Last night I had the privilege of interviewing John Hawkins of Right Wing News.
After some techinical problems we got started. So without further ado, here is the interview.
Andrew: so let’s get started... there was an explosion at Yale University law school today and the first thought was terrorism. Part of the reason people thought of terrorism was because of the high alert on the terror index. Do you think the index really helps or is a propaganda tool?
John Hawkins: It's a catch-22. If you tell people there is a threat, they may be alert and catch something they would have missed. If you don't tell them anything, people worry less. However, if you don't say anything and something happens, then people complain that they should have been given a warning. It's probably worth it to have a system in the end.
Andrew: Some people believe that it causes to much harm and doesn't have as much payoff. What do you think about that?
John Hawkins: Well like I said, either people are going to complain that you didn't warn them or they're going to say that you're worrying people unnecessarily. In my opinion, it's better to let people know what's happening on the off chance that people will stop a terrorist attack because they're more alert.
Andrew: With the terrorists striking Saudi Arabia, how do you see our two countries working together against terrorism now?
John Hawkins: I think this is a desperation attack by Al Qaeda and it' may very well backfire. There is a lot of genuine anger in Saudi Arabia over this and hopefully, this will inspire the Saudis to crack down on the terrorist supporters and Wahabbi clerics.
Andrew: Even with the fact that we are pulling out of Saudi Arabia?
John Hawkins: In a sense, that puts more pressure on the Saudi Royal Family to go after the terrorists because we were the last line of defense that could protect them from an uprising.
Andrew: So you see it as the more the Saudis crack down on terror, the longer their lifespan as rulers will be?
John Hawkins: That's how they're going to view it because in the end, Al Qaeda is a rival for power, not an ally of the Saudi Royal Family. Furthermore, we're going to be applying economic and diplomatic pressure on the Saudis to crackdown as well. The Royal Family's grip on power is fairly tenuous and they can only take so much strain before they lose their grip on power. So in the end, their best option will be to make us happy and get rid of their rivals. They're been able to walk a middle path between us and the terrorists so far, but I don't think they can keep that balancing act up for much longer.
Andrew: What do you see as replacing the Royal Family?
John Hawkins: The problem with Saudi Arabia is that there is no Democratic alternative to turn too there. Our only choice currently is between the Saudi Royal Family and a group of anti-American, pro-terrorist, Islamic radicals. If we pushed the Royal Family to fight it out and they lost, I think we'd step in and set-up a Democracy rather than let an openly pro-terrorist regime come into power.
Andrew: So you would see us going into Saudi Arabia and installing a democracy, much like we are doing in Iraq?
John Hawkins: If there was a revolution and the Royal Family were driven out of power, yes. But, that may not happen anytime soon...
Andrew: How do you see the rebuilding effort in Iraq going right now? Lot's of people are saying that this taking to long and that we need to get out of there very quickly. Do you agree that this is taking to long to set up the new government?
John Hawkins: I think it certainly could have gone better, but helping to set-up a fledgling Democracy is always a difficult process. My guess is that we're going to be there a long time helping to keep the country together. I expect that we'll have a military presence of some sort there indefinitely just as we do in Germany and Japan.
Andrew: What about the calls to pull the troops out quickly and they are not safe there? The troops that were in Germany and Japan post WWII didn't have to deal with terrorists slipping in from neighboring countries (in this case Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Palestine).
John Hawkins: The troops aren't safe there and probably aren't truly going to be safe there for a long time -- if ever. But, if we pulled out, the entire country and the surrounding region would explode. Furthermore, it's morally and strategically important for us to hang in there and help the Iraqis build a Democracy.
Andrew: It seems that a lot of the Middle East is now pro-American, on the governmental level. Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel. Do you see the Middle East calming down during the next decade?
John Hawkins: I wouldn't call them Pro-American, they've just finally come to the conclusion that Bush means business. Furthermore, I don't expect things to "calm down" anytime soon in the Middle East and that's a good thing. The last thing we need is stability in a region that's producing people who are flying planes into our buildings. I'm hoping for drastic changes in the region over the next decade personally...
Andrew: Well, there seems to be a lot of movements, mostly made up of students, over there recognizing that the United States might not be their enemy.
John Hawkins: From what I've seen, a lot of people in the Middle East seem to be conflicted over the United States. They respect what we've accomplished, they like certain aspects of our culture, they may even want to go school or come here to get a job, but there's also a lot of hostility towards our country as well. However, I believe that will start to change for the better if we start to support Democracy where we find it in the region and help Iraq become a functioning Democracy.
Andrew: So let's pretend you are President Bush, a democratic government is installed and on its feet in Iraq. Where do you turn to now, what’s the next target on the 'war on terror'?
John Hawkins: Were it me, I'd do whatever it took to encourage a revolution in Iran. The Islamo-fascists are holding on by their fingertips and I think if were to make it clear that we'd support the Iranian people if they rose up, the mullahs would be gone within a year. We can probably force Syria to crackdown on terrorist groups without having to invade. I also believe we can negotiate a solution in North Korea. The Israeli/Palestinian situation is essentially unsolvable right now and I see no point in wasting time on it until the Palestinian terrorist groups are defunct. While we're doing all of this, we keep tightening the screws on Al Qaeda and wearing them down. If they have another year as bad as the last one has been for them they'll be hard pressed to keep functioning.
Andrew: Thanks John, that’s all we’ve got time for.
