The logical conclusion of the theory that America is attacked because of what it does is to hand over American policy to its enemies and critics.
And, if Sept. 11 teaches the Americans one lesson it must be precisely not to allow that to happen.
Matt's Chat
Tahiri sets this up by stating the three views of Sept. 11:Broadly speaking, three versions of Sept. 11 have entered the American psyche.He then theorizes that the reality of Sept. 11th could be a mixture of the first two versions and answers the old "Why do they hate us?" question:
The first and the most common version is that of an unprovoked attack by a group of fanatics who just hate the America for what it is.
The second version is that of an attack carried out by individuals expressing grievances that, at some point and in some form, need to be addressed. In this version the US was attacked not for what it is but for what it does.
The third version, based on conspiracy theories and peddled by charlatans like Michael Moore, would not have merited mention had it not been for the disturbing fact that so many Americans seem to believe it. Nevertheless, let us ignore this version because it could only lead us into a maze of lies and affabulations.
Needless to say everyone would like to deploy American power in his own favor. Some see the US as an800 -pound gorilla that is useful for heavy lifting but becomes suspect if it manifests a judgment of its own.And that really is it, in a nutshell.
Some Arabs are sore because the US would not let them march in and wipe Israel off the map. Some Israelis are sore because the US is not prepared to back the mass expulsion of Palestinians from the West Bank.
The Indians resent that the US would not allow them to teach Pakistan a lesson. The Pakistanis are sore because the does not sell them the weapons that could tip the military balance against India.
The mullas of Tehran hate the US because it would not let them create a Khomeinist mini-empire in the region.
Nostalgics of the Shah hate the US because it refuses to march on Tehran to topple the mullas. Slobodan Milosevic and other Serbian mass murders now in jail or in hiding know that without US intervention no one could have stopped the genocides that they had organized.
In Afghanistan, the Taleban, and the drug barons and fanatical mullas who prospered under them, know that had it not been for US intervention they would still be in power in Kabul. The Baathist know that had the US not marched on Baghdad, Saddam Hussein would still be ruling from one of his palaces rather than doing the crosswords in his jail cell.
America's power will draw the ire and awe of the world. There are those who would see us lay aside that power and there are those who would see us use that power for good purpose. The lesson of Sept. 11th will be learned by deciding how to overcome the contradiction of Tahiri's conclusion.
The day the United States of America seeks the permission slip of France or the United Nations to protect itself is the day the terrorists win. It is a dangerous world and I believe that America should use her power to make it as safe as we can.
