International Relations, General Loureiro
dos Santos, and François Lafond from
the German Marshall Fund. The thrust
of the discussion was the present and
future of Afghanistan and Iraq. The
speakers focused on the important role
the two countries play in international
politics, as one of the most important
items on the worldwide political agenda
for achieving order and stability. They
also explored changes that have occurred
and their impact on the governance of
the two countries. The speakers analyzed
America’s justification for the military
strategies it adopted, and for the invasion
of Afghanistan and Iraq. François
Lafond also discussed how difficult it
was for democratic countries to develop
and use democratic strategies in their
attempts to halt terrorism.
Carlos Gaspar stated that the United
States “has focused on a somewhat secondary
issue and been caught up in two
peripheral wars – in Afghanistan and
Iraq.” It has been “an atypical era in US
Parallel no. 6 | FALL | WINTER 2011 15