Commentary: The Shadow War
Werzyniak, Zach
Issue date: 12/3/08 Section: News
"The tragedy of our day is the climate of fear in which we live; and fear breeds repression. Too often, sinister threats to the bill of rights, to freedom of the mind, are concealed under the patriotic cloak, of anti-communism." Adlai Stevenson said this during his failed White House bid in 1952. This statement is easily applied to America's contemporary threat of terrorism. Are we safer? We need to change the way we fight terrorism.
Fear is a grand motivating force. The American people were goaded into a war to fight a threat unrelated to terrorism. Winning a war conventionally is no problem for America, the lone remaining superpower of a bygone era. While nuclear buildup was going on both sides of the Cold War, America was terrified of a "Red Dawn."
Now the world's enemies wear no uniform and hail from no country in particular. Terrorism can be homegrown or from abroad. Its most effective form is a franchise, not to liken Terrorism to Starbucks. In America's zeal to destroy a shadowy threat we have forgotten one thing: unilateralism is not a very wise option.
The Bush doctrine of going it alone has done nothing but alienate the rest of the world. Russia is happily picking up the disenfranchised nations, like Dmitry Medvedev hanging out in Venezuela with Hugo Chavez while Russian warships are doing maneuvers nearby.
Maybe the rest of the world gets that America uses their country to get what it wants and then kicks it to the curb like a $20 hooker looking for love. So while America is tied down in Iraq and Afghanistan, Russia is deciding to flex its influence and show that America is not the only superpower still. Want to make your own nuclear power? Hang out with the Russians; they will get you everything you need (Iran). Think you are going to escape Russian influence by joining NATO? Watch out for your pro-western candidate's poisoning or a military pummeling (Ukraine and Georgia respectively).
Taking all this into consideration, the situation in Mumbai just adds to the hurt. Gunmen killed almost 200 people recently. This comes at a time when Pakistan and India were healing old wounds. Both are nuclear powers; now India will blame Pakistan for not doing enough to prevent the attacks. Pakistan is already struggling to control the unlawful province of Warzistan (which is autonomous). So America has its ducks in a row. It would not be possible to occupy Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Iran. Bombing runs are out of the question too.
Every time America stages missile raids on Pakistan, out of Afghanistan, we are pushing the Arab world away, Middle Eastern allies that in our eyes cannot or will not do enough to stop extremism on their respective frontiers. Away is towards Russia. In the case of Iran, all the sanctions in the world will not stop Russia from giving assistance on their hopeful "peaceful" nuclear program.
America is digging a hole that it cannot get out of. NYC, Madrid, London and Mumbai have now seen scenes of mass carnage. Russia is playing to countries dissatisfied by America's abuse of power. Pushing its allies away is not a way to win this shadow war.
Fear is a grand motivating force. The American people were goaded into a war to fight a threat unrelated to terrorism. Winning a war conventionally is no problem for America, the lone remaining superpower of a bygone era. While nuclear buildup was going on both sides of the Cold War, America was terrified of a "Red Dawn."
Now the world's enemies wear no uniform and hail from no country in particular. Terrorism can be homegrown or from abroad. Its most effective form is a franchise, not to liken Terrorism to Starbucks. In America's zeal to destroy a shadowy threat we have forgotten one thing: unilateralism is not a very wise option.
The Bush doctrine of going it alone has done nothing but alienate the rest of the world. Russia is happily picking up the disenfranchised nations, like Dmitry Medvedev hanging out in Venezuela with Hugo Chavez while Russian warships are doing maneuvers nearby.
Maybe the rest of the world gets that America uses their country to get what it wants and then kicks it to the curb like a $20 hooker looking for love. So while America is tied down in Iraq and Afghanistan, Russia is deciding to flex its influence and show that America is not the only superpower still. Want to make your own nuclear power? Hang out with the Russians; they will get you everything you need (Iran). Think you are going to escape Russian influence by joining NATO? Watch out for your pro-western candidate's poisoning or a military pummeling (Ukraine and Georgia respectively).
Taking all this into consideration, the situation in Mumbai just adds to the hurt. Gunmen killed almost 200 people recently. This comes at a time when Pakistan and India were healing old wounds. Both are nuclear powers; now India will blame Pakistan for not doing enough to prevent the attacks. Pakistan is already struggling to control the unlawful province of Warzistan (which is autonomous). So America has its ducks in a row. It would not be possible to occupy Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Iran. Bombing runs are out of the question too.
Every time America stages missile raids on Pakistan, out of Afghanistan, we are pushing the Arab world away, Middle Eastern allies that in our eyes cannot or will not do enough to stop extremism on their respective frontiers. Away is towards Russia. In the case of Iran, all the sanctions in the world will not stop Russia from giving assistance on their hopeful "peaceful" nuclear program.
America is digging a hole that it cannot get out of. NYC, Madrid, London and Mumbai have now seen scenes of mass carnage. Russia is playing to countries dissatisfied by America's abuse of power. Pushing its allies away is not a way to win this shadow war.
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