Are we really being very successful?
Editor,
I am writing in response to a letter appearing in the opinion section of last Friday’s paper entitled “Let’s not forget 9/11”.The first statement I will address is that in which the author stated that the military operation in Iraq “has been one of the most successful campaigns in modern military history”. If, by successful, you mean more soldiers lost since the end of the “campaign” and more military lives lost than the Gulf War, than yes, it can still be arguably, successful. Maybe you are referring to our inability to locate Sadam or his alleged weapons; or perhaps you mean to call our failure at procuring even the most basic essentials such as power to a country we tore apart a success; maybe you are influenced by reports of our increased danger from terrorist organizations and their attacks (which, by the way, was one of the warnings from the CIA during the prewar debate). I’m not exactly sure what you mean since you failed to illustrate your point with examples, but in my opinion, bringing war and devastation to a country that was never even close to being an equal in combat and who, we find out now, never really posed a threat in the first place, is nothing to be proud of. Even bringing up this argument when talking about fighting terrorism is not very supportive because there has never been a link between Sadam and Al Qaida, no matter how commendable it may be to have gotten rid of a brutal Dictator.The next statement I would like to address is as follows: “Many nations have rallied to our side in this fight, and they look to us for direction. We must be ready to give this leadership.”This seemed to me so ironic because I had just read an article last week giving results to opinion polls taken around the world in regards to our popularity.It was so touching to see how supportive the rest of the world was to our pain on 9/11, even going so far as to say “We are all Americans” (the French newspaper “Le Monde”, later to be repeated by the French president, Jacques Chirac). This is why I was so ashamed when just a year later we’re slandering the French and being so immature that we start referring to French Fries as “Freedom Fries”.We blew it. What could have been a great chance to unite under a common goal of fighting terrorism was blotched as we Americans only got cocky and indignant and brushed off our allies, whom we need so much.A BBC poll revealed that the vast majority of Jordanians and Indonesians consider the United States more dangerous than al-Qaida. A majority in India, Russia, South Korea, and Brazil view us as more dangerous than Iran. An international poll by the Pew Research Center found that over 70 percent of citizens in such generally friendly countries as Spain, France, Russia, and South Korea think the United States doesn’t take into account the interests of others.According to the Pew survey, two years ago, three-quarters of Indonesians had a positive view of America; now, more than four-fifths have a negative view. In the summer of 2002, two-thirds of French and Germans viewed America favorably; now that number is less than half. Our foreign policies have, of late, endangered our reputation around the world and almost negated our American ideals which were previously upheld and admired by so many.I completely agree that we must remember those innocent lives lost on that tragic day. However, I do not think we can leave out those lives lost in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere. We’re not the only ones stuck in this mess; it isn’t unpatriotic to care about people who don’t bleed red, white, and blue, and to include them in our hearts.There are many mixed feelings and views about our present condition but a difference of opinion does not imply an “Anti-American” sentiment. Our freedom is all about a difference of opinions and the respect of these differences. Being involved, asking questions, reading up on both sides of the debate, and forming your own opinion is very important, especially today. Keep up the discussion, make people think.thanks,James Mouritsen528-45-1376(435)650-2472