America Strikes Back

This past Sunday, the United States and the new coalition of 80 nations of all the world’s religions began the counterattack against Osama bin Laden and his al-Qa’ida network. For the rest of our lives, the images of those hellish attacks that fateful morning of September 11, 2001, causing the loss of thousands of innocent lives in the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, The Pentagon, and the four hijacked planes will remain embedded in our mind’s eye. The world economy is suffering and our confidence is shaken. A severe blow has been dealt to the world we have known and loved but few of us have ever really appreciated.

While Americans compose less than ten per cent of the world’s population, our tradition of hard work and resourcefulness creates a lot of wealth. This enables us to consume about one third of all the goods and services produced in the world. Let’s face it: there are a lot of people around the world who do not share, much less, appreciate our high standard of living. Only a glimpse at the news will show you who throws stones and burns U.S. flags. It’s a fact that there are people who hate us. We have “It” and they don’t.

Who Is This Enemy?

The terrorists are not, as many of us would like to believe, mentally deranged fanatics. They are ferocious, intelligent and completely dedicated to their cause: to return the world to the 7th Century at all costs. You may recall from your history classes that in Europe, this period was known as The Dark Ages. However, in the Middle East, following the death of Mohammed in 632, Islam became ascendant and spread very quickly to all parts of the world. Rome was repeatedly plundered and the Popes were constantly besieged in their own fortress of St. Angelo. It took four hundred years of Crusades, wars and divisions within Islam before the balance of power evened out.

But the Golden Era of Islam was over for those extremists who (like these present day terrorists) dreamt that the best way of getting to paradise was to kill “infidels.” Given the urgent need for security measures to protect us from further attacks, many of the freedoms we have enjoyed (and taken for granted) will probably disappear. If we ever want to get our freedoms back, we must understand that this war will be won or lost by you and me - the citizens of the United States - not the politicians, not the diplomats nor even the military. We are all entering a period of long, deadly struggle for our very survival whether we accept it or not.

Not a “Random Act”

The main thing for us to keep in mind is that September 11th was not a random act of violence. It was a well planned and executed military action incorporating the most basic principles of warfare: surprise, security and simplicity. We’ve all heard about the importance of moral conviction in battle. From the Revolution through WW II, Americans had morale conviction in our wars.

General George S. Patton, one of our most revered combat commanders, maintained that moral conviction in battle was five times more important than physical strength. Since Korea, we appear to have been lacking in moral conviction, from our national leaders all the way down to our GI’s on the front lines. The events of September 11th prove our enemies are not only willing but determined to die for their cause, taking the concept of “moral conviction” to the extreme of suicide and martyrdom.

How Can We Win?

The question is: how do we combat and defeat this enigma of an enemy? While Osama bin Laden’s al-Qa’ida network has been planning, training and carrying out many successful terrorist operations against the modern world for many years: Pan Am 03 at Locherbie, U.S. Embassies in Kenya, Tanzania, Paris, the USS Cole, and other suicide bombings. In spite of these warnings, we have practically diddled away the time, ignoring many signals from the intelligence, police and military community. We have been arrogant, overly proud and downright silly to call ourselves the world’s only superpower. We’ve all heard that this is a different kind of enemy. Unfortunately, our conventional and nuclear military power actually places us at a disadvantage with this type of enemy who works against us from the shadows of the world. If we are to be successful in this war, we will need cooperation and coordination of the intelligence, military, police, legal, financial and psychological resources of the modern world.

Are We Patient Enough?

Are we patient enough to deal with this war of nerves? Most of us lose our temper over the most trivial daily inconveniences: that little car blocking our big, powerful SUV, the screaming baby on the plane, the long lines at increased security checkpoints, today’s declining stock market.

Our enemy patiently prepared for the attacks on September 11th for over than a year. They lived among us as neighbors in places like Vienna, VA and Laurel, MD. They planned the deliberate murder of thousands of innocents in total secrecy and isolation. In the past, frenzies of flag waving “patriotism” have degenerated to complaining and marching to “Stop the War”. Do we have what it takes to win this one? I say Yes, we do! Sure, we are looking at a long, grinding war full of inconveniences and discomforts. Toss in some agony along the way, too, because this foe won’t quit until either they or we no longer exist. It boils down to whether you and I will stand up for what is right and good for us and our generations to come, no matter what.

Bio Note: Georgetowner Fred Hubig is the founder of The Georgetown Center for Living History. He is a former Green Beret and State Department official who served the United States in covert and overt operations in South America, Asia and Africa.