No War on Terror

Brother Dave wrote an impassioned comment to my entry of Jan. 11, "The Search for Security." I believe his comment deserves to be moved from the comments to the front page, in hopes more people will read it.

Ok, I want everyone to repeat after me, "there ain't no war on terror, there ain't no war on terror". I want all of you to repeat this mantra 5 times each morning and five times each night. Eventually it will sink in.

How can I possibly say such a thing, much less ask others to say it?

Two reasons. First reason - you can not fight a war against a tactic. Terrorism is the intentional act of war that is designed to create a state of terror in the mind of the civilian population and hence bend them to your will or ideology. It is argued that it is a tactic of asymmetrical war, but I think the residents of Dresden in 1944 or Palestine any time in the last 30 years would argue to the contrary. I am absolutely sure the residents of Iraq, subject to air and ground attacks by US forces - without warning and at all times of the day - would disagree. But whether the term is properly reserved for the acts of non-state organizations or not, it is still a tactic.

But the second reason is the more compelling and is far less academic. The invasion of Iraq (and, [it could be] easily argued, [the] invasion of Afghanistan as well) have absolutely nothing to do with fighting terrorism or terrorists. It has everything to do with a well thought-out - if insane - policy for establishing the US as the sole arbiter of all global matters military, political and economic. Do not take my word for it. Seek out the web site of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC). Read the statement of principles. Contemplate what the words mean, particularly the words in the fourth statement in which it is argued that the US must assure that all governments act in accordance with "our prosperity and our principles". Then, examine the strategy documents posted regarding the Middle East. Note the call for the occupation of Iraq independent of the continued reign of Saddam Hussein. Now, go back to those Statements of Principle and note who signed on to them. You will find the entire membership of the White House Iraq Group, as well as Don Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz and Jeb Bush. If there are lingering doubts about why the US invaded Iraq, turn to the National Security Strategy of 2002, posted on the White House web site (.gov, not .org - that one is for laughs). See how many times you can find a difference in direction or tone between the official policy of the United States and the policy advocated by the PNAC.

So, repeat after me, "there ain't no war on terror, there ain't...".