This will strengthen Islamic Fundamentalism world wide
I can understand why the left thinks this is an effective argument. Anybody who says that they are not at least a little afraid of another attack is lying or a fool. The left is hoping to take advantage of peoples' fears. However, this argument does not stand up to the least amount of intellectual scrutiny.
First, if we were to leave Iraq alone, would Al Qaeda stop trying to attack us? Certainly not. 9/11, the USS Cole, the embassy bombings and other incidents are evidence of that. Al Qaeda attacked us on 9/11, not because we invaded Iraq and freed Kuwait, but because we tarnished the sacred soil of Saudi Arabia with our presence. To prevent attacks, based on such a premise, we would need to become complete isolationists. And remember, had we not tarnished the honor of Saudi Arabian dirt, Kuwait and probably Saudi Arabia would be under Saddam’s control today. And whether or not you belived that the Gulf War was all about oil or not, an honest person must admit that both countries, plus others like Qatar, Bahrain, UAE etc. are much better off today than they would have been otherwise.
Will the Muslim world be incited to attack us? To whatever extent this is true, then it must equally be true that some fence sitters will be deterred for fear of reprisal.
But at a more macro level, should we form policy, based on fear of reprisal?
If the “it will create more terrorism” argument is valid, then we should stop pursuing Al Qaeda suspects like kahlid mohammed and just let Bin Laden go. After all, this has got to really piss off the terrorists community. (Quite frankly, I expect a response, maybe even hostage taking and demands for exchange.) Of course, the left would say we should pursue the terrorists. But if the reaction from the terrorists is the same for us removing Saddam, and for arresting Al Qaeda, then what is the intellectual or logical basis for the argument? There is none.
The Clinton Lesson
Khalid S. Mohammed had been linked to the failed plot to blow up US Airliners over the Pacific Ocean. The FBI and the CIA had begun a manhunt to find him. In 1995, the FBI and the CIA tracked Mohammed to Qatar. The FBI developed a plan to snatch him from his safe house in Qatar. The plan died in the administration – killed for fear of an anti-US backlash. (1)
Now, the purpose here is not to be a criticize Clinton. But should we not note the lessons from history? That the failure to act, for fear of reprisal from others is flawed reasoning? That the consequences of failure to act can be catastrophic? In this highly salient case, this failure to act resulted in the worst ever attack on American soil.
In the end, Iraq and its’ people will be far better off than they are today. A free and prosperous Iraq will be the lasting legacy that the world will be faced with. A free and prosperous Iraq will not foster radical Islamists, they will continue regardless of our actions in Iraq, with one less place to hide.
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1. M. Isikoff, M. Hosenball - Hunting in the Barren Hills, pp. 37-38, Newsweek, March 17, 2003. |
