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Politics : Idea Of The Day

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To: Thomas M. who wrote (40687)	9/23/2001 2:45:49 PM
From: j g cordes	Read Replies (2) of 50167

Thomas.. you said "Bin Laden hates us because we are AGAINST freedom and democracy.. (in Saudi Arabia)" Its wonderful to have an instinct for contrary thinking.. but on this you're missing the point completely. Yes America acts first in its own economic interest. To that end it supports friendly regimes even when they aren't democratic. But the author wasn't arguing the consistency of American foreign policy as a cause of fundamentalism's failure or Bin Laden's homicidal actions. No, the writer is saying "This is a war of ideas. Traditionalism vs. Modernism, Totalitarianism vs. Pluralism, Dogma vs. Dissent. What makes this war worth fighting is not vengeance. It is the human desire for freedom. " ".. totalitarian theocracies," not democracies, are standing in the way of a Renaissance among Islamic countries. Sure, Bin Laden says he's fighting against foreigners trespassing and says he's fighting against the Saudi regime supported by an evil America, but he never says he's fighting for freedom and democracy... nor do I presume you'd choose to live within the Afghani/Taliban system of government that he has some influence in shaping.

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