JOSE LUIS Rodriguez Zapatero, Spain's new prime minister-elect, announced yesterday that Spanish troops will be withdrawn from Iraq over the next few months. The move comes less than one week after a series of horrific train bombings killed more than 200 people in Madrid. In addition, the bombings, originally thought to be the work of the Basque separatist group ETA, now appear more and more to be the work of al Qaeda.Essentially the new Spanish government has given al Qaeda exactly what they wanted: a Spanish pull-out from Iraq and a tacit admission that the attacks represented punishment from al Qaeda for supporting the Bush administration in the war on terror. The whole episode further demonstrates the growing and disturbing trend of worldwide apathy toward terrorism and terrorist groups.
The so-called "Bush Doctrine" states simply that the world is divided between forces of good and forces of evil in the world, and either you're with us or with the terrorists. Criticism at home and abroad of this policy has been sharp, and many might hope to take some middle ground or compromise between two such starkly different positions. However, there is no gray zone on such an issue; the stakes are too high. You can't negotiate with terrorists, you can't reason with terrorists. Their one overriding goal is to try and destroy our way of life and the rest of the world needs to wake up and smell the roses.
Many of the governments of Europe, including several of those who opposed U.S. action in Iraq, are aging, socialist institutions stripped of their defense capabilities of the 20th century. What concern should they have for a dictator a continent away, a bombing on the other side of the world or a worldwide terrorist network responsible for the deaths of thousands? The president rightfully noted in the days after Sept. 11 that our nation saw evil. Those planes didn't fly into the Eiffel Tower or the Brandenburg Gate. Yes, citizens from across the globe perished in those terrorist attacks, but the onus was placed on the United States to lead the fight against terrorism, to ensure such a day would never happen again.
Just last week, the Bush campaign received criticism for airing ads referencing Sept. 11. Putting aside partisan bickering, the campaign was right in bringing up Sept. 11, a generation-defining event, to remind the public that, contrary to popular belief, the war on terror continues. For more than two and half years, a steady campaign mixing intelligence, force on both large and small scale and most importantly, commitment has resulted in the systematic demise of thousands of terrorists, their groups and in some cases, the regimes that harbor them.
The campaign to rid the world of terrorism, unfortunately, is far from over. As is evident in Spain, Iraq and Israel in the past week, terrorism continues to threaten democracy and free people across the globe. Osama bin Laden remains on the loose, and al Qaeda is far from finished. For these reasons and others the fight must continue, even in the face of certain future terrorist acts.
The difficulty in winning the war against terrorism comes mainly from the nature of the enemy. The enemy is small in numbers and physically unimposing compared with foes of the past. But the decisive difference is that the enemy of today -- terrorists -- are irrational, caring more about killing others than their own lives. Couple this irrationality and a desire to kill with the organization, training and financing many terrorist networks have and the threat multiples exponentially. So while terrorists are unlikely to wage a massive conventional assault on any nation, in some cases, their psychologically and economically devastating strikes can do even more damage.
The post-Sept. 11 world is undoubtedly a scary place, especially for foreigners. To them, the United States is run amok, carrying out unilateral invasions and special operations across the globe and generally scaring the hell out of any country not on our side. But it's safe to say, though, that the campaign against terrorism has demonstrated to the world that we mean business this time and there is no middle ground between the forces of good and evil in conflict across the world. To those who find this abhorrent, who worry about our standing in the international community or the role of the United States in the 21 century: They'll like us when we win.
Joe Schilling's column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at jschilling@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
PATEL: Personal development courses support students beyond the gradebook
By Heer Patel | 3 days agoThe University must rethink its approach to education beyond traditional major-specific requirements and mandate personal development courses.
EDITORIAL: Commercialization threatens U.Va.’s educational mission
By Editorial Board | 4 days agoAfter all, measuring the University’s worth in terms of accrued capital, operational efficiency and numerical rankings molds this space into just another cookie-cutter institution.
YOUNIS: Why every U.Va. student should say yes to English
By Ayat Younis | January 9, 2025Every student at the University, regardless of their primary field of study, can professionally and academically benefit from engaging with the English department.
