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The Guardian      September 13, 2001
They can't see why they are hated
Americans cannot ignore what their government does abroad

By Seumas Milne

Nearly two days after the horrific suicide attacks on civilian workers =
in
New York and Washington, it has become painfully clear that most
 Americans simply don't get it. From the president to passersby on  the
streets, the message seems to be the same: this is an inexplicable =
assault
on freedom and democracy, which must be answered with overwhelming force =
-
just  as soon as someone can construct a credible account of who was
actually responsible.

 Shock, rage and grief there has been aplenty. But any glimmer of
recognition of why people might  have been driven to carry out such
 atrocities, sacrificing their own lives in the process - or why the  =
United
States is hated with such bitterness, not only in Arab and Muslim
countries, but across the developing world - seems almost entirely =
absent.
Perhaps  it is too much to hope that,  as rescue workers struggle to =
pull
firefighters from the rubble, any but a small minority might make  the
connection between what has been visited upon them and what their =
government
has visited upon large parts of the world.

But make that connection they must, if such tragedies are not to be
repeated, potentially with even more devastating consequences. US
political leaders are doing their people no favours by reinforcing =
popular
ignorance with self-referential rhetoric. And the echoing chorus of
Tony Blair, whose determination to bind Britain ever closer to US =
foreign
policy  ratchets up the threat to our own cities, will only fuel
anti-western sentiment. So will calls for the defense of "civilisation",
with its overtones of  Samuel Huntington's poisonous theories of =
post-cold
war confrontation between the west and Islam, heightening perceptions of
racism and hypocrisy. As Mahatma Gandhi famously remarked when asked his
opinion of western civilisation, it would be a good idea. Since George
Bush's father inaugurated his new world order a decade ago, the US,
supported by its British ally, bestrides the world like a colossus.
Unconstrained by any superpower rival or system of global governance, =
the US
giant has rewritten the global financial and trading system in its own
interest; ripped up a string of treaties it finds inconvenient; sent =
troops
to every corner of the globe; bombed Afghanistan, Sudan, Yugoslavia and =
Iraq
without  troubling the United Nations; maintained a string of murderous
embargos against recalcitrant regimes; and recklessly thrown its weight
behind Israel's 34-year illegal military occupation of the West Bank and
Gaza as the Palestinian intifada rages.

 If, as yesterday's Wall Street Journal insisted, the east coast carnage =
was
the fruit of the Clinton administration's Munich-like appeasement of the
Palestinians, the mind boggles as to what US Republicans imagine to be a
Churchillian response.

It is this record of unabashed national egotism and arrogance that =
drives
anti-Americanism among swaths of the world's population, for  whom there =
is
little democracy in the current distribution of global wealth and  =
power. If
it turns out that Tuesday's attacks were the work of Osama in Laden's
supporters, the sense that the Americans are once again reaping a =
dragons'
teeth harvest they themselves sowed will be overwhelming.

 It was the Americans, after all, who poured resources into the 1980s =
war
against the Soviet-backed regime in Kabul, at a time when girls could go =
to
school and women to work. Bin Laden and his mojahedin were armed and =
trained
by the CIA and MI6, as Afghanistan was turned into a
wasteland and its communist leader Najibullah left hanging from a Kabul =
lamp
post with his genitals stuffed in his mouth.

 But by then Bin Laden had turned against his American sponsors, while
US-sponsored Pakistani intelligence had spawned the grotesque Taliban =
now
protecting him. To punish its wayward Afghan offspring, the US =
subsequently
forced through a sanctions regime which has helped push 4 million to the
brink of starvation, according to the latest UN figures, while Afghan
refugees fan out across the world.

All this must doubtless seem remote to Americans desperately searching =
the
debris of what is expected to be the largest-ever massacre on US
soil - as must the killings of yet more Palestinians in the West Bank
yesterday, or even the 2 million estimated to have died in Congo's wars
since the overthrow of the US-backed Mobutu regime. "What could some
political thing  have to do with blowing up office buildings during =
working
hours?" one bewildered New Yorker asked yesterday.

 Already, the Bush administration is assembling an international =
coalition
for an Israeli-style war against terrorism, as if such
counter-productive acts of outrage had an existence separate from  the
social conditions out of which they arise. But for every "terror =
network"
that is rooted out, another will emerge - until the injustices and
inequalities that produce them are addressed.

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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" =
size=3D3>The=20
Guardian      September 13, 2001<BR>They can't =
see why=20
they are hated<BR>Americans cannot ignore what their government does=20
abroad<BR><BR><BR>By Seumas Milne<BR><BR>Nearly two days after the =
horrific=20
suicide attacks on civilian workers in<BR>New York and Washington, it =
has become=20
painfully clear that most<BR> Americans simply don't get it. From =
the=20
president to passersby on  the<BR>streets, the message seems to be =
the=20
same: this is an inexplicable assault<BR>on freedom and democracy, which =
must be=20
answered with overwhelming force -<BR>just  as soon as someone can=20
construct a credible account of who was<BR>actually=20
responsible.<BR><BR> Shock, rage and grief there has been aplenty. =
But any=20
glimmer of<BR>recognition of why people might  have been driven to =
carry=20
out such<BR> atrocities, sacrificing their own lives in the process =
- or=20
why the  United<BR>States is hated with such bitterness, not only =
in Arab=20
and Muslim<BR>countries, but across the developing world - seems almost =
entirely=20
absent.<BR>Perhaps  it is too much to hope that,  as rescue =
workers=20
struggle to pull<BR>firefighters from the rubble, any but a small =
minority might=20
make  the<BR>connection between what has been visited upon them and =
what=20
their government<BR>has visited upon large parts of the =
world.<BR><BR>But make=20
that connection they must, if such tragedies are not to be<BR>repeated,=20
potentially with even more devastating consequences. US<BR>political =
leaders are=20
doing their people no favours by reinforcing popular<BR>ignorance with=20
self-referential rhetoric. And the echoing chorus of<BR>Tony Blair, =
whose=20
determination to bind Britain ever closer to US foreign<BR>policy  =
ratchets=20
up the threat to our own cities, will only fuel<BR>anti-western =
sentiment. So=20
will calls for the defense of "civilisation",<BR>with its overtones =
of =20
Samuel Huntington's poisonous theories of post-cold<BR>war confrontation =
between=20
the west and Islam, heightening perceptions of<BR>racism and hypocrisy. =
As=20
Mahatma Gandhi famously remarked when asked his<BR>opinion of western=20
civilisation, it would be a good idea. Since George<BR>Bush's father =
inaugurated=20
his new world order a decade ago, the US,<BR>supported by its British =
ally,=20
bestrides the world like a colossus.<BR>Unconstrained by any superpower =
rival or=20
system of global governance, the US<BR>giant has rewritten the global =
financial=20
and trading system in its own<BR>interest; ripped up a string of =
treaties it=20
finds inconvenient; sent troops<BR>to every corner of the globe; bombed=20
Afghanistan, Sudan, Yugoslavia and Iraq<BR>without  troubling the =
United=20
Nations; maintained a string of murderous<BR>embargos against =
recalcitrant=20
regimes; and recklessly thrown its weight<BR>behind Israel's 34-year =
illegal=20
military occupation of the West Bank and<BR>Gaza as the Palestinian =
intifada=20
rages.<BR><BR> If, as yesterday's Wall Street Journal insisted, the =
east=20
coast carnage was<BR>the fruit of the Clinton administration's =
Munich-like=20
appeasement of the<BR>Palestinians, the mind boggles as to what US =
Republicans=20
imagine to be a<BR>Churchillian response.<BR><BR>It is this record of =
unabashed=20
national egotism and arrogance that drives<BR>anti-Americanism among =
swaths of=20
the world's population, for  whom there is<BR>little democracy in =
the=20
current distribution of global wealth and  power. If<BR>it turns =
out that=20
Tuesday's attacks were the work of Osama in Laden's<BR>supporters, the =
sense=20
that the Americans are once again reaping a dragons'<BR>teeth harvest =
they=20
themselves sowed will be overwhelming.<BR><BR> It was the =
Americans, after=20
all, who poured resources into the 1980s war<BR>against the =
Soviet-backed regime=20
in Kabul, at a time when girls could go to<BR>school and women to work. =
Bin=20
Laden and his mojahedin were armed and trained<BR>by the CIA and MI6, as =

Afghanistan was turned into a wasteland and its communist leader =
Najibullah=20
left hanging from a Kabul lamp post with his genitals stuffed in his=20
mouth.  But by then Bin Laden had turned against his =
American=20
sponsors, while US-sponsored Pakistani intelligence had spawned the =
grotesque=20
Taliban now protecting him. To punish its wayward Afghan offspring, =
the US=20
subsequently forced through a sanctions regime which has helped push =
4=20
million to the brink of starvation, according to the latest UN =
figures, while=20
Afghan refugees fan out across the world. All this must =
doubtless seem=20
remote to Americans desperately searching the debris of what is =
expected to=20
be the largest-ever massacre on US soil - as must the killings of yet =
more=20
Palestinians in the West Bank yesterday, or even the 2 million =
estimated to=20
have died in Congo's wars since the overthrow of the US-backed Mobutu =
regime.=20
"What could some political thing  have to do with blowing up =
office=20
buildings during working hours?" one bewildered New Yorker asked=20
yesterday.  Already, the Bush administration is assembling =
an=20
international coalition for an Israeli-style war against terrorism, =
as if=20
such counter-productive acts of outrage had an existence separate =
from =20
the social conditions out of which they arise. But for every "terror=20
network" that is rooted out, another will emerge - until the =
injustices=20
and inequalities that produce them are=20
addressed. </DIV></BODY></HTML>

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