Nevadans vary on attacks, U.S. motives

Friday, Aug. 21, 1998 | 10:39 a.m.

The bombings of suspected terrorist strongholds in Afghanistan and Sudan gave UNLV political science Professor Steven Parker the impression that the United States "took a page out of the Israeli operations manual."

Ultimately he believes Las Vegans will rally around President Clinton for his military decision to retaliate for the attacks against U.S. embassies in Africa.

"This is a very patriotic community," Parker said. "It will play very big here. The community will get behind the president in the long run."

But Parker, who teaches courses on the U.S. presidency and on terrorism, said Thursday it wouldn't surprise him if some Southern Nevadans were skeptical. He said critics would accuse Clinton of trying to divert attention from his admitted sexual encounters with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

"That's a sign of the deterioration of the office of the presidency," Parker said. "This questioning of presidential motives really began with Watergate. We still assume presidents make decisions in their own self-interest.

"The timing couldn't be worse because he and his administration know the first question on everyone's mind is whether he is taking our attention off of Monica."

Leaders in the local Islamic community said that they despised terrorism and that suspected terrorists such as Saudi Arabian Osama bin Laden didn't represent their faith. One such individual was Khalid Khan, president of the Las Vegas Islamic Society.

"We don't support violence or terrorism at all," Khan said. "Our religion does not teach us violence. It is against Islamic teaching."

An Iranian native who owns a Las Vegas restaurant said she is embarrassed whenever terrorist attacks are associated with Muslim groups.

"A real Muslim would not kill people," said the woman, who requested anonymity. "We hate terrorism. We don't support them. We don't want them."

Rabbis Mel Hecht of Temple Beth Am and Sanford Akselrad of Congregation Ner Tamid, both in Las Vegas, said they hoped the U.S. military action would discourage terrorism.

"Good for us," Hecht said. "Israel has been dealing with this problem for years. The only thing terrorists understand is their own language. This (embassy bombings) is something that no self-respecting country can take without response."

Akselrad said the bombing of Libya ordered by then-President Ronald Reagan in 1986 quieted Moammar Gadhafi, that country's dictator.

"Anything that President Clinton can do to send a strong message that terrorism will not be tolerated is appreciated," Akselrad said. "Attacks like this are often effective. Slicing off a finger still leaves other fingers that can slap you. But if you do nothing, you show a sign of weakness."

UNLV political science Professor Mehran Tamadonfar argued, however, that Clinton's decision actually could solidify anti-American sentiment in the Islamic world and lead to increased problems for U.S. tourists and overseas installations.

Tamadonfar, who specializes in Middle East studies, said terrorist groups have become more unruly since the breakup of the former Soviet Union, a nation that often was viewed as a major financier of terrorist acts against Western democracies.

"These groups are now more dangerous because we don't know who is giving them money or how they are getting their training," Tamadonfar said. "They are spreading, and it's becoming less coordinated."

As would be expected, Nellis Air Force Base tightened security in the hours following Thursday's bombings. Tech Sgt. Richard Covington noted that Nellis had about 300 individuals deployed around the globe, including Southeast Asia, the Persian Gulf region and Haiti. But he declined to discuss Nellis' reaction to the attacks in Afghanistan and Sudan.

"To avoid the possibility of putting U.S. forces at risk, we will not comment on the operations at this time," Covington said.

Master Sgt. Bryan Braden, a local U.S. Marines recruiter, said it's too early to tell whether the military strike would help recruitment in Las Vegas. Braden said military operations often do attract more recruits but it also depends on the severity of the conflict.

"These attacks (Thursday) are minor in a sense for recruiting because this may just be a one-time thing," he said.

Parker noted that it was ironic for the United States to be fingering bin Laden as one of the masterminds of the embassy bombings. In the late 1970s and 1980s, Parker said the U.S. supported bin Laden and the fundamentalist Islamic Taliban regime when they were fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan.

"The nation's strategic interests change over time," Parker said. "Former allies become enemies."

One way for the United States to reduce terrorist activities would be to form a long-term policy dealing with the world Muslim community, Tamadonfar said. He said that could include lifting the economic embargo against Iraq, reviving relations with Iran and working with leaders of the future in countries such as Jordan and Egypt.

Tamadonfar said the problem with U.S. foreign policy toward the Islamic world is that it is reactionary and short-term.

"A lot of Americans think about foreign policy in the short term," he said. "Look at the Gulf War. We won the war militarily but not politically. We need to look at the sources of the problems. As long as we're creating more issues for them (terrorists) to rally around, we're not addressing the problems.

"Our policies are creating pockets of dissatisfaction that become breeding grounds for terrorists."

SUN REPORTERS Mary Manning and Kristen Peterson contributed to this story.