From Ben James: Should we forget 9/11?

Hello all. I’m Ben James and I’m from Monticello Minnesota transferring to Brown from Suffolk University in Boston. I’ve stuck with International Relations as my major/concentration since my senior year in high school and am currently considering a double major with IR and Middle East studies or Philosophy. I plan on pursuing the global security track within my major. I am very happy with my decision to study International Relations because quite simply I believe the most important issues for humanity are best analyzed with an understanding of both global politics and of the world’s increasingly interconnected cultures. Everything that is important to everyone and much that is important to many is either directly or indirectly addressed when studying International Relations. This class seems apt for someone, like myself, who wants to better understand both the underlying fundamentals and the contentious topics of International Relations theory.

I love the question should we forget 9/11 because at first it sounds like such an absurd question that shouldn’t be entertained, but we are simultaneously inclined to wonder why someone would ask it in the first place. That’s an indication we may gain something very important from considering it. It of course would be deplorable and indeed unwarranted to abandon sentiments of sadness for those who perished on 9/11. Furthermore it is unlikely and (perhaps) uncalled for to discard feelings of anger for those who carried out those atrocities. However I am convinced Americans by and large have come to replace those emotions with widespread fear, distrust and animosity towards larger groups of people who largely or wholly had nothing to do with terrorist acts against the U.S. Acting (ostensibly) in accordance with those ill feelings the American government has not only expanded its military presence to two nations where it has a vested national interest, but it has curtailed American citizen’s civil liberties. This argument has been made before and tends to divide people more or less along “party lines”. I believe this results from a misunderstanding (or lack of understanding) of the larger issue.

The truth is Osama bin Laden and the terrorist network he heads was and is a threat to American security. That complicated network is also a threat to people and states across the world who do not share their ideology. Accordingly the United States should have, and to an extent did, act in concert with many other nations. But the U.S. was the known hegemonic actor and its leading of the invasion was accepted at least in part for regrets of 9/11. The Taliban needed to be replaced with a legitimate government, Bin Laden needs to be brought to justice and al-Qaeda must be completely dismantled; but in the process of achieving those ends basic human rights must be secured, i.e. the maintenance of food supplies for the starving and general concern for civilian welfare. In the invasion of Afghanistan the American public thoughtlessly dismissed both in lieu of vindicating 9/11. This is just one example, obviously parallel issues apply for the U.S. decision to invade Iraq, U.S. operations in Iraq and the limitations of domestic civil liberties. I maintain that we (residents of America) have succumbed to replacing justifiable outrage at a select few for an indiscriminate hostility towards large groups of people. This replacement is evidentially dangerous for the global community as it can be and has been abused to further agendas deserving of critical scrutiny. It is apparent that if this is the only memory we are capable of having for 9/11 everyone would be better off if we did indeed forget.

Posted by Matrix Admin on September 20, 2007 09:01 AM | Permalink

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