h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I was horrified like everyone else when it happened, but I wanted to add in a couple of thoughts on the War On Terror.

George Bush, mercifully, did not deploy the nukes (as many of us worried he might) but in fact pursued a comparatively measured response. His language, by contrast, was less measured, with phrases like "axis of evil" being used to diplomatic effect. This is not what I really want to talk about, though.

There were several decades-old conflicts knocking around at the time of the WTC attack. To take a few examples, India's dispute with Pakistan about Kashmir and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were simmering, as they had been for many, many years. In the past year we have seen both of these flare close to boiling point, with aggressive Israeli action and an incremental wave of suicide bombings upping the ante in the middle east, while an even more tense situation was narrowly averted in Asia when Pakistan and India started rattling their nuclear sabres.

There are other examples of this, and what I want to say is that I feel that the US's "war on terror" has been taken by certain parties -- in these cases, Israel and Pakistan -- as a licence to take extreme measures where previously a peaceful solution has been sought, inevitably worsening the situation in the process. The only place I can think of where the opposite has happened is Northern Ireland, where Sinn Fein actually apologised for their killings in the past, an unprecedented move and full of hope for the region.

I further feel that we cannot allow a "war on terror" to become an excuse for pursuing violent solutions to problems such as these. Suicide bombings -- terrorist bombings generally -- are wrong, but this is not the same as sayig the Israeli forces are therefore in the right. Nelson Mandela was prepared to use bombs -- against pylons, not people, but nonetheless not unambiguously peaceful. Almost nobody would now claim that the regime there was in the right, and many would think of Mandela as one of very few truly moral leaders left. Obviously I am not claiming that the situations are similar, but simply that more is at issue when dealing with political situations than whether or not terrorists are involved -- if terrorists espouse a cause, does that make the cause wrong? We have to think harder before flattening our enemies in the name of peace.

I agree totally.
I have watched with horror, at times, as the USA has made terrorist statements in the name of the "war on Terrorism".
Because you do not believe in another's politics or religion is not a reason to take action, and just because you were lucky enough to be born in a "mainly white, supremist, English speaking nation" (like I was) doesn't give you the right to play god.
I agree that war is WRONG. KILLING is wrong. But I can not say who is right in these wars that is going on for centuries. I can't say the Palestinians or the Israelis ar right or wrong. I can only personally disagree with their methods of revenge and war.
I worry when I hear in the news that the US has put a PRICE on the head of anyone. THIS IS TERRORISM. The fact that he is a BAD MAN doesn't make it any less so. Yet I don't see anyone pointing this out.
I feel very sorry for any man who decides that the only course of action is to kill like Osama Bin Laden decided. Have we considered thoroughly the reasons for this dramatic but completely inhuman reaction.
I read in the news that an American flag is burnt somewhere in the world every two seconds. Considering this is mainly in developing countries, this is a rather large statement, I thought buying food would be more important.
Developed countries need to take a good look at their foriegn policies. Afghanistan was definitely a nation in crisis. Not a lot was done. We should be worrying more about people than oil prices.
I still feel a huge shock and emptiness when I think of the 9/11 tragedy. I hope though that we have learnt from the experience and become more willing to help our fellow humans, no matter what their beliefs.
This is something we should never forget.