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Real Terrorist from Gitmo
I saw this really interesting thing on CNN. There was an actual terrorist from gitmo, and they're actually publishing what he has to say.
Sure, he's a crazy nut, but there is definitely truth to what he says. If you think about it, the direct and indirect crimes of the United States against civilians around the world, especially in Lebanon or through Israel, are in total a lot greater than the crimes of these terrorists. They're really just doing the same thing we are. It's just that because we have all the resources, and all the power, we get to be the good guys. To the victor goes the spoils, history is written by the winners, etc.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying terrorism, or any violence, is justified in any way. I'm just saying that perhaps some people in the US, and not just those from the maligned Bush administration, but others as well, should also face trial for war crimes. Unless we do that, the words of terrorists like these will continue to ring true against our hypocrisy. Also, it is possible that doing so will change the minds of at least a few of the less crazy terrorists out there.
Sure, he's a crazy nut, but there is definitely truth to what he says. If you think about it, the direct and indirect crimes of the United States against civilians around the world, especially in Lebanon or through Israel, are in total a lot greater than the crimes of these terrorists. They're really just doing the same thing we are. It's just that because we have all the resources, and all the power, we get to be the good guys. To the victor goes the spoils, history is written by the winners, etc.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying terrorism, or any violence, is justified in any way. I'm just saying that perhaps some people in the US, and not just those from the maligned Bush administration, but others as well, should also face trial for war crimes. Unless we do that, the words of terrorists like these will continue to ring true against our hypocrisy. Also, it is possible that doing so will change the minds of at least a few of the less crazy terrorists out there.
Comments
Don't be such a jerk. Better late than never.
Don't worry America, if you weren't ruining the world, someone would be.
(I know nine isn't russian, it's an unrelated russian reversal.)
We often see the same problem on a smaller scale with criminal recidivism. I have often heard people complain, "If we had just been able to keep that guy in jail, he wouldn't have been able to mug that old lady." We can't keep people locked away forever. When they are released, they sometimes do bad things.
1) Keeping the military-industrial complex steaming along and fueling defense contractors with wads of extra cash.
2) Real neo-conservative political ideology. You create an enemy (terrorists) in order to unite and strengthen the nation. (See Watchmen).
3) The Democratic peace theory. Or to put it in more plain terms. How come after WWII Japan and Germany became relatively awesome, but after the Gulf War was Iraq not as awesome? Here's an excuse to finish the job.
4) Incompetency.
5) Daddy didn't finish the job.
6) 9/11, someone has to pay for this, and we can't get Bin Laden, so let's pick on Saddam!
There was oil there. And you can say oil is a reason, if you want. But really, what difference has it made? If you really want to worry about a war over oil, turn your eyes to Venezuela.
How often have you heard, "Did you hear that about 15 innocent people dying because the US Army/the NATO?" against "So I heard they finally caught Osama Bin Laden!". The latter significantly outnumbers the former. You may view my posts as unkind, but how unkind must you be to ignore the reality of all that innocent suffering and instead call me a jerk.
On the Iraq-was-for-oil side of the coin, we have Alan Greenspan: “I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil.”, General John Abizaid (Ret.): "Of course it's about oil.", Henry Kissinger: "They are there as an expression of the American national interest to prevent the Iranian combination of imperialism and fundamentalist ideology from dominating a region on which the energy supplies of the industrial democracies depend.", and Global Policy Forum: Oil is at the heart of the crisis that leads towards a US war against Iraq.
With all due respect, I think it's a lot more reasonable for Mr. Sarai to believe it was about oil than any of the six reasons you propound.
I agree with Rym. Knowing about an issue existing doesn't preclude us from discussing it, and there just might be some people who have opinions on the matter. That specific story might spark some thoughts or insight on the topic.
No. You did. You were being all indignant and cranky. That's the only reason I responded like that. You've been so grumpy lately its hard to have a conversation.
The U.S. has done a lot of good in the world, too.
Also, wasn't it you that wants the U.S. to feed the world and fix everyone else's problems? So the U.S. should but out of international affairs unless we are providing charity? Again, not making excuses for the U.S., but every Nation (particularly superpowers) have crimes to their names. People can stereotype the U.S. and sometimes they will be right, but not always - just like people thinking all Middle Easterners are terrorists or that African Nations are just poor tribal cultures raping and killing each other constantly. Neither of those stereotypes are true. They are all myopic and disgusting.
It is easy to define a group of people by their worst deeds/attributes and far too easy to ignore the good that they provide and the shared humanity they possess.
The world hates us, but they will gladly eat our bread.
Regarding the subject:
Yes, America as a country is a bully and kind of an ass. Not every American is party to that. I personally don't control our foreign policy, and since I can't kill all the idiots that live around me, it's difficult to impose my views on the government. Unfortunately there is very little required in order for you to vote here. You don't even have to know anything about the candidates. However, the way America interacts with the rest of the world is a great discussion topic, and I'd love to hear how people in other countries view us in more detail. By this, I don't mean off-the-cuff insults, but rather well-thought-out views that have substance and are balanced. Consider both the good and bad things about the country. It's fine to say that Americans are assholes, but I want to know WHY you think it.
We don't eat your bread. We don't want to eat your bread. Ours tastes better, even though we have less of it.
I'm not blaming all Americans, nor am I trying to make a personal attack - I'm pointing out that the views expressed in the article were, for me, not surprising or the exception - for me those views are the norm. I love the discussion that has been generated because of it (although I think some people are getting a bit personal - really now - it's healthy debate and it's supposed to be fun!) I agree on the point of the article being interesting. Not every non-American thinks that American is a world bully, I know loads of people who think it's an amazing place with an amazing culture - so much so that they will emulate it to a great extent at the expense of their own culture - which also raises the point that instead of being seen as a country of diversity, we tend to generalise and lump all Americans together and say that they have "a culture".
As for what we think and why: our point of contact with America is via the media, and usually not on a one-on-one interaction with individual Americans. CNN tends to portray Americans as the do-gooders of the world as a whole - not only within their own borders. A point of contention I have with American media portrayal is specifically that they create a false perception of the third world - when they do filming, they usually film in the deepest, darkest recesses and never in urban, built up areas, which reinforces false perceptions amongst their fellow Americans who actively watch the media. The Bush Administration and it's associated activities did a lot to harm the reputation of America as a whole, and the way the scandal with Clinton was handled was also considered "going overboard". This is just a high-level overview, and I'm sure not the well-though-out views that you're looking for.
Is it right to blame a single person for the faults of a country as a whole? No! Collectively, as outsiders, we can't judge until we have spent some time there and learn to understand what the dynamics that explain our perceptions entail. Is it good to have the discussion? Yes!