Two to Tango - War is not the answer to terrorism

The Associated Press has quoted 19-year-old Colin Zaremba, whose own name suggests immigrant origins, as saying, “I’m proud to be an American, and I hate Arabs and I always have.”

It seems like everyone is proud to be an American these days, however, like Zaremba, most people, especially America’s adolescents, know nothing about being one. Being patriotic doesn’t mean scurrying to your local Wal-Mart and buying the U.S. flag gear or harassing Arabs; it’s much more than that. The democratic ideals of this country are hoisted up high around this world by our flag. Everything that our country stands for is symbolized in our flag and like Zaremba, I’m afraid our leaders don’t realize that. The leading political parties of this country should exemplify our ideals, diversity, free speech, and tolerance.

One’s gut reaction to any kind of attack is to get revenge, but much like a tango, it takes two to wage war. And frankly, we Americans should stand our ground! Show everyone that terrorism will not be tolerated! … and show it peacefully. Once someone drops a nuclear bomb in this day and age, the world as we know it will come to an end. War is not the answer to terrorism. Any attacks on the terrorists will result in a return attack. What the world desperately needs is a solution that will allow the global population to enjoy their lives without the need to annihilate an entire culture.

This event will be regarded as the single worst attack on the U.S. ever. How do you retaliate? It’s not like you can go out there and “one up” them. Anything we do just is a slap on the wrist to the perpetrators as a whole. Bush expects the world, in its entirety, to make a stand against terrorism. But the history of agreements in Iraq demonstrates that a stand will be difficult to sustain. Support for sanctions will quickly become diminished among nations other than the United States. This was true before the Bush administration entered the fray, with its go-it-alone philosophy, walking away from treaties on missile defense and global warming, upsetting even our closest allies. It remains true today.

President Bush can’t expect the world to join us in fighting terrorism in the U.S., while it ignores the rest of the world’s issues. We can't overcome our reputation of imperialism and arrogance in much of the Arab world when our own allies perceive us as dismissive of their concerns. We need to change the opinions of our friends before we can change those of our enemies.

While war appears to be the quick solution for the American people and the American government, but I think we’re missing the long-term goal. Ultimately, a policy steeped in understanding the world’s commonalities and not one based upon aggression and retaliation, will be a policy that allows as all to reap the benefits of world peace.