FWD: Why Bin Laden did it

[David Morris]

Kurt,

Thank you for this forwarded analysis from mal's uncle Bill Davnie.  I think 
it is right on the money.

David Morris

>  ----- 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
>
>
>Kurt-Werner Pörtner
>


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