> For the first time in my life, I'm seriously considering renouncing my
> U. S. citzenship and living somewhere else. The terrorist attack was
> horrific enough, but the U. S. response (replete with jingoism, racism,
> sabre-rattling, and clueless arrrogance) makes me ashamed to call myself
> a U. S. citizen.
>
> Miles
-Perhaps I'm a born pessimist, but I'd expected far worse than what we've -seen to date. -- Luke
Maybe I'm a born optimist, but what the US government done so far - as opposed talking about in the future - has been actually positive in a number of areas - issuing repeated threats to prosecute hate crimes, raised money for the victims including rebuilding infrastructure, and engaged in a dialogue with a host of other countries, including ones like Iran where relations had been worse earlier.
So far, this has, despite Bushie rhetoric, not been a "bomb first, ask questions later" operation, which is exactly while a strategically sophisticated opposition to war is needed. Because of the administration's need for global cooperation on the non-military aspects of tracking terrorists and supporting extradition, the Bushies need international support. There is plenty of room to demand justice for the victims of Sept 11 while demanding that the US government follow international law as demanded by most foreign governments, on the simple argument that this is a long-term issue of securty that will need international goodwill.
>From that argument, we can move to the next strategy of arguing that
terrorists feed on the misery of poverty and unjust political settlements,
so that our long-term security is best advanced by easing hunger and want,
while addressing the justified demands of Palestinians and other groups
globally. Justice for our victims is best assurred through seeking justice
for all victims of violence globally.
Yes, the Bushies may weel soon move this into murderous bombing, but that is why we need a real strategy to divide the "Diana effect" stated support for the administration. That support is far less cohesive, both in Congress and in the public, once you move from rhetoric to actual policy options. Already, the Senate has resisted the initial repression legislation submitted by Ashcroft, so policy divisions have not ended under all the hype.
The key is not to argue some pure line, but to find the points of tension within the public and the political class and accentuate the issues that can create a positive alternative to the war option.
But without a clear commitment to find justice for the victims of Sept 11, that message will be largely unheard.
Nathan Newman