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CNN LIVE EVENT/SPECIAL

Is Bush Easing Toward Nation-Building?

Aired October 18, 2001 - 16:45   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush has often said the U.S. should not get involved in what he calls "nation building" projects. These days, however, many believe that ensuring the long- term stability of Afghanistan will require massive outside assistance.

For more on the president and his policies, I'm joined by CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider -- Bill.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Judy, Americans see the military as the ultimate problem-solvers. They see politics as the enemy of problem solving. So how do we fight a political war in Afghanistan? That's really the problem facing the Bush Administration.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): During the campaign George W. Bush had contempt for nation-building.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I worry about the fact I'm running against a man who uses the military and nation building in the same breath.

SCHNEIDER: A year later, the U.S. is in a war where nation- building seems unavoidable. When the U.S. overthrows the Taliban regime it becomes politically responsible for what happens in Afghanistan.

On September 25, President Bush, once again, repudiated nation building but he seemed a little less certain.

BUSH: We are not into nation-building. We are focused on justice. And we are going to get justice. That drew a lecture from British Prime Minister Tony Blair a week later about taking political responsibility.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We will not walk away as the outside world has done so many time before there then. If the Taliban regime changes, we will work with you to make sure it's successor is one that is broad based.

SCHNEIDER: At his news conference next week, President Bush signaled that he got the message. BUSH: I think we did learn a lesson however, and should learn a lesson, from the previous engagement in the Afghan area, that we should not just simply leave after a military objective has been achieved.

SCHNEIDER: So did the president flip-flop on nation building? Not exactly. He set some rules. Rule one: The U.S. should keep out of Afghan politics.

BUSH: We shouldn't play favorites between one group or another within Afghanistan.

SCHNEIDER: That could mean, Secretary of State Powell has mentioned, allowing some role for so-called "moderate elements of the Taliban" in a new Afghan government.

Rule two: The U.S. should share the political burden with other countries.

BUSH: It would be a useful function for the United Nations to take over the so-called nation-building. I would call it the stabilization of a future government.

SCHNEIDER: And most important, rule three: Keep the military as far away from politics as possible. Isn't that what the president said during the campaign?

ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The purpose of the military is not as he said on October 12 during the course of the campaign, to use troops all around the world to serve as social workers or policemen or school walking guards -- I am not for that, the president said.

That's the complaint the president had about the use of military nation building.

SCHNEIDER: Apparently, the U.S. does do nation-building, just not with the U.S. military. Don't even mention the two in the same breath.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

The idea is to build a wall between the military and politics. So how do you fight a political war like the one in Afghanistan? With politicians. Which is exactly why President Bush and Secretary of State Powell are in Asia this week. They are meeting with politicians.

WOODRUFF: Exactly, Bill. We heard the president say, we are not going to take sides in this. We don't want to choose up which side we think is better, but on the other hand, the U.S. is mindful for example, of what Pakistan, the next-door neighbor of Afghanistan, wants.

They don't want to see a government come in that is so unstable as to create instability next door. SCHNEIDER: And that's right. And now political needs are really influencing our military actions there. That is one of the reasons why Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan hasn't been seized at this point, because we are not ready yet to put a different government in place, one that will be acceptable to Afghanistan's neighbors.

WOODRUFF: And hence, all the questions about why hasn't the U.S. paved the way for the Northern Alliance to come down.

SCHNEIDER: That is right, because a lot of countries around Afghanistan would feel threatened by government in Afghanistan dominated by the ethnic groups that make up the Northern Alliance.

WOODRUFF: All right, Bill Schneider, thank you very much.

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