Five years to 9/11

9/11 left a tragic legacy, with the deaths of more than 3,000 people, but it also led to a dreadful rampage of violence and injustice at home and abroad.

As millions of people mourned the calamity that struck the U.S. on September 11, 2001, many also eyed its leaders for more answers and questioned the government's response to the tragic events.

In an address to the public from his Oval Office, President George W. Bush said that on 9/11 America "saw the face of evil," and talked about "our first victory on the 'war on terror." But the fact is that we are no closer to resolving the problems we were in five years ago, and in some ways, we are probably digging a deeper grave for more potential attacks, with increased civil liberty abuses and detainment of people with little or no due process, in the U.S. as well as in Canada. The random mass detainments of Arabs and Muslims after September 11 for quick "security check-ups," have angered those affected and these actions just feed more to the purposes of the purported enemy of the U.S. -- Osama bin Laden.

On the foreign policy scene, the U.S. could not have been more careless. With the rigidity with which it supports militarism rather than negotiation and with its absolute unconditional support for Israel and disregard for the Arab states for not conforming to America's vision of the "war on terror." This, regardless of the complexities, is causing international chaos and needs to be regulated in a very careful manner. Attacking Iraq, when Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11 was not very accurate nor helpful to gaining legitimacy at home and even abroad. Although, Bush acknowledged the lack of any link between the two in his speech tonight, he of course, had a very different view when he first waged the war against Iraq. President Bush of course had to defend its involvement there by saying the world was much safer with Saddam out of Iraq. Clearly, Bush has to justify a ill-managed war when thousands are questioning the increased deaths in Iraq and questioning U.S. involvement in the country.

The U.S. is now generating arguments for an attack on Iran. Iran's fault once again is the potential of having nuclear power, something along the lines of "weapons of mass destruction," something that was claimed but never found in Iraq. Although, Iran has explicity stated its intention and current involvement in a nuclear program, we cannot conclude that it will create nuclear bombs, but even if it does, the U.S. has no right to attack it. That is not self-defense, that is pre-emptive war, which is clearly illegal in international law. Once again, it would be highly hypocritical as well, since the U.S. holds the largest stockpiles of nuclear weapons in the world and is the only nation on earth that has actually used them.

Bush also addressed the need to set aside differences on terrorism and to unite on a day as tragic as 9/11. But it is quite difficult to unite under a flag that holds all members of the Arab and Muslim community responsible for the attacks, by throwing hundreds in jails and by implementing stringent and special immigration laws and procedures targetted exclusively to countries of the Middle East and Muslim Asia and Africa. If this is not discrimination, then what is?

The fact is we need a solid solution to terrorism. Wishy-washy name-calling and pointing at the so-called enemy will not get us anywhere. Bush needs to try to negotiate with Iran and Syria, needs to work out its foreign policy in the Middle East, call back its forces that are stationed through out the region, and try to make its involement more balanced and fair, rather than biased and agenda-driven. We understand killing is bad, and that 9/11 was a tragic event, but we need to move on to phase two, which we have not even taken a baby step towards. We are still at ground zero, looking at it hopelessly as we frantically try to think like terrorists to discover the next way they will seek to target the U.S. and its allies. Leadership is now needed more than ever from leaders all around the world.