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| The Alliance |
| West's position favorable. Kinda. |
| 2001-09-24 |
All this was never going to be easy, though the first few days have not gone badly. There has been no further terrorism. In the Arab world, there has been less enthusiasm for Mr bin Laden than might have been expected. It was inevitable that young militants would take to the streets shouting anti-American slogans, but they have received less support than one might have feared. Even though the Saudis are clearly fearful of their own religious extremists — which has led them to vacillate and to talk out of all four corners of their mouths — none of the West's allies in the region has yet come under serious threat. If the campaign goes wrong, there will be drastic consequences in the region — and for the world economy, via the oil price. But so far, the West's diplomatic position is favourable. We will have to go on holding our nerve — and disregarding the peace movement. Those who are urging restraint are doubly mistaken. In the first place, the Americans are already showing restraint. They have not rushed into action; they have waited to marshal their forces, their allies and their intelligence. Second, if restraint meant that Mr bin Laden survived, it would in no way diminish his hatred of the West or his ability to strike again and he would have learned that he has nothing to fear from retaliation. This crisis has occurred because of America's weakness. By allowing Saddam Hussein to survive the Gulf War and by allowing Bin Laden to live on after murdering large numbers of Americans, the United States sent every wrong signal to its enemies, actual and potential. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |