I have been reading the Foreign Affairs thread, which I have been banned from, and many intelligent posts don't see the significance of 9/11. I agree with you, Ski.
Keep in mind that the damage was the maximum that they could conceive of, and that they would do more if possible. Their tribal mentality defines all Americans as their enemy and therefore deserving" of retaliation. Bin Laden has stated that, (to paraphrase) "just as they kill us, we shall kill them." It is a holy duty within Islam to commit to the Jihad until the world is converted. Obviously, only a minority of the Muslim world interprets their responsibility this way, and there is much in Islam declaring peace. Indeed, more is emphasized in charity than, arguably, any other religion. Al Queda is real and is a threat. I suspect that the threat has been enlarged for propaganda purposes, but the threat is real.
To repeat, IMO, Bush has gotten the inspectors in and there hasn't been a war. Getting the inspectors in is a tremendous act of containment. War would polarize an increasingly polarized world. Yet, the Israeli bombing of the Iraqi nuclear sites was universally condemned but led to a safer world.
I am concerned that, just as the constant wars with the Arabs have transformed Israel from an idealistic socialist state into a militaristic one, Bush will do the same. If the only tool one has is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Bush seems to have a limited repertoire of responses.
fred |
