I've been following the Kakki/Kate debate with keen interest, mostly because I have seen very little specifically designated "left/right" discourse since 9/11. The backseat that partisanship has taken generally over the last week can perhaps provide room for reflection while we mourn. Here are some opinions, questions and resources. Delete now if you are tired of political discussions. *Media* Spending our summer with the media full of Gary Condit seems utterly ridiculous now. What can we do to demand that the media report more responsibly and work harder to actually educate the nation about a balanced slate of things that matter? (This is not a rhetorical question; I really want to know what I can do - write letters, buy a share of stock and voice an opinion at shareholder meetings, etc. Any suggestions would be appreciated.) *U.S. World Illiteracy* I wonder how many Americans could identify Afghanistan on a map before last week. Or name more than one of its neighbors. In fact, I wonder how many could do it now! Many people are saying that we as a nation will never be the same. I hope so. Not that we should sacrifice liberty and live in fear, but we should accept that we are not immune and we can no longer pretend that isolationism in any form works. After slagging off the U.N., we now must turn to it to galvanize support for our crusade -- whoops, I mean campaign. ; ) >From my view, when people outside of the U.S. say that we have been humbled, it is this that they are speaking about. I hope that we seek to understand more about the world from which we've tried to separate ourselves. Instead of being defensive about why other people in the world may dislike or despise the U.S., let's seek to understand their position. I am not at all advocating validation of the notion that we "deserved" it; I am suggesting that there may be legitimate reasons why people (who are not extremists, radicals or terrorists) hold disdain for our country. There was a program on ABC over the weekend where Sam Donaldson and Carson Daly (what?!) were discussing the attacks and it's consequences with teens and pre-teens. The question came from the kids repeatedly - why did this happen to us? The response seemed to uniformly be that the terrorists hate us. I hope that there are more sophisticated discussions happening in schools. I think alot of kids could understand it, if it is explained to them. I would love to hear from any teachers on the list who could speak about what is being said in classrooms. *The War - "Operation Infinite Justice?"* I'm very concerned about the ongoing rhetoric in the media and from government leaders which places the focus on Bin Laden. We cannot be lulled into the notion that this is simply about one man, his capture and the shut down of his network. This is no longer just about terrorism, and never really was. Pakistan is between a rock and a hard place. Agreeing to allow our troops on the ground and in their airspace could lead to prolonged unrest (and possibly civil war) in that country. Once we move, the stability of the region will be at great risk. Can anyone point to a source (government or otherwise) that discusses what our reaction will be in that case? If we are successful at rooting out Bin Laden and then decide to withdraw while Pakistan is in shambles, could we really blame the people if they hate us? *Domestic Policy and Foreign Policy* Here's an interesting piece from the June 1995 issue of the Atlantic: "The Domestic Core of Foreign Policy" http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/foreign/dcore.htmWhere This opening is quite prophetic: "Our task now is not so heroic as fighting a war, but it may be as important: to recognize our limitations, to reject the vanity of trying to remake the world in our image, and to restore the promise of our neglected society." Where does partisanship belong when domestic policy and foreign policy are inextricably tied together and we as a nation (based on the election) appear to be split right down the middle? I often wonder what people of other countries think about our partisan discords. Anyone out there care to give a view? Here are some things that I've been reading (and recommend) for additional perspective: U.S. Policy Toward Political Islam - Critique that provides some perspective for those who can't understand why others hate us. Most of the work on this site is by academics and there is some balance in the presentation. http://fpif.org/briefs/vol6/v6n24islam.html Foreign Affairs magazine special briefing on the terrorist attacks: http://www.foreignaffairs.org/home/terrorism.asp If you've gotten this far, thanks for reading. And please share your thoughts. Brenda n.p.: CNN-FN
