If you accept this argument, then identifying those with whom we are allied is simple and straightforward: Our allies are those who do not accept murder, terrorism and assassination as valid political discourse.

Our enemies are all persons involved in causing the death of others--either actively or from a consciously passive posture--for political, nationalistic or economic ends. If Osama bin Laden ordered the deaths of the Americans in the tragedy of September 11, then he is The Enemy. If our agents caused the deaths of innocent Kurds, Panamanians or Guatemalans, then they are The Enemy. We can't have it one way and not the other. We can't say that an American life is worth more than a Sudanese life. We can't condone the violent actions of our armies and secret police if we condemn the actions of others who use violence, torture and intimidation to obtain their ends.

Human life is sacred. We African-Americans know what it is like to be treated as less than human, as inferior to our white counterparts. We know the extent of abuse that can be heaped upon people because they are not seen as part of the human race. How can we stand by as our nation, while claiming peaceful intentions, wages war on people who may not have played any part in the crimes against us?

Even if we condone military actions, we might at least claim some culpability for the havoc visited upon a mostly innocent population. The death of innocent children is not "collateral damage." The wartime death of children is the murder of innocents. And if we commit these murders, then we are also The Enemy of civilization.

This is a tough argument, because it runs against the grain of present-day American nationalism and fear. America has clearly identified its enemies. They are mostly the dusky-skinned or black zealots of the Islamic religion. They are almost all Arabic and, coincidentally, they sit on some of the greatest oil reserves in the world today. We believe they are a threat because their religion is different from that of most Americans, because their religion is the fastest-growing faith in the world today, because their population tops the billion mark and because many millions of this billion hate us.

That hatred, we believe, has led to terrorist attacks on us and our allies. Maybe this is true. Maybe their hatred is being expressed in religious terms. Maybe there are even those who believe in the sanctity of their violent acts against us. But the gods are put in place to protect their acolytes. If Middle Eastern religions speak out against America, I doubt that it is because our women don't cover their faces or that we practice another religion. They have been pressed into poverty and ruled by the whims of the almighty dollar; the cult of hatred against us is founded (I believe) in capitalism, not upon ancient texts or cultural differences. We Americans are seen as economic invaders who attempt to control everything that many people elsewhere in the world see as sacred.

The Middle Eastern populations are our neighbors, our fellow human beings. It is paramount that we make peace with them if it is at all possible. And not peace on our terms, but a just and equitable peace.

In order to do this, we have to look beyond the TV shows and the newspapers, past our fears and doubts. We must redefine our notion of The Enemy, taking into account the role and actions of our own political and economic systems.

The entrance of the United States into the global struggle, which includes terrorism, has caused some permanent changes in our national psyche. One of these changes is the dawning realization that we are hated by so many people in the world at large.

• « Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• Next »

• Get The Nation at home (and online!) for 75 cents a week!
• If you like this article, consider making a donation to The Nation.