Why They Are At War With Us
“We are at war. We are at war against al-Qaeda, a far-reaching network of violence and hatred that attacked us on 9/11, that killed nearly 3,000 innocent people and that is plotting to strike us again.”
Thus did Barack Obama clear the air as to whether we are at war, and with whom and why.
Following his remarks, during a White House briefing by National Security Council aide John Brennan, Helen Thomas asked a follow-up question to which we almost never hear an answer:
Why is al-Qaeda at war with us? What is its motivation?
It was Osama bin Laden himself, in his declaration of war in 1998, published in London, who gave al-Qaida’s reasons for war:
First, the U.S. military presence on the sacred soil of Saudi Arabia. Second, U.S. sanctions causing terrible suffering among the Iraqi people. Third, U.S. support for Israel’s dispossession of the Palestinians. “All these crimes and sins committed by the Americans are a clear declaration of war on God, his Messenger and Muslims,” said Osama.
He began his fatwa quoting the Koran: “But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war.”
To Osama, we started the war. Muslims, the ulema, must fight because America, with her “brutal crusade occupation of the (Arabian) Peninsula” and support for “the Jews’ petty state” and “occupation of Jerusalem and murder of Muslims there” was waging war upon the Islamic world.
Terrorism, the direct killing of civilians for political ends, is al-Qaeda’s unconventional tactic, but its war aims are quite conventional.
Al-Qaeda is fighting a religious war against apostates and pagans in their midst, a civil war against collaborators of the Crusaders and an anti-colonial war to drive us out of the Dar al-Islam. On Sept. 11, they were over here — because we are over there.
Nothing justifies the massacre of Sept. 11. But these are the political goals behind the 9/11 attack, and this is why Islamists fare well in elections in the Middle East. Tens of millions of Muslims, who may despise terrorism, identify with the causes for which Osama declared war — liberation of Muslim peoples from pro-American autocrats and Israeli occupiers.
Americans are being killed for the reasons Osama said we should be killed — not because of who we are, but because of where we are and what we do.
Consider. America lost 4,000 soldiers in six years in Iraq, with 30,000 wounded. Yet not one American of the 125,000 soldiers in Iraq was killed in December. Why not? Because we no longer conduct raids, patrol streets, kick down doors and pat down suspects. We have ended our combat operations, withdrawn to desert bases and seem anxious to go home. When we stopped fighting and killing them, they stopped fighting and killing us.
Most Americans today appear content to let Shia and Sunni, Arab and Kurd decide the future of Iraq. And if they cannot settle their quarrels without a civil-sectarian war, why should their war be our war?
According to Gen. Barry McCaffrey, we must now prepare for 300 to 500 dead and wounded every month in Afghanistan by summer.
Why are the Taliban killing our soldiers? Because we threw them out of power, took over their country and imposed the Hamid Karzai regime, and our troops, some 100,000 by fall, are the force preventing them from recapturing their country. We will bleed in Afghanistan as long as we are in Afghanistan.
But if, as Obama said, “we are at war with al-Qaeda,” why are we fighting Taliban when al-Qaeda is in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and North Africa?
Hamas has used terrorism, but not against us. Hezbollah has used terrorism, but not against us since the bombing of the Marine barracks, a quarter-century ago. And our Marines were attacked in Lebanon because we were in Lebanon, intervening in their civil-sectarian war. Had the Marines not been sent into the midst of that war, they would not have been targeted.
When Ronald Reagan withdrew them, the attacks stopped.
Like Europe’s Thirty Years’ War — among Germans, French, Czechs, Dutch, Danes, Swedes, Scots and English, Catholics and Protestants, kings, princes and emperors — the Muslim world is roiled by conflicts between pro-Western autocrats and Islamic militants, Sunni and Shia, modernists and obscurantists, nationalities, tribes and clans. The outcome of these wars, the future of their lands — is that not their business, and not ours?
The Muslims stayed out of our Thirty Years’ War. Perhaps we would do well to get out of theirs. But as long as we take sides in their wars, those we fight and kill over there will come to kill us over here.
This is payback for our intervention. This is the price of empire. This is the cost of the long war.
Patrick Buchanan is the author of the new book Churchill, Hitler, and ‘The Unnecessary War,’ now available in paperback.
A brilliant and effective summary by Mr. Buchanan.
should we allow radical islamic extremists to control the huge % of the world’s oil supply in the eregion and we’ll buy from them? maybe we could have let saddam husseinas he’s preferable to who would take over now if we left. what about spreading radical islam? is the goal to make europe and the us muslim?if iran becomes a dominant nuclear power in the region is that something we can live with? is it better for us if we have pro western arab regimes and a strong israel, and if so is the price for that policyl being attacked here and there? can we realistically defeat regimes that hate us and support others. regime change in iran is i think being actively encouraged covertly. if we do back off will israel and anti iranian sunnis contain iran and al kydah without our overt support?is there some possible compromise such as like in iraq having bases out in the dessert, and not interfering if our interests are not directly threatened. just leaving seems too risky but staying without a realistic goal seems foolish
This column should be required reading at FOX News and the American Enterprise, Hudson and Heritage Institutes!
Preach it, Brother Pat!
Great piece Pat. But I can’t resist on aside. The Ottoman Emperor was contacted by the King of France with an eye to an alliance against the Hapsburgs. The grand turk demurred in that case (the thirty years war) but he did intervene with the collusion of France against Spain on the maritime front. The French King invited them to operate out of the port of Toulouse. They did, and proceeded to desecrate the cathedral, rape the local women, enforce their own currency and generally behave as thugs. This was the lowest hour for Franch honor, and an example of Muslim interference in Europe.
I see Mr. Buchannan believes in the Al- Qaeda myth. How unfortunate for a non-interventionist to go seeking demons to destroy.
Andy,
This isn’t the Weekly Standard. And we use capital letters around here to start a sentence. You keep pondering those fake threats Andy and let us know how it goes. Andy, are you in the armed forces by any chance?
A grand-slam, Pat! Two thumbs WAY up!
“The Muslims stayed out of our Thirty Years’ War. Perhaps we would do well to get out of theirs. But as long as we take sides in their wars, those we fight and kill over there will come to kill us over here…the Muslim world is roiled by conflicts between pro-Western autocrats and Islamic militants”
It is indeed a conflict between temporal autocrats and fervid Islamist radicals. As I concluded from Daniel McCarthy’s article “Every Man a God-King”,
“America cannot meddle in the Middle East, cannot “help the Islamic world negotiate a path between bin Laden’s Jacobinism and the House of Saud’s autocracy” because instilling democracy feeds into the radical Kharijite and Qubtist ideologies of Bin Laden. What is left to us is to “refrain from stoking the fires of nationalism and popular resentment by ending military operations against Muslims and ceasing to prop up tyrannical rulers”, the consolation of the ensuing struggle being that “every popular revolution eventually has its Thermidor.”
Fitna awaits the Muslim world and grave injury is done to us in our efforts to postpone it.
For Andy. Dear Andy, if you are so confident that you have written, then why are you still in a warm seat at the computer, rather than holding in your hands M16 defending what is now written. Very convenient to write such sentences, sitting in a warm and sipping coffee. However, if this your beliefs, then take beliefs Islamists in full and do not be offended if the Sept. 11 again.
A very good synopsis, Mr. Buchanan.
The Big Government mentality that permits massive non-defensive military operations such as this must stop. We cannot continue to go back and forth from one big government party to another. It seems like we have only one political party in this country. The Republican wing likes war, assaults on civil liberties and deficits. The Democratic wing likes wealth transfer, taxes, and assaults on commercial liberties. Both parties crave power – and neither is interested in our freedoms. The solution is to intervene less in everything.
Its actually very simple…
Seems like everywhere in the world USA is uninvited guest and an aggressive guest i might add, that takes over the place to feed its greed and when there is nothing else to take, leaves but also makes sure that there will be something left behind to remember them by, its DEVASTATION and its not something easy to forget. It all work well for USA until now but for how long it will last? Not for long in “historical years”, it cant carry on forever, it simply cant. Every empire before had its Rise and then its Downfall after reaching its pick and by looking at USA today, i think its obvious that its pick has been reached and down we go…..
Its so simple today to order the war for “some” because it wont be them personally driving a tank or flying that plane. Who is always suffering in the end? Common man picks up the pieces because he is not reach enough or powerful enough to go any place he pleases, where can be better…..
Thanks to USA foreign policy, what will be left for future generations? All they will inherit, its hate by the rest of the world and even Europe eventually, its all happening slowly but surely. Only loud voices you hear today in support of USA from countries of Eastern block and some Georgia, which is a joke to start with and its only because they have they quarrel with Russia in their past….
So much money gets spend on wars. Take that money and start living honestly, it might end up cheaper in the end then been a gangster of the world and take things from others for nothing. It doesn’t suit certain “powers” honest way because then they wont be making so much money personally and the rest of the population its not their problem because they are to lazy and ignorant anyway to learn and realize whats really going on and it plays right in the hand for those who is in “real power”, for those who really make the decisions. People must wake up and see the real picture of whats going on and question things and exercise their brain by more reading and researching and not just believing everything we see on TV or hear from mass media……
Its very, very sad….USA could be a Great country in the world but all it is the Great military machine and nothing else but machines do break after a while, they do…….
I wish all the best for American people and i hope that USA government start taking care of its people and their generations to come and give them a chance to be loved by the rest of the world and not hated……
Kind Regards to everyone.
I disagree with Pat so much that I always worry about my sanity when I read his column and find I completely agree with him. This is one of those times.
Having the required power at it’s disposal , the US should intervene anywhere it sees fit in order to optimize the promotion of it’s interests
other nations do the same , but on a lesser scales because they don’t have the same amount of power available
history is shaped by victorious survivors , the US should follow all the necessary standard procedures of warfare dictated by lessons learned from the past , in order to achieve victory , because the ideals that shape western societies are the best on this planet , for now , and are far from being surpassed in the nearest future
as long as archaic agressive societies , religions , movements , etc are going to act without consideration for ( and against ) the power of western civilization , they will be rightly crushed by this same power
Excellent insight and truthfully written when many in US just don’t have the moral courage to ask the right questions. I wish to bring up a point that is repeated elsewhere too. Its the idea that radicals will take over if free elections are allowed. Its not always the case. An example is Pakistan’s election history of the last 60 years. Now a nation of 170 million, its never given the Islamists more than 3-5 % in any election. Even when the Islamist do come to power in any country the complexities of governance inevitability leads to rational and practical decisions. We just have to be patient of them as long as they don’t hurt us. As someone said ‘ no matter who comes to power in Saudi Arabia , they still would need sell oil in the market to support their ample social plans’.
From Pat Buchanan I was suspecting to read a nonsensical rant about “they do not like our freedom and we should kill them all”. I am an American and worked in the middle east for many years. What a pleasant surprise it was to read an accurate account of the problem the US has with Muslims. An account that unfortunately many Americans do not understand because of American propoganda.