September 14, 2004
THREE YEARS AFTER 9/11: MIXED REVIEWS FOR WAR ON TERROR
KEY FINDINGS
** Three years after 9/11,
most media see "neither more security nor less terrorism."
** Right-leaning outlets
hail "aggressive" anti-terror war; critics say it is "spreading
chaos."
** Islamic press fears
successive waves of U.S. "revenge" against Muslims.
MAJOR THEMES
'The day the world changed'--
Global dailies recalled the 9/11 attacks as "the defining event of
our time" that launched "an era of enduring upset and
insecurity." Analysts termed this
9/11-era "hyper-terrorism" notably ferocious and "nihilistic." Many European writers averred that "the
declaration of war of the Islamic Jihad on Western civilization" was a
direct challenge to the very "values and rights that make up" the
West. Combating terrorism will require a
"unified strategy" and "the same resolve...and persistence"
demonstrated during the Cold War.
"Nations from around the world must show patience and cooperation
in containing terrorism," said Japan's conservative Sankei.
Terrorism 'growing stronger with every day'-- In assessing the situation since 9/11, most
papers concluded the U.S. and its allies "have had successes," such
as the toppling of the Taliban and Saddam Hussein. They also contended, however, that terrorism,
as demonstrated by recent attacks in Russia, Indonesia and Iraq, remains
"a great and growing global menace."
A majority of commentators criticized the U.S. invasion of Iraq, stating
that the war and its aftermath have "increased the terrorist
risk." Qatar's semi-official Gulf
Times called the war a "distraction that has drawn resources away from
the threat posed by al-Qaida" while Mexico's El Financiero said it
had "prompted the radicalization of Muslim nationalist, religious, and
ethnic movements." European critics
faulted President Bush for weakening transatlantic ties by pursuing "a new
form of unilateral imperialism."
Britain's conservative Times, in contrast, spoke for the minority
view that as long as there are "rogue states" tempted to give
terrorists aid, such as Iraq, "we have no choice but to fight."
'A gift to the Zionist cause'--
Editorialists in the Islamic world charged that a "berserk"
America "decided that Muslims and Arabs must be punished" for
9/11. The attacks "united everybody
in a war against terrorism," noted Saudi Arabia's moderate Al-Watan,
but "unfortunately, this war was launched against Arabs and
Muslims." Muslim writers lamented
that "the image of Islam has also been damaged" by its identification
with terror and as a result the Islamic world "finds itself like scorched
earth." A few, like Jordan's influential
Al-Dustour, insisted the war on terror is "part of the plan to take
control of the world, to steal its oil and riches, and to put all the people
under Israel’s control." But some
Islamic voices were more reflective, noting "the fact is that vicious
murderers are being produced" in Muslim populations; Algeria's
French-language El Watan named Saudi Arabia "the cause of all this
evil" due to its support of Wahabbism, which preaches "intolerance,
hate, and disrespect for others."
Prepared by Media Reaction Branch (202) 203-7888,
rmrmail@state.gov
EDITOR: Steven Wangsness
EDITOR'S NOTE: Media
Reaction reporting conveys the spectrum of foreign press sentiment. Posts select commentary to provide a
representative picture of local editorial opinion. Some commentary is taken directly from the
Internet. This report summarizes and
interprets foreign editorial opinion and does not necessarily reflect the views
of the U.S. Government. This analysis
was based on 100 reports from 57 countries September 4 - 14, 2004. Editorial excerpts are listed from the most
recent date.
EUROPE
BRITAIN: "When War Is
Justified"
The conservative Times argued (9/12): "Three years on the reciting of the
names of the 2,749 New York victims reminded us of the sheer scale of the human
loss.... Those attacks marked the start
of the war on terror, a war that is likely to go on for many years. It also
marked a profound shift in American foreign policy, making it willing to
intervene more aggressively than at any time for a generation. The result has been the destruction of the
Taliban regime in Afghanistan, which gave succor to Usama Bin Laden and
al-Qaida, and the violent overthrow of Saddam Hussein. The anniversary has inevitably provoked
another bout of soul-searching. On one
side are the critics who argue that the United States, with Britain in tow, has
been dancing to Usama bin Laden's tune.
He knew the September 11 attacks would provoke a military response and
deepen divisions between the Muslim world and the West. He also calculated that al-Qaida was
incapable of being destroyed by force....
But there will still remain a body of fanatics whose hatred of the West
cannot be satisfied by any political solution.
They will seek any means to strike us, the deadlier the better. And while there are rogue states tempted to
give them aid, we have no choice but to fight.
The critics can carp. But think
how loudly they would be wailing had Washington retreated into fortress
America."
"Everything And Nothing Has Changed"
The center-left Independent had this view (9/11): "Today it seems not a mere three years,
but an age ago.... Now, more than ever,
the event appears a watershed between eras.
Finally, we understood that the enemy of our comfortable Western
societies was not a long discredited communism, but a desperate militant Islam,
the perverted by-product of the failings within the Arab world, and its humiliations
from without. So began America's 'war
against terror.' Events tumbled one
after the other.... Quickly, the U.S.
gave the lie to Afghanistan's reputation as a humbler of foreign empires. Next up was Saddam Hussein, whom Washington
had determined to remove for reasons still not satisfactorily explained. In less than 18 months, President Bush
achieved the remarkable feat of squandering all the post-11 September goodwill
for the U.S., and making his country more detested abroad than at any time in
its modern history. But it didn't seem
to matter, as the president rode roughshod over the United Nations and world
opinion, ordering an invasion that conquered Baghdad in exactly three weeks.... As we know all too well, post-war Iraq has
been a disaster.... Mr. Bush proclaims that his actions since 11 September 2001
have made America and the world safer.
But the opposite is surely true.
Islamic terrorists have not launched a subsequent attack on U.S.
soil.... But the taunts of al-Zawahri
remind the world that Osama bin Laden, America's public enemy No. 1, no longer
mentioned by the president, is still at large.
There is hardly a counterterrorist specialist who does not believe that
the invasion of Iraq has increased the terrorist risk. Yes, existing terrorists are captured. But the occupation has fueled resentment of
America throughout the region. New
terrorists are recruited; new groups coalesce across the Islamic world. In that sense, we are back to 10 September
2001.... For all his swaggering campaign
rhetoric, the president must realize that the U.S. needs to rebuild the
diplomatic and emotional bridges it has burned, in Europe and beyond. Alas, sympathy so rashly squandered will not
be easily regained."
"Unite Against The Common Enemy"
The independent Financial Times editorialized (9/11): "Today has rightly become a kind of
remembrance day for the victims of that modern scourge of war--terrorism. But proper commemoration of it is distracted
by the massive and tragic sideshow in Iraq and the increasingly poisonous U.S.
presidential campaign over the war on terror.
It is therefore important to think back three years ago to the al-Qaida
attacks on New York and Washington, to the horror of the world's worst
terrorist incident, to America's unanimous determination to fight back and to
the near-unanimous support the world then gave it to do so. Much has happened since to divide the U.S.
from its allies and friends and Americans among themselves. But if that original unity of purpose could be
regained, the conduct of the war on terrorism could be greatly improved. The balance sheet is not wholly
negative. No attacks have been carried
out in the U.S. since September 2001, and some elsewhere appear to have been
thwarted.... In the past three years, however, there has been a clear shift to
attacks on Western targets in Muslim countries.... However, the possibility that al-Qaida has
turned to softer targets elsewhere gives the U.S. and its closest allies no
room for complacency.... Foreign countries
have given the U.S. good intelligence cooperation but been often irritated by
the U.S. failure to strike the right balance between imposing reasonable
security measures and accepting reasonable risks. Controls on people entering the U.S. have
often been too heavy-handed, while those on cargo arguably too lax. Only recently, too, has the U.S. Supreme
Court moved to assuage domestic and foreign concerns about civil
liberties. In the end, if the U.S. is to
get its war on terror back on track, it needs to shed its deeply distracting
role in Iraq, where it has fomented a violent Islamic fundamentalism that did
not exist before. And in the even
shorter term, its two presidential candidates need to stop swapping low blows
over the war on terror. Mr. Bush, and
particularly his running mate, Dick Cheney, bear most of the blame. But when Mr. Bush has made a half-way
sensible remark, such as this week when he confessed this war might not be won
in any conventional way, his Democratic rival attacked him for weakness. This issue is too important to be so
cheapened."
"The Likud Doctrine"
Columnist Naomi Klein commented in the left-of-center Guardian
(9/10): "Common wisdom has it that
after 9/11, a new era of geopolitics was ushered in, defined by what is usually
called the Bush doctrine: pre-emptive
wars, attacks on terrorist infrastructure (read: entire countries), an insistence that all the
enemy understands is force. In fact, it
would be more accurate to call this rigid worldview the Likud doctrine. What happened on September 11, 2001 is that
the Likud doctrine, previously targeted against Palestinians, was picked up by
the most powerful nation on earth and applied on a global scale. Call it the Likudization of the world: the real legacy of 9/11.... And now the Likudization narrative has spread
to Russia."
FRANCE: "The Chaos
Will Last"
Bruno Frappat opined in Catholic La Croix (9/13): “On November 2 the Americans will have
elected their president. From now till
then it is to be feared that peace in the world will not have made much
progress. For weeks now, on all fronts
where the U.S. is engaged, directly or indirectly, chaos is growing. The deadly violence which some call
‘terrorism’ and others ‘resistance’ is the uninvited guest of the U.S. presidential
election. In Afghanistan, the Taliban
appear to have found a second wind....
Saddam’s followers are mounting anti-American attacks in the heart of
Baghdad.... Hostages are being taken and
attacks continue throughout Iraq.... A
deadly punishment was inflicted in Jakarta on the Australians for their support
of the U.S. in Iraq. Even the attack in
Beslan seems to be an attack not on Russia as the ally in the war on Iraq but
on the objective ally in the war against terrorism.... Three years after 9/11 the confirmation is
here that the fateful date was indeed a beginning: the beginning of an era of enduring upset and
insecurity, without identifiable enemies.
What do the terrorists have in mind for the U.S.? The result of the election is of no
importance for them: terrorism is
opportunistic in nature.... Its only
‘vote’ is for more deaths.”
"Three Years Later"
Senior editorialist Jean-Marie Colombani editorialized in
left-of-center Le Monde (9/11):
"Three years after the fateful date of September 11, 2001, the
world seems to be keeping the ‘promises’ of those who want to spread their
control over the Muslim world through terror and regression.... The ‘coalition’ is in Baghdad for all the
wrong reason...and under President Bush’s command it is triggering
chaos.... Three years after Bush
declared war on terror, Putin is doing the same.... We must absolutely try to decipher the
outlines of the world Bush and Putin are preparing. Their reactions will largely determine the
fate of our democracies. Yet, with the
complicity of most European leaders, the Russian and American presidents are
making a mistake and misleading public opinion.... It is as if both men were reducing
international affairs to the war on international terrorism.... Fighting terrorism is an absolute
necessity.... But many conflicts sit
outside the realm of ‘international terrorism.’
Still, it is easier to formulate slogans than to define policies.... Since 9/11 we know that radical Islamists
find their motivation in a visceral hate for democracy. Once this has been ascertained, there is the
need to define policies that might reduce those conflicts...albeit
minimally--which Islamic terrorism likes to exploit.... What we have to fear from a world according
to Bush and Putin is the implementation of a self-fulfilling prophecy.... Any global, simplistic and uniform vision of
terrorism that identifies it to a religion or a culture is playing into the
hands of terrorism.... Fighting
terrorism is first and foremost trying to resolve the problems exploited by the
terrorists."
GERMANY: "Necessity
Knows Laws"
Harald Martenstein commented in centrist Der Tagesspiegel
of Berlin (9/11): "Our way of life
has changed on September 11, 2001....
The Patriot Act limited liberties in the U.S., a prison was built in
Guantánamo that ridicules democratic principles and a war was waged on reasons
nobody would have accepted before 9/11.
In Germany we changed our mind on issues such as data protection,
bugging and headscarves. We are
suspicious of our Muslim neighbors and they distrust us. We have a new enemy: men with beards and headgear. Of course, we must defend ourselves. The terrorist threat is no hallucination, but
it is reality. Fear can be fertile, but
it must not blind us or make us hysterical.
The world has become less free since 9/11--this is a success of
terrorists, who hate freedom. The more
we reduce our freedom out of fear the more we help them. We must force ourselves to stay calm. Relaxation is no weakness. On the contrary, those who go wild are
weak.... Terrorists have deliberately
chosen New York for their attacks, because it is a symbol of freedom, which
fanatics see as sin. Every step towards
prisons and wars that violate laws is a step closer to terrorists. That is the way the would like us to
be."
"Collective Trauma"
Center-right Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung of Essen
editorialized (9/11): "Europe has
never fully grasped how much 9/11 changed America and how much it has redefined
U.S. politics, what impact it had on the Iraq debate, despite the fact that
Saddam had nothing to do with the al-Qaida attacks. The state of shock is enduring. We could claim that the media and politicians
fueled the people's fears, and that the Bush administration in particular is
trying to preserve this feeling by permanently speaking of terrorism. This is correct without any doubt, although
the media, politicians and the Bush government are just serving emotions and
needs, which people have anyway. It is
this interaction of shock and facts that can explain the collective
trauma."
"Three Lessons From 9/11"
Bassam Tibi opined in an editorial in business daily Financial
Times Deutschland of Hamburg (9/9):
"The 9/11 attacks happened three years ago. It is time to learn the lessons following the
declaration of war of the Islamic Jihad on Western civilization that was
renewed on March 11 this year in Madrid.
The first lesson is based on the fact that al-Qaida not only continues
to exist but has also restored its clout....
The situation of the West is precarious and it is morally powerless in
the war against the Jihad terrorism. On
the one hand, Europe must defend itself and is not allowed to react with
Christian values by offering the second cheek.
On the other hand, it should not underestimate the effects of the
propaganda war, since Muslims in Europe are mainly socially marginalized
population groups in Europe.... The
third lesson is [that in] this...irregular war in which the enemy is not
visible...[there] are no clear fronts and nobody knows when and where the enemy
strikes.... This forces us to rethink
our security policy.... The elimination
of Saddam's regime has not made the world safer but achieved the opposite. Jihadism that was weakened in Afghanistan has
become stronger after the Iraq war, and its propaganda goes down well. That is why the lesson for politicians and
strategists is: it is necessary to
change security policy, not regimes."
ITALY: "Two Wars, Tens
Of Thousands Of Dead And Bush Says:
We’re Still Not Safe"
Bruno Marolo noted in pro-democratic left party (DS) daily L’Unità
(9/12): “The September 11 commemorations
are the latest example of naïveté. The
White House announced that Bush would suspend rallies for two days. On the anniversary of the tragedy, he was set
to speak as president and not as candidate.
Kerry immediately accepted the truce and left for Boston. Bush then played the ace he had up his
sleeve. Instead of taping his usual
Saturday radio message...he invited a group of 9/11 survivors to the Oval
Office.... The speech, which was
broadcast by all national radio and TV stations, was a shameless electoral
rally.”
"The Divided West And History’s Lesson"
Lucio Caracciolo commented in left-leaning, influential La
Repubblica (9/11): “The paradox of
9/11 is that it divided rather than united us.... Once the presidential campaign is over, America
should concentrate on analyzing the tremendous mistakes made in Iraq, and that
Bush even partially admitted--mistakes which contributed to expanding the
Atlantic rift, to strengthening anti-Americanism practically everywhere, and in
making America less safe. We Italians
and Europeans should reflect on our repulsion for the war, which shouldn’t mean
the rejection of self-defense in light of an attack. Terrorists are not moved by pacifism. If
anything it irritates them and makes them more ferocious.”
"Islam: Lack Of
Dialogue, Global Terrorism"
Igor Man opined in centrist, influential daily La Stampa
(9/10): “Where do we go from
here? It would be despicable to abandon
the Americans (who saved us from Nazism-fascism), and in any case it wouldn’t
serve any purpose. Given the way things
stand, the United States should face reality:
global terrorism...cannot be defeated with even the most sophisticated
weapons. This is a different war that
makes nuclear arms look ridiculous. The
only way to win this war is through a shared plan of intelligence, a unified
strategy that includes the continuous study of Muslims and Islamists who hate
us because they haven’t forgotten about colonialism. We need to implement a concerted policy with
wisdom and caution and to open a dialogue with Muslims.”
RUSSIA: "Tragedy As
Stimulus To Rally Nation"
Boris Volkhonskiy commented in business-oriented Kommersant
(9/13): "Practically no one in the
United States cares about how security has been insured. All that matters is that there have been no
terrorist acts in the country in the last three years. So, addressing the U.S. president's critics,
I'd suggest that they restrain their ardor.
The way he is acting under the circumstances is how a strong leader of a
strong nation should."
"Moscow Not Free To Act On Its Own"
Andrey Ryabov contended in reformist Gazeta (9/13): "If Moscow should strike Chechen
terrorist bases abroad, it would have to identify with Israel and stop
criticizing it. Also, that would shift
the terrorists' focus to Russia, inviting more attacks from the international
terrorist alliance. Given the current
level of security, more problems would arise with political stability inside
the country.... Eliminating Chechen
terrorist leaders abroad and those of the Islamic world who sponsor terrorism
in Russia would hardly be very effective, either.... Neither Arab countries nor the United States
will let Russia act on its own as far as the leaders of terrorist organizations
are concerned. Moscow, we must admit
this, cannot hope for sympathy, less so support, from partners in the
antiterrorist coalition."
"Who Is A Terrorist?"
Andrey Zlobin said in reformist Vremya Novostey
(9/10): "The American and British
on the one hand and the Russians on the other differ on the term of
'terrorist.' Moscow uses that word for
Chechens Zakayev, a resident of Britain, and Akhmadov, a resident of the United
States. Now what if Russia decides to
strike those two guys?"
AUSTRIA: "America And
9/11"
Foreign affairs writer Christoph Winder wrote in liberal daily Der
Standard (9/13): "Three years
after the attacks, Americans have still not found an answer to the big question
posed by 9/11. Or to be more
precise: they've come up with a load of
answers, contradictory to such an extent that they create confusion, instead of
clarity.... It's pretty clear who's calling
the shots in the run-up to the U.S. presidential elections, with terror being
at the top of the list. Fear is a
massive political motivating force, and this being an election year, it is
playing into the hands of a government that keeps its citizens busy with
unfathomable ups and downs on the terror threat color scheme, and by starting a
war that still has us guessing how exactly it is supposed to have made America
safer. Still, as the nation's leading
warrior in the fight against terror, George W. Bush has put himself in a prime
position. Many Americans have bought
into the message that he's the one to protect them from terrorism.... In the long run, however, Americans will have
to come to grips with the fact that there is no absolute protection against
terror, and that every attempt at establishing such absolutes contains the
inherent danger of a deadly blow to the foundations of a free society."
BELGIUM: "9/11, Three
Years Later"
Foreign editor Jean Vanempten opined in independent financial daily
De Tijd (9/11): "Bush
remains fully convinced that his reaction to 9/11 was the only right one. That reaction was blunt: two wars, in Afghanistan and Iraq. Terrorism was fought with modern wars, with
devastating violence and an unknown number of civilians killed, including
innocent victims. The American reaction
and the wars divided the world deeply.
But, terrorism did not decrease.
Since 9/11, the number of victims of international terrorism has grown,
not dwindled. It has recently become
clear in a terrible manner: first with
the mad massacre in Beslan, and later, with the attack in Jakarta. Since that Tuesday in 2001, the list has
become long, very long... With the
invasion of Iraq in 2003, the United States lost a lot of the credit and sympathy
that it had won after 9/11.... The
geo-political strategy cannot prevent terrorism from spreading further and
further. With the killing of children in
Beslan a new frightening threshold has been crossed. Despite bold words the war against terrorism--local
and international--has made barely any progress."
"We Were All American"
Catherine Dehay noted in Catholic Vers
L'Avenir (9/11): "On September
11, 2001, we were all American, revolted and sickened at the sight of the World
Trade and Pentagon ruins. Three years
and two wars later, the wound still hurts and the Islamic threat remains
real. Usama bin Laden is still on the
run and al-Qaida has retained its capacity to slaughter innocent civilians
throughout the world.... Unfortunately,
the incredible burst of solidarity around a wounded America smashed into pieces
with the invasion of Iraq in the name of the fight against terrorism. The mess that Bush and his administration
have created in Iraq has generated an increasing distrust of the American superpower.... Rarely has a U.S. president aroused so much
resentment. It is the result of the
inconsistencies of his foreign policy, which has too often been motivated by
U.S. interests only, even sometimes in defiance of international law and of the
rules of universal morality."
CROATIA:
"Scalpel, Not Bludgeon"
Military correspondent Fran Visnar remarked in Zagreb-based,
government-owned Vjesnik (9/9):
“Under the Bush doctrine, America is defending itself in Afghanistan’s
and Pakistan’s mountains, in insurgent neighborhoods of Baghdad, Fallujah and
Najaf. Such American measures and
reactions against al-Qaida have endangered other countries as well. Bin Laden’s pushed back ‘network’ has become
even more dangerous and has attracted new supporters and sympathizers. Those who are fighting such terrorism are
making progress at a snail’s pace.
Because only with intelligent professionals can state violence be a
precise instrument and a means of deterrence--a scalpel, and not a bludgeon.”
CZECH REPUBLIC: "The
End of Euphoria: September 11,
2001"
Ivan Gabal opined in the leading, centrist daily MF Dnes
(9/10): "The decade of euphoria
[after the end of the Cold War] definitely ended on September 11, 2001. Since then many people have died who relied
on UN guarantees and the value of human rights in the Western world, but who
turned out to be terribly wrong....
After three years, we neither have more security nor less
terrorism. We have more powerful
security forces and weaker international diplomacy and international
organizations. But did we have any other
option or alternative?... On the other
hand, the terrorists' flank has undoubtedly shrunk.... We do not have comparable military power to
the Americans, but...we must seek synergies in all security fields, from the EU
warrant, through qualified and competent intelligence cooperation to
specialized military capabilities. If
the Americans, who still bear the biggest burden, will be able to soften and
even prevent most serious threats, then it is up to us [Europeans] to be able
to find the deeper political causes of terrorism mainly in the Islamic world,
and not only verbally but by deeds."
"Preventive Killing"
Petra Prochazkova argued in the center-right daily Lidove
Noviny (9/10): "The notion that the Russian army has acquired the
right to play a role as the world's policeman and plans to bomb terrorist camps
anywhere in the world is horrifying....
Unless these big words...were only meant to placate the Russian
public.... For citizens of all other
countries, the return of Russians to their old practice would mean only
problems."
"World War Three"
Pavel Verner editorialized in the center-left daily Pravo
(9/10): "If countries manage to unite in pursuing terrorists, they will be
able to win the war [on terrorism] in the end.... But at the same time, I am afraid that at the
same time the death bell is tolling for the type of democracy which our part of
world enjoys right now.... It is obvious
that a democratic country with free movement of people across borders, for life
almost without control by the state, and with freedom for each individual, is a
very easy target for terrorist attacks."
DENMARK: "War Of
Civilizations"
Center-right Berlingske Tidende editorialized (9/11): “Today, it is three years since the 9/11
attacks. Three years since the world
turned its attention to fighting terrorism.
During the intervening period we have had to admit that it is possible
to be more specific than just terrorism--we are fighting Islamic terrorism.”
"Hypocrisy"
Former SDP Minister of Defense Hans Hækkerup commented in
center-right Jyllands-Posten (9/11):
“It would seem fitting if some of the countries who were critical of the
war against terror and have advocated a role for the United Nations were
willing to contribute UN troops. But,
they don’t seem to be particularly forthcoming.
Some people would call this hypocrisy.”
GREECE:
"A Planet Kept Hostage To Blind Violence"
The lead editorial of Ethnos read (9/5): “It is self-understood that the way to deal
with, or even contain terrorism, does not lie in adventure operations--like
those against Afghanistan, or Iraq--which allegedly were aimed at eradicating
terrorist networks, while the only thing they have achieved is to feed and
reproduce terrorism.... The answer to
the biggest problem facing the world today, terrorism, will be given only if we
eradicate the causes that allow some fanatic to recruit members from among the
millions of those who are weak and oppressed, and who express their desperation
through blind and raw violence. Nothing
more, nothing less than that.”
HUNGARY: "Security
Comes First"
Right-wing conservative daily Magyar Nemzet editorialized
(9/4): "Who and how will guarantee
that there is not going to be another terrorist attack against the United
States? It will most probably be the
most important question in November.
Only a person fully aware of the core of
[this question] can guarantee security."
IRELAND: "Anniversary
Of A Tragedy"
The center-right, populist Irish Independent editorialized
(9/11): “The fact is that international
terrorism, much of it rooted in Islamic extremism, seems to be getting worse by
the day.... But the last three years
following September 11 are not all negative.
The appalling Taliban regime in Afghanistan, where al-Qaida operatives
were being trained, is gone. Usama bin
Laden is in hiding and the hunt for him goes on. Saddam Hussein is in custody and an interim
Iraqi government has replaced his brutal regime in Iraq. The problem for the Americans is that the
supposed link between September 11 and Saddam never existed. The weapons of mass destruction have never
been found. And America and its allies,
even with UN approval, are now perceived in much of the Islamic world as a
force of occupation rather than liberation in Iraq, a situation more inclined
to increase international terrorism than reduce it.... It is just possible that what many people
regard as America's unnecessary war in Iraq will yet bear fruit, if the
elections to be held next year are successful and a democracy is
established. This would set an example,
which is the overall aim of the Bush administration which believes that the
entire region, the cradle of so much terrorism, needs to be transformed.... There is little sign in the latest message
from al-Qaida that the Islamic extremists would accept co-existence rather than
the confrontation they now face from the U.S.
So the horror may well go on for some time. In the new era of terror that began with
September 11, there are no rules, no depths of depravity to which the
extremists will not sink--and no fear of death.”
KOSOVO: "Stand Firmly
By America, Our Liberator And Savior"
Pro-LDK, mass-circulation daily Bota Sot had the following
to say (9/11): "Three years after
September 11, 2001, mankind is clearly seeing that the war against
international terrorism can be won only with commitment and devotion towards
the leader of this war, America.... The
ousting of Saddam Hussein's regime...will have decisive impact on in the fate
of the world.... On this third
anniversary...Kosovo and the Albanian nation are set to stand by America in the
war against the international terrorism more than ever."
NORWAY:
"Terror At Home And Abroad"
Foreign Editor Erik Sagflaat commented in the social democratic Dagsavisen
(9/11) : “The fight against the
international, cross-border terror is going especially badly. President George W. Bush’s leadership of this
fight has been catastrophic.... Before
the military operations began, there had been built up an almost unbelievably
broad international alliance in the fight against terror, where, not least,
even Muslim countries were alongside....
The advantages of a good start in the fight against terror were quickly
wasted. Bush and his people had other
priorities. Iraq had the entire time
been the Bush administration’s main goal.
The fight against al-Qaida and the hunt for their leaders became
downgraded as a priority and turned into a sideshow.... As in Palestine and Chechnya bomb attacks
have also been carried out in Iraq, that kill civilians.... This guarantees more hatred and that further
opposition movements are ensured recruits....
Muslim extremists are behind the majority of the terror we see today. That problem can’t be solved before the
original conflict--that in Israel/Palestine--is solved.... As long as that conflict remains an open
sore, extremist Muslim movements will live and flourish.... No matter what the battle against terror will
be both long-term and difficult.... It
is most important that we don’t let instinctive fear drive our actions. If we do we will also lose the long-term
fight against terror.”
POLAND: "In Grief Over
The Victims"
Krystyna Szelestowska wrote in leftist Trybuna
(9/13): “On the third anniversary of the
attacks in the U.S., Poland has bowed in grief over the victims. Not only over the victims in America, but
also over those in Madrid, Moscow, Jakarta, and Beslan. On this occasion, it has somehow escaped our
attention just how September 11 affected the lives of Poles and how it changed
Polish foreign policy. After all, Poland
has been drawn into the war it did not want....
We took America’s side--not even trying to maintain an appearance of
balance, and remaining uncritical toward some of the actions of our greatest
friend and ally.... In the war on
terror--which is right and absolutely necessary--are we doomed to be stripped
of our own point of view?”
"For Whom The Bell Tolls"
Jan Skorzynski wrote in centrist Rzeczpospolita
(9/11): "’We are all Americans,’
wrote French dailies after September 11, 2001.
Since then the temperature of feelings on both sides of the Atlantic has
dropped.... But the words used then are
truer than ever.... The terrorism of our
times is global--any country and any man can be its target. But in its most dangerous form--linked to
al-Qaida--it is directed above all at Western civilization. Poland belongs there with its history,
culture, and values--and also because of its membership in NATO and, recently,
the EU. This obligates us. This is why our soldiers are serving in Iraq,
and this is why we must be ready to further participate in the war on terror. If a new attack happens, let us not ask for
whom the bell tolls--it tolls for all of us."
ROMANIA:
"Ferocious Force Of Terrorism"
Diana Turconi opined in opposition daily Romania Libera
(9/10): “If we add to all of [the recent
terrorist attacks in Russia] the 9/11 New York and the Madrid terrorist
attacks, it is sure that we are witnessing an unprecedented wave of terrorist
attacks that will not stop and cannot be stopped soon.... The Iron Curtain and the Cold War kept hidden
for decades this ferocious and very young force, because 50% of the Islamic
population of the world is now under age 17, a force that is presently set to
explode. The West, which thought that,
along with the USSR’s collapse, that dangerous conflicts would be avoided in
the world’s privileged areas, now must deal with the unknown face of hell on
Earth, a post-modern era full of states in the full process of disintegrating
and creating activists without a country, countries where kamikaze women kill
children and where we can expect at every moment that WMD will get into the
wrong hands.”
SLOVENIA:
"9/11/2004"
Vojislav Bercko commented in left- of- center
independent Vecer (9/11):
"In the three years after the [9/11 terrorist attacks] the world
has changed almost more than after the explosion of the first two nuclear
bombs...in 1945. After World War II, the
winners...divided among themselves the countries they had liberated according
to previous agreements.... Three years
ago, when three aircraft hit the United States, no such agreement existed. Those who govern in Washington, in the White
House, divided the world afterwards. By
attacking at least two countries--Afghanistan and Iraq--they have changed the
geopolitical image of the world, and by influencing events in other countries
from Iran to North Korea, they have created other--perhaps even
stronger--tensions rather than calming down the situation. A simple analysis of events in the world in
past three years shows that the world is not any safer.... Terrorism as an international threat, which
replaced the Cold War, has been increasing....
Events...demonstrate that terrorism cannot be stemmed by repressive
measures. The U.S. administration...is
just adding oil to the fire with its violation of basic human rights and
liberties.... Tuesday, 9/11/2001 was a
black day for humanity. It is even more tragic that some have not learnt
anything from this tragedy."
SPAIN:
"Getting Worse"
Left-of-center El País editorialized : "9/11 aroused a European wave of
solidarity and affection for the U.S., which Bush not only didn't take
advantage of, but also scorned. Three
years later, thanks precisely to Iraq, the transatlantic breach has grown in a
worrisome way, endangering a relationship essential for worldwide
stability. The world changed after 9/11
because the attack changed the U.S., but with its 'war against terrorism' Bush
has pursued a new form of unilateralist imperialism, weakened the UN and
international law, and undermined civil liberties in a country that has been
years its standard-bearer. If 9/11 has
had devastating effects, it has not been just for bin Laden's terrorist attack."
"From 9/11 To 3/11"
Conservative ABC commented (9/11): "What is most doubtful is the
effectiveness of responding to Islamic terrorism as a large part of European
public opinion and various Western governments, including the Spanish, suggest. Dialogue among civilizations and religions
and learning more about Islam are proposals that come from a clear
goodness...but to defend them as solutions to terrorism is to convey the idea
that terrorists are 'disappointed angels' who need dialogue and European
understanding.... Islamist terrorism
will lose an important ideological battle when democracies appreciate themselves and don't search for
greater legitimacy in their fight against terrorism. Some countries have understood this...and
none of them believes that withdrawing the troops is the best way to promote
democracy in the Middle East. Spain was
different."
"Putin And Preventive War"
Independent El Mundo took this view (9/10): "The doctrine of preventive attack,
adopted by Bush after the 9/11 attacks, has had very harmful consequences. It served to justify the intervention in
Iraq, which not only was based on manipulated or completely false evidence, but
also had the opposite effect to the one it theoretically was seeking.... The terrorist threat [is] much greater today
than it was two years ago.... The fact
that Putin, who rules with an iron hand the other world military superpower,
has made Bush's doctrine his own causes one to shudder.... Instead of emulating Bush at his worst, Putin
should rather learn from the monumental mistakes Bush has made in Iraq. The doctrine of preventive war not only gives
rise to serious abuses, but is also counterproductive and dangerous. The only way to stop the threat is by
combining surgical operations against terrorists and those who protect them...with
an intelligent policy aimed at eradicating the social, economic and cultural
causes that push a people or group to resort to terror."
TURKEY: "Only
Terrorism Has Become Global"
Mustafa Karaalioglu commented in the Islamist-opinion maker Yeni
Safak (9/10): “The grip of terrorism
is growing stronger with every passing day.
Exploding bombs in almost every region of the world shows that it is
impossible to establish international stability within the framework of
democracy and the rule of law. The
preventive strike policies that have appeared in order to combat terrorism have
also made it more difficult to establish security. Before the bloody marks of the incident in
Ossetia have faded, the new terrorist attacks in Indonesia are a further sign of
the global spread of this threat. Today,
the possibility of a terrorist attack in another country or on another
continent is larger than it was yesterday.
Being a woman, a child, or an innocent civilian no longer offers any
protection from terrorist attacks any more.
On the contrary, terrorism picks the most innocent targets to wound more
deeply. Moreover, not only terrorist
organizations but also states prefer these cruel methods. It is certain that each attack will be more
dramatic than the one before as long as the world prefers to fight instead of
solving these problems through dialogue.”
"September 11, 2001"
Yilmaz Oztuna opined in the conservative-mass appeal Turkiye
(9/10): “Tomorrow is the third
anniversary of September 11 tragedy.
This is the date that the global fight against terrorism began. Terrorists started the war. One should never forget this fact. The ones who forget it will divert in the
wrong direction. The third millennium
began with this terrible incident.
Unfortunately, more than the half of the world’s population believes
that the treasures of the world are owned by a happy and selfish minority. This happy minority believed it was unfair
for energy resources to be left in the land of poor people. The reason that terrorism has spread this
widely is because some countries are not taking concrete measures to stop
it. As a matter of fact, many countries
use terrorism against their rival and enemies.
Until these countries that support terrorism are exposed, the terrorists
manage to take their actions further.
The world is being divided into two: those determined to fight against
terrorism, and those who support and use terrorists and increase their
hostility against the countries involved in counter-terrorism efforts.”
"Saving Islam"
Cuneyt Ulsever warned in the mass-appeal Hurriyet
(9/8): “The fact is that vicious
murderers are being produced from Muslim populations. They have shown a willingness to abuse the
Koran without shame. It is also a fact
that 99.99 of the Muslims have nothing to do with any of this. Yet a tiny few encourage or advocate
terrorism based on a sense of ‘vengeance’ for perceived injustices. All of this leads to another bitter fact,
which is the identification of Islam with these murderers as far as
international public opinion is concerned....
Fortunately, a majority of Muslims in this country act with common
sense. But they now have an important
task--to restore the image of Islam.
Turkey’s EU vision is a project that embraces two civilizations--Islam
and the Western world. This project
allows Turkey to be a bridge between civilizations.... Turkey must condemn terrorism in the
strongest possible terms before the entire world.”
MIDDLE EAST
ISRAEL: "No Diplomatic
Solution For Terror"
Yossi Ben-Aharon argued in popular, pluralist Maariv
(9/12): "The initiators of
diplomatic initiatives refuse to face reality.
When they run into criticism about their failed efforts they have only
one response: do you have a better
alternative? The thought that terror can
be eliminated by diplomatic means by giving in or disengaging is derived from
the ghetto mentality, and it only enhances the appetite of the terrorists. There is no diplomatic solution to
terror. The only solution is war to the
death until it is abolished. So far
Israel stood alone in this battle. But
now a coalition is being established by those who are fighting terror, a
coalition which includes the U.S., Russia, and it will surely be joined by more
countries that are in the terrorists' sights.
In this war we must win because there is no alternative to victory."
"Of Terror And Hypocrisy"
Senior columnist and longtime dove Yoel Marcus wrote in Ha'aretz
(9/7): "In the European Union,
hypocrisy and double standards are the name of the game. When it comes to gathering intelligence, the
countries of Europe may help America here and there, but they won't physically
participate in the war on terror or those who harbor terrorists.... Israel is both a victim and a member of the
Bush brigade, a tiny link in a family of nations determined to defend itself
against the scourge of terror. In the
eyes of this family, there is no such thing as justified and unjustified
terror. Terror is terror. The entire Western world is a potential
target. One day, when someone decides in
the hallowed name of Allah to carry out the ultimate attack-to-end-all-attacks,
even Europe will not be spared."
WEST BANK: "Ghosts Of
The Black Death"
Yahya Rabah wrote in official Al-Hayat Al-Jadida
(9/12): "The only remark on the
third anniversary of the tragic 9/11 attacks against the WTC in New York and
some other locations in Washington is that the innocent are the ones to pay the
price. To prove that, all we have to do
is take a look at the situation in Palestine.
Sharon was given a green light by the American administration to kill Palestinians
in the way he sees fit.... Removing an
empty container from a settlement on their land requires needs decisions, talks
and discussions so that settlers will not get angry. Destroying Rafah, Beit Hanoun, Jenin or the
old city of Nablus, meanwhile, requires no more than the push of a button to
have tanks, missiles and rockets launched everywhere and unleash the ghosts of
the black death.”
"A Moment Of Silence Is Not Enough"
Basim Abu Sumaya held in official Al-Hayat Al-Jadida
(9/11): “We have not forgotten that the
9/11 attacks were a fundamental juncture in changing the moral and cultural
behavior of the ruling clique in the U.S. and in destroying the political and
geographical map in many places in the world.
They served as a reason to justify changing the foreign policy of the
U.S. on the Palestinian issue for the worst.
Nevertheless, the victims of the attacks that day, particularly in New
York, deserve more than one moment of silence because they were innocent
civilians like us. Because we are a
people who hate injustice and struggle against the killing of innocent people,
we were the first to extend our condolences and light candles for the souls of
these victims at a time when we were, and still are, dressing our wounds and
mourning our martyrs who are falling every day.
We are still prepared to stand in mourning for the innocent people who
fall anywhere in the world. However, on
the other hand, how many mourning moments we must stand in protest against the
American policy toward us at a time when the U.S. is acting as if it does not
see or hear what Israel is committing against us? One moment is not enough. We need moments, hours, days, and perhaps
months of talking and not silence to express our protest mourning against the
official American position.”
SAUDI ARABIA: "On The
Anniversary Of 9/11"
Jeddah’s conservative Al-Madina editorialized (9/12): "Three years after the dreadful attacks
of September 11 many things have become obvious. The U.S. is determined to make someone pay
for what had happened at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. America has decided that Muslims and Arabs
must be punished. We have seen
successive revenge activities; first, it was Afghanistan, then the Palestinians
followed by Iraq, and now the war drums are beating with threats against Syria,
Lebanon, and Sudan. We must give the
world a realistic example of Muslims and Arabs that differs from what has been
stereotyped in western minds."
"Lessons Learned From The Attacks Of 9/11"
Abha’s moderate Al-Watan asserted (9/12): "The whole world yesterday remembered
the events of September 11 three years ago.
That day changed everything in the four corners of the world. The attacks on September 11 united everybody
in a war against terrorism. But
unfortunately this war was launched against Arabs and Muslims, mainly because a
few people from the al-Qaida organization claimed responsibility for the
attacks on the U.S. After September 11
America assumed leadership of the world, and drew countries into two consecutive
wars during one U.S. presidential term.
During this period the U.S. has broken many rules. Even if the U.S. were right about the war in
Afghanistan, the war in Iraq was unjustified and unnecessary. This is the opinion of the majority of
Americans, both Republicans and Democrats.
It seems that President Bush and his administration would not stop at
Afghanistan and Iraq; their plan includes Sudan, Syria, and Iran."
ALGERIA: "Regimes That
Ignore Their People's Future"
Mahmoud Belhimer remarked in principal Arabic-language independent
El Khabar (9/12): "Three
years after 9/11, as it has been called by Americans, the world has changed,
but we remain unchanged. When I use the
pronoun ‘we,’ I refer to political and social systems...in ‘the Arab World’ in
which societies that can no longer bear underdevelopment and dictatorship...are
still being oppressed by the stupidity of these same systems.... Those who thought and expected Arab leaders
to move forward have lost hope. These
leaders are resuming the same old policies in which they have ruled their
societies.... These systems have
produced underdevelopment, political violence, and terrorism, and still nothing
has changed.”
"And Wahabbism?"
Influential, French-language El Watan commented (9/5): “Where do these monsters come from, those who
take children hostages and rape them before slaughtering them? Why do Chechen Islamist terrorists sow terror
as the (Algerian terrorist groups) GIA and AIS did, and as the GSPC are doing
now?... How did they reach these
extremes?... It is Saudi Arabia that is
the cause of all this evil. It has set
its heart on Chechnya, which it intends to transform into a base for the
expansion of Wahabbism in Asia. It has
already done this in other countries, Algeria in particular, where it is
carries a heavy responsibility for the blood spilled by thousands of
Algerians. Wahabbism is intolerance,
hate, and disrespect for others....
Wahabbism has to be fought wherever it appears. For the time being, it continues to hold sway
through the medium of mosques and schools spread throughout the world. The situation will worsen if urgent measures
are not taken to eradicate it. Like
Nazism, Wahabbism must be declared an enemy of humanity and pursued wherever it
exists.”
IRAQ: "Iraqis Are
Victims Of 9/11"
Majed al-Samarai commented in London-based Azzaman
(9/11): "It was painful to see Iraq
descending into a minefield tearing the bodies of its children, women and the
elderly only months after 9/11. And as
the U.S. marks the third anniversary of 11 September 2001 attacks in which
around 3,000 people died, Iraq has become the main battlefield for a world
which has declared an open war against terrorism. Iraqis today are the first victims of 9/11.
Their country has turned into an arena dotted with the body parts of innocent
people killed in what can be described as an ongoing 9/11. Iraqis were happy to see an end to the
oppressive regime of Saddam Hussein.
They had dreams of a peaceful, civilized and democratic state. They had no idea that the so-called 'shock
and awe' war that toppled Saddam Hussein was part of the pre-emptive strategy
the U.S. adopted to settle scores around the world. As a result of that war Iraq has become an open
field for terrorist gangs and murderous intelligence agencies whose only aim is
to settle their own accounts with Washington on Iraqi soil. Our children, women, men, police officers,
army personnel and officials are being killed and maimed on a daily basis. The ongoing conflict is tearing the country
apart with the number of Iraqi victims in tens of thousands. The virus of terrorism and violence was
imported to our country after the war the U.S. waged against Saddam Hussein in
what appeared to be retaliation for 9/11.
To all those who carried this virus to our land, pushed its barbaric
elements into our homes, schools and universities including the ones who opened
the country for this kind of vicious war, we say please leave and take your
battle away from us. Let 9/11 continue
to be remembered as an international day to fight terrorism; but not on our
land."
JORDAN: "The World
After September 11"
Center-left, influential Arabic-language Al-Dustour
commented (9/12): "What are the
Arabs and Muslims guilty of, when all the evidence showed that Usama bin Laden
and his organization were the creation of the American intelligence apparatus,
when all justifications for launching the war on Iraq are completely false, and
when the United States appears on the map of the Middle East as a force occupying
all the oil sources and unites with Israel, not just in the fight against
terrorism, but also in the manner of launching attacks on Iraqi and Palestinian
cities and villages. We were about to
answer the question, ‘Why do they hate us’ that was put to the Arab and Muslim
world when they came back with, ‘We do not care about your answer’. We were about to hold ourselves responsible
for rebutting the claim of those who fight their battles in the name of Islam
and disown them, when the expression ‘crusader wars’ came from Washington and
the expression ‘the pure Jewish state’ came from Tel Aviv, telling us: it is not enough, not even necessary, when
the objective is to control the region....
We wanted to learn the lesson and, with all good intentions, we wanted
to be part of a world that rejects violence and condemns terrorism, a world
where we mourn American victims and Americans mourn our victims. But those who planned to take control of the
world, to steal its oil and riches, and to put all the people under Israel’s
control, knew that what happened was part of the plan, while the other part is
to keep us apologizing to them for their aggression against us.”
"September 11, Three Years Of Terrorism"
Samih Ma’aytah observed in independent Arabic-language Al-Ghad
(9/11): "The weeks that followed
the attacks of September 11 brought to the U.S. much sympathy, even from Arabs
and moderate Islamist movements who condemned the attacks. But the U.S. was not concerned with this
outpouring of sympathy. It had designs
of its own, and the eyes of its armies were focused on targets, many of which
had nothing to do with the attacks. But
under pretext of fighting against terror the U.S. administration went berserk. Between September 11 and the present the U.S.
not only squandered the goodwill that came to it, it also revealed an unusual
face of terrorism."
