A Dark Legacy For Our Children
Marcel J. Harmon, Ph.D.
September 27, 2006
On the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11, President Bush again used the memory of the crumbling twin towers to defend the war in Iraq. In describing an enemy bent on bringing "death and suffering into our homes," the president stated:
"If we do not defeat these enemies now, we will leave our children to face a Middle East overrun by terrorist states and radical dictators armed with nuclear weapons. We are in a war that will set the course for this new century -- and determine the destiny of millions across the world."
While agreeing with the latter statement, I and many others would argue that the policies of the Bush administration are actually fostering the very conditions they are trying to prevent. The evidence for this continues to mount.
A BBC World Service poll of 21 nations conducted in late 2004 indicated that the majority in 16 nations viewed the re-election of Bush in 2004 as a negative for world peace and security. In addition, recent polls conducted by the Pew Global Attitudes Project and Terror Free Tomorrow showed that while Muslims are increasingly rejecting violent terrorism tactics and Osama bin Laden, negative feelings have remained the same or increased toward the West in general and the United States' unilateral war on terror in particular.
Iraq, as part of the war on terror, is arguably a failure at this point, teetering on the brink of civil war (if not already there), possessing a still crumbled infrastructure, and functioning as a testing and breeding ground for many terrorist groups. Afghanistan continues to backslide with the resurgence of the Taliban, the continued impotence of the central government concerning the Northern Alliance warlords, the booming Afghan opium industry, and increasing opposition to women's rights. And assuming reports of his possible death aren't true, the fact that bin Laden is still at large makes us look impotent, ineffective and incompetent.
More worrisome, though, is the global proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. That is something the United States has lost sight of since Sept. 11, being preoccupied with al-Qaida, Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2005, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee released a report stating that there is a 70 percent chance of attack somewhere in the world with a WMD (chemical, biological or nuclear), and that within the next decade, five more nations are likely to acquire nuclear weapons.
Iran is potentially one of these five, and North Korea already claims to have nuclear weapons. Had we not invaded Iraq, a nation that appears to have lacked WMDs, might we have helped contain Iran's and North Korea's nuclear ambitions working with our allies? And all of this is supported by the recently leaked National Intelligence Estimate, a consensus report of the 16 different spy services within our government, which states that the war in Iraq has increased Islamic radicalism and the threat of global terrorism.
Yes, Bush is correct that the so-called war on terror will help determine the course and destiny of the world in the 21st century. Unfortunately, that world may be defined by increased WMD availability, increasing instability in the Middle East, and an increase in radical groups and governments -- a dark legacy to leave our children.
"If we do not defeat these enemies now, we will leave our children to face a Middle East overrun by terrorist states and radical dictators armed with nuclear weapons. We are in a war that will set the course for this new century -- and determine the destiny of millions across the world."
While agreeing with the latter statement, I and many others would argue that the policies of the Bush administration are actually fostering the very conditions they are trying to prevent. The evidence for this continues to mount.
A BBC World Service poll of 21 nations conducted in late 2004 indicated that the majority in 16 nations viewed the re-election of Bush in 2004 as a negative for world peace and security. In addition, recent polls conducted by the Pew Global Attitudes Project and Terror Free Tomorrow showed that while Muslims are increasingly rejecting violent terrorism tactics and Osama bin Laden, negative feelings have remained the same or increased toward the West in general and the United States' unilateral war on terror in particular.
Iraq, as part of the war on terror, is arguably a failure at this point, teetering on the brink of civil war (if not already there), possessing a still crumbled infrastructure, and functioning as a testing and breeding ground for many terrorist groups. Afghanistan continues to backslide with the resurgence of the Taliban, the continued impotence of the central government concerning the Northern Alliance warlords, the booming Afghan opium industry, and increasing opposition to women's rights. And assuming reports of his possible death aren't true, the fact that bin Laden is still at large makes us look impotent, ineffective and incompetent.
More worrisome, though, is the global proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. That is something the United States has lost sight of since Sept. 11, being preoccupied with al-Qaida, Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2005, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee released a report stating that there is a 70 percent chance of attack somewhere in the world with a WMD (chemical, biological or nuclear), and that within the next decade, five more nations are likely to acquire nuclear weapons.
Iran is potentially one of these five, and North Korea already claims to have nuclear weapons. Had we not invaded Iraq, a nation that appears to have lacked WMDs, might we have helped contain Iran's and North Korea's nuclear ambitions working with our allies? And all of this is supported by the recently leaked National Intelligence Estimate, a consensus report of the 16 different spy services within our government, which states that the war in Iraq has increased Islamic radicalism and the threat of global terrorism.
Yes, Bush is correct that the so-called war on terror will help determine the course and destiny of the world in the 21st century. Unfortunately, that world may be defined by increased WMD availability, increasing instability in the Middle East, and an increase in radical groups and governments -- a dark legacy to leave our children.
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