10/20/01 15:22:41

Comments:

Jason,

Glad to know we're on the same page. "McCulture" wasn't intended as a slur; I just thought it was a handy way to encapsulate the most recognizable aspects of America without being long-winded. As to the idea of using the Northern Alliance to our own ends and then dropping them, well, that's exactly what we did with the mujahedin, and then they fragmented and became the Taliban and the Northern Alliance. If we're going to buddy up at all to them (which I'm against) then let's keep them on a very short leash.

But again, the damndest thing is going to be dealing with anti-American resentment after this whole thing is over. I'm not sure what you had in mind when you said "martial law," but I'll assume that you mean something akin to what happened to Japan and Germany post WWII. It was a great plan back then, and it was tremendously successful. But I don't think that the same sort of thing would work in Arab culture.

For 800 years the Arab world was the place to be, no matter what religion you were. From 800-1600 A.D. the Middle East was the cradle of mathematics, astronomy, optics, metallurgy, and philosophy. Arab rulers even tolerated Christian and Jewish subjects, and it was a time of peace except for the Crusades, which were fought only against invading armies. The Arab would used to be as moderate and tolerant as modern Europe is today.

But after the Enlightenment, the Arabs (and Islam) lost ground as Europe flowered. Their siege mentality became ingrained in the culture, but so long as their way of life remained unthreatened, they didn't do anything but fight amongst themselves until globalization came knocking at their door.

Basic point: while Germany and Japan formed cohesive societies, the Arabs fell prey to infighting. While other societies advanced, a good chunk of the Arab world still retained that siege mindset, and here we are selling arms these lunatics. 9/11 is what happens when a medeival culture acquires modern weapons.

What I meant by a modern Marshall Plan is that tens of millions of Arabs are on the fence right now, and we can take steps to put them firmly on our side. I think this is going to be a lot like the Cold War, where you have two major ideologies warring for supremacy with little combat flashpoints all over the place. And remember, right after World War II a destroyed Europe was tottering on the edge of Communism, and we saved them (and ourselves) by giving them what they needed to rebuild. And look what they did: they rebuilt themselves in the American mold.

So, I'm saying that we should supervise the rebuilding of Afghanistan (and Iraq, after we destroy them) and put a real democracy in place, not just a U.S.-friendly dictator. What do you think should be our long-term solution?

Editor's note: Yes, my "martial law" comment related to how we handled Japan after WWII. I still don't think we disagree, because you're probably right that we need to supervise the rebuilding of Afghanistan (and the other countries that we need to bomb). Because the religion-fueled hatred of the U.S. is part of the culture, we can't just destroy these countries and expect them to like us afterwards. My long-term solution? Good question. When I have one, I'll let you know. (JR)