One thing is now abundantly clear - the USA has some extremely dedicated enemies. Decades of military and covert action around the globe have turned many against the USA, who see them as a violent imperialist power. America is now reaping what it has sown. This is not to say that innocent people deserved to die, simply that an aggressive nation such as the USA, with many enemies, can expect this kind of retribution. Right now we need to avoid jumping to hasty conclusions and ensure that the correct course of action is taken.
As I write on September 15th, it is looking increasingly likely that some extremist Middle Eastern faction was responsible for the attacks. The USA is a country preparing for war, and there will undoubtedly be retaliation, but the most important thing we can do is try to appreciate:
1) what it is that led these people to commit such an atrocity,
2) what is an appropriate response.
What hatred drives the suicide bomber to lay down his life? What causes such desperation and such passion? What actions can the USA take to vindicate it's position? Will the USA break international law in order to "protect democracy"? Many will not like the answers.
The USA prides itself as being the most "free" country in the world, yet it has constantly denied freedom to millions of people throughout the world by installing, subsidising and propping up oppressive regimes in Argentina, Chile, Indonesia, Turkey, Colombia, etc. and funding terrorist and insurgent groups such as the KLA and the Taliban. The USA paid, trained and armed the Nicaraguan Contras in the 1980s who killed over 30,000 civilians. Osama Bin Laden himself was trained in terror tactics by the CIA to fight Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Indeed, in May this year, Bush gave the Taliban $48 million because they had "banned all drugs" - the so-called War on Drugs was deemed more important than the oppression wrought by the Taliban upon civilian Afghans. (It is important to note that the Taliban regime is not officially recognised by most governments world-wide and that there exist only 3 Taliban embassies world-wide). America's unyielding support and military funding of Israel throughout the Israeli / Palestine conflict has enraged Arabs who feel that the US supports the illegal occupation of their land, and the murder of their families and friends. If this was you - how would you feel about America?
The American response to these attacks will have repercussions that will undoubtedly be felt well into the latter part of this century. High-ranking American officials have already spoken about bombing Afghanistan "back into the Stone Age". Internal restrictions on assassinating leaders have been removed and it has been made clear that anyone who tries to stand in the way or harbour suspects will be destroyed. With the attacks on its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 the USA proved that it will, in the words of Madeline Albright, "act multilaterally when we can and unilaterally when we must", showing blatant disregard for International Law and the United Nations. The response to those attacks was to bomb Afghanistan and Sudan. Of the latter, the US acknowledges that it destroyed a pharmaceutical plant (not a factory for biological weapons) that provided cheap medicines for a large part Africa. The USA compensated Sudan but did everything within its power to block any UN investigation into the incident.
Undoubtedly the US response will involve the deaths of more innocent civilians. More martyrs will be made and there will be more reason for people to feel animosity towards the USA. But what is a justifiable response? Surely George Bush (Batman) and Tony Blair (Robin) must see the irony of leading countries that have backed over 60 years of global terror declaring a war against all forms of terrorism (except obviously US/UK state terror, CIA-backed terror, terror in the name of US interests, ad nauseam). Even if the US breaks International Law and bombs whatever the Soviets and Taliban have left in Afghanistan, the world will be led to believe it was "justified" in doing so. But to vindicate the recent murders on American soil, by committing more in the Middle East and elsewhere, calling it "retribution" or "justice", is to blind ourselves to history. This weeks events cannot be taken in isolation. To launch a counterattack and to murder more people is merely to perpetuate a bloody tradition. It does the dead no justice.
We're seeing a lot of anti-Muslem and anti-Islamic feelings manifesting right now. People who are American citizens have been beaten for being Moslems, or for having "an Arab sounding name" (including one Israeli student). In the UK, Mosques have received death threats and prayer meetings have been disrupted, and even as far away as Australia people have been assaulted.
Nationality is an accident. In reality it is about as meaningful as eye colour in determining how good a person someone is. Take away nationality and what are you left with? Just people. Fathers, mothers, sons, daughters. People just like you. Bill Hicks once said, "I'm only American cos my parents fucked here" - and it's a really important concept to grasp. Every nation and culture has its madmen and fanatics - for every suicide bomber and Osama bin Laden there is a Geoffrey Dahmer, a Myra Hyndley, a Harold Shipman, and an Ed Gein - as mentioned above, it is even arguable that the very people who lead us are themselves terrorists, from a certain point of view. Osama bin Laden bombs a US embassy, Bill Clinton blows up an aspirin factory. Who is the terrorist?