Falling of Steel Birds and Portents of Hellish Fire
Dr. S.M. Rahman
Nostradamus proved right after all. His prophecy came true and the two steel birds did fall on US metropolis entailing colossal fire. The tragedy in the wake of attack of Word Trade Centre towers - the symbol of economic affluence and prosperity - and Pentagon - the bastion of military prowess of world’s solitary super power - is indeed as stunning as it is macabre. Two idols of power are badly deformed, vindicating the sooth-sayer. No amount of condemnation can be adequate enough, as human aberration and callousness that engineered the catastrophe is beyond doubt, the worst that could be conceived. Humanistic norms and values were ruthlessly trampled and consequential reactions were of intense shock and confusion mingled with anger and fear of the unknown. Indeed it transcends a typical national tragedy as it has transformed into a collective trauma for the dwellers of the globe, who uphold the quintessential values of civilized existence and sympathize with all those who perish and suffer, irrespective of colour, creed, faith and ideology. Human pain, when it reaches apex proportions trigger detonative reactions and global village metaphor is very pertinent in this respect.
On reflection, soon after the shock impact, many myths crumbled as did the sky-high trade centre towers. Nothing seems sound and solid. The security system of world’s most powerful country - power radiating in all directions - proved to be utterly fragile and pregnable. Four aeroplanes were hijacked in quick succession and three of these rammed into massive structures, with superb precision and accuracy, as if one witnessed a cinematic science fiction. The demonic destruction of buildings, that stood so firmly with grace and splendour and the fierce fire that engulfed them causing phenomenal human casualties are indeed gruesome. The eyes of the electronic media, have accentuated the grief and has heightened anger to a proportion that American psyche, is itching for instant retaliation and revenge. However, determining the right response is the basic dilemma which the US strategic thinkers and policy planners are faced with. The initial impulse as manifested in the statements of US President George Bush, and other high-ups in administration hierarchy, appear targeted towards justifying ruthless punitive measures against the so called culprits. To characterize the terrorist attack as an act of war, is drawing the analogy rather too far and too emotionalized. The question is war against whom? A dozen or so individuals who conceived the plan and executed, and quite a number of them voluntarily embracing death? Is a super power pitted against few individuals, who have lived in USA and got the requisite training to perform such sophisticated and high-tech acts of terror? It is the free culture of USA, which endowed them with mind boggling propensity for innovative violence.
Rumours have a tendency to thrive under unstructured situations, where ambiguity looms large. Events are interpreted and assimilated into in-built prejudices and stereotypes. The American public, overly fed on ‘hate-Osama’ theme and the so called bogey of “Islamic fundamentalism, had a ready-made explanation and got the overwhelming media projection. But the reality is otherwise. The tragedy is essentially indigenous, as the angry Muslim youth residing in USA, particularly the Arab diaspora, could not reconcile to the colossal injustice and double-standards that USA and its western alliance is showing towards the Palestinians. Israel is being abetted to perpetuate worst possible atrocities on the Palestinians violating all norms of justice and fair play, even flouting the Security Council resolutions without censure and sanctions. It is the cumulative perception of ‘discrimination’ so blatantly being exhibited that made the Muslim youth so bitter and disenchanted. Acts of terrorism and violence is the after-effect of recurrent experience and cognition. It is not intended to justify what few Muslim youths did on the fateful day 11th of September, but only to reflect the state of mind, which lead to such dastardly acts. The desperation of the Muslim youth is also corroborated by the CIA study and the US leadership must be in cognizant of this reality. Terrorists like Amal Kansi, Yousaf Ramzi and the one from Algeria who killed Ahmad Shah Masud belonged to this category of youth, as were the nineteen terrorists involved in the Manhattan and Washington massacre. Despair and anger tend to be contagious. The Muslim youth now is widely dispersed from Albania to Indonesia, and even extending to Florida and New York.
Why is the US media onslaught focused on Afghanistan and Pakistan is a question which needs probing. The Middle East and the Arab world, are being pushed aside, for Israel, seemingly ‘invincible’ as it is, is quite capable of punishing and torturing them, and as such it is not of immediate concern to USA. Afghanistan, and particularly Osama bin Laden has to be sorted out and eliminated and Pakistan, which is considered to be Taliban-friendly, has also to be intimidated and pressurized to withdraw its so called support. Stephen Cohen, a well known defence analyst in his email from Washington, says: “There’s much talk here of hitting Osama bin Laden. (The DG ISI is stayed in Washington and is reported to having reassured the US government on Monday that the Taliban were no threat). I’m sure that such an attack will take place even if this turns out to be an Iraqi operation” But why? He does not state.
What if USA indulges in such senseless a venture against Afghanistan? Afghani people have nothing to lose. They have a terrain which suits a protracted guerrilla warfare, in which they have no peer. They have amply demonstrated their fighting acumen and skill against a formidable power like former Soviet Union. They will do so again, if the challenge is posed to them. Aerial attacks, like the ones made in the Gulf war against Iraq, will also be of no major consequence. The infrastructure in Afghanistan is already reduced to debris. What if it is turned into dust? Should the US decide to mobilize its ground forces, which they can of course do, but no good news they are likely to bring back. So why venture into a quagmire?
Pakistan is being implicated right from the very beginning and the eastern neighbour is totally oblivious to the American tragedy and is overly capitalizing the situation to isolate Pakistan, and in collusion with Israel to seize the opportunity to deprive it of its main security anchor - the nuclear deterrence. The message has been sent well and proper by General Pervaiz Musharraf. Pakistan is quite capable of defending its strategic security structures. India should have no illusions on that count. As regard providing ground facilities to attack Afghanistan, it is out of question. The tribal pathan belt, on Pakistan’s borders, will never let this happen. Pakistan’s unequivocal support for retribution and for identifying the real culprits is a high moral commitment, and the world must appreciate it. Under the cover of the smoke-screen of terrorism enacted on USA, however, if US strategic objectives in Afghanistan are to be realized or if Pakistan’s nuclear capability is to be targeted, the fire that rages, will assume horrendous proportions, both regionally and globally.
USA as a super power, must act with prudence, and transcend the typical real politik paradigm, based on what is termed as ‘realism’, advocated by strategists like George Kennon, Kissinger and the rest, and opt for its ideals of great forbears like Wilson, who practiced value-oriented international relations. USA, must do the soul-searching and refrain from ‘attributional error” in blaming Osama or the ‘fundamentalists’. The intelligent Muslim youth whose body resides in USA, but the soul is glued to its roots, is to be objectively studied, and the mounting frustrations on his psyche has to be reduced. A moral order is the imperative of the time. Search for an ‘enemy’ is an obsessive strategic error on the part of USA. A Russian thinker rightly said, “In ending the cold war, we are doing something terrible to the west - depriving it of its enemy”. Samuel Huntington gave the fatal prescription; Islam was the contrived enemy. What has happened in USA, is a self-fulfilling prophecy. The pernicious civilizational conflict theory must be buried by the policy framers of USA.
Israel’s predilection to sow the ‘wind’ of hatred against Muslims, has been reaped as “whirlwind of terrorism”. The ex-Prime Minister of Israel in 1998, made an observation about the Palestinians: “There who are not prepared to trade territory for peace threaten to cripple the economy of US and burn the Capital Hill, if pressurized by USA. Implicit is the message ‘Punish them’. George Bush ever-since has become President after defeating his rival Algore, is under intense pressure, as he seems to nourish some soft corner for the Palestinians. There are may dimensions to which attention must be paid, before any hasty and unwarranted action is taken against Afghanistan or any one else. A world consensus must be evolved and any propensity to administer unilateral punishment by USA and NATO would be counter productive and only add fuel to the fire. The international bodies must probe and investigate to identify the culprits and then a collective response of retribution be determined.
USA must pay heed to what Martin Lutter King Jr. once said, “The ultimate measure of man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”. What is true of man is also true of a nation. USA should act like a real super power with poise, grace and dignity.