Fighting fire with fire by SurfAce
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Description
Violence does not appear spontaneously one day in a person's mind. It grows and proliferates slowly but inexorably out of the inequality and injustice that, year after year, the UN development reports prove to be constantly increasing. Not only between the North and the South, but also inside the rich countries themselves. The wealth of the few has as its counterpart the oppression and the exploitation of the many. Wealth and power are nowadays so unequally distributed that violence is inevitable.
To kill future terrorism in the womb, there is no other way than to grab the problem at its roots. NGOs, even if well organised, can't solve everything alone. Only a long-term political project, rethinking cooperation with the South and transforming developing countries into real partners of fair trade, can bring lasting justice and equity. The root problem of under-development can only be solved by long-term cooperative programmes on key sectors like universal healthcare, primary education, protection of small-scale agriculture, constitution of internal markets and establishment of true partnerships based on less selfish and short-term visions of the interests of rich countries. I am not talking here about satisfaction of basic needs by external technical support (building a latrine, digging a well), or high-altitude food (and propaganda) drops between bombs, but about real solidarity and real justice.
Please have the kindness to remember that we under-developed them. We are rich because they are poor. The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is the result of twenty years of successive interferences (Soviet, Saudi, Pakistani, American...). If the coffee workers in Equador, for example, were paid enough to send their children to school, you couldn't afford coffee everyday. It is not surprising that when the same player always wins, sooner or later one of the other players gets pissed off and knocks over the game table.
It is not a war, however spectacular, that will stop the cold hate that knows no borders. You can slaughter Bin Laden and all the members of Al-quaida, and that will not prevent another desperate guy from shooting twenty people in the street before shooting himself.
I saw recently on the Grafitti Wall, "When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the fire department uses water". I think that deserves some thought. Only when we finally decide to fight the growing inequalities of humanity will we begin to find a real alternative to violence. That is the only efficient and sensible way of fighting terrorism, but that is much harder than bombing the third world.
----x----
Skulls from 3dcafe. Inspired by a hand-drawn poster I saw in London yesterday.
Comments (20)
dastardly
what you wrote it's exactly what I think, and the phrase: "When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the fire department uses water" explain exactly what is wrong in my stomach!
SurfAce
Thanks for your brillant bar-room psychology, Seven. I didn't know IRA terrorists beat women up for showing their wrist, and that ETA terrorists believed in virgins after death. Remember that if Taliban had delivered Bin Laden as they were asked to, they would still be beating up their women and you would not care, just as most of the world didn't care 3 months ago. Now it is true that a coffee bean picker differs from an islamist terrorist by the methods he uses, but don't get too surprised if he begins to cultivate opium instead of coffee, and doesn't care about "collateral damage" in American suburbs. Besides, if you think this war on terrorism will stop terrorism, you're sadly mistaken; it will only create more terrorism.
ppowellaa
The IRA terrorists are not poor, nor is Bin Laden or the other members, plotters and organizers of terroism. Afganistan has been a poor country because of its location, climate and lack of natural recorces- not because of what we did. If we leave them alone they kill each other, if we intervien they attack us and we must defend ourselves. There are many people who care about what happens and now Bin Laden and the Taliban have made it possible for them to act.
Pacifier
Great image! and thank you for mentioning my grafitti ;-) it ist not about beeing nice to the terrorists, it is about beeing nice to the people so that they dont feel to support the terrorists. And boming the cilivians will not make them think "thank you oh all mighty americans for bombing my house and killing my son now i know that terrorism is wrong" and Afganistan is rich or at least it could be rich: the hinukush mountains are filled with a lot of natural recorces, as far as i know
SurfAce
The terrorists groups have resources, yes, but the general populations don't. And that is where the terrorist groups recruit their new members from. Generally, my point was not that we have to be nice to the terrorists (thanks, Pacifier) but that, by throwing our weight around (as we have for the past twenty years in Afghanistan - rather than "leaving them alone"), we oppress whole populations and thereby help terrorism grow. Remember also that to become martyrs, the sucide-bombers are promised a life-long pension for their family. It is an argument that few could refuse, as their families are starving. And they wouldn't be so easily influenced by promises of paradise if their lives weren't hell to begin with. Describing terrorist movements as devoid of all rationality is irresponsible and dangerous, just as pretending that the situation of Afghanistan is more due to climate than to colonialism and neo-colonialism.
Little Red
It's a complex problem, SurfAce. Dialogues like this help a great deal in that it makes people think critically and then try to articulate what they believe. Thanks for helping the process along.
viper9
You are right. It is sad anyone must die. I fully support this war on terrorism, FULLY. But, I would rather, as all civilized people, would much rather live and let live. I hate war, but damn it, if it must be then let us be the best damn nation at it, for I do not want to live under the repression of the Taliban of Afganistan today, or the Nazi's of the 40's or the Romans of Julius Ceasar. Whether you want to admit it or not, there will always be BAD people out there that will Force their will through murder and repression to keep and advance their power. You mentioned that if the Taliban had offered up bin Ladin we would have taken his head and run back to ignore the wrongs being brought upon the Afgan people. Sure sounds to me like you wish we had started this war a long time ago because they were doing something you don't agree with. But no, you wanted us to "LEAVE THEM ALONE". Well we did that. We helped them repell the Soviets and when it was over we stepped back, did nothing but funnel Billions of dollars in "AID". What did that get us. 4000+ dead in NYC and WASHINGTON. Good plan. IT DOESN'T WORK, now does it? IT is not the way of America to bomb a nation into submission without provication (Except Clinton did in Bosnia, but he was just trying to get the point of IT'S ONLY SEX across, wasn't he). America DOES NOT force through war it's point of view just because it can. If this was the case then we would have taken over the world in 1945. There would have been "The Bomb" falling from Moscow to Rio if any of them dared to defy us. No, we as a free nation try to convience other nations to do the right thing and only when they begin war (remember Iraq, Granada, Korea, Vietnam, GermanyII, GermanyI) do we get involved. Only when deplomacy fails and violence MUST be STOPPED do we FINISH the job THEY started. And I for one am a PROUD AMERICAN. I LOVE THIS COUNTRY AND I LOVE EVERY SINGLE U.S. CITIZEN. My thanks go to all those that lost thier lives and any of those that will to preserve your right to say the things you do. They are the only heros we have, them and those who died trying to help all those innocent victims of senseless, sadistic TERROR on September 11, 2001 for some crazy idea of paradise through the eyes of a twisted view of Alla. I say Osama bin Laden has an appoitment with Alla and we must see he keeps it, and SOON!!!
SurfAce
Well, I maybe wasn't clear enough. I never said that we should "leave them alone". I was quoting ppowellaa who pretended we did leave them alone. I said from the beginning that we should help poor countries to develop. Poverty is not a good friend of democracy. Instead of doing that, we maintain unfair trade with the third world and we support dictatorships that defend our interests there. That contributes to the chronic instability of some regions of the world. We never left Afghanistan alone, for example. The US supported the Taliban until it became obvious that they would never control the territory well enough to secure American interests there, and Bin Laden was trained to modern warfare, intelligence and terrorism by the CIA. Do you really think, Viper, that the US governemt ignored that the "billions dollars" you're talking about never went to the Afghan people? Are you that nae? Until Pearl Harbour, the American motto about the Nazis was "Better Hitler than Stalin". Well, in Afghanistan, it has been "Better the Taliban than the Russians", whatever the price.
SaiyaRob
SurfAce youre right. Viper9, I got a question to your text:What do you mean with "...Germany II, Germany I.."?? Explain please....
Seven Wolves
LOL! Surface, you make me laugh. I just hope that me and my bar-room psychology, and all the others like me, can continue to keep the world a safe enough place for you to spew your drivel. Oh, and it might behoove you interpret what you read before you try to slam someone over what they write. It makes you look pretty stupid.
SurfAce
Bin Laden and the Mulha Omar still running around, 3000 deaths in Afghanistan, millions of refugees, and it will take about 200 years to clean up the country from all the mines and unexploded shells. Thank you Seven for keeping the world a safer place.
Kiasyd
SurfAce. Don't forget to thank him for the depleted Uranium weapons also. Those should make for some lovely crops and drinking water in the years to come.
SurfAce
Oh yes. Thank you also for the depleted Uranium weapons, Seven.
TheHonorableBuddyCjr
This is damn good, but i'm not sure b/c i didn't read
lookoo
Viper's comments are always a founting of entertainment and wisdom. I especially like this line "only when they begin war (remember (...) Granada, (...) Vietnam, ...) do we get involved.". That's just too cool! Darn! I must have completely missed out on these important details. All I noticed about this little carribbean island Grenada was that it suddenly got a government which was a bit too left wing for the Reagan government. Since it was an island and there were no Contras to send from a neighbouring country the US did the job themselves and invaded the island. At least that was what I thought until now. But now I know that those couple of carribbean islanders started a war against the US in the first place. Thanks for putting this straight, Viper! Likewise I kinda missed out on the important fact that it was the Vietnamese who started a war against the US. Well, fair enough then that the US reduced their population by 3 million, most of them civillians in south Vietnam. As Viper put it so nicely:"we FINISH the job THEY started.
SurfAce
What makes me laugh about Viper's comment is that he says "I LOVE EVERY SINGLE U.S. CITIZEN". I am always amazed by people who can "love" other people simply because of their nationality. I find also hilarious that he is "Proud of being American", as he probably did nothing to deserve it. Maybe he is also proud of being born, or of having five fingers on each hand. The only people that I think could be "proud" of being American are the ones that were born abroad and struggled through the administration to get the american nationality. The other ones are allowed to feel lucky, not proud.
stevey32
Excellent point, SurfAce, in reference to the comment directly above mine here. My question to viper9, the lover of all Americans, is this: If a homeless person asks you for money, do you give it? This is a fellow American, therefore, you should help this person. I would be interested to know your answer to this question. And to ppowellaa, you really need to do your homework before you come to class. Actually, I think you and viper9 and Seven Wolves need a serious study session. I mean, you can't know the details of a novel just by reading the jacket...
LaraLuvMe
I have always found the vocabulary of Americans amusing, particularly in their rather unusual usage of the term 'defend ourselves'. Maybe the standard American dictionary reads: "defend" (see attack).....When will the day come when nations learn the best way to dispel an enemy is to address their hurts.
Turin_Turambar
I hope in a hundred years, when the rhetoric is over, that historians will write the truth about these times, not the party line of the present U.S administration . . .
SurfAce
Beware Turin, History is written by the winners. The truth might never show up.