A R C H I V E S
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| A Fresh breath of air |
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| siddiqui |
| 04/08/02 at 00:09:58 |
| [slm] After the viscious anti muslim propganda in the aftermath of the Palestenian crisis (may Allah swt have mercy on them) Dr Richard Rubensteins insight on Fox Tv today of the Palestenian crisis came as a breath of fresh air I was intrigued by this gent and did a google search on him Iam pasting an intersting post sept 11 article from this website http://www.gmu.edu/departments/icar/sept11/article3.html hope to have your reflections on it [wlm] September 11, Crisis Resolution Articles Interviews Letters Responses to September 11th Speeches Response to U.S. Bombing of Afghanistan Richard E. Rubenstein Prof. of Conflict Resolution and Public Affairs According to Richard Rubenstein, Prof. of Conflict Resolution and International Affairs at George Mason University, the U.S. attack on Afghanistan that began on October 7 is a "tragic mistake that plays directly into the hands of the Al-Qaeda terrorists." Said Rubenstein, speaking for himself, and NOT for George Mason University or its Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, "Military retaliation that broadens the area of conflict, adds new issues and new parties, and creates new victims, is exactly what terrorists hope for. "First, retaliation forces the masses whom groups like Al-Qaeda would like to lead to choose between the 'patriots' and the 'traitors' among their own people. The result of this, as we already see in Pakistan, is to destabilize regimes that are widely considered to be corrupt and incapable of defending their people against Western 'invasion.' "Second, by creating new victims and new humiliations, attacks like the current war on Afghanistan continue the cycle of violence and counter-violence. As the Gulf War showed us, there are no such things as 'surgical strikes' or 'minimal collateral damage.' As a result, continued attacks will produce hundreds, if not thousands of new Usamas, new Al Quaedas, and new attacks on the West. "Third, and perhaps most important, retaliation draws the U.S. further and further into the swamp of empire-building in parts of the world that don't want to be part of an American/European empire. If we succeed in destroying the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, we will be forced to put another regime in its place -- and then to defend our proxies by force, as the British and Russians tried to do unsuccessfully for more than a century. "We need to stop now and think about what we are doing. The American people desperately need a new national conversation about the aims and activities of the politicians, generals, weapons salesmen, and corporate execs who claim to represent us in West Asia and other regions around the world. Their goal is not justice. One seeks justice by pursuing the actual perpetrators of crimes like the Sept. 11 atrocities, while working to eliminate the bitter grievances that make their cause seem just to millions of angry people. Our leaders' goal, I fear, is to extend the American Empire. And this means an endless war. "Fortunately, there are alternatives to this disastrous policy. I am not talking about the absurdity of dropping food packages along with American bombs and missiles! Real alternatives involve: Talking deeply, analytically, and at length with Islamists and other groups in Afghanistan and elswhere who wish to renegotiate their relationships with the West; Empowering the UN (NOT the U.S.-dominated Security Council and NATO) to seek to frame these new relationships; Developing new models of economic activity that could help us avoid the chaotic and unjust effects of globalization; and Altering the culture of Empire in America and in Europe in order to legitimize a new global pluralism. "Once upon a time, suggestions like these might have seemed utopian. Today they are nothing more or less than common sense." (For further information, Prof. Rubenstein can be reached at 703-993-1307 or 703-978-0909, or email: richruben@aol.com) |
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