Quote
“Revenge is the easy way out, but it doesn’t do the vengeful person any good. Revenge just perpetuates a cycle. I don’t want revenge, I want healing.” Rachel North, survivor of the 7/7 bombings in London
“Revenge is the easy way out, but it doesn’t do the vengeful person any good. Revenge just perpetuates a cycle. I don’t want revenge, I want healing.” Rachel North, survivor of the 7/7 bombings in London
News
The 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks has filled much column space and air time in the media this week. These range from personal recollections of people caught up in the horrific events of that cloudless morning, to debates on the outcomes of military intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The invasions and regime change in these two countries were part of what George Bush dubbed the “war on terror”. The 9/11 attacks were seen as security issues; only a military response could guarantee the safety of America and its Western allies. This set the tone for the decade ahead.
How effective has that response been? It has succeeded in preventing any further attacks on American soil, which was its foremost objective; however, Al Qaeda bombs have taken many more civilian lives in Bali, Madrid, London, Amman and other cities across the Middle East and Asia, especially in Iraq.
Major investments in security and surveillance technology at airports and borders have caught a number of would-be terrorists, but the average American or European does not feel much more secure than ten years ago. In part this is due to the rise in fear and suspicion of Muslims in general, compounded by the way that military, religious and political issues have been conflated over the decade.
What of the cost? The post 9/11 wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq have cost 225,000 lives (of which 31,000 were military personnel and their contractors), and $4 trillion has been spent by America alone. This is 100 times more than the $43.4 billion spent by the US on official development assistance to those three countries over the same period.
Every country has a right to defend itself, by force if necessary. But the use of force over the long term to tackle underlying tension usually ends up exchanging one set of problems for another, and is hugely expensive in economic and relational terms.
Looking ahead, the threat of terrorism can be viewed as a security issue or a relational issue. If the resources spent on trying to make the post 9/11 world safer could lean more on the relational side of the equation (e.g. educating people on the difference between moderate and radical Islam, promoting Christian-Muslim dialogue, or investing more in the development of some of the poorest Muslim countries), then a more sustainable peace could be built – between nations and between ordinary people alike.
Read on...
A panel discussion at Harvard on Tuesday agreed that the 10th anniversary of 9/11 is an opportunity for the US to move away from a military-driven response to a policy built on “diplomacy, outreach and persuasion”. Read a report on the discussion here.
Walk the talk
Using threats and even force at home or work can sometimes bring about compliance in the short term, but at the lasting expense of trust, respect and understanding. Are there any on-going tensions that would benefit from patience and careful listening on your part?
The last word
From the Bible, Proverbs 15, verse 1: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
From the Bible, Proverbs 15, verse 1: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
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