Iraq is battlefield for war vs. terror

Chicago Sun Times ^ | August 24, 2003 | Mark Steyn

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Iraq is battlefield for war vs. terror August 24, 2003 BY MARK STEYN SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST Among the more comical moments of a grim week was the sight of the president of the Security Council expressing his condemnation of the terrorist attack on the UN. He was the representative of Syria. Syria is a terrorist state. Syrians have flooded across the border into Iraq to take up arms with their beleaguered Baathist brethren. It would not be surprising to discover a Syrian connection to one or both of Tuesday's terrorist strikes in Baghdad and Jerusalem. But Syria happens to hold the presidency of the Security Council, so a fellow who's usually the apologist for terrorists gets to go on TV to represent the international community's determination to stand up to terrorism. Well, that's the luck of the draw at the UN, where so far this year Libya, Iraq and Syria have found themselves heading up the Human Rights Commission, the Disarmament Committee and the Security Council. The UN's subscription to this charade may be necessary in New York, but what's tragic is that they seem to have conducted their affairs in Baghdad much the same way. Offers of increased U.S. military protection were turned down. Their old Iraqi security guards, all agents of Saddam's Secret Service there to spy on the UN, were allowed by the organization to carry on working at the compound. And sitting in the middle of an unprotected complex staffed by ex-Saddamite spies was Sergio Vieira de Mello, the individual most directly credited with midwifing East Timor into an independent democratic state. Osama bin Laden (or rather whoever makes his audiocassettes) and the Bali bombers have both cited East Timor as high up on their long list of grievances: the carving out, as they see it, of part of the territory of the world's largest Islamic nation to create a mainly Christian state. Now they've managed to kill the fellow responsible. Any way you look at it, that's quite a feather in their turbans. But it doesn't really matter who's actually to blame--Baathist Iraqis or al-Qaida Saudis. As far as the world's press is concerned, the folks who are really to blame are the Americans. It's the Americans' fault because: a) They made Iraq so insecure their own troops are getting picked off every day; b) OK, fewer are being picked off than a few weeks back, but that's only because the Americans have made their own bases so secure that only soft targets like the UN are left; c) OK, the UN's a soft target only because they turned down American protection, but the Americans should have had enough sense just to go ahead and install the concrete barriers and perimeter trenches anyway; d) OK, if they'd done that, the beloved UN would have been further compromised by unduly close association with the hated Americans, which is probably what got them killed in the first place. In other words, whatever happens, it's always evidence of American failure. That's the only ''root cause'' most of the West is interested in. Anyone who thinks Tuesday's events might strengthen the international community's resolve to resist terrorism is overlooking the fact that among the Europeans, the Canadians and New Zealanders, the British and Australian press, CNN and the New York Times and a large majority of the Democratic Party, the urge to surrender is palpable. At the moment, there's only one hyperpower (the United States), one great power (the United Kingdom) and one regional power (Australia) that are serious about the threat of Islamist terrorism. There's also Israel, of course, but Israel's disinclination to have its bus passengers blown to smithereens is seen as evidence of its ''obstinacy'' and unwillingness to get the ''peace process'' back ''on track.'' What a difference it would make if one or two other G-7 nations were to get serious about the battle and be a reliable vote in international councils. But who? France? It's all business to them, unless al-Qaida are careless enough to blow up the Eiffel Tower. Canada? Canadians get blown up in Bali, murdered in Iran, tortured in Saudi Arabia, die in the rubble of the UN building in Baghdad--and their government shrugs. Belgium? They'd rather issue a warrant for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld than Chemical Ali. And so on Tuesday, up against an enemy unable to do anything more than self-detonate outside an unprotected facility and take a few Brazilian civil servants and Canadian aid workers with him, the global community sent out a Syrian ambassador to read out some boilerplate and then retreated into passivity and introspection and finger-pointing at Washington. This is the weirdly uneven playing field on which the great game is now fought. Islamic terrorism is militarily weak but ideologically confident. The West is militarily strong but ideologically insecure. We don't really believe we can win, not in the long run. The suicide bomber is a symbol of weakness, of a culture so comprehensively failed that what ought to be its greatest resource--its people--is instead as disposable as a firecracker. But in our self-doubt the enemy's weakness becomes his strength. We simply can't comprehend a man like Raed Abdel Mask, pictured in the press last week with a big smile, a check shirt and two cute little moppets, a boy and a girl, in his arms. His wife is five months pregnant with their third child. On Tuesday night, big smiling Raed strapped an 11-pound bomb packed with nails and shrapnel to his chest and boarded the No. 2 bus in Jerusalem. The terrorists watch CNN and the BBC and, understandably, they figure that in Iraq America, Britain, the UN and all the rest will do what most people do when they run up against someone deranged: back out of the room slowly. They're wrong. There's no choice. You kill it here, or the next generation of suicide bombers will be on buses in Rotterdam, Manchester, Lyons, and blowing up the UN building in Manhattan. This is the battlefield.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

8 Unapologetically Pro-Coalition News Links and Articles

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Mark 'Zorro' Steyn, super-hero, ping. Just when the army of darkness, aka. the mainstream press, is in full-*^%& mode, Mark appears again with his mighty pen to run them through and pin 'em to the wall.

As far as the world's press is concerned, the folks who are really to blame are the Americans. It's the Americans' fault because:

a) They made Iraq so insecure their own troops are getting picked off every day...

If you want on or off my pro-Coalition/anti-wanker ping, just ping.

[MEG33]

A more solemn column this time and so true.It is a war we must fight now.This cult of suicide bombers must be stopped.

[knighthawk]

Ping

[Right_in_Virginia]

You kill it here, or the next generation of suicide bombers will be on buses in Rotterdam, Manchester, Lyons, and blowing up the UN building in Manhattan. This is the battlefield.

The President has taken the battle to them. We need the resolve to win it.

[prairiebreeze]

thanks for ping RC

Prairie

[RobFromGa]

Please ping the Steyn list about this new Steyn column, a great one...

[McGavin999]

The media and the democrats are in all out press this morning. They're trying everything to make it seem like we are failing in Iraq and our only salvation is to get france and germany into Iraq to save us.

Meet the Press was positively revolting today, with Tim Russert licking the backside of the democrats and McCain.

[cake_crumb]

Mark Steyn, up with the Bush doctrine, down with UN snivelling and French everything, support our troops who are doing an EXCELLENT JOB BUMP

[cake_crumb]

"They're trying everything to make it seem like we are failing in Iraq and our only salvation is to get france and germany into Iraq to save us"

If this weeks Newsweak poll is any indication, the media is winning the propaganda war. I just cannot believe the overnight turnaround. It's sick. Most Americans must be stupid and weak after all.

[Jumper]

If the suicide bomber is so feared, why not enlist people from democratic countries, maybe like in the movie, "The Dirty Dozen" and make it internationally understood that once these people are loosed on idealogically opposing countries that their masters have more capitalist idealogues waiting to get in the 72-virgin routine - after all I'm sure if we win this war against Islamic terrorism we also will have rights to all the spoils of war. Just think, if we declare our intenstions to take our own 72 from the muslim pool of virginity.... And then there is the matter of making the Islamic governments and even the terrorists themselves feel the desire, just like the defeated germans and japanesse to want peace at any cost! Therefore, I propose killing and destroying their villages and nation capitals, salting the ground and then defying them with pig blood. Okay, where do we start signing up for this blood fest against Islamic terrorism? If we are serious, we will play fire with fire, and take their women just as surely as they attack and kill children, civilians and anyone else they care. In true wars of national survival, all countries have destroyed the enemy in his cities until either destroyed completely or they sued for peace on the victor's terms.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

The press is more dangerous than the suicide bombers. Mark Steyn is a press warrior.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

They are the definition of dishonor. Doing what they could daily to undermine our war effort and endanger our troops for 5 months - and having the GALL to call on our enemies - those who, like them, not only refused to help our DoD and our troops, but who talked other nations into pulling back promised troops and $$$. Shameless, partisan worms. The most noble thing this PRESS and these DEMS and puffed-up armchair experts and preening pols could do for the troops and the war effort today would be to shut up and get the H* out of the way of those who are DOING the good, important and dangerous work DAILY. <*/rant*>

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Well said, c-c. Pass the news on to others. Skip this bunch of wankers. When Americans find out what this press and the Dem. party did to our troops, may this "PRESS" go down with the Clintons and their crime gang.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

We have been doing a EXCELLENT job. It is the press and NGO pro-socialist liars putting out 24/7 anti-American lies undermining our efforts on the world stage.

You want to know what's going on, do not listen to the lying press. Listen to the troops and CENTCOM and the Iraqi people. Then look at the FEW casualties we've suffered every single week of this conflict and the communities that are forming their own councils and rebuilding infrastructure and dying while on patrol beside us - killed by our mutual enemies. Read the detailed reports from CENTCOM - the humanitarian and security successes of our troops across the country - over 130 of them since MAY. CENTCOM - the PRIMARY news source on Iraq...and ask, why didn't the PRESS report to the world what's been truly happening inside Iraq from the day the embeds left.

CENTCOM: daily good works and security successes of the troops:

 

*COALITION AND IRAQI POLICE WORK TO MAKE IRAQ SECURE

*+ KEYWORD 'SECURITY'

*COALITION EFFORTS AID IRAQ'S RECOVERY

*+ KEYWORD 'HUMANITARIAN'

*CENTCOM BRIEFINGS

---

*Tales of Saddam's Brutality [lengthy, graphic]

VOICES OF FREEDOM
Quotes from the grateful Iraqi people. Y

[arete]

If this weeks Newsweak poll is any indication, the media is winning the propaganda war

The Iraqi resistence movement appears to be getting a bit better organized and gaining in support and strength. Not a good sign.

Richard W.

[Dog]

A fight we must win....

Failure is not an option..

[arete]

Failure is not an option..

Of course it isn't. As soon as we can payoff the UN and provide financial help (bribe) our friends into taking over, we declare victory and get the heck out.

Richard W.

[Dog]

LOL!