A snippet:
But thanks to diplomacy and restraint, it all ended happily. As we approach the solemn anniversary of the tragedy of 9/11, let us revisit how the war on terror was won in six weeks without a single combat casualty.
What truly turned the tide had nothing to do with America's military power, but the overwhelming revulsion towards terrorism that swept the rich and diverse Muslim world.
Clerics in every center of Islamic theological cogitation began to warn of "infidelphobia" -- which they defined as an inexplicable dislike of non-Muslims -- and to encourage an end to the crippling sense of victimhood and seething resentment that had come to characterize their relationship with the West. Just as an American newsmagazine put "Why Do They Hate Us?" on its cover after 9/11, so did a Saudi magazine ask "Why Do They Regard Us With Indifference and Annoyed Exasperation, When They Think of Us At All?" And so the dialogue began.
Some violence was necessary, of course. Osama bin Laden was captured and put on trial, and that ended international terrorism. Leaderless, the rest of al-Qaida went back to their jobs as car salesmen, farmers and theoretical physicists. The 357 percent increase in patent applications from Middle Eastern nations was directly attributed to bin Laden's removal. Even if bin Laden's sentence is overturned on appeal, as some predict, his influence has waned.
The people of Afghanistan continued to live under a miserable regime, but the nation was diplomatically contained. To this day, the U.N. is prepared to deny credentials should the Taliban request them.
Iraq was the real surprise, of course. Proving the Clinton administration right, the Baathist regime owned up to al-Qaida ties and ongoing WMD programs, discontinued its support for Palestinian suicide bombers, and held free elections. The world was stunned when Saddam Hussein handed over power to a hitherto unknown politician who'd been a cleaning supply salesman and student of Gandhi.
No comments:
Post a Comment