One of the reasons I'm so frequently on the fence regarding the various fights/debates/whathaveyou among the fanfic community is that I can see the situation from all angles. I realise this now, sitting here quietly and trying to come up with my response to the terrorist attacks in the US, and finding my reactions mixed. I'm feeling with my heart, but I'm also thinking with my head - and it's a combination that's generating more than a little conflict.
From the head: I have to agree, partly with Andraste - the attacks were shocking, but not surprising. It can't be denied that the US attitude towards the Middle East, and their handling of issues there, has earned them enemies. Enemies with not only a political cause, but a religious one. There was bound to be some kind of reprisal for the Cruise missle attacks against bin Laden - the only question was how bad it was going to be.
I don't think anyone could have anticipated just how bad it turned out being.
War is not the answer. You can't declare war against an individual, or even an organisation, and expect justice to be done. War will only perpetuate the violence, because even if bin Laden and his faction are wiped out, there will be another to take his place. And in the process, innumberable innocents - even opponents of bin Laden and the Taliban - will suffer, much as the war and subsequent sanctions against Iraq have caused suffering to innocents and opponents. You could argue that the sanctions only consolidated Sadam Hussein's standing in Iraq, as his people suffered and were provided with a clear enemy to blame - the United States. Much in the same way Hussein himself became Evil incarnate during the Gulf War.
And while the case against bin Laden is building, let's not forget the early days after the Oklahoma bombing. Arabs and bin Laden were blamed then, and the actual culprit turned out to be an American. The anger and grief being felt by the US should not become an excuse for quick adn careless blame, and unjust reprisal. Let the evidence be gathered, the case built, a trial held. Let the crimes that the terrorists are accused of be displayed to the entire world, let the repercussions become clear to their followers. Military action is too easily turned into a political tool. A trial, such as the trial of Ivan Milosevich for crimes committed during the Balkans war, with irrefutable evidence and the chance for a defence case, will illustrate far more so the wrong that was done.
And then perhaps steps can be taken to address the cause of the problem. Terrorism is the symptom - the Troubles and the IRA war of terrorism against Britain should be an example of that - and while it can never be condoned, it should be seen as part of a bigger picture. This isn't a war against Evil - it's a group of fanatics fighting for what they believe is a rigteous cause, against a legitimate foe. There must be a reason. And a solution.
From the heart: The unending television coverage just makes me heartsick. Just when I think I've regained my perspective, established some distance, there's another story, another moment of sheer heartbreak. I feel for my friends in the States, who have never even contemplated anything like this, and so are finding they have no way to deal with it. I feel guilt, that I don't feel as they do, safe and sound as I am in my far distant country. I want to be there for them, to offer hugs and support and quiet, practical help. I mourn the loss of life, and the waste of so much potential, and I fear that this is the beginning of a darker age, a time of fear.
***
I grew up during the Reagan years, when the conflict between the States and the USSR was at its highest and it seemed entirely likely that nuclear war would be the only result. I remember learning about the effects of a nuclear bomb drop would be, of how long you might expect to survive, having nightmares about it and writing doomsday scenarios in my English classes. I remember the relief I felt with the coming of Galsnost, and Gorbechev, and the removal of Reagan, who frankly scared the willies out of me. I remember feeling like the world had been given a second chance to prove it wasn't so bad after all.
The events over the past couple of days fill me with fear, and anger, and concern. And sadness. I remember the words spoken at the dawn service in Melbourne, this ANZAC Day just gone, about how we now have a generation that has never had to go to war.
I hope that this remains so.
***
I apologise to anyone I might have offended with this post, but this is what I think, what I feel. I see all sides (or a lot of them, anyway) of a situation - my mind refuses to work with the generalisations and simplifications the media has been subjecting us to 24/7. It doesn't mean I don't feel for othe victims, for their families, for the pain and suffering I've had blasted at me wherever I go. It doesn't mean I don't care for my friends.
It's just how I am.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
