9/11 and Five - 'The Clash For Civilization'
Another anniversary of 9/11 comes and goes, and at times, it is frustrating. It is frustrating to see that the world has not become too much safer, and in fact we may have exacerbated religious and ethnic tensions to an unprecedented level. New Zealand's Prime Minister said it best when she declared that "we're not more secure since 9/11." Still, it's impossible to find someone or something to blame for everything, and it is really far too complex to deconstruct at this point until the present fades a little bit more into history.
On the other hand, I feel that there is reason for optimism. Hamas and Fatah seemed to have reached some sort of agreement (although the details have not been released and you can be certain that Hamas will not be directly recognizes Israel's right to be a state), and Montenegro had its first legislative elections (a win for self-determination). In addition, Mexico seems to be calming down (though the leftists still seem to be making a bit of a fuss). The conflict in Lebanon has really been tame lately, and I think everyone is going to be taking a little bit of a break from that. All in all, the news in recent days has given news for optimism.
Today, however, we are slapped back in time to remember 9/11, and inevitably we have to examine how 9/11 has brought us to our present course. We are reminded of why it is necessary for us to remain in Afghanistan, how military intervention here is imperative to prevent the emergence of yet another failed state in an extremely volatile region, the "cradle of 9/11". NDP leader Jack Layton feels that there are problems at home that we need to deal with first (a 'civil war', according to Ignatieff), and, while they are relevant and important, we know that the dangers of religious extremism is both a domestic and foreign policy matter, one that is not easily overruled.
We are in Afghanistan in a reason, and "head in the sand isolationism" was nearly the downfall of the free world sixty five years ago. This is why I applaud the Canadian military's decision to send an additional squadron of tanks to Afghanistan, heavy tanks that are more protective than the lighter armoured vehicles the Canadians are currently using. Today, "terrorism remains a threat to all of us" and this extremism must not be given yet another ground to nest (and in my opinion, the fumbling of post-invasion of Iraq has created enough of that to last many lifetimes) and we must fight on, confronting extremism for the people of Afghanistan, for the citizens of the free world, and for ourselves. There is no turning back, only "we or the extremists will emerge victorious".
