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Saturday, December 31, 2005

Clash of Civilizations

By Rob on December 31, 2005 at 10:13 am
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I heard it remarked recently that, since the invasion of Iraq, President Bush has gotten us into a clash of civilizations. Well, if it’s true that there is a war of civilizations, it didn't start with Bush's invasion of Iraq—it started with the attacks by al Qaeda on September 11, 2001 which killed 2982 and injured 2337…

…or maybe on October 12, 2000, when al Qaeda bombers attacked the USS Cole killing 17 sailors and wounding 39…

…or maybe August 7, 1998, when al Qaeda bombed the US embassy in Kenya, killing 291 and injuring over 5000…

…or maybe that same August 7 in 1998, when al Qaeda bombed the US embassy in Tanzania, killing 10 and injuring 77…

…or maybe November 13, 1995 when Hezbollah and al Qaeda bombed an office used by the US military in Saudi Arabia, killing 7 and injuring 60…

…or maybe February 26, 1993, when Islamic terrorists exploded a bomb in the parking garage of the World Trade Center, killing 6 and injuring over 1,000…

…or maybe October 23, 1983, when a Hezbollah bomber killed 241 US marines and injured 81…

…the list could go on…and on...and on…

The MIPT TKB (Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism—Terrorism Knowledge Base) records at least 16,521 injuries and 6814 deaths from 694 different incidents of Islamic terrorism worldwide—all before the US invasion of Iraq on March 19, 2003. While the MIPT database is good, but it is hardly complete.

It bears repeating, because it seems some people still don’t understand this simple truth: our problem with Islamic terrorism didn’t start with Iraq, nor did it start with the presidency of George W. Bush. Islamic terrorism is a threat to people of all nations, races, and creeds—especially Muslims.

Just something to think about.

Comments

Avatar for Tony B

If you were to ask Bin Laden, he would say it goes back to the taking back of Spain. “It all started when he hit me back.”

Tony B on December 31, 2005 at 11:12 am
Rob
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I’m not sure that any but the most far-left anti-war nuts would say that the U.S./world didn’t have a problem with Islamic terrorism prior to the invasion of Iraq, or even pre-9/11.  The argument I hear more often is that Iraq has nothing to do with the war on terror.

Which is baloney, of course, given the fulsome examples of connections between Saddam and terrorism you yourself have pointed out previously.

But even beyond that, what these people forget is that by invading Iraq we have launched an attack on the very roots of Islamic terrorism.  Few would argue against the idea that the jihadist mindset springs from the wide-spread oppression which exists in the middle east.  By establishing a representative democracy in the heart of the middle east we have struck a powerful blow against that oppression, and thus a blow against future generations of terrorists.

By invading Iraq the Bush administration is/was playing the long game.  Its sad that most people don’t get that.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

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Rob on December 31, 2005 at 11:12 am
Avatar for Seth Williams

Yep Tony--at some point people have to be responsible for actions in contemporary times. While history shapes the present, we are not slaves to it--and history doesn’t make wrong into right.

Seth Williams on December 31, 2005 at 05:12 pm
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