European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 14, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes tuesday january 14, 1986 Tom Wicker Reagan s restraint toward khad Afy makes sense. My mar to once. Again president Reagan has shown Admira ble restraint in response id n terrorist attack that took innocent american lives and once Ogain he has done in despite his past re citric and the pressures of Arm chair generals. So common is the Assumption that Only violence is an appropriate response to violence that Reagan would be widely hailed for courage and resolve if he loosed Farrier planes against Libya particularly if in could strike directly at the weird and repulsive by was Lorn standards colonel Khan by. In fact it lakes More courage to refrain from such wild swings which would make matters worse. Enc up in lie nightmares of the turd no cd such restraint suggests no lessening of Reagan s resolve to combat terror ism. When in Opportunity arose to strike effectively at a limited and justified target Reagan showed in the Cap Ture at the Achille Nuro pirates Ihal i was ready to Mirc in. Predictably enough he was promptly criticized for violating International Law in the forcing Down of an egyptian Airliner carrying the pirates to Freedom. Poppycock. It was Egypt that had violated International by. The egyptian government did not meet its obligation under the . Convention on the taking of hostages to prosecute or extradite the Achille Laura pirates once icy entered egyptian territory. That entitled the United states another party la he convention and one of whose citizens had been killed aboard the Achille Lauro to take appropriate Steps to seize inc pirates. They Are now being prosecuted in Italy. In contrast  strike against Libya no matter How surgical by military standards would almost surely be indiscriminate. As in the terrorist attacks ostensibly justifying it innocent lives would be taken. Quite possibly no one directly responsible for the unspeakable Vienna and Rome Airport crimes would be reached or punished. Even though such an indiscriminate attack would undermine the moral position of the United Stales. That s a minor consideration to some of those urging Cagan to take revenge somehow somewhere. But a military strike also might cause some perhaps Many of the 1,1100 or so american citizens living in Libya to be taken hostage. That s certainly to be avoided not Only an what some americans Silil value As humanitarian grounds but Ulso because a hostage crisis would inhibit diplomatic and military options heighten tensions and prove More damaging than Cugan s restraint to United Sites credibility As a Power player in the Middle East. Colonel Kii Nimfy May be in Western eyes a William f. Buckley pariah and a barbarian but he is not playing his game in the West. He operates in the Arena of the Arab nations. Reagan seems to understand better than the red hots urging him to strike that such an attack would Only make khad Afy More of a Leader and a hero than he already is to the numerous militants of that other far different world. Finally while americans argue that violence Mast beget violence the same deadly View is cherished even More passionately by terrorist groups. Titus a United Stales strike n Libya would be quickly answered with More terrorist assaults perhaps in the United states just As the Achille Lauro the maltese Airport Inci Dent and the Rome and Vienna attacks All were Al least in part a response to the israeli air raid on Plo Camps in Tunisia. It s prudence not cowardice to shun a policy of violent revenge that would surely provoke More violence in return thus producing More demands Tor revenge and so an and Infin Tum. Have years of violent response by Israel however justified had the practical effect of slopping terrorist attacks on israeli Given All these considerations i11 economic Sanction Reagan imposed on Libya reached the limits of what he could sensibly do even though Tricy probably will be of no More effect than economic sanctions usually Are. By emphasizing colonel khad Afy s Defiance of Washington even this limited step May enhance his leadership in the Arab world. The time May yet come of course when a measured american military response will be the most appropriate and useful reply to u terrorist incident. His record so far suggests that Reagan will not lightly make such a difficult and dangerous judgment. 1c i York Tymel reflecting on bloody career of Uganda s Fofi Amin we read a great Deal about inc troubled world we live in and it should read More about Ilas we contemplate 1986 and the Challenge ahead in this Century. Organized communism is of course the Prin Ciple agent of human evil but there is a great Deal of this that Springs so to speak from the very soul of Man and it is everywhere in Central Park in the South Bronx and in West Hollywood and around the Corner True but in America its Force is not organized and this is a critical difference. Doing some Light Reading Over the holidays i Learned More about Idi Amin than 1 had known from the hugely rewarding modern times of Paul Johnson the British historian. And reflection on Amin is by no Means out of order inasmuch As he is ii ivc and Well looked after by the sheiks of Aruby in Jeddo. Listen la this Idi Amin became a Muslim when he was 16. He hired Oul As a ugandan mercenary to tight cattle rustlers in Kenya. It was discovered writes Johnson he had murdered Prokot tribesmen and left them to be Culon by hyenas got information from Kura major tribesmen by threatening to Cut off their penises with a Panga and had actually sliced off the genitals of eight o them to obtain confessions ail of his and much More the British knew but were reluctant to prosecute in the eve of Independence for Uganda so they referred the Case to Bonte Obote settled for a severe reprimand a curious punishment for  sometime later khad Afy egged Amin on to ousting Obote because he had a few israeli advisers about. Amin then began massacre on a he Man scale. Amin often participated in atrocities sometimes of a Pri Vale nature. Klemba s wife Teresa Matron in charge of Lulago Hospital was present when the fragmented body of Amin s wife Kay was brought in Amin appears not Only to have murdered but dismembered her for to Kepi collections of plates from anatomical manuals. He is also said to have killed his son and eaten his heart As advised by a Witch doctor he new in from Stanleyville. There can be Little double he was a ritual Cannibal keeping selected organs in his refrigerator now Well after most of this was known to All political insiders in Africa inc organization of Afri can Unity elected him As their president and All chiefs of state with three exceptions attended the Summit conference held in Kampala. The Heads of state showered Amin Wilh congratulations Dunn the Summit when having consumed parts of his earlier wife he married a new one Johnson comments. As chairman of the Oak he addressed the general Assembly of the United nations in 197s in n Rabid speech in which he denounced a zionist a s conspiracy and called Noi Only for the expulsion of Israel but for its extinction i.e., genocide. The As Sembly gave him a standing ovation when he arrived applauded him throughout and again Rose to its feet when he left. The following Day the  Secretary general and the president of the general Assembly gave a Public dinner in Amin s  Mem a historian Johnson summarizes Amin was not just a ease of reversion to african primitivism. In some re 1es h me As to characteristic reflection of the1970s. His terror was a Muslim Arab phenomenon his regime we m Many ways a foreign one run by nub ans palestinians and  George Shultz made a dramatic gesture when in Yugoslavia he banged his fist Down on the desk of the foreign minister and Cut Short the explanation of the hijacking and killing on the Achille Lauro As a Mere expression of palestinian earnestness in the search for a Homeland. The terrorist let go by the president of Italy Given hospitality in Yugoslavia protected now in Iraq u one More testimony to the willingness of world Lead ers even leaders of relatively civilized Stales to handle Malta of Farlly men who deserve execution. They de serve Hal not merely because moral poetry is served by punishing them. It is rather a need for an Essen Ion of will against out awry by Stales in ii Rylo govern them Sci pcs by the rules of Law. You cannot at one and the same time Gener ate a heated and purposive disgust with Idi Amin and also give him state dinners in new York and protect him from Mosquito bites in saudi Arabia. Diplomacy can be the great innovator of moral realism. The United nations is of coarse the very worst Laboratory for the development of anti Anli totalitarian vaccines. Some times it is simply necessary to confront Ghen gis Khan across the bargaining Lable. But beware the ceremony. It weakens the blood of free men. Tin Ort Tont up Tuit in a Edu Nuu us Cir Twu i Dili Pihrt wort Tutu tit m ilium of my it in no wit to in a uld a h ennui line Kim x a stir ind if i Titi Untim sum