The Foreign Service Journal, December 2011

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 25 Lessons Learned So here we see on display a set of important ideas: • Change toward freedom and openness is possible. • Economic development goes hand in hand with po- litical openness. • Strength of purpose and capability are essential. • Strength works in tandem with diplomacy. • A deep and continuing consultative process among like-minded people creates the understanding necessary to make hard choices. • A successful strategy must be based on realism and sustainability. The ColdWar is over, but lessons learned from the way it ended are important to remember as we confront the serious threats facing the world today. The threat posed by Islamic extremists using the weapon of terror is all too real. We have seen the face of terror in the Americas, in Asia, in Europe, in the Middle East — in every corner of the world. There are Islamists who would build a kind of wall of ideology in an effort to shut in vast multitudes of believers in Islam who wish for a better life consistent with the teachings of their reli- gion. These radical jihadists promulgate a culture of hate and division. What lessons can we draw from our earlier experi- ences as we combat and seek to isolate these destructive forces of division? First, the notion of containment can work against terrorism as it did against the Soviet Union. If we can prevent the spread of hateful ideology, then we have taken the first essential step. If you look at Indonesia and Malaysia, countries with large numbers of Muslims, you will see some signs that the strategy of containment can work. Remember that it includes the idea that change is possible. Consider Al- geria, where women constitute the majority of that coun- try’s university students, lawyers and judges. Strength is always key: the military capability, willpower and self-confidence to act when necessary. But consultation and diplomatic engagement are equally essential. To paraphrase Helmut Schmidt, there is no F OCUS