WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates defended Guantanamo Bay jail, NATO's military endeavors, and U.S. strategy in Iraq.
Gates addressed the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy on Monday, and then fielded questions from security policy experts on topics that ranged from anti-Americanism, to his philosophy on NATO, to the role of the alliance on the war in Iraq, the American Forces Press Service reported from Germany.
Gates said that abuses at Guantanamo Bay and at U.S.-run detention facilities in the Middle East have created negative publicity for the United States, but added he did not think that the damage to America's image was irreversible.
"For the last century, one of the great assets the United States has had is that most people around the world felt that (even though) from time to time we might do something stupid, we were a force for good in the world," Gates said. "I believe a lot of people still believe that.
"What we have to focus on as we look to the future," he added, "is strengthening that reputation we have had for a century, and perhaps doing a better job of explaining what we're trying to do in the world."
Gates spoke specifically about the role of NATO in Afghanistan and Iraq, stressing that operations must include a reconstruction element even though NATO is primarily a military alliance.
"We are showing in Afghanistan that we can do both," he said. "We can run effective military operations and also rebuild a society."
The secretary also said membership in the NATO alliance should not preclude states from becoming involved in non-NATO military operations, noting that some members are helping U.S.-led coalition efforts in Iraq.
"There may be great disagreement within this room on how we got to where we are," he said. "But the reality is, as of today, failure in Iraq will impact every country represent in this room.
"Failure to foster the emergence of a stable state that can defend itself and govern itself will result in further conflict in the Middle East," he said. "It will result in more terrorism reaching out to touch all of us."
