After a patient effort to let Afghanistan’s leadership divorce itself from terrorism, the United States has appropriately taken the fight to those behind the murder of thousands of innocent citizens of America and hundreds from other nations.
It is a moment of danger, to be sure. But failure to strike back militarily, as well as financially and diplomatically, had its own certain consequences against an enemy dedicated to killing civilians.
America and its great ally, Britain, have made a choice to take up arms. France will soon join. The response is aimed at military targets, not civilians. It is not the sort of overreaction that Osama bin Laden and his fellow murderers hoped. For Americans who understandably fear being drawn into a trap, it will be important to judge carefully the patience and measured nature of our response now and in the weeks to come.
The Taliban leader knew what they were doing in harboring bin Laden, before September 11 and after September 11. And the Taliban were given ample time to change course. Consider that Pakistan said Sunday that the blame for the fighting rests with the Taliban.
In a prepared Afghani TV tape, bin Laden was threatening and frank about his joy in last month’s terrorist massacres. He will attempt to strike again, but he clearly would have struck more innocents anyway.
It’s not yet clear — nor need it be — what our military strategy may involve. There is no reason to believe a quick knockout blow is possible, but a well-planned campaign should be successful. But it will certainly involve both American casualties and some unlucky civilian bystanders in Afghanistan.
On the diplomatic front, the United States must continue its longstanding efforts to bring about peace between Palestine and Israel. At the same time, the administration must do what it can to ease other concerns among peace-loving Islamic nations.
Americans, however, cannot allow themselves or their international friends to be deluded by the easy Middle East mythology about our lack of empathy for — or even crimes against — their region and its concerns. The record is clear: America sided with Muslims in Bosnia, Kosovo and the Afghan fight for freedom from the former Soviet Union. But we aren’t perfect or superhuman. As questionable as sanctions on Iraq may be, the tragic condition of Iraq’s civilian population cannot honestly be viewed as more an American responsibility than one of Saddam Hussein’s and his followers.
Most of the world understands this. As former Clinton security adviser Sandy Berger said Sunday, the world’s support, including strongly worded United Nations’ resolutions and NATO backing, have given America "a capacity and a moral authority we never had before" to pursue bin Laden and his criminal followers.
It is important that the president also launched humanitarian drops of food and medicine along with the bombing campaign. The United States does not seek war with Afghanistan’s people, and it must not seek to enlarge military operations beyond what is necessary for our self-defense. The great need remains what it was before September 11: peace, respect and opportunity for all those who are willing to live together on this Earth.
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