Gates: Iran, North Korea threaten “international order”
Washington, 31 July (IranVNC)—US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has approved a new National Defense Strategy which singles out Iran, along with North Korea, as threats to the “international order”, reports the Washington Post newspaper, which has obtained a copy of the strategy.
By: IranVNC
Published: Thursday, July 31, 2008
14:50GMT—10:50AM/EST
GATES – DEFENSE – STRATEGY – IRAN
Washington, 31 July (IranVNC)—US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has approved a new National Defense Strategy which singles out Iran, along with North Korea, as threats to the “international order”, reports the Washington Post newspaper, which has obtained a copy of the strategy.
In the 23-page document, which has not yet been released, Gates warns that the Islamic Republic merits US concern, but says the war against violent extremism will be the country’s top priority in coming years.
The strategy outlines Gates’ view that the conventional fighting is not the only weapon in the war on terror, and that the U.S. should use “irregular” warfare to defeat adversaries.
“Iraq and Afghanistan remain the central fronts in the struggle, but we cannot lose sight of the implications of fighting a long-term, episodic, multi-front and multi-dimensional conflict more complex and diverse than the Cold War confrontation with communism,” the Post quoted the document as saying.
“Success in Iraq and Afghanistan is crucial to winning this conflict, but it alone will not bring victory,” the document adds.
While noting that the use of force plays an important role in the US war on terrorism, Gates says that economic development programs and “efforts to understand the grievances that often lie at the heart of insurgencies” were needed to thwart the spread of extremism.
“For these reasons, arguably the most important military component of the struggle against violent extremists is not the fighting we do ourselves, but how well we help prepare our partners to defend and govern themselves,” the document reads.
In the strategy, Gates also encourages “collaborative and cooperative relationships” with Russia and China, which Gates said could become potential adversaries, and expresses the hope that India will assume “greater responsibility” in the international system.
The previous National Defense Strategy, which was signed on 1 March 2005 by then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, emphasized preemptive military action.
Sources: The Washington Post, National Defense Strategy 2005
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