To help or not to help
Ever since 9/11, many American commentators have passed scathing comments on the completely unhelpful attitude of Europeans in particular and the world in general towards the US's 'War on Terror'. They have quite correctly pointed out that the terrorists are not just the US's problem. They are enemies of the entire civilized world. It is of course wrong to derive enjoyment from the pain of others. And ofcourse, France and Russia may have commercial reasons to oppose the US's invasion of Iraq. But personally, I feel that the world should not support the US's war on terror, or as it has now been downgraded to, the 'Struggle against Extremism'. (As Stephen Colbert pointed out on the Daily Show, a struggle doesn't necessiate a win while a war does)
In order to explain my reasons, let me use a simile. Americans must realize that the US asking for Pakistan's help to wipe out the Taliban and the Al Qaeda is like a father asking a mother to help him strangle their son. The mother is not going to do it. This family of Mom, Dad and son have lived in a nice neighborhood. But the parents have raised their son to be a bully. He terrorizes other families in the neighborhood. He vandalizes their property. He sells crack on the street corner. The parents have always turned a blind eye towards this behavior of his. Infact, they and uncle Saudi Arabia provided him with lots of allowance so that money never posed a problem. They even encouraged their bully son to target specific neighbors whom they didn't like. But then the son grew bigger and wouldn't listen to his father. He stole from the house and crashed up some expensive vases. The father retaliated. The son got angry, stole his father's truck and crashed it into the house. Now the dad is hopping mad and wants strangle his own son.
What's the neighbors take on this matter? Should they feel any sympathy for the father? Ofcourse not. He got what was coming to him. Do they want to see the father strangle his son? Ofcourse yes. They are tired of the bully. Should they help the father do it.....now thats a difficult question. The answer depends on whether they feel the dad has learnt his lesson. The US's actions show that it has not learnt anything from the murder of 3000 of it's citizens. Why should the world help the US destroy Islamic fundamentalists? So that the US can give Christian fundamentalists a boost? Or worse, capitalists. Why should the other countries of the world help one huge problem against another? The solution to this problem is in the US not making itself look like a problem and a threat to other countries. It should remember that true power is demonstrated not by it's use but by restraining it.
In order to explain my reasons, let me use a simile. Americans must realize that the US asking for Pakistan's help to wipe out the Taliban and the Al Qaeda is like a father asking a mother to help him strangle their son. The mother is not going to do it. This family of Mom, Dad and son have lived in a nice neighborhood. But the parents have raised their son to be a bully. He terrorizes other families in the neighborhood. He vandalizes their property. He sells crack on the street corner. The parents have always turned a blind eye towards this behavior of his. Infact, they and uncle Saudi Arabia provided him with lots of allowance so that money never posed a problem. They even encouraged their bully son to target specific neighbors whom they didn't like. But then the son grew bigger and wouldn't listen to his father. He stole from the house and crashed up some expensive vases. The father retaliated. The son got angry, stole his father's truck and crashed it into the house. Now the dad is hopping mad and wants strangle his own son.
What's the neighbors take on this matter? Should they feel any sympathy for the father? Ofcourse not. He got what was coming to him. Do they want to see the father strangle his son? Ofcourse yes. They are tired of the bully. Should they help the father do it.....now thats a difficult question. The answer depends on whether they feel the dad has learnt his lesson. The US's actions show that it has not learnt anything from the murder of 3000 of it's citizens. Why should the world help the US destroy Islamic fundamentalists? So that the US can give Christian fundamentalists a boost? Or worse, capitalists. Why should the other countries of the world help one huge problem against another? The solution to this problem is in the US not making itself look like a problem and a threat to other countries. It should remember that true power is demonstrated not by it's use but by restraining it.
posted by Avinash | 9:30 PM
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