The Five Year War (And Counting)

Five years ago, the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil was in its final stage of preparation, while we went on with our daily lives without a care in the world. By the time September 11th rolled around, a lot more people cared--one such man being our President, George W. Bush. While it is acceptable for U.S. citizens to get complacent, particularly during times of peace, it is inexcusable for our President to feel that way.

In all honesty, I think Bush felt personally responsible for what happened on 9-11. He KNEW that there was more he could have done, and because of this guilt, he completely mis-handled the entire situation by starting his "war on terror." I have the same question today that I had five years ago--How do you fight a war against an idea? In truth, it isn't possible. History has shown us that one cannot kill ideas and dreams. In fact, the death of one terrorist, in my mind, is just as likely to create two "new" terrorists to fill the void.

The facts back this idea up. Since the War on Terror began, there has been an increase in the levels of terrorism throughout the world. An estimated 72,265 lives have been taken, most of whom were Iraqi civilians. That leaves, according to U.S. figures, about 30, 626 people who have been killed as the direct result of terror attacks and the following counter-insurgency actions by the United States and its allies. In short, we are killing almost as many innocent people as the terrorists are, and yet the President continues to make us out to be the heroes of the situation.

The problem is that the United States really was able to wipe out the Taliban regime and Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath party in a matter of weeks. This is a problem because it gave the world the impression that the United States had already won the war on terror, when in fact it had barely started. As I have said before, you cannot fight fire with fire when you are dealing with terrorists, because terrorists are not afraid to die, and if you kill one, his son, and his son's best friend are going to take up the reigns themselves. In other words, terrorism is a vicious cycle that cannot be broken via open warfare.

Speaking of vicious cycles, try this one on for size: Terrorists hate the United States because the U.S. puts itself in the position to police the world. They attack the United States because the U.S. presents itself to the world as a model society that believes that everybody should live as they do. So what do you think the terrorists think about our war on terror? To them, it is much of the same--simply another reason to want to commit acts of terrorism, and as I said before, the facts confirm this idea--since this "war" began, the terrorism levels around the world have soared.

So, next week, as we observe the five year anniversary of 9-11, try also to remember that the United States is not always right. In fact, in this case, the United States is completely wrong. If we really want to end terrorism in the world, we need to be more tolerant of all cultures in our world. We need to stop acting as though we have the power to police EVERYBODY. If we are nice to everybody, then nobody will have a reason to terrorize us.