Posted on 02/22/2003 9:49:15 PM PST by Jewels1091
Al Queda, Hamas and associated terrorists of the world are out to get the United States in a big way. Why? Because the United States is envied for its high standard of living, freedom of its citizens and economic power. All of this is the result of hard work and ingenuity of America's multiracial society where every conceivable race and religion in the world is represented. The terrorists fear that the influence of the U.S.A. will undermine their way of life which, in most cases, is based on oppressive male domination and religious intolerance.
All democracies in the world, and the U.S.A. in particular, have generously assisted those who wish to better the lives of their citizens and who want to live in harmony with their neighbors. Unfortunately, not enough early attention was paid to totalitarian states whose leaders used their national resources to build large military establishments while ignoring the basic rights and needs of their citizens. Some of them, like Iraq and North Korea, have used this "period of neglect" to produce weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Now they don't only threaten their neighbors but also the entire world.
This unholy alliance is like a spreading cancer requiring immediate surgery to save the patient. That's us. All of us in the world. The Sep. 11 unprovoked attack against the U.S.A. killed people from over 60 countries. Not only Americans whose roots go back to every country and region in the world. The target was not only the United States but all democracies in the world.
The possible scenarios are not pretty. War seldom is (except in some Hollywood movies). Let's just look at one. Emboldened by the success of the Sep. 11 attack, they will take their time and go for a strike that will take out several major cities in the world. It could be a dirty bomb - with combination of radiation and/or biological agents exploded near a major city. The United States, of course, would be the primary target.
Simply stated, the terrorists have first strike capability. When used, it will cause hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties, if not millions, and is likely to do irreparable damage to world economies. In a situation like this, against whom do we retaliate? So the notion that the U.S. and her allies are not "first strike" countries becomes a death sentence for democracy.
The terrorists will have a difficult time to execute this scenario without the help of a country with some advanced industrial capacity. The current providers of such assistance are Iran, Iraq, North Korea and Syria. Among those, Iraq and North Korea clearly have the least responsible and least stable leaderships. Saddam Hussein's history of using WMDs against his own citizens make him the most dangerous despot in the world today and the best ally of the terrorists.
It is reasonable to think President George Bush and his national security advisers believe that the U.S.A. cannot sit and wait on Armageddon and that terrorist supporters must be stopped before it's too late. For a president whose primary task is to protect and defend his people to do otherwise would be the most serious dereliction of duty imaginable.
Terrorists have no allegiance to any particular country. So they are likely to consider retaliation against the supporting countries as just the cost of war. They and their supporters know that the U.S. A.will not use WMDs on Baghdad in retaliation. Furthermore, the terrorists are not members of the United Nations. Discussions in that forum must appear if not amusing, then certainly irrelevant to them.
Clearly the U.S.A. must act now, together with other democratic nations, to stop the possibility of further attacks against world democracies. Part of this operation is to deny terrorists the support of unstable countries like Iraq. A measured, non-nuclear attack on Iraq and the displacement of the present totalitarian regime may cause others to cease their support of terrorism. It may also cause the least civilian casualties in the long run. President Bush understands that he cannot let a terrorist first strike happen and that he must go after the terrorists and their supporters now.
For a better focus, perhaps we should look back at history. Had Hitler been resolutely stopped early, World War II, with all the death and misery it brought to hundreds of millions, could likely have been avoided. The League of Nations failed to stop Hitler. Today, the United Nations is on the verge of reneging its responsibilities. Are we about to make the same mistake again? If so, the consequences of inadequate measures to stop terrorism are likely to be far more serious and long-lasting that those of World War II.
As we wait for this agonizing chapter in world history to unfold, I am confident that the United States will seriously consider all reasonable courses of action to avoid war. Neville Chamberlain did not achieve "peace in our time" and neither will the spineless appeasers of today. If peace is possible, the United States will take that course.
Aleksander Einseln is former commander of Estonia's Defense Forces.
Thanks for posting this.
The Democrats' Case Against Saddam Hussein (Dems nailed, yet again)
Headline Rundown and links on Iraq - Things the democrats have conviently forgot...
Saddam Abused His Last Chance, Clinton -clear and present danger to safety of people everywhere 1998
Gore repeats that Saddam MUST GO - June 2000
What the democrats want you to forget
Iraq is a Regional Threat, capable of as much as 200 tons of VX nerve agent (1999 Clinton report)
Czech military reports say iraq has smallpox virus in weapons stockpile (and camelpox)
Iraqi chemical weapons buildup reported (Sept 2001 Report)
Clinton, Gore rally domestic support for strike at Iraq, "unholy axis" (1998 Must read)
statement President Clinton from 1998 on the air strikes
Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 - Full Text, Sense of Congress - Remove Saddam
Saw him once on 60 Minutes.
Also traveled to Estonia in mid-90's. There, he is a national hero.
CT
Seriously good points though.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.