FWD: Why Bin Laden did it

[KXX4493553 at aol.com]

Datum:  26.09.01 08:15:18 (MEZ) - Mitteleurop. Sommerzeit
From:   twintowers at DISCOVERYNET.COM (Twin Towers Educational Productions)
Sender: NETDYNAM at MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU (NetDynam / Network Group Dynamics 
Mailing List)
Reply-to:   NETDYNAM at MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU (NetDynam / Network Group Dynamics 
Mailing List)
To: NETDYNAM at MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU

Hi, this came from my Uncle Mal--wondered what you thought:...and isn't
email incredible?   I would not have gotten this nearly as fast if it were
not for such a creation!

Marlena

Subj:   Sept. 11 - Seeking the Source
Hi
A good friend who is now the DCM in Lithuania but who for 3 years in the
mid-90's was DCM and Acting Ambassador to Tajikistan just sent me this piece
which I thought you might find interesting.

 Love
 Mal
 ----- Original Message -----
 Sent: Monday, September 24, 2001 2:35 PM
 Subject: Sept. 11 - Seeking the Source


 > Since all the other pundits are offering their views,
 > I thought I'd offer mine as well, on issues I don't
 > think are getting the attention they deserve.  I
 > believe one underlying problem is that both the left
 > and the right in America are unduly Americo-centric in
 > their analysis, and assume the target of Sept. 11 was
 > the U.S., and therefore the solution is also with us
 > -- be it changing our Middle East policy or clobbering
 > the bad guys.  I think this misses a couple of key
 > points.
 >
 > First, bin Laden's radicalizing moment had almost
 > nothing to do with U.S. policy toward Israel and the
 > Palestinians, despite frequent op-ed inferences to
 > this effect.  It was the Gulf War, and specifically
 > the introduction of American troops into Saudi Arabia,
 > the Muslim holy land, in 1990, that has been the focus
 > of his rhetoric.  Whatever one's views of that war, it
 > has only a marginal connection with our Israeli
 > policy.  Bin Laden, however, holds to a physical
 > understanding of holiness that is the antithesis of
 > diversity, multiculturalism, tolerance, etc.  In many
 > ways, the target of the Sept. 11 attacks was less the
 > U.S. than Saudi Arabian public opinion, in particular,
 > and Arab opinion in general.  He seeks to become the
 > defining force in the Arab and broader Muslim world,
 > and the strikes against the U.S. give him profile and
 > fame with which to pursue that goal.  He doesn't
 > really seek to defeat the U.S. -- he wants to topple
 > Muslim regimes which do not conform to his view of
 > Islam.
 >
 > Secondly, most Arab regimes, and other Muslim
 > governments, have track records with respect to social
 > and economic progress (to say nothing of political
 > reform) that are little short of abysmal -- Syria,
 > Iraq, Algeria, Yemen, etc.  When Iran is the closest
 > thing to a functioning democracy with some press
 > freedom among Muslim states in the region, something
 > is wrong.  Over the past two or three decades it has
 > been highly convenient for these governments to
 > tolerate astonishing levels of venomous invective and
 > sheer lies about U.S. actions in the region, in order
 > to deflect popular discontent away from actual
 > internal change.  Consult the Arabic press, the Friday
 > sermons, and the Arabic internet chatroomsm and the
 > level of inflammatory disinformation is amazing.   The
 > tolerance of that rhetoric, however, has permitted the
 > development of a radicalized, extremist base, whose
 > immediate goal (returning to my first point) is the
 > toppling of those Arab/Muslim regimes, not of the
 > United States.  Short-term convenience is coming back
 > to haunt.  The Arab and other Muslim regimes need to
 > deal more responsibly and honestly with their own
 > problems, and their own peoples, if Muslim
 > fundamentalism if to be answered on its own turf.  And
 > if it's not answered there, the real victims will end
 > up being the governments and non-extremist Muslims of the Middle East,
because destabilized countries will
 > harm all citizens.
 >
 > Finally, it might be noted that these extremists are
 > not creations of poverty and economic oppression.  As
 > is usually the case with revolutionaries, most come
 > from the educated middle class, with a smattering from
 > the wealthy -- like bin Laden.  The regimes being
 > discussed here are in serious need of social, economic
 > and political reform, but none of them have the
 > poverty of a Brazil, a Mexico City, an India.
 > Whatever is wrong with American foreign policy -- and
 > I certainly don't dispute we're cheap on foreign aid
 > -- it's not convincing to say that these extremists
 > have been created by poverty.
 >
 > Bill Davnie


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