Three Years Ago. American Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.

“Jihad is an obligation on all Muslims of the world. We want this, bin Laden wants this, and America will face the unpleasant consequences.” - Taliban spokesman Abdul Hai Mutmaen, October 10, 2001

“’We want to go home and build a country,’ said Habiba Mir, an 18-year-old Afghan girl born to parents who fled to Pakistan. Meanwhile, she is studying art. ‘Yes, innocent people are dying from the bombing. That is bad, but we have to chase out the Taliban.’”

“’I dream only of living in Afghanistan,’ said Issa Khan, a 17-year-old science student who also never lived in his homeland. If that’s not possible, he added, he’d be happy to join the American army.”

College campuses seem to be the only places nowadays where people can openly criticize the war in Afghanistan. On the other hand, the mistakes of the American media cannot be repeated. Here is then a case for military actions against the masterminds of recent terrorist attacks. The bottom line is that bombings save lives.

The media termed the September 11 terror as “Attacks on America,” and seems to strive at updates at every opportune moment. However, this is not simply a conflict between America and some terrorists hiding in Central Asia. It is a war with bin Laden and his backers on one side, and the rest of the world on the other. Before 9/11, bin Laden had killed more non-Americans than people of this country. As the fact box shows, 9/11 was only one of several well-planned attacks around the world. In Africa alone, two American embassy bombings injured over 9700 people whose only crime was living near the American buildings. At the time, President Clinton ordered missile attacks on suspected bin Laden bases. While some people decried the loss of innocent lives, they neglected to monitor the true murderers who were then planning even ghastlier attacks.
The Bush administration opened itself to criticism through the pompous declaration of war on all evil on Earth. The codename for the operations, called “Enduring Freedom,” is equally misleading. However, the opposite feeling of guilt cannot blind America from action. No one is perfect. To ask that America act only when it can truly be good is to repeat the Bush mistake of believing that it is possible.

America’s Mistakes

Yes, America entered World War II not to fight for freedom. It proposed that idea only a year before war’s end. Yes, America stood by while millions of Rwandans were killed. But if those mistakes taught us anything, it is this: America, due to its geographical situation, often has the power to change the course of history. It must act before devilish deeds are done. Yes, America failed many people, but oftentimes because it stands by while innocent lives are lost.

When Somalia fell into chaos and anarchy, America wanted to help. The Clinton administration sent in peacekeepers to try to rebuild that country. Certainly, there are no oil fields in Mogadishu, but rather the brave hope for goodness. Unfortunately, 18 of our soldiers were killed, and the pictures of them being dragged through the streets forced the public away. Did anyone celebrate the bravery of our forces then?

This disdain for casualty, any casualty, has become endemic. Conservatives lament the loss of American lives at foreigners’ hands, while liberals hate to see the death of foreigners at American hands. Both groups fail to see the people in between: the totally innocent civilians who must live through the conflicts.

Fighting To Save Lives

There is a huge difference between bin Laden and the Taliban, who are antipathetic against anyone who stands in their way, and the United States, who kills innocent people largely by mistake. Bombings have saved thousands of lives. Just ask the Kosovans. A million of ethnic Albanians fled their homes when the Serbians started genocide. American right-wingers, such as Dan Quayle, criticized the NATO response as attacks on a small country. They were willing to stand by while Muslims were slaughtered, raped, and chased away. Meanwhile, many liberals fell for Milosevic’s claims of American cold-heartedness. They neglected the increased use of guidance systems. destruction in large-scale ground wars.

Some anti-war proponents propose equating sanctions to wars. But it was economic pressure that, coupled with covert aid to rebels and NATO bombings, prevented the fall of Sarajevo in Bosnia. Otherwise, there would have been multiple Srebrenicas. Sanctions are, after all, the product of unwillingness to go to war.

The United States has taken much care in recent conflicts to avoid civilian centers. There is a difference between targeting civilians, as bin Laden is fond of doing, and targeting military or terrorist camps. When Milosevic placed anti-air guns in residential areas during the NATO bombing, American jets did not strike back. These efforts should be applauded, not condemned.

The Murderers

Some pacifists cling onto the faint hope that the terrorists are not who we think they are. They hope that if the Taliban is truly sheltering a guest, wars, at least of the conventional sort, will be unnecessary. Unfortunately, bin Laden masterminded the jet crashes. Bu Ghaith, an Al Qaeda spokesman, could not have been clearer: “… the storms will not stop, particularly the storm of hijacked planes, until the strikes against Afghanistan end and until Palestinian land is liberated.’’

With such words, the Taliban insults the families of victims and world conscience by demanding evidence against bin Laden. Here is a regime that outlaws television, radios, and other modern necessities, yet its most prominent “guest” regularly produces videotapes for the world. It lambastes the sight of Afgans in rubbles, but cannot unequivocally condemn the slaughter of thousands in America. Under the laws of most governments, failure to report a crime in preparation or in action is a felony. The Taliban has certainly violated such laws. This is only expected, because it supports bin Laden.

The Taliban revealed its true colors when the bombing began. Abdul Hai Mutmaen, a spokesman, declared: “Jihad is an obligation on all Muslims of the world. We want this, bin Laden wants this and America will face the unpleasant consequences.”

Although another official later apparently retracted the statement, their intention had been laid bare. America cannot stand by.

The current rash of anthrax cases points to a small mysterious group of experts. The sophisticated timing of terror attacks points to experienced operatives. “The ability to apparently provide new identities for a large team of operatives and to hide them effectively within U.S. borders” (according to Neiwert on Salon.com) points to a state-operated intelligence agency’s complicity. No one knows the true identity of Yamzi Yousef, who was convicted of the 1993 WTC bombing. Such mysteries call for redoubled investigative efforts; however, the United States cannot stand still and tolerate those who are known to be guilty.

Terrorism - And Globalization?

Anti-globalization protesters called off action when the IMF/World Bank canceled their annual meetings in late September. A few thousand rallied against war instead. Some held signs that said, “War will not bring our loved ones back.” It will not, but it helps ensure that fewer will go away.

There is an argument that America is guilty of stirring up hate through corporations that exploit labor and destroy environment. Bin Laden, however, certainly cares not about these oppressed people. In fact, if they work at the symbol of American wealth, well, that is just too bad.

While America played prominent roles in the Gulf War and the Iraq-Iran War, there are too many variables to consider commercial concerns in Afghanistan. If oil pipelines being proposed for the region prompted Bush and Cheney to care, they would have acted before the terrorist attacks.

Don’t Just Oppose. Propose.

Death penalty opponents offer many alternatives, such as life sentence without chances for parole. Anti-war forces, if they wish to remain relevant, must quickly adapt to the ugly truths of the new war, or they will render themselves unable to sustain the assault on civil liberties. If they are pacifists, or simply believe that the Bush policy lacks clarity or purpose, they should work to supplement the fight against terrorism.

“The bombing is a good thing,” said Abdul Nafah, a 13-year-old boy in flawless English. “Americans should punish the Taliban and make them go away. Then we can go home.” And so will Basmena Muhmand, the five-year-old daughter of a guide who helped British reporter Yvonne Ridley sneak into Afghanistan. According to several sources, she is currently jailed with her father.