Tragedies Foretold Nasim Zehra Islamabad: May their souls rest in peace and may Allah give their loved ones the strength to bear the tragic loss. In modern times the world has never before witnessed anything so stunning. In recent history perhaps United State's bombing of Hiroshima, which left thousands dead and millions maimed, is the only event that would supercede this tragedy for also its shock value. Like at Hiroshima, in the September 11 terrorists attacks modern technology was deliberately deployed for large scale human destruction. In Hiroshima while we know it was a government that consciously opted for large scale human annihilation, the identity of the evil minds behind the September 11 tragedy is still not known ; Washington's almost pre-determined allegations and evidence collection against Osama Bin Ladin notwithstanding Death devoured thousands from many nations. Today families in many countries including Pakistan mourn their dead. Human pain has indeed multiplied, as has hatred too. In the world ,divided like never before ,along nationalist, ideological, power, cultural and class lines, the horror of September 11 has evoked diverse reactions. The convenient and often innocent targets of state terrorism and of the plethora of UN Security Council sanction, the Palestinians, the Iraqis, the Afghans, the Sudanese and their millions of muslim and non-muslim sympathizers wondered what lessons direct experience of the piercing pain and of total vulnerability may have taught the American people and their government. Indeed the contrasting rationale fed by governments and media for often destructive actions has resulted in the peoples' often diverse reaction to human tragedy. The initial sadness is soon overtaken by the comparisons that reveal a world of double-standards. Past September 11 the US government can no longer comfortably use the phrase "fortress America." Previously 'fortress America' remained safe from the destruction of CIA funded 'low-level violence' underway whether in Asia, Latin America or Africa. "We funded the contras against the Sadinistas in Nicragua but the fall-out never crossed into our own territory," an American diplomat friend once made the point while discussing Pakistan's involvement in the Kashmiri struggle for independence in Indian-Held Kashmir. His point was generally correct. Only small scale terrorist attacks had been carried out in the US. The major act of terrorism leaving over 200 men, women and children was carried out in 1995 by an angry US citizen Robert Mcveigh. Post September 11 has changed it all. Although no independent and conclusive evidence on who master-minded the barbaric acts of September 11 is out still my American friend may not repeat what he said to me with any degree of comfort. The vulnerability of the US will forever be etched in the hearts of many American generations, no less in the policy machines of the US. Some may stop to wonder how worthwhile will the billions of dollars worth of National Missile Deal be in the face of suicide bombers ? The initial reaction of the Bush administration was naturally one that attempted to boast the moral of its own people. The words uttered by none other than President George Bush "this is a crusade we will fight" does not augur well for the future of international politics. Less reflection and more aggression may flow from Washington, the reactive mode promising to further proliferate anger, hate and above all insecurity within and beyond the shores of an increasingly vulnerable super power. The many sane voices in the American civil society should be noted if not for their influence on US policy makers but at least for their wisdom and sincerity . The New York based weekly magazine The Nation reported in its September 14 edition that " There are many who believe in "Islam is not the enemy. War is not the answer" It's unclear how widespread this sentiment is nationwide but it did hold sway at candlelight vigils held around New York City tonight, many of them notable for a strong multicultural composition and an insistence on healing, not hate. " And it is a vulnerability that even Washington's 'best friends' understand. The initial unconditional solidarity that NATO and the European Union countries expressed is gradually being replaced with call for reflection. European leaders fear being caught in a deadly military trap along with the US incase US plans a major military operations in Afghanistan. And the issue of their own vulnerability must also surface if they are to believe Washington's accusation against Osama and also Washington's assessment that Osama's al Qaida operation is spread in 60 countries. Would Washington's friends want their own trade centers blown up with hijacked planes by provoking Osama without definite evidence or even through a highly risky 'get Osama' military operation ? The deadly events of September 11 yet again underscored the moral stagnation of the human race in the face of galloping double-edged technological advancement . The sheer callousness of the September 11 event where technology was deployed with such precision to produce immense pain and destruction promises to grow if the notion of justice, morality and inclusiveness remain irrelevant in the paradigm of operational power, either and the state or sub-state level. Among the issues that the US government must address topping the list would be matters related to internal security. Just the very fact that a disaster of such magnitude in and around some of US's most guarded buildings could have taken place must have unnerved the US government and citizens. Moving with characteristic swiftness security at the airports has already increased. As increased security measures begin to impinge on peoples' freedom, as they inevitably must, the American society will experienced a more interventionist government. With the melting pot that the US is in the 21st century can the US state manage a repeat of anti-racial steps that Washington ordered after Pearl Harbour against the Japanese. Can it possibly begin targeting and trailing its entire muslim and Arab population ? There is the contradiction between how Washington wants to organize its own society and how it seeks to intervene in global affairs. In a commendable manner the US President moved swiftly to criticize anti-muslim attacks that were being reported in some parts of the US. He arrived in Washington's Islamic Center to criticize the anti-muslim attacks. Yet when it comes to its policies in the Middle East Washington's unstinted support for Israeli state-terrorism continues. Whoever may have master-minded the evil act of September 11 frightening patterns reassert themselves. In a strange macabre way the world hierarchy set along the lines of material prosperity reflected in the many UN reports has acquired equality. Equality perhaps in all that is ugly and vengeance-laden. Today almost all stand equal in the vulnerability and destruction made available through proliferation of anger, insult, technology and easy mobility. This is the only sphere of equality this unequal Hobbesian world so euphemistically referred to as the global village knows. However ugly, some form of response seems to surface challenging the double-standards , operational and institutionalized through multilateral institutions led by the UN Security Council , has emerged. While the airwaves are packed with unending analysis and commentaries on what will follow September 11 humanity witnesses a dialogue between the deaf. Righteousness in words is abundant. Arrogance in power prevents breaking of patterns that drag the human race towards more disasters. THE END ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?bUrHhl.bVKZIr Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [email protected] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
