This morning on NPR I heard the President of the United States make some of the most asinine statements I've heard this week. "They are attacking us because they hate us, and they hate our freedom." Sure. it doesn't have anything at all to do with out blind suport for Israel, or troops in Saudi Arabia, occupation of Iraq, support for despotic rulers, shelling of Lebanon during the Israeli invasion in 1983, or any other possible grievances against our policies.
Don't get me wrong. Terrorism is cowardly and evil. But we have to at least try to understand the real motivations of terrorists to fight them. This is not an ideological struggle like we saw with European terrorism in the 1960's-1980's with gruops like Baider Meinhoff Gang, the ULA, and the various Red Army factions. Nor is it like the Maoist Shining Path people in Latin America. all of those were dedicated to either nationalist or communist ideological issues that guaranteed conflict with the United States and our European (or Latin American) allies.
Islamist terror is different. It is focused on specific issues: removal of Western forces from Saudi Arabia and the holy sites there, and a free and independent Palestine. Understanding this is key. So is treating non-terrorist Arabs, Muslim and Christian alike, as people with rights. So is going after terrorists using diplomacy and treating them as common, ordinary criminals. Bombing every suspected terrorist hideout is a waste of military resources and counter-productive -- unless you really think that our involvment in Afghanistan and Iraq is actually making us more secure.
Posted by Chris at October 28, 2003 12:22 PM