|
Do We Have the Will to Win the War on Terror?
By Justin Darr
March 24, 2004
Osama Bin Laden sees the West as a soft, decadent society that is unwilling to stand up for any values it might still retain. He has no respect for our way of life, seeing us as immoral, greedy philanderers who will sacrifice anything so long as we can still make enough money to pay for our Internet porn site memberships. We are the modern day Rome, a shell of our former self and unable to stop our inevitable decline. We are weak. Unable to muster the resolve to stand up for what is right. A global bully, who if you slap in the face will run home crying to its mommy (i.e. the United Nations). The sad fact is Bin Laden is right in many ways, particularly in regard to our European "allies". The Spanish people's unconditional surrender to the forces of evil has punctuated this fact in stark reality. Now, since it is quite evident that we stand alone in the world in the fight for freedom, we Americans must look inside ourselves and decide if we actually have the will to win the War on Terror. Or are we,
Islamists see the world as two halves, the lands they control, and the lands they will control. While Moslems are encouraged to use peaceful means to spread the Islamic faith in foreign countries, there is no prohibition against the use of violence against even a perceived threat. However, according to Moslem law, in lands already under Islamic domination, there is no alternative than maintaining control through brute force. There is no compromise or debate, any attempts to deviate away from 7th Century customs, or a theoretical threat to the Islamic nation are met with unbridled violence. For Moslems to abandon this War would doom their souls to hell.
In light of these facts, it is obvious that the terrorists will never stop attacking us on their own accord. Even France, who has led Europe in anti-American pandering to the Islamic world, is now under the threat of terrorist attack. It makes no difference to the Islamists whether a Western nation is a member of the American coalition in Iraq or not. Westerners will be the primary targets of terrorists so long as we exist no matter what efforts at peace or accommodation we make.
Unfortunately, when you listen to the words of John Kerry, and even President Bush, there seems to be a lack of understanding of the nature of our opponents. Our military efforts and regime changes in the Mid-East have benefited our safety and will bring eventual change to the Islamic world. By unless we focus our efforts on changing the primarily hostile and discriminatory attitudes of the people of the Moslem world, all of our work and blood may be spent in vain.
The only way to win the War on Terror is to make the people of the Islamic world stop supporting the terrorists their society breeds. Even in the Moslem countries allied with America, the opinions on the street are that the terrorists attacking us are heroes. They may disagree with their methods or choice of targets, but the average Arab Moslem will not criticize the act itself since it is fully in accordance with the Koran. Osama Bin Laden's letters to the people of the Moslem world read like legal briefs. He backs every statement and action with copious documentation from the Koran and traditional Moslem theologians, and always follows the letter of Islamic Law. This is why so many Moslem apologists will begin talking about the Palestinians and Israelis, or the high levels of poverty in the Moslem world when the subject of terrorism arises. They may want to leave us with the impression that they are condemning the acts of terrorists, but they never actually say it, since doing so would be tantamo
To change the hearts and minds of the Islamic world, we have to realize that we will have to make life uncomfortable for individual Moslems. I am not saying that we should carpet bomb Syria's suburbs, or occupy Mecca (sorry, Liberals, you will have to wait and look for something else to criticize me about). However, we should be willing to stop importing oil from Islamic countries and crush their economies. The Arab states have proven they are more than eager to embargo America for its support of Israel, but are we prepared to embargo them for their even unofficial support of terrorists? Are we ready to take away their Internet access, their McDonalds', and Coca Cola? Are we resolved to blockade the consumer goods that our "evil" society produces and they crave? Are we determined enough to break off economic ties with European countries if they continue to trade with these states?
The key to winning the War on Terror is America using its economic might to bring the reality of the War to the individual citizens in the countries that oppose us. The only way we can hope to effect change in the governments of those against the War is to make the leaders of these states fear the loss of their personal power and prestige at the hands of their own citizens. I wonder how France would have acted in the U.N. if they had to explain their actions to their voters in light of the French wine industry losing access to the American export market. Or Germany when its citizens could no longer trade on Wall Street. Of course, these actions would hurt our own economy as well. That is why I ask if we have the will to win. The simple fact is that the War on Terror must be more than a news bite to us if international terrorism is ever going to end. In past conflicts, Americans have sacrificed and struggled for the war effort, and we have always risen to the occasion. This War is no different. Do we
|
