The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
Views expressed in this archived message are those of the author, not of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
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Dear CASI, Dear former member of the US armed forces The terrorist attacks on the United States that took place on 11 September were abhorant. Violence should always be condemned, especially when it is committed against innocent civilians. The United States has the legal legitimacy as well as a moral imperative to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice. Indeed, the US is the only country in the world that has the power to act in such a way as to remove the threat of a repeat of this attrocity anywere in the world. To this end, the US must analyse the hatred that must have existed in the perpetrators of this inhumane act which was nihilistic to the extreme. As the former member of the US armed forces points out, any motive for this act of terrorism would not have been served since an act of such barbarity would only strengthen the resolve of the world against the cause of its perpetrators. This leads me to think that the perpetrators had in fact no motive and only hatred. We must analyse that hatred in order to eliminate it and its causes. This is what has been missing the the current solutions being put forward in the media and in the letter of the former US military member. It has in fact been missing from the US foreign policy with regards to many issues, be it globalisation, the environment or the more heated Middle East conflict. If one suggests a more holistic, rather than a purely military response to the attacks, one is not seeking to justify the attacks or to understand the terrorists. Because no country in the world deserves to be the subject of terrorist attacks. And there is no justification for the murder of civilians by any individual, group or country. The status quo ante is too dangerous to continue and we cannot stay silent if we see that the solutions being put forward will not solve the problem of the threat of terrorism. -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a discussion list run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq For removal from list, email soc-casi-discuss-request@lists.cam.ac.uk CASI's website - www.casi.org.uk - includes an archive of all postings.