Sun-- Part of the Arab, and other, cultures is the notion of collective responsibility. If a tribe hurts a member of my tribe, I have a responsibility for revenge to any member of their tribe. In Western society, we see more individual blame and responsibility. Therefore, there is justification, in some of their minds, for the killing of innocent victims. It is a notion that we should resist. However, the argument is how do we assure our security-- which is primary--and minimize bloodshed. By holding the leaders of the nations involved as directly accountable, they will be motivated to curb terrorism within their borders.
I, personally, do not believe that Bin Laden could not have operated without the support of governments that supported his cause. I do not expect them to admit this. I therefore would make a message loud and clear to the leaders of countries that support terrorism that they, personally, will be held accountable for war crimes. To me, gratuitous killing of innocent people is a war crime.
When my older son, who is very mild, took up weight lifting as a teenager, word got that he was quite strong. He then found out that some of the tough guys in school treated him with more respect. As he told us this, he said that he no longer believed in unilateral disarmament!
There is a lesson to learn from this.
fred |
