Posted on 09/10/2003 9:47:26 AM PDT by knighthawk
TWO years on, the murderous assault on the World Trade Centre remains one of the most obscene attacks on a free and open society by any group of fanatics.
It was, and still is, one of the most vicious attacks on innocent citizens from all walks of life and from many faiths.
Millions of words have been written about September 11 and its consequences.
But the volume of analysis cannot disguise the fact that September 11 was a chilling ideological statement from fanatics whose target was - and remains - the very essence of our free and democratic way of life.
The US in particular was attacked not for what it did but for what it is: a liberal democracy and a secular society.
And while Australia and the US are very distinctive societies we share these core values, as we do a commitment to the rule of law and to the building of a community which openly accommodates differences of belief and religion.
A superpower will always attract its critics. But those who rage against the United States for its reach and power pay scant regard to its ideals. It may not be fashionable to say it but America has long been a force for good in international relations. Australians are grateful to the United States because it saved us during the Second World War. But we should also be grateful that, since that time, the world's most powerful country has been not an imperial power but a vibrant democracy, an outward-looking society and a nation committed to the fundamental values of a liberal democracy.
There may be some aspects of the American way of life which Australians do not wish to emulate. And there may have been times when America has failed to live up to the high standards it sets for itself. But the question that those who oppose American leadership must ask is simple: who else would they prefer in the role of the world's superpower?
September highlighted that we live in an age of terrorism. Australians have already been victims of this scourge in Bali, just as Australians died in the Twin Towers. In terrorists, we are dealing with people driven by blind hatred. They want to create closed societies. They want a state governed by an interpretation of Islam which distorts the core tenets of that religion. They reject pluralism. And they reject the separation of religion from politics. In short, they stand against the core principles of freedom and tolerance around which Australia has been built.
The fight against terrorism will be neither short nor simple. It requires close co-operation among intelligence and police agencies. It requires resolute action to outlaw terrorist organisations and their sources of funding.
Australia is committed to winning this battle. We are working closely with our partners in the region and elsewhere. And in the arrests of JI members, in the court verdicts against those responsible for the Bali bombings and in the painstaking work which our police and intelligence agencies are doing with their regional counterparts, we are seeing real progress.
In the period between the two World Wars the philosopher Karl Popper, referring to the ideologies of totalitarianism, wrote about the open society and its enemies. Today all of us in open societies face a new enemy. And just as the ideologies of Nazism and communism have proven bankrupt, so also will the ideology of terrorism.
The terrorists can never deliver liberty nor prosperity. They have no answer to the basic aspirations of human beings to live in security and freedom. These enemies of the open society will not prevail.
Prime Minister John Howard
And we, PM Howard, are grateful to you, a true ally in the war on terror.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.