Should we forget 9/11?My name is Jerry Choi, and I am originally from Hong Kong. I am a freshman and undecided as to what I would like to concentrate in just yet. I have taken INTL1350 because I think it will give me an opportunity to look at something that I’ve always been interested in: the interactions between states, their tendencies and behavior. These issues have perhaps played less of a central figure in other disciplines. They are, nevertheless, significant and deserve further exploration than just the short mention in the “background information” section of a History book or the brief paragraphs in Religious Studies texts which outline the basics of a millennia-long feud on conflict due to faith. The one thing I really want to know is: why do, or why don’t, people get along? I don’t believe “we” should forget 9/11. Rather, I think the retaliatory and aggressive stance that the government took in 2001 has somewhat pushed the country in the wrong direction (in terms of our attempt to end the potential threat of aggression against the US by foreign bodies). I don’t believe that the current War on Terror is a constructive approach, nor is it an effective means to the end of eliminating terrorism. That does not mean, however, that 9/11 should not be a reminder as to “how we got it wrong”. Like Vietnam and other 'painful' affairs that America has experienced in the past, we should use 9/11 as a point of a reflection; as tragic an event it may be, it is necessary to consider whether or not we are moving forward in guaranteeing state security. Posted by Jerry Choi on September 17, 2007 10:06 PM | Permalink |
