As America retaliates — and rightly so — against the Taliban, Osama bin Laden, and terrorist networks in Afghanistan and around the world, it is time to ask why these acts were perpetrated and why there is such bitter hatred for the United States in many predominantly Muslim countries.
We ask why — not to give into terrorist demands or to retreat within our borders — but to understand how our nation's intentions are misunderstood or how our actions are misguided so we can re-evaluate our foreign policy.
Many reasons have been given for this hate of the United States. People hate the United States for our economic sanctions against Iraq, which have hurt the Iraqi people much more than they have damaged Saddam Hussein's standing in the country. They hate American military presence in Saudi Arabia, the country that houses the holiest sites for the Muslim religion. They hate the modern American culture, which emphasizes individuality and freedom instead of reliance on the state or reliance on religion. And, above all, they hate American aid and assistance to the state of Israel — a nation they deem illegitimate and want destroyed.
So, what should the United States do to enhance its national interest and global standing in the world, irrespective of the terrorist attack on the United States? First, the United States should re-evaluate the policy of economic sanctions and embargoes on countries whose leaders we abhor. Like Fidel Castro in Cuba, American economic sanctions have strengthened Saddam Hussein's standing with his people since he can rally the country against a common focal point, the United States.
The economic sanctions leveled against Iraq have hurt the poor and the children in that country and not the nation's leaders. Our sanctions rarely result in overthrow of regimes or change in governmental policy, only in the strengthening of hate that these country's people and their sympathizers have for the United States.
Governmental policy should not be kept in place when it doesn't work to achieve intended goals and hurts American economic and humanitarian interests around the world. American desire for revenge against corrupt regimes should not be justification for starving innocent civilians. We seriously need to reconsider the policy of economic sanction and isolation as an effective foreign policy tool. Our policies should be rethought to target the evildoers in these countries or build up internal and external opposition to their regimes.
The United States must also re-evaluate its policy in the Middle East peace process. The peace process has broken down over the past year, since Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount triggered a hostile Palestinian response and an escalation of Palestinian terrorist attacks and Israeli military responses.
Israel's formation in 1948 as the Jewish homeland triggered military invasion from five Arab states. Since that time, Israel could not have maintained its existence without military aid and economic assistance from the United States. Israel has received massive military aid and economic assistance from the United States. Our nation has been the guardian of Israel — rightfully so. The Jewish people deserve a homeland after having been persecuted for nearly two millenniums — climaxing in the loss of six million Jewish lives during Hitler's Holocaust.
Israel's formation and the war of 1948 left almost a million Palestinian people homeless and roaming from state to state trying to find a home. For 50 years, the Middle East has been plagued by hate and violence, but just last year the world was hopeful that peace in the region and security for Israel could be maintained.
Israel's Prime Minister at the time, Ehud Barak, offered the Palestinians unprecedented land concessions in an effort to secure peace. The world then watched in amazement as Yasir Arafat rejected the deal. Arafat held out for control over Jerusalem, a concession that Israel will never accept. Peace, which seemed so close, is now a distant memory as Arafat has lost control over the Palestinian splinter group Hamas, a radical terrorist group, which seeks to achieve its goals through violence and terror.
Both the Palestinians and the Israelis have fanatics who are to blame for the breakdown of the peace process. The Israeli response, using American weapons and munitions, has often been extreme in putting down unrest.
While not abandoning Israel, the United States must work for the formation of a Palestinian state that recognizes the existence of Israel, a policy that has the support of the Bush administration. The sticking point in the talks always appears to be the question of Jerusalem.
The United States should work with the Israelis and the Palestinians to come up with a solution to the question of Jerusalem. The Israelis have shown a willingness to concede much for peace; it is time for the United States to push the Palestinians to compromise as well.
Updating our foreign policy when we realize that the current policy is not achieving its desired ends is fundamentally important to protecting American interests and promoting American ideals and humanity around the world.
There are several actions the United States government can take to increase American support around the world. The terrorist acts committed against the United States were not justified by any means, but hopefully they will focus our government to reform foreign policies that hurt America's reputation and standing around the world and our protection at home.
