The Nation (Pakistan): "What the U.S. is doing to itself, no military power could do."

http://www.watchingamerica.com/thenationpk000036.shtml


The Nation, Pakistan
America's New Sense of Insecurity Endangers World

“How does the U.S. perceive its war against al-Qaeda? It sees it as a fight between the United States and everyone, everywhere in the world ...”

By Colonel Khawar Habib Butt (Retired)



...


If President Bush wants the United States to remain on top and to make this world a safe, prosperous place for future generations, he must begin to consider America's center of gravity.

For two centuries, America's center of gravity had always been its sense of security, the feeling of invincibility gained from knowing that no outside power had the capacity, the means or the will to reach U.S. soil. This sense of security was further strengthened in the later 1980s after the collapse of Soviet Union, and even plans for a "Star Wars" missile shield were shelved.

But then the "New World Order" unfolded according to Huntington's Clash of Civilizations and Osama bin Laden became a kind of phantom. Now any conflict or terrorist activity is credited to the shadowy group, and the entire world is caught up in a war between the U.S. and al-Qaeda. And where is al-Qaeda? It is nowhere and everywhere.

And how does the U.S. perceive its war against al-Qaeda? It sees it as a fight between the United States and everyone, everywhere in the world. Any regime or individual that disagrees with American notions is lumped together with al-Qaeda. How long will the U.S. continue to chase shadows - and what good has this policy done for the center of gravity of American citizens? What has it done for their sense of security? Now all Americans doubt fellow Americans, and the world is forced to listen to the daily to warnings Washington issues its citizens not to visit this country, to leave that region or avoid going out in public in some nation.

What the U.S. is doing to itself, no military power could do. Americans no longer feel safe in their isolated, far-flung, once-invincible continent, because the Bush Administration itself is eroding the sense of security of average American citizens. It needs to address this issue and remember what happened after the League of Nations collapsed - we had another world war.

...

because i know that Al Queda has proved its point, and even if they feel the need to prove it again, its is astronomically unlikely that it would harm me or mine.

when we withdraw, the arabs/muslims will have defeated the great satan. once they have achieved their objective, where is the motive to come to america & continue attacks?

We're still supporting Israel. So it wouldn't be done. And there is other stuff that we are doing to antagonize them.

but i think the arab victory in iraq, and our humiliation there, as well as our exposure as a paper tiger (which is a false impression) will tide the forces of arab nationalism over for a good while.

palestine will move to the back burner during the giddy celebration of arab nationalism that will ensue. then the knives will come out & they'll start killing each other.

We're way ahead of them doing their work of destroying ourselves.

"What the U.S. is doing to itself, no military power could do."

That is a good point. And sad. Sad that we can't prevent it from happening. Of course we never did have that general strike that people used to talk about.

I'll add something to that-

Bin Laden was right. He had more insight than the republicans.

He was the picador. The bull is just wearing itself out.

Tin-foil hat alert!

The networks only played that report once or twice, then it went down the memory hole.

A few days/weeks later a Bin Laden tape surfaced taking credit for 9/11, but the man on the tape didn't look like pre-9/11 pictures of Bin Laden.

What is more likely, a fake announcement from Al Quaida that it wasn't us or a faked claim later claiming it was Al Quaida?

BTW, I don't have any cogent theories of what happened on 9/11. I don't want to start a 9/11 food fight here. I just know that the official explanations don't make sense to me. I don't know if it was LIHOP, MIHOP or "a series of unfortunate events," but I no longer believe anything this government says about Iraq, 9/11, electronic voting, global warming or anything else.

Their track record is self-serving lies that benefit their corporate masters.

(updated due to fat fingers)

If I recall, the FBI has stated they have no evidence it was Bin Laden. The simple fact that he was supposedly on the CIA payroll is very suspicious.

To be honest, I would bet anything he had nothing to do with 9/11.

And I needed to be reminded of that.

It is worth noting just about the fear felt by the people of the United States in this regard is deliberately and artificially stoked by the current administration, and bears no relation whatever to any rational assessment of real risks. Viewed objectively, al Queda has no more valuable ally or "fellow traveler" assisting it in its aims of striking fear into our country's people than the Bush administration.

what a great point.

Would have pressed to strengthen the courage of the people, counseled against fear, and even urged that in the final pinch to die bravely for one's country may be the fate of civilians as well as soldiers. What men like President Roosevelt or Mr. Churchill would have done to stir the people leaves these present fools down in the dust. They sought nothing but personal and political advantage from the national crisis, and calculated that if scared witless, the people would react foolishly and be easily moved to accept nonesense. But sowing panic is not leadership; it is, rather, the worst failure possible for someone in a leader's role.

I don't know if anyone will ever be able to say definitively how the government fell into this hole it dug for itself--less, how it came to dig the hole in the first place. I'm sure oil and imperialism each had a role. But I also credit admissions from some of the nuts who drove this policy that they did it just to show the Islamists how tough they were. Of course they picked on a country they thought wouldn't fight back very hard. So in addition to being a coward's reaction, it's a fool's reaction.

Our next President is going to have quite the mess on his hands. The next Secretary of State will also have their hands full.

We've positioned ourselves in one of the weakest positions we've been in in our history, all for the sake of security...the irony of it all.

as cynical political advantage of the power elite. Security is the excuse.

They are definitely not in it for America.

:kick::kick::kick: butt.

Chasing shadows! How apt.

there just is no Al Qaeda, it is Al-CIA-duh.
Corporations of the world have long bought and paid for the US "government".

If you were CEO of the world would you continue to put up with 300 million energy sucking brats who think they are God's gift to the world when there is a profit margin of 6 billion available?

nt

and freepers should get it