I thought I should point this out, mostly due to the recent terror attacks in London. Terrorism has been around awile, with its use as early as the Classical Age against the Romans. The term "terrorism" was coined during the reign of the Jacobins in revolutionary France, and has the imagery of intimidation, brutality, and fear. America's experience with this is relatively recent, however, becoming the regular target of terrorists in the Cold War era. Today, we deal with these terrorists, who use identical tactics as terrorists in the past. Why are we the target of these terrorists? The answer is simple: we are a hinderance to their goals and a disturbance in the region, simply put we are seen as the enemy.
First of all, let's look at the region and what the people want. We enjoy the liberal democracies/republics of the west, and assume its what others want too. I don't think so. Unlike in the west, there is no separation of church and state in the middle east. Many "extremeists" are intertwined with government and how it should be run. Saudi municipal elections showed a decisive win for "fundamentalists". This dosen't mean that the region will sucumb into tyranny, even though that is what some people want. Most would rather opt for a government that is fair and Islamic in nature. This is being different and we must accept this.
This is where the west, and America specifically, enter the picture. There are alot of reasons for our involvement in the region, ranging from Cold War politics to economic interests. In the process, we left behind our mark that is more visible today by the terrorists we are fighting. We overthrew an ELECTED Prime Minister of Iran to be replaced by the brutal Shah, in responce to Iran's nationalization of British and American oil interests and to "counter" Soviet influence. Both the Shah's brutal measures and introduction of pro-western reforms alienated the population to the point of revolution in 1979, where a fundalmentalist Iranian government took power. That government is not what the people want, but they enjoy the popularity of the anti-US sentiment from the days of the Shah, and more recently for its defiant stand against the US. We have supported numerous regimes that we know to be corrupt, yet to so anyway for our own interest. American involvement in this arena has alienated and radicalized the population.
Some may counter by saying it is time to correct the mistakes of the past and change the dynamic of the region. This is the exact same attitude that was held during the imperialist era and is nonsense. The US agenda introduced into the region as what is seen by many Arabs as further violations of soverignty; an arrogant power continuing in the legacy as the Cold War. One thing that we should have learned from history is that change comes from within a nation and the thoughts of its people. Iran is a perfect example. The people are again asking for change as the hatred for the US inspired by the Shah's regime gradually lessens and the ruling elite losing its power hold. Such thinking cannot be forced on the people. Another example is Qatar, a shining example of prosperity in a land of misery. The people have accepted some wetern ideals over time, though Islam plays an important role in the lives of the people. So, my point is to change the dynamic is unrealistic. This can't and won't be accomplished with force.
Now that we have looked at why we are so attractive to terrorists, what can be done? The first thing would be to stop the status quo. The invasion of Iraq confirms the suspicions of many that we are there to satisfy our selfish motives at the cost of the people and imposing our will on them. Let the region follow its own "dynamic." The wishes of the people are crystal clear. It probably dosen't sound appealing to us, but we don't live there. Let the people have the type of government they want, and let them work for it. They are not incapable of overthrowing dictatorships (alot we supported), and us getting involved adds to the problem.
As unappealing as it may be to accept that we are responsible for this problem, it is the fact. It is more acceptable to claim that they hate us for our "freedom" or way of life. Nothing is further from the truth. They do have a different way of life and a different religion, but that isn't what drives their hate. Our unneccasary and unwanted intrusion into their lives over the past few decades is enough. Let's stop this behavior before we uneccassarily suffer and lose even more lives for our behavior.
First of all, let's look at the region and what the people want. We enjoy the liberal democracies/republics of the west, and assume its what others want too. I don't think so. Unlike in the west, there is no separation of church and state in the middle east. Many "extremeists" are intertwined with government and how it should be run. Saudi municipal elections showed a decisive win for "fundamentalists". This dosen't mean that the region will sucumb into tyranny, even though that is what some people want. Most would rather opt for a government that is fair and Islamic in nature. This is being different and we must accept this.
This is where the west, and America specifically, enter the picture. There are alot of reasons for our involvement in the region, ranging from Cold War politics to economic interests. In the process, we left behind our mark that is more visible today by the terrorists we are fighting. We overthrew an ELECTED Prime Minister of Iran to be replaced by the brutal Shah, in responce to Iran's nationalization of British and American oil interests and to "counter" Soviet influence. Both the Shah's brutal measures and introduction of pro-western reforms alienated the population to the point of revolution in 1979, where a fundalmentalist Iranian government took power. That government is not what the people want, but they enjoy the popularity of the anti-US sentiment from the days of the Shah, and more recently for its defiant stand against the US. We have supported numerous regimes that we know to be corrupt, yet to so anyway for our own interest. American involvement in this arena has alienated and radicalized the population.
Some may counter by saying it is time to correct the mistakes of the past and change the dynamic of the region. This is the exact same attitude that was held during the imperialist era and is nonsense. The US agenda introduced into the region as what is seen by many Arabs as further violations of soverignty; an arrogant power continuing in the legacy as the Cold War. One thing that we should have learned from history is that change comes from within a nation and the thoughts of its people. Iran is a perfect example. The people are again asking for change as the hatred for the US inspired by the Shah's regime gradually lessens and the ruling elite losing its power hold. Such thinking cannot be forced on the people. Another example is Qatar, a shining example of prosperity in a land of misery. The people have accepted some wetern ideals over time, though Islam plays an important role in the lives of the people. So, my point is to change the dynamic is unrealistic. This can't and won't be accomplished with force.
Now that we have looked at why we are so attractive to terrorists, what can be done? The first thing would be to stop the status quo. The invasion of Iraq confirms the suspicions of many that we are there to satisfy our selfish motives at the cost of the people and imposing our will on them. Let the region follow its own "dynamic." The wishes of the people are crystal clear. It probably dosen't sound appealing to us, but we don't live there. Let the people have the type of government they want, and let them work for it. They are not incapable of overthrowing dictatorships (alot we supported), and us getting involved adds to the problem.
As unappealing as it may be to accept that we are responsible for this problem, it is the fact. It is more acceptable to claim that they hate us for our "freedom" or way of life. Nothing is further from the truth. They do have a different way of life and a different religion, but that isn't what drives their hate. Our unneccasary and unwanted intrusion into their lives over the past few decades is enough. Let's stop this behavior before we uneccassarily suffer and lose even more lives for our behavior.