The US today is facing one of its toughest moments. Terror threats, economic woes, ongoing and unsustainable wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Taliban uprising in Pakistan, Al-Qaeda surfacing in Yemen, conflicts between Islamic groups in Somalia providing breeding grounds for future terror threats.
Years ago, one would not think that the US will face such dire situation. That the recent failed airline bomb terror seized so much attention from the nation and spurred actions such as the US demanding every European airport with destination to US to be equipped with body-scanning devices. Years ago, the world did not expect the US to be involved in two wars and its public and politics deeply divided on the issue. The US did not expect 9/11.
9/11 was their day of reckoning and Osama was their saint.
Personally i and i believe many people used to view the US as impregnable and invulnerable, just like the superheroes created in their comic books. That was the times of pre-9/11. But now it seems that it is facing increasing challenges and the prospect is getting dimmer as time goes.
I spent a moment on examining how the US will go through the fight against terrorism, and i think that the terror threat is almost unsolvable. It's a vicious unbreakable cycle that keeps renewing and spreading itself, with no weak chain-link to break. Terrorism is a nemesis, the perfect assymetrical enemy to the US.
I have a few topics that hopefully will be interesting and thoughtful to discuss :
1. Stick
Sticks worked in Iraq and Afghanistan, but as the US is running out of stamina, new threats emerged in Yemen and Somalia.
Military solution works and it is the only effective solution for now, but can the US afford to quell another insurgency militarily? Can it spend and spread itself to exhaustion while other nations are taking up the opportunity and play the politics while the US is tied up militarily?
2. Carrot
Carrot to Pakistan, the reaction is lukewarm at best, Pakistan remains an untrustable and unreliable ally in the fight against Taliban. Does the US needs to remain cozy with everyone and gives out blank cheques to keep the other players hands in their pocket? Is there any other alternatives out there?
3. Terrorism, Islam, and The World
The terrorist is striking at the heart of American people, at where they feel most secure yet weakest, invoking a feeling of insecurity that permeates all level of life. But that is only the face of terrorism. The US is facing an ideological battle similar to their fight against communism. Not that this is a religious crusade, but they are fighting to destroy the life and way of life of American people and their allies, with many ways. The world recently hold a very low opinion of the USA. Obama is playing dove to reappeal to the world. The only European country that remains a steadfast ally is the UK. The US used to earn respect form everyone in the world, which is a rare case nowadays.
Do terrorism and fundamentalism against the US around the world, have a major factor in this change? Are they winning?
How should the US improve its stature back in the world? The people of the world loves Obama, though their leaders hold little value of his words and popularity. Is Obama making a great effort, or will it end up fruitless and futile?
I live in a country that has had a first hand experience from terror threats and attacks. Where the US is not very popular and the seeds of fundamentalism is growing very real. Where half educated people can easily be agitated by their clerics and radicals.
I am curious to understanding what the US is facing today and how the Americans feel about it.
These topics might seems to broad for a single thread. But feel free to reply to any particular questions and/or boil it all down to this question : How do you fight terrorism?
Years ago, one would not think that the US will face such dire situation. That the recent failed airline bomb terror seized so much attention from the nation and spurred actions such as the US demanding every European airport with destination to US to be equipped with body-scanning devices. Years ago, the world did not expect the US to be involved in two wars and its public and politics deeply divided on the issue. The US did not expect 9/11.
9/11 was their day of reckoning and Osama was their saint.
Personally i and i believe many people used to view the US as impregnable and invulnerable, just like the superheroes created in their comic books. That was the times of pre-9/11. But now it seems that it is facing increasing challenges and the prospect is getting dimmer as time goes.
I spent a moment on examining how the US will go through the fight against terrorism, and i think that the terror threat is almost unsolvable. It's a vicious unbreakable cycle that keeps renewing and spreading itself, with no weak chain-link to break. Terrorism is a nemesis, the perfect assymetrical enemy to the US.
I have a few topics that hopefully will be interesting and thoughtful to discuss :
1. Stick
Sticks worked in Iraq and Afghanistan, but as the US is running out of stamina, new threats emerged in Yemen and Somalia.
Military solution works and it is the only effective solution for now, but can the US afford to quell another insurgency militarily? Can it spend and spread itself to exhaustion while other nations are taking up the opportunity and play the politics while the US is tied up militarily?
2. Carrot
Carrot to Pakistan, the reaction is lukewarm at best, Pakistan remains an untrustable and unreliable ally in the fight against Taliban. Does the US needs to remain cozy with everyone and gives out blank cheques to keep the other players hands in their pocket? Is there any other alternatives out there?
3. Terrorism, Islam, and The World
The terrorist is striking at the heart of American people, at where they feel most secure yet weakest, invoking a feeling of insecurity that permeates all level of life. But that is only the face of terrorism. The US is facing an ideological battle similar to their fight against communism. Not that this is a religious crusade, but they are fighting to destroy the life and way of life of American people and their allies, with many ways. The world recently hold a very low opinion of the USA. Obama is playing dove to reappeal to the world. The only European country that remains a steadfast ally is the UK. The US used to earn respect form everyone in the world, which is a rare case nowadays.
Do terrorism and fundamentalism against the US around the world, have a major factor in this change? Are they winning?
How should the US improve its stature back in the world? The people of the world loves Obama, though their leaders hold little value of his words and popularity. Is Obama making a great effort, or will it end up fruitless and futile?
I live in a country that has had a first hand experience from terror threats and attacks. Where the US is not very popular and the seeds of fundamentalism is growing very real. Where half educated people can easily be agitated by their clerics and radicals.
I am curious to understanding what the US is facing today and how the Americans feel about it.
These topics might seems to broad for a single thread. But feel free to reply to any particular questions and/or boil it all down to this question : How do you fight terrorism?
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