‘War on Terror’ - a Failure
By: Cikku (December 5th, 2008)
Like every other civilised person I was horrified by the senseless carnage that occured in Mumbai this week. The slaughter of innocent people can never be justified irrespective of who commits these hideous crimes.One fact is very clear however, the so called “War On Terrorism” can never be won! That may sound like I am prepared to hoist a white flag in our efforts to eliminate this scourge. Far from it, the battle has got to continue but I humbly suggest that the way this “War” is being waged only encourages would be terrorists to join the fight against who they see as their oppressors.
This opinion is based on the indisputable fact that while terrorism has existed since time immemorial, it has increased dramatically since George W Bush proclaimed his war on it post 9/11. Think of Bali, London, Madrid, Istanbul and countless others before the latest outrage in Mumbai. How many other failed attempts has there been which we never get to hear about?Add to these the hundreds of attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan the majority of which were carried out by the same terrorists that the US invaded both countries with a mission to eliminate them.When war is waged it cannot be expected to be a one sided conflict. It has to be fought against an enemy which will be guaranteed to fight back with whatever means they may possess. If that has to include suicide bombings and terrorist acts so be it because it’s all they have to fight back with. I would even suggest that had Australia been invaded 20 years ago instead of 200, the native aborigines would have been very likely to respond with the very same methods.
You may wonder why people are willing to sacrifice their lives in a war which they have no hope of winning militarily. The answer may well lie in their belief that a grave injustice was perpertrated upon them. Make no mistake about it, while most people can learn to live with poverty, lack of opportunities and even degredation, a deep sense of injustice can be a far more powerful motivation.Unfortunately, the world is still full of injusticies whether we look at Palestine, Tibet, Chechnya, Kashmir or dozens of others including the Australian aborigines.So where does the solution lie? How can the scourge of terrorism be eliminated? I certainly don’t claim to have an answer but what is absolutely clear is that “The War On Terror” is definately not it.Maybe, just maybe, our leaders can put aside their political prejudices and try looking outside the box. Instead of a negative “War On Terror” they can attempt to instigate a “War On Injustice”. My sixth sense tells me that this could be a war which will even gain the support of potential terrorists.
Tags: AK-47, ATS, Gateway of India, Government, grenades, india, killing, LeT, massacre, Mumbai, Nariman House, NSG, Oberoi, Pakistan, Taj Mahal hotel, Taliban, terrorist attack
December 6th, 2008 at 7:39 am
You have got to be kidding? I humbly suggest that it didn’t happen HERE. Remember 911? I guess we have dumbed that down to the situation unless you didnt have your mom die in it the motivation thereof now means Nothing! I imagine when opinionated youth like yourself actually get effected in a personal way you will understand. To say terrorism is increased is completely devoid of the facts…ever visit Israel? How about the Sudan? Do you remember Iraq? What if that was your family that your own president used biological weapons to wipe you out. I think your post smacks of a spoiled little American Brat that gets their statistics from a comic book and you lack the ability to cite sources because your pulling it out of the air. See National Consortium for the study of terrorism http://www.start.umd.edu/data/gtd/gtd1_and_gtd2.asp or http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/pubs/fs/5902.htm to show your making erroneous statements and anyone over the age of 20 can personally attest to it since we read the papers and watch the news. You have no idea what you have and you will lament your lack of thankfulness and appreciation one day when its taken from you.
December 10th, 2008 at 4:50 am
I don’t know how to respond with the unfortunate incident that happened in Mumbai. I can’t relate myself when i see people talking about the unity of this nation by showing their respect to those who lost their lives. Suddenly from nowhere candles are been lit, silent moments are been made in the remembrance of those who lost their lives in this terror attack. I mean give me a break. I never saw this same reponse when i heard Bajrang Dal killing thousands in Orrisa or attacking the Christians all over the nation. Why were candles not been lit in the rememberance of those who were slaughtered, raped and burned mercilessly in Orrisa just because of their faith. what do u think? Terror attacks are more dangerous or such attacks within the nation is more dangerous? I tell u the truth, any religion promoting the killing of innocent people should’nt be considered as a religion. When these terrorists were captured, atleast by their names, we came to know that they are from the Muslim Community. At the same time i saw great leaders of Muslim Community condemning this hideous incident that happened in Mumbai. And later they even asked the Indian Government not to bury them according to Islam rituals. Through media i saw them requesting the other Muslims leaders to not take their( the Terrorists’) bodies for burial. And this is how we came to know that Islam is not all about killing innocent people. The ones who carry out such hideous crimes are being brain washed by some so called leaders of Islam who are portraying this religion in a wrong manner. The truth is that no religion actually promotes the killings of innocent people. Now lets get back to my earlier point about the attacks which where carried out in Orrisa and other parts of India. I saw in the live TV people who call themselves “Hindus” actually justifying the acts of Bajrang Dal. When the question was raised whether the Bajrang Dal should be Banned or not, the response was shocking. There were people who actually don’t think that what the Bajrang Dal did was wrong. Now how will u justify this thought. Orissa is known for its poverty. And when such incident happened like slaughtering, raping, burning etc etc. i never saw people showing their respect for those who lost their lives. I never saw people lighting candles or keep a moment of Silence in the remembrance of those who lost their lives. But now when such incident happened in hotels like Taj and Trident, where there is no sign of poverty whatsoever, people want to show their respect? Again and again we are proving that we are nothing but HYPOCRITES !!! Jai Hind.
December 11th, 2008 at 1:06 am
Before responding to your opinons some facts need to be clarified.
1 “opinionated youth like yourself” - I’ve just turned 65 years old
2 “a spoiled little American Brat” - I am from Sydney, Australia
“Remember 911?” I remember it well as I remember the terror that was inflicted by the U.S. military on the people of Afghanistan and Iraq afterwards. Revenge is precisely the wrong reaction to tragedies like 9/11 because as the great Mahatma Ghandi once said “An eye for an eye leaves us both blind”