The conflict in Iraq: Terrorism put under the microscope
Dr. Anna Adams
Issue date: 3/27/03 Section: Op/Ed
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I spent Spring break in a small town in Mexico and every place I went, Mexicans expressed their horror at the prospect of a U.S. war in Iraq. I felt ashamed to be an American. Does this make me unpatriotic? I marched for civil rights, I marched against the war in Vietnam, I marched against U.S. policies in Central America, and I have marched against this war because I believed it was my patriotic duty to insist that the leaders of this country uphold the principles for which it stands -- freedom, democracy and self-determination.
In order to protect its economic interests, the U.S. has often used the concepts of democracy and freedom as justification for foreign interventions that undermined freedom and democracy. In the name of fighting communism, our government has overthrown democratically elected governments in Indonesia, in Iran, in Guatemala and in Chile. In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan created a mercenary army to overthrow the democratically elected government of Nicaragua.
Communism is dead, but the U.S. has found a new enemy to justify its military buildup and desire to control the world's resources. This enemy has no national boundaries. It lives in the caves of Afghanistan, in the back streets of Pakistan, in the small villages of Iraq. It is the followers of Osama bin Laden and other Muslims who see the United States, as the enemy.
We call this new enemy terrorism, but the U.S. has supported terrorist regimes before -- apartheid South Africa, the Taliban and even Saddam Hussein come immediately to mind. The current war against Iraq is, in my opinion, business as usual with a 21st century twist.
The U.S. has orchestrated many regime changes in the past, very few of which brought positive changes to the citizens of those countries. A regime change in Iraq will not eliminate the enemy. History tells us that it will not bring democracy or freedom to the Iraqi people. It will most likely bring civilian deaths and destruction and inspire more attacks on the U.S.
President Bush says, "If you're not with us, you're with the terrorists." To his way of thinking, to be patriotic is to support the war. I am not with Bush and I am not sure who the terrorists are, but I do know that it is my responsibility as a patriotic citizen to demand that the U.S. honor the ideals upon which it was founded.
In order to protect its economic interests, the U.S. has often used the concepts of democracy and freedom as justification for foreign interventions that undermined freedom and democracy. In the name of fighting communism, our government has overthrown democratically elected governments in Indonesia, in Iran, in Guatemala and in Chile. In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan created a mercenary army to overthrow the democratically elected government of Nicaragua.
Communism is dead, but the U.S. has found a new enemy to justify its military buildup and desire to control the world's resources. This enemy has no national boundaries. It lives in the caves of Afghanistan, in the back streets of Pakistan, in the small villages of Iraq. It is the followers of Osama bin Laden and other Muslims who see the United States, as the enemy.
We call this new enemy terrorism, but the U.S. has supported terrorist regimes before -- apartheid South Africa, the Taliban and even Saddam Hussein come immediately to mind. The current war against Iraq is, in my opinion, business as usual with a 21st century twist.
The U.S. has orchestrated many regime changes in the past, very few of which brought positive changes to the citizens of those countries. A regime change in Iraq will not eliminate the enemy. History tells us that it will not bring democracy or freedom to the Iraqi people. It will most likely bring civilian deaths and destruction and inspire more attacks on the U.S.
President Bush says, "If you're not with us, you're with the terrorists." To his way of thinking, to be patriotic is to support the war. I am not with Bush and I am not sure who the terrorists are, but I do know that it is my responsibility as a patriotic citizen to demand that the U.S. honor the ideals upon which it was founded.