First, our growing knowledge of these fuzzy entities should prevent our fear ; second, we may have to question some of our principles.
We need a real early warning system. We need to detect the threats at the very time they appear: every blossom should attract our attention before it comes to flower.
That means it is necessary that the intelligence community effectively act as a sentinel; that means it has to work in direct line with the policy makers and has to be listened to. The best intelligence in the world can be rendered useless if policymakers refuse to heed it for political or other motives, or because the information does not fit into their preconceptions.
This also implies giving again a more important place to human sources (HUMINT) because technical sources, even providing essential assistance, have their limits: war in Afghanistan gives us an unfortunate valid example..
As terrorism appears to be the ultimate crime against human rights, the principle of due proportionality should authorize us to be proactive. It would be necessary to engage in proactive intelligence based operations and not only on the legal evidence accepted by the courts.
An example of intelligence based proactive operation.
In January 1993, just off Cyprus, several frogmen and three frigates of the Turkish navy intercepted a Panamanian freighter chartered by two Istanbul "Maffya" dons. In its hold were 14 metric tons of Afghan heroin, valued at $25 billion wholesale. Monitored from Karachi by US satellites, the freighter "Lucky S" was due to deliver its heroin in Turkey, Cyprus, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.
A few weeks ago the same type of intelligence based operation allowed the Israelis to seize a freighter loaded with small arms.
This questioning of our principles is undoubtedly the price to be paid to protect us from these new threats. And it is also the price to be paid to preserve our way of life and our freedom.