Remembering 9/11: The Need for Expanded Dialogue

I wonder why I vividly remember the events from eight years ago. Maybe it is because that event has a meaning that reaches across time. September 11, 2001. The skyscrapers that signified America’s prosperity, The World Trade Center, crumbling like sugar pastry. The inner citadel of the world’s most powerful military, The Pentagon, ablaze.

In response to this lewd and cowardly challenge, the Bush administration began its offensive in Afghanistan the next month. In 2003, it started the Iraq War. This sequence of military offensives has great significance today, even if the world is still under the threat of terror.

However, a great amount of work to do was left behind for the next administration. The Bush administration’s stubborn posture increased anti-American sentiment in the world, particularly in the Islamic sphere. The situation with America’s allies became worse than in the pre-9/11 days. The question was, “How could America break out of the paradox of overprotecting itself without exposing itself to danger?”

Quickly after his inauguration, President Obama declared that he would close Guantanamo Bay, the embodiment of Islamic hate, and formally ban cruel interrogation methods like water torture. At his Cairo speech, he showed his strong desire for harmony with the Islamic world.

By ceasing to use the terminology, “The War on Terror,” and by establishing the itinerary for withdrawal from Iraq, the Obama administration has drastically altered the policies of the former administration. To the world, this was refreshing, like throwing open a window in a room that has become suffocating. At any rate, I appreciate that.

But what concerns me is the bogged down state of affairs in Afghanistan. Over there, President Obama’s main military goal is to “protect the American people.” But while the Taliban has been making a comeback, U.S. bombings have been causing civilian casualties. Anti-American sentiment is rising.

Add the chaos of the presidential elections to those problems. Japan has sent a total of roughly 200 billion yen in aid to Afghanistan since 2001, and up to 5 billion yen in presidential election aid. In spite of that, there have been many complaints of election fraud and corruption. One cannot help but be discouraged.

There are allies such as Canada, which has lost more than 110 service members in Afghanistan since 2002. America’s allies are bearing great losses to support the U.S. I understand the Obama administration’s assertion that Afghanistan is important, but I think it should thoroughly assess its reasons for fighting and its strategy.

In summary, I want to point this out. In 1979, the Afghan insurgents who fought the Soviet Union were admired by America and other countries as Islam’s holy warriors. Now, can those insurgents, who are now probably fighting the American “occupation,” really be called “terrorists?” There should be more extensive dialogue to increase support and ascertain who the true enemies are. It goes without saying that whatever happens in Afghanistan will have an effect on the rest of the world.