With all of the media and US Government attention focused on Iraq, Iran and Syria, who is following through with the so-called “War on Terror”? How has Iraq become labeled as part of the ‘War on terror’? Who’s targeting the new al-Qaeda cells that are forming? Does the US Government truly understand the causes of terrorism?
Mike Schueder, a former head of the CIA’s Bin Laden unit has sharply criticized the US Government for its lack of understanding on the causes of terrorism. Mr. Scheuder resigned this month from his CIA post. “Bin Laden is attacking us because a specific set of US policies that have been in gear for 30 years and haven’t been reviewed, haven’t been debated, haven’t been questioned,” says Mr Scheuer, who has written two books anonymously criticizing government policies. He cited the apparently unquestioning US support for Israel; America’s presence on the Arabian Peninsula; and support for regimes perceived as oppressing Muslims and for Muslim “tyrannies”.
Mr. Schueder seems to understand some of the reasons for resentment toward the US Government and the causes of terrorism. I think this is something that can’t be viewed using a traditional narrow-minded perspective of using war to solve every issue. A lot of lessons have been learned about war over the last century and I think the world should be civilized enough to realize that war isn’t the answer. You have to look at these issues with a different perspective and an open mind; and until we convince our American friends to speak up loudly enough to oppose their government’s policies, we will be getting ourselves into a bigger mess and more innocent lives will be lost.
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