"War on terror" = false metaphor

The war on terror is a false metaphor that has led to counterproductive
and self-defeating policies. Five years after 9/11, a misleading figure
of speech applied literally has unleashed a real war fought on several
fronts -- Iraq, Gaza, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Somalia -- a war that has
killed thousands of innocent civilians and enraged millions around the
world. Yet al Qaeda has not been subdued; a plot that could have
claimed more victims than 9/11 has just been foiled by the vigilance of
British intelligence.

Unfortunately, the "war on terror" metaphor was uncritically accepted
by the American public as the obvious response to 9/11. It is now
widely admitted that the invasion of Iraq was a blunder. But the war on
terror remains the frame into which American policy has to fit. Most
Democratic politicians subscribe to it for fear of being tagged as weak
on defense.

What makes the war on terror self-defeating?

· First, war by its very nature creates innocent victims. A war waged
against terrorists is even more likely to claim innocent victims
because terrorists tend to keep their whereabouts hidden. The deaths,
injuries and humiliation of civilians generate rage and resentment
among their families and communities that in turn serves to build
support for terrorists.

· Second, terrorism is an abstraction. It lumps together all
political movements that use terrorist tactics. Al Qaeda, Hamas,
Hezbollah, the Sunni insurrection and the Mahdi army in Iraq are very
different forces, but President Bush's global war on terror prevents us
from differentiating between them and dealing with them accordingly. It
inhibits much-needed negotiations with Iran and Syria because they are
states that support terrorist groups.

· Third, the war on terror emphasizes military action while most
territorial conflicts require political solutions. And, as the British
have shown, al Qaeda is best dealt with by good intelligence. The war
on terror increases the terrorist threat and makes the task of the
intelligence agencies more difficult. Osama bin Laden and Ayman
al-Zawahiri are still at large; we need to focus on finding them, and
preventing attacks like the one foiled in England.

· Fourth, the war on terror drives a wedge between "us" and "them."
We are innocent victims. They are perpetrators. But we fail to notice
that we also become perpetrators in the process; the rest of the world,
however, does notice. That is how such a wide gap has arisen between
America and much of the world.

Taken together, these four factors ensure that the war on terror cannot
be won. An endless war waged against an unseen enemy is doing great
damage to our power and prestige abroad and to our open society at
home. It has led to a dangerous extension of executive powers; it has
tarnished our adherence to universal human rights; it has inhibited the
critical process that is at the heart of an open society; and it has
cost a lot of money. Most importantly, it has diverted attention from
other urgent tasks that require American leadership, such as finishing
the job we so correctly began in Afghanistan, addressing the looming
global energy crisis, and dealing with nuclear proliferation.

With American influence at low ebb, the world is in danger of sliding
into a vicious circle of escalating violence. We can escape it only if
we Americans repudiate the war on terror as a false metaphor. If we
persevere on the wrong course, the situation will continue to
deteriorate. It is not our will that is being tested, but our
understanding of reality. It is painful to admit that our current
predicaments are brought about by our own misconceptions. However, not
admitting it is bound to prove even more painful in the long run. The
strength of an open society lies in its ability to recognize and
correct its mistakes. This is the test that confronts us.

Excerpted from the Wall Street Journal Tuesday, August 15, 2006
"A Self-Defeating War"
By George Soros

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One way to help fight the real terrorists!
http://www.ImpeachBush.org

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for those who missed them:

Pictures of Destruction and Civilian Victims of the Anglo-American
Aggression in Iraq

These photos are only of a very tiny fraction of the thousands of Iraqi
Civilian Victims who have been terrorised, humiliated, injured, maimed
and killed through British and American bombing of civilian areas in
various cities of Iraq. Due to insecurity, independent reporters could
not and still can not reach many areas to photograph and report the
atrocities. Several independent reporters and journalists were
deliberately bombed to prevent them reporting the atrocities. We kindly
request Independent News Reporters to send us photos of the
Anglo-American atrocities in Iraq for inclusion on these pages.

Please note that some of these pictures are not suitable for small
children and those who have weak hearts.

http://www.robert-fisk.com/iraqwarvictims_mar2003.htm

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One way to help fight the real terrorists!
http://www.ImpeachBush.org