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CNN Live Saturday

Interview With Robert Leonhard

Aired April 26, 2003 - 15:08   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.


ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Today's explosion highlights the difficulty U.S. forces face in bringing stability not only in Baghdad, but all over Iraq. Joining me from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to talk about that, military strategist and retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Robert Leonhard. Colonel Leonhard, thanks very much for being with us. I don't know if you were able to see Nic Robertson's piece. Trying to maintain stability in this kind of an environment is an extraordinarily difficult thing. A, how do you think U.S. troops are doing?
LT. COL. ROBERT LEONHARD, MILITARY STRATEGIST: I think they're doing fabulous so far. Keep in mind, an entire regime has disappeared, leaving a great vacuum there, and the Department of Defense sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines are trying to fill that vacuum. I think they're doing a splendid job and I think the prognosis overall is probably very good. This is certainly a tragedy what happened, but it's really a small-scale incident in the grander picture.

COOPER: And yet, I mean, an incident like this can quickly become mob violence. Nic Robertson reporting gunshots as he was speaking, or very close to. How do you go about stabilizing a situation, a town like Baghdad?

LEONHARD: Well, I think that as the days go by and the weeks go by, you'll see that as our soldiers are restoring infrastructure, helping people, shops are opening again, as people begin to get confidence in the security of their persons and their property, the message is going to continue to get out. And keep in mind, Anderson, our message is a good one, which is that we want freedom for Iraq, we want the Iraqis to be running their own government, and that's a vision that everyone is going to buy into. Certainly, the frustration of these kind of incidents can get out of hand. But overall, I think we're making a lot of progress. Most of the people there, I think, are very glad we're there.

COOPER: Well, just to play devil's advocate, there are some people who probably do not buy into that vision, notably some Shiite Islamic clerics who basically want an Islamic state ruled by them, by the clerics. How does the U.S. deal with those? We have Donald Rumsfeld, secretary of defense, just the other day saying you're not going to see an Iran-style dictatorship in Iraq. How does the U.S. prevent that?

LEONHARD: Yes, that's a great question. I really believe that we have to have a very firm hand in this regard. We have to say, without apology to those clerics, that no, it's not going to happen. We're not going to permit that kind of a state. And for one very good reason. Most of the people don't want it. Most of the great silent majority of those Arabs want a moderate state. They want religious freedom. They don't want to go from one dictatorship of the Ba'athist Party to another dictatorship of Islamic clerics. So again, I think we're on the right side of this issue and we just have to have the resolve and tell those people no.

COOPER: All right, well, we'll continue to see if the silent majority stays silent, as you say. Lieutenant Colonel Robert Leonhard, appreciate you joining us. Thanks.

LEONHARD: My pleasure.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired April 26, 2003 - 15:08   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Today's explosion highlights the difficulty U.S. forces face in bringing stability not only in Baghdad, but all over Iraq. Joining me from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to talk about that, military strategist and retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Robert Leonhard. Colonel Leonhard, thanks very much for being with us. I don't know if you were able to see Nic Robertson's piece. Trying to maintain stability in this kind of an environment is an extraordinarily difficult thing. A, how do you think U.S. troops are doing?
LT. COL. ROBERT LEONHARD, MILITARY STRATEGIST: I think they're doing fabulous so far. Keep in mind, an entire regime has disappeared, leaving a great vacuum there, and the Department of Defense sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines are trying to fill that vacuum. I think they're doing a splendid job and I think the prognosis overall is probably very good. This is certainly a tragedy what happened, but it's really a small-scale incident in the grander picture.

COOPER: And yet, I mean, an incident like this can quickly become mob violence. Nic Robertson reporting gunshots as he was speaking, or very close to. How do you go about stabilizing a situation, a town like Baghdad?

LEONHARD: Well, I think that as the days go by and the weeks go by, you'll see that as our soldiers are restoring infrastructure, helping people, shops are opening again, as people begin to get confidence in the security of their persons and their property, the message is going to continue to get out. And keep in mind, Anderson, our message is a good one, which is that we want freedom for Iraq, we want the Iraqis to be running their own government, and that's a vision that everyone is going to buy into. Certainly, the frustration of these kind of incidents can get out of hand. But overall, I think we're making a lot of progress. Most of the people there, I think, are very glad we're there.

COOPER: Well, just to play devil's advocate, there are some people who probably do not buy into that vision, notably some Shiite Islamic clerics who basically want an Islamic state ruled by them, by the clerics. How does the U.S. deal with those? We have Donald Rumsfeld, secretary of defense, just the other day saying you're not going to see an Iran-style dictatorship in Iraq. How does the U.S. prevent that?

LEONHARD: Yes, that's a great question. I really believe that we have to have a very firm hand in this regard. We have to say, without apology to those clerics, that no, it's not going to happen. We're not going to permit that kind of a state. And for one very good reason. Most of the people don't want it. Most of the great silent majority of those Arabs want a moderate state. They want religious freedom. They don't want to go from one dictatorship of the Ba'athist Party to another dictatorship of Islamic clerics. So again, I think we're on the right side of this issue and we just have to have the resolve and tell those people no.

COOPER: All right, well, we'll continue to see if the silent majority stays silent, as you say. Lieutenant Colonel Robert Leonhard, appreciate you joining us. Thanks.

LEONHARD: My pleasure.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com