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| Today's lesson: The Reasons Behind 9/11 |
| 09.19.03 (9:44 pm) [edit] |
|
It seems to me that the causes of the September 11 attacks are still unknown to many citizens. In the spring semester of 2002, only a few months after these attacks, I took a course in World Politics in which we discussed the causes of 9/11 as well as what these attacks would signify. We read parts of [url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/ob... ]How Did This Happen?[/url] , an excellent book comprised of essays written by experts of various fields whose insights can lead to a much greater understanding of the attacks. Here's an essay question from one of my World Politics exams (gotta love Dzirkalis tests :roll: ). Keep in mind that these were only my notes that I used to study for the test, so it isn't as specific as it could be. [b]Question #1: What factors explain how 9/11 was pulled off? What possible motives help to explain this and which seems the most likely? (1-14)[/b] The main factor that explains how the terrorist attacks of September 11th were pulled off is that the attacks were planned out in great detail in advance. It took over a year to put together. The factors that went into the preparations included training for the pilots, deciding which flights and coordinating departure times, figuring out how to maneuver around security, and also planning ahead for possible weather conflicts. They settled on a Tuesday morning because there would be fewer passengers. This would be beneficial because there would be less of a chance of the passengers overtaking the terrorists, and because a greater number of passengers would just be more of a hassle and make things more complicated. The organization of the attacks and the actual operation itself required human resolve. The terrorists had strong convictions and were thus willing to sacrifice their lives for what they saw as a just cause. To these men it was not suicide, but rather martyrdom. In comparison to their predecessors, these men were older, thought to be well off materialistically, and well educated. This is not typical of the historical profile of a suicide attacker, but shows evidence of a change in the motives of terrorists. The possible motives for the attacks include hatred, punishment, hopes of causing the U.S. to withdraw its troops in the Middle East, personal gain (bin Laden), and hopes of a big U.S. reaction. It is very clear that all of these motives are reasonable. There is an obvious hatred of the West and the U.S. in particular in the Middle East. They view the U.S. to be Imperialistic and resent the military bases, culture, and democratic system that the U.S. has tried to impose on them. Hatred is an emotional motive. Punishment, on the other hand, is a judicial motive. Punishment is an assessment of what has been done and retribution for a wrong. Since the end of the Gulf War in 1991, the U.S. has had military forces in the Middle East (particularly in Saudi Arabia and Syria, where they serve the purpose of enforcing no-fly zones). Obviously, they are unwanted by many people in the Middle East. If the American people are sufficiently terrified, it may be decided that keeping troops in the Middle East is not worth the cost. Lastly, and what seems the most likely motive, is the prospect of a desired big reaction of the U.S. Obviously, if the U.S. is attacked in a major way and its security is challenged, there will be a retaliation. Bin Laden was counting on this. Indiscriminate violence in the Middle East, as it seems to be by the U.S. retaliation, appears to be an attack on Islam. This causes the war to shift to a religious war, which leads to the rallying of the Islamic world to be against America and support bin Laden. [LINE]Now, to be completely honest, when I read the first article in the book ("The Organization Men- Anatomy of a Terrorist Attack"), it made me feel nauseous. And angry. The reasons behind the attacks highlighted in this essay by Brian M. Jenkins are, to say the least, disturbing. And it makes me so angry that the Bush Administration responded to the attacks exactly how bin Laden would want him to. There also seems to be some common misconception regarding the link between 9/11 and the current war in Iraq. There is no link, except maybe for a misguided attempt at forcing a link by Dubya. The administration has admitted that there is no link between Sadam Hussein and the attacks of Sept. 11- that was all bin Laden's terrorist organization. Bush has claimed that the war in Iraq equates to a war on terrorism. If that's what it is then it is an obvious failure, as it will only cause more terrorism. I remember watching Bush's State of the Union address this year and actually being scared. I just couldn't understand the logic behind preemptively striking a country because of the fact that they have weapons of mass destruction. They have weapons of mass destruction, so let's start a war with them. Makes sense, huh? No, it doesn't. Alright, I'm not getting into the whole Iraq thing because if I do it will involve mostly heavily opinionated ranting rather than factual accounts. And I'll just get angrier. =) |
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| The Tao of Pooh |
| 09.16.03 (4:30 pm) [edit] |
|
"A fly can't bird, but a bird can fly." Very simple. It's obvious, isn't it? And yet, you'd be surprised how many people violate this simple principle every day of their lives and try to fit square pegs into round holes, ignoring the clear reality that Things Are As They Are. [LINE]In other words, everything has its own place and function. That applies to people, although many don't seem to realize it, stuck as they are in the wrong job, the wrong marriage, or the wrong house. When you know and respect your own Inner Nature, you know where you belong. You also know where you [i]don't[/i] belong. One man's food is often another man's poison, and what is glamorous and exciting to some can be a dangerous trap to others. [LINE]"A fish can't whistle and neither can I." Coming from a wise mind, such a statement would mean, "I have certain limitations, and I know what they are." Such a mind would act accordingly. There's nothing wrong with not being able to whistle, especially if you're a fish. But there can be lots of things wrong with blindly trying to do what you aren't designed for. Fish don't live in trees, and birds don't spend too much time underwater if they can help it. Unfortunately, some [i]people[/i]- who always seem to think they're smarter than fish and birds, somehow- aren't so wise, and end up causing big trouble for themselves and others. [LINE]The wise know their limitations; the foolish do not. [LINE]When you work with [i]Wu Wei[/i], you put the round peg in the round hole and the square peg in the square hole. No stress, no struggle. Egotistical Desire tries to force the round peg into the square hole and the square peg into the round hole. Cleverness tries to devise craftier ways fo making pegs fit where they don't belong. Knowledge tries to figure out why round pegs fit round holes, but not square holes. [i]Wu Wei[/i] doesn't try. It doesn't think about it. It just does it. And when it does, it doesn't appear to do much of anything. But Things Get Done. [LINE]The surest way to become Tense, Awkward, and Confused is to develop a mind that tries too hard- one that thinks too much. [i]Taken from[/i][url=http://booksiloved.com/1/The_...] [u]The Tao of Pooh [/u]by Benjamin Hoff [/url] |
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