War on Terror Continued:
It was only a matter of time before another terrorist attack occurred on Western soil. Once again, just like the 9/11 attacks, the Madrid bombings, and the previous WTC bombing, conventional weapons devastated a city. Hopefully this new attack will be the wake-up call to our Administration to increase funding for our Homeland Security to secure our ports, mass transit systems, etc.
A closer look at the crisis in our Homeland Security Department can be found in Fred Kaplan's Slate article.
In addition to securing our homeland from future attacks, this attack should be a wakeup call to people advocating a quick pullout from Iraq. It is a fallacy to believe that our current occupation of Iraq is the cause of terrorist attacks. While it is very true that terrorist attacks since the occupation have greatly increased a quick pullout will not have the effect of placating our enemies. Our retreat would create a power vacuum with a weak and infant Iraqi government, which would come under the influence of either the fundamentalist Iranian government or internal extremist groups.
The situation in Iraq is not comparable at this point to Vietnam. In Iraq the possible benefits to maintaining the occupation outweigh the negatives. Creating a stable, strong, and free Iraqi government is crucial in this stage of the war on terror. Without America's assistance the limited gains we have made so far in Iraq will vanish leaving chaos and; consequently, a breeding ground for terrorists. The war was a mistake. Saddam posed little threat to America. No WMD were found or will be found. Saddam had no connection with 9/11 attacks. But this does not mean that we cannot turn a horrible mistake into a positive. We must stay the course.
A closer look at the crisis in our Homeland Security Department can be found in Fred Kaplan's Slate article.
In addition to securing our homeland from future attacks, this attack should be a wakeup call to people advocating a quick pullout from Iraq. It is a fallacy to believe that our current occupation of Iraq is the cause of terrorist attacks. While it is very true that terrorist attacks since the occupation have greatly increased a quick pullout will not have the effect of placating our enemies. Our retreat would create a power vacuum with a weak and infant Iraqi government, which would come under the influence of either the fundamentalist Iranian government or internal extremist groups.
The situation in Iraq is not comparable at this point to Vietnam. In Iraq the possible benefits to maintaining the occupation outweigh the negatives. Creating a stable, strong, and free Iraqi government is crucial in this stage of the war on terror. Without America's assistance the limited gains we have made so far in Iraq will vanish leaving chaos and; consequently, a breeding ground for terrorists. The war was a mistake. Saddam posed little threat to America. No WMD were found or will be found. Saddam had no connection with 9/11 attacks. But this does not mean that we cannot turn a horrible mistake into a positive. We must stay the course.
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