Real security comes not from guns, fences, or torture; it comes from principle. If the United States abandons its principles out of fear and instead adopts a "whatever it takes" attitude toward fighting terrorism, the fringe radicals and opportunist regimes will recognize our outward swagger as inward trembling and capitalize on our fear and contradictions to win new recruits and supporters and drive wedges between us and our allies. If we declare and live out our adherence to the principles of the Constitution and the rule of law -- i.e., allow all detainees due process, forswear torture, deal fairly and openly with all comers -- we will win the hearts and minds of the vast majority of the world and isolate the radicals at the fringes.
For more on this theme, see Joseph Margulies, "Where Law Reigns, Terror Withers," Christian Science Monitor, 2007.06.22.
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