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CNN Live At Daybreak

War on Terrorism May Become New Cold War

Aired December 18, 2001 - 06:11   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The war against terrorism has made some giant strides on the battlefields of Afghanistan, but it is far from over. And CNN's Kitty Pilgrim says there is talk now that the war against terrorism may become the new Cold War.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush has said repeatedly, this isn't going to be a quick war or an easy one. He said it again on Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Osama bin Laden is going to be brought to justice. It may happen tomorrow. It may happen in a month. It may happen in a year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PILGRIM: And in terms of defeating all terrorist threats, scholars are now drawing analogies to the Cold War, a conflict that lasted decades. The analogy: because both are fought not over territory, but over ideological differences.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM NICHOLS, NAVAL WAR COLLEGE: It is just as important a conflict as the Cold War was, because we're fighting for our way of life. There's no second prize here, and there's no second chance. Either our way of life is going to prevail, or their way of life is going to prevail. Just like in the Cold War, this is about freedom versus tyranny, and we just can't afford to lose.

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PILGRIM: Some Islamic experts say the United States has already made impressive headway in undermining the ideological underpinnings of al Qaeda, by the show of force in Afghanistan.

For example, in this videotape, bin Laden makes a comment that if people see two horses, one weak and one strong, they will naturally be drawn to the strong one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HILLEL FRADKLIN, ETHICS AND PUBLIC POLICY CENTER: He is exactly correct. That's the way of the world, and it's especially so in parts of the world, where more or less everything turns on power and force as it does in many parts of the Muslim world. We have shown such considerable power and force. I think it makes us the strong horse, and on Osama bin Laden's own logic, many people will fall away from him and fall away from the terrorist groups.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PILGRIM (on camera): In terms of duration, most agree that this conflict could last for years. In terms of cost, Cold War planners had to provide for any number of conflicts around the globe. In this one so far, the United States has control over when and where to fight terrorism next.

Kitty Pilgrim, CNN Financial News, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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