Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism
The Bush administration has stopped using the slogan "War on Terror" and begun using the phrase "global struggle against violent extremism" (see New York Times Article, 7/25/05 by Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker), in an attempt to reframe its efforts to combat terrorism as an ideological conflict rather than a military conflict.
While differing ideologies play a large role in the violent conflicts we see in the world, the underlying cause of these conflicts is not ideological. The main reason the US has become a target of violent extremists is because of its disproportionate consumption of global resources, and the oppressive imperialistic practices it engages in to support such consumption.
The US consists of 4.59 percent of the world's population, yet it consumes 25 percent of the world's petroleum. There is evidence to suggest that Saudi funds are supporting the insurgency in Iraq to keep the world's second largest petroleum supply from reaching the market, in an effort to keep oil prices high. According to Craig Unger, author of House of Bush, House of Saud, Saudi investments in the US may be as high as $860 billion, which accounts for six to seven percent of the US economy.
This is not to say that there aren't other factors influencing terrorism. Many people blame Islam as a strong influence, but every religion has its dangerous fanatics. For example, Eric Robert Rudolph confessed to the bombing of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, bombings of abortion clinics in Atlanta and Birmingham, Alabama, as well as a gay and lesbian nightclub in Atlanta in 1997 and 1998.
When he was finally arrested in 2003, Rudolph was scavenging for food in a garbage can behind a grocery store in North Carolina. He was clean shaven with a trimmed mustache, and wearing new sneakers, indicating that he may have spent some of his time on the run being harbored by supporters. Many Christian Identity adherents are outspoken in their support of Rudolph. The Anti-Defamation League notes that "extremist chatter on the internet has praised Rudolph as a hero and some followers of hate groups are calling for further acts of violence to be modeled after the bombings he is accused of committing."
Posted at Monday, August 01, 2005
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The Bush administration has stopped using the slogan "War on Terror" and begun using the phrase "global struggle against violent extremism" (see New York Times Article, 7/25/05 by Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker), in an attempt to reframe its efforts to combat terrorism as an ideological conflict rather than a military conflict.
While differing ideologies play a large role in the violent conflicts we see in the world, the underlying cause of these conflicts is not ideological. The main reason the US has become a target of violent extremists is because of its disproportionate consumption of global resources, and the oppressive imperialistic practices it engages in to support such consumption.
The US consists of 4.59 percent of the world's population, yet it consumes 25 percent of the world's petroleum. There is evidence to suggest that Saudi funds are supporting the insurgency in Iraq to keep the world's second largest petroleum supply from reaching the market, in an effort to keep oil prices high. According to Craig Unger, author of House of Bush, House of Saud, Saudi investments in the US may be as high as $860 billion, which accounts for six to seven percent of the US economy.
This is not to say that there aren't other factors influencing terrorism. Many people blame Islam as a strong influence, but every religion has its dangerous fanatics. For example, Eric Robert Rudolph confessed to the bombing of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, bombings of abortion clinics in Atlanta and Birmingham, Alabama, as well as a gay and lesbian nightclub in Atlanta in 1997 and 1998.When he was finally arrested in 2003, Rudolph was scavenging for food in a garbage can behind a grocery store in North Carolina. He was clean shaven with a trimmed mustache, and wearing new sneakers, indicating that he may have spent some of his time on the run being harbored by supporters. Many Christian Identity adherents are outspoken in their support of Rudolph. The Anti-Defamation League notes that "extremist chatter on the internet has praised Rudolph as a hero and some followers of hate groups are calling for further acts of violence to be modeled after the bombings he is accused of committing."
Posted at Monday, August 01, 2005
Email One Angry Patriot
0 comments
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