I think the time will soon come for our President and leaders of other nations to articulate what the fight is about in clearer terms. So far they have studiously avoided defining "terrorism" as they seek to build this coalition. I think the reason for this failure to define terrorism, or "terrorists of global reach" as Bush called them in his speech last month, is that certain countries whose cooperation is needed in this phase of the conflict in fact are sympathetic to, or have sponsored, terrorists by any natural definition.
Before long, however, it will be necessary to say in very stark and plain terms what we mean by this word "terrorism". I think a start would be a definition that reads something like this:
Terrorism is the targeting of civilian populations for death or injury in a manner calculated to instill fear in those populations in order to achieve political or economic goals.
I think we need to say, this is what it is, and wherever we find it, we will shoot to kill. Anyone who assists it, we will shoot to kill. Anyone who harbors it, we are at war with you. That means, if you want to go blow up an Israeli nightclub, we will come after you. If you want to go blow up the Kashmir parliament, we are at war with you. If you want to set off a bomb in Belfast or Harrod's to scare innocent civilians, we are at war with you. Diplomatic war, financial war, military war. If you want to cloak yourself in religion, we don't care. The Dark Ages were cloaked in religion too, and that lasted for centuries.
I think that ultimately we have to decide if these words, these great words, that Blair and Bush are uttering are meaningful cornerstones of a new course for the world or simply a way to make sure no one blows up any more of our highrise buildings. We have to decide whether we are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve those objectives. Are we willing to do without their oil? Are we willing to do without the economic growth we have grown accustomed to, while this problem is being addressed? Are we willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that education and knowledge and fairness replace repression and ignorance and corruption as the currencies and social fabrics of these countries?
If we aren't willing to do all of those things, for a long long time, then just bomb the hell out of them, declare victory, and wait for the next generation of terrorists to do something worse. |
