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Established to promote a lasting peace between Lebanon, Israel, and Syria. |
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An Open Letter to
A militant Islam declared war on the United States on September 11, 2001 and the problem the West faces is that militant Islam's coalition is strong, much stronger than the coalition formed by Islamic moderate states in conjunction with the United States and the West. However, this should not be a shock to the West as it is an old stratagem of Islamic terrorists to defy and attack America. The United States has a record of not surrendering to Islamic terrorism that is enshrined in the Marine Anthem "To the Shores of Tripoli" - reaching back to the beginning of the 19th century -- that apparently this United States administration has forgotten. Only the geographical location of the strike against the United States has changed to give additional, strategical depth to the criminal hand striking its objective in the United States, resulting in a greater catastrophe. Suicide bombers who drive a car can drive an airplane and fly it with a more deadly result; they can also pilot a boat and crash it in against any target at sea as we have witnessed with the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen. We've seen terrorism in all shapes, faces, colors, resulting in dozens, hundreds, and thousands of casualties. We cannot emphasize enough that the important factor was not the suicide bomber, yet the American reaction to terrorism has not been of any particular significance. The criteria we judge the American response by is if we are any safer to day than we were prior to the attacks on America. There is a recent historical precedent for a United States weak response that includes a non-response to attacks on Americans ranging from HizbAllah killing 241 Marines in Beirut, to the Khobar towers, to the bombings on United States embassies in Africa, to the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen, to September 11. We have witnessed much talk, much threats, many maneuvers, but no effective reaction. Quite the opposite in this fight must occur if the United States is to halt these manifestations of terror. Words alone are inadequate, futile in nature, and counter-productive in effect. What is necessary is a strong message saying that terrorism will not be tolerated and all involved, the cadres as well the states sponsoring them, will receive a severe response. America has a long history of strategic failures countering terrorism, and the major reason behind this failure is the decision makers in America who politicize this fight for political purposes and considerations. This is an unusual fight requiring new perspectives as the United States is dealing with a new kind of enemy, one never faced in this severity before in history. At the forefront of the fight must be the intelligence services, the Pentagon, and their allied states in the Middle East, mainly Israel, to react, search and destroy this evil enemy without any political interference and/or pressure to halt any military campaign. If so, terrorism would then wither and vanish if effectively attacked by the appropriate use of military strength directed at the right targets. This first signal of weakness was detected in Beirut in 1983 by the bombing of the US Marines barracks that resulted in 243 deaths and the destruction of the US Embassy . The United States reaction was dramatic but completely ineffective, though the New Jersey battleship positioned itself off the shores of Lebanon, firing at alleged Shiite and Syrian positions in Mount Lebanon and few weeks later withdrew in a humiliating fashion. The message of United States ineffectiveness and a lack of United States resolve was crystal clear to the rogue states in the Middle East. This message was well absorbed and now we witness the consequences of past errors.. Americas' reaction today is reminiscent of Beirut in 1983, the bombings in Africa, and a number of senseless missiles striking empty, deserted mountain lairs in Afghanistan. The bombing of the USS Cole went unpunished and show-cased American weakness or unwillingness to effectively respond to terror. United States blood is now cheap because of American politics. America must respond forcefully and destroy not only one man, but the whole fundamentalist infrastructure that supplies a support base to thousands of Bin Ladens in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. If not, America's premier position in the world will vanish in a short time. This fight is a historical fight for the very essence of civilization. The fanaticism displayed by Mohammad Atta begs explanation, as he was an innocent man, like all of us. He was born like any other human being and not until the time he was recruited by Islamic fundamentalism, raised on hatred of the United States, trained by terrorists sponsoring states, was he used as a lethal weapon against the US to exert maximum casualties. Whom do you hold accountable? the brain washed suicide bomber, or the coalition of states sponsoring terrorism that have the mission to recruit, train, and send those unfortunate souls for suicide missions. There are thousands of Mohammad Attas in the Middle East rogue regimes. It is time to reassess true allies, reassess an effective fighting plan, and reassess our criteria of defining friends and defining enemies, if the United States is to survive. With Syria and Iran in the coalition against terror, there is no true fight against terror. Unwittingly, we have joined those most determined to destroy us. Bashir Gemayel's words, the former Christian President of Lebanon, assassinated by Syria, are being resurrected today. He said that a free, stable, independent Lebanon was the last wall, fence, and rampart to protect the West and the United States from Islamic fundamentalism striking with no mercy. General Ariel Sharon went to Beirut in 1982 to support a free Lebanon rising from the ashes of Palestinian terrorism supported by their Syrian allies. Sharon believed with Prime Minister Begin in the establishment of a pro-West, pro-Israel, stable and free regime in Lebanon that will have as its mission the promotion of peace, the creation of a new dynamic for the peace process in the Middle East, and the containment of Islamic fundamentalism. Lebanon absorbed the shock of this fundamentalist package from the West. Syria by succeeding in assassinating Bashir Gemayel, sent a strong wave of terrorism against the United States through Lebanese factions and the United States withdrew from Lebanon and everything collapsed. Rather then fight terrorism, the United States sold Lebanon as part of a package deal for Syria. Syria rather then pacify Lebanon, used HezbAllah as a ground support to launch attacks against Israel and United States interests. Indeed, Sharon was forbidden to continue and was replaced by a so called "Peace Camp" in Israel that is to be held responsible for today's chaos. Rather then of rely on strength, the United States relied on weakness and concessions. The United States destroyed the entire strength of the infrastructure that Israel constructed to defend Israel and Israel's natural allies the Christians of Lebanon. Their naivety was backed by United States support to reach a failed political compromise in the Middle East, not for the good of peace in the area, but for domestic political advantages that the White House wanted to use in the next elections. After Lebanon fell, the turn of Israel came, and America, instead of supporting Israel in this fight, resorted to futile diplomacy. There is no solution for this fight, not now, not in a 100 years, not with Jerusalem, not without Jerusalem. After the fall of civilization in the Middle East and its replacement by Islamic fundamentalism, no place will be safe on earth. September 11 could repeat itself in any other United States city, anytime, anywhere. Go to the origins from which it started: Lebanon, and restore freedom and stability from the fundamentalist handgrip. If so, America, the West, and the Middle East would sleep at peace. President Bush should be aware and cautious of this fact. Prime Minister Sharon is one of the very few leaders who understood the fundamentalist threat from the very beginning and knew how to react to this threat. His problem is the United States Department's interference in Israel's domestic and foreign policies in his campaign of battling terror. This interference provides the advantage to the Islamist who translates this interference as weakness and strikes at Israel with terror. There is no compromise in the fight against terror. There is a winner and there is a looser. It is time to change the rules of politics and give the fight and tools to the professionals. This failed politics is causing a disaster. It is time to say enough after 7,000 casualties in one shock. Enough is enough. |
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