In 1933, my Austrian great-grandfather told his family to pack their bags and leave for Palestine. His wife and their daughter, my grandmother, cried for days; his neighbors and friends deemed him a false prophet of doom, paranoid, crazy. How could he leave a fine Viennese home, a well paying and secure job, a civilized country, for the swamps of a land where he was not welcomed - not by the terrain or by the British and, least of all, by the majority Arab population. Despite the pleas from his family and the accusations of his friends, he did not budge from his position. I am alive today, because he did not budge.
There are ominous parallels between what happened from 1933 until 1941 and what has been happening over the last decade. The enemy then was fascism; today, it is terrorism.
Since the early 1920's, through their numerous speeches and writings, Hitler and his followers made their intentions explicit - to overthrow democracy and freedom. In January, 1933, Hitler came to power and delivered on his threats - forcefully crushing all opposition and institutionalizing discrimination and hatred. The United States, beyond verbal condemnation, did nothing.
Similarly, throughout the latter part of the 20th century, the Islamic terrorists, headed by countries like Iran and Libya, were explicit about their intentions - overthrowing freedom, progress and other "evils" of the West. In 1993, they delivered on their threats when they tried to blow up the World Trade Center and to forcefully bring the symbol of American freedom down to its knees. In response, the United States did almost nothing.
In November of 1938, in what became known as Kristallnacht, the Nazi government incited the masses to massacre Jews and destroy their property. The US, beyond token condemnation, still refused to do anything and even turned away refugees from Europe, most of whom were later murdered in concentration camps.
In August of 1998, the terrorists, under the leadership of Osama Bin Laden, attacked the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The United States, beyond a token retaliation, did nothing.
Three years and one month after Kristallnacht, on the 7th of December 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Three years and one month after the attack on the embassies, on the 11th of September 2001, the symbol of American freedom was brought to its knees.
It is at this point that the parallels between the two periods end. On the 8th of December, 1941, the United States declared war against Japan and a day later, as part of their Tripartite Pact with Japan, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. The United States started its worldwide battle against fascism that ended close to four years later with the surrender of Japan.
Following the attack on the 11th of September 2001 President George Bush said that an act of war was committed against America; however, he did not declare war against the attackers. Instead, the United States and its allies wasted precious time looking for evidence connecting specific terrorist groups and countries to the attack on America - looking for links with one group of terrorists or another. Yet no evidence is necessary, because the real enemy, which most people claim is hiding in obscure huts and invisible caves, is in full view. It is no other than the states sponsoring terrorism.
Terrorism, to use Benjamin Netanyahu's definition, is "the deliberate and systematic assault on civilians to inspire fear for political ends." We know exactly which organizations promote this end, and it is perfectly clear that no terrorist organization can survive and prosper without state sponsorship. We also know which states are responsible for terrorism - they are listed, for all to observe, on the FBI website. Even if a specific country or group was not directly linked to this specific attack, the past actions of terrorists and their sponsoring states - those acts that earned them their notoriety and place on the FBI list - surely make them a justified target. These countries openly declared, and acted upon, their hatred of the "The Big Satan" and everything it stands for. It is only for fear of retaliation that their voices are temporarily muted. They have not changed their ideals and are still after the destruction of this country, just as they were prior to September 11, 2001.
If the United States does not declare war against these countries, but goes to the negotiating table and proposes to form a coalition with them, they will continue to harbor terrorism and the attacks will become more vicious and destructive. Already now we are hearing of terrorists who wanted to purchase spray planes for the purpose of chemical and biological warfare, so that they could produce fields of death. With the rapid proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the stakes today are as high as they were in World War II: the future of the free world.
How would the American people have reacted following Pearl Harbor had Roosevelt declared that the United States will attack the Japanese Pacific fleet and its Kamikaze pilots, while negotiating with Emperor Hirohito and his government? Yet, today, that is precisely what the US is doing by extending a diplomatic arm to the likes of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Bashar Al-Assad.
The war that the US fought in the 1940's was not merely against those who perpetrated Pearl Harbor or against the fascist-fanatic-Japanese pilots, the war was against fascism and all those who harbored it. Similarly, today, it is not terrorists of a specific group we're fighting, but terrorism per se. The United States, from 1941, fought a war with the purpose of eradicating the roots of fascism, which were planted and cultivated by the regimes of Italy, Japan and Germany. Today, we must fight to eradicate the roots of terrorism, which are planted and cultivated in places like Iran, Syria, Lybia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Only Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz called for ending states that harbor terrorism, but his lone rational voice was silenced promptly by people higher up on the hierarchy, like Secretary of State Collin Powell. Putting an end to such states, as Wolfowitz suggests, does not imply indiscriminant killing, as some pacifists claim. Every war effort must try to avoid the death of innocents, however this is not always possible. Some innocent civilians will unintentionally be hurt if the United States attacks terrorism's strongholds, be they government buildings or training camps.
When the infrastructure of terrorism collapses, everyone, except for the terrorists, will benefit. The people of Germany, Italy and Japan lead better lives today than they did under the rule of fascism. The people of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Syria will be much better off under a leadership that respects the rights of other nations and that, instead of focusing on destroying others, would focus on improving the lives of their own people.
While I have heard many stories about my great grandfather, today, for the first time, I can begin to imagine how he felt in 1933. He must have felt helpless against the growing power of fascism and the refusal of the free countries to recognize that a great calamity was imminent. I feel the same when I look around me and see the majority of the world leaders calling for a measured response against terrorists and their sponsors, offering weak words rather than uncompromising action. My feelings of fear and helplessness do not so much emanate from what was done by the terrorists - they can be fought and destroyed - but from what was not done, following the attacks, by the countries of the free world.
My great-grandfather ran away from the world he loved hoping for a better life for him and his family. He died in 1942, amidst rough terrain and hatred, and never realized the life he dreamt of. His descendants did and sixty years later we are living in free countries around the world. Israel's swamps have been dried and the United States is more accessible to my generation than it was to his.
Today, freedom is once again under attack, but, unlike my great grandfather, I have nowhere to run, because Israel and the United States, the two countries that must lead the war against the evil forces of terrorism, are talking to the very people who want to take away my freedom. American representatives are speaking with the leaders of Iran, Syria and Pakistan, while Israeli leaders are speaking with the terrorist Yasser Arafat.
Like my great-grandfather, I will not budge from my position and I will continue to believe that a better world is possible - that irrational arguments can be defeated and enemies of freedom eradicated. I love this world. I want my great-grandchildren to say that the latter part of the 20th century was not only the beginning, but the beginning of the end, of terrorism.
------------
Tal Ben-Shahar, a teacher and lecturer, writes extensively on education, philosophy, psychology and politics and published the book "Heaven Can Wait" in 1998.
There are ominous parallels between what happened from 1933 until 1941 and what has been happening over the last decade. The enemy then was fascism; today, it is terrorism.
Since the early 1920's, through their numerous speeches and writings, Hitler and his followers made their intentions explicit - to overthrow democracy and freedom. In January, 1933, Hitler came to power and delivered on his threats - forcefully crushing all opposition and institutionalizing discrimination and hatred. The United States, beyond verbal condemnation, did nothing.
Similarly, throughout the latter part of the 20th century, the Islamic terrorists, headed by countries like Iran and Libya, were explicit about their intentions - overthrowing freedom, progress and other "evils" of the West. In 1993, they delivered on their threats when they tried to blow up the World Trade Center and to forcefully bring the symbol of American freedom down to its knees. In response, the United States did almost nothing.
In November of 1938, in what became known as Kristallnacht, the Nazi government incited the masses to massacre Jews and destroy their property. The US, beyond token condemnation, still refused to do anything and even turned away refugees from Europe, most of whom were later murdered in concentration camps.
In August of 1998, the terrorists, under the leadership of Osama Bin Laden, attacked the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The United States, beyond a token retaliation, did nothing.
Three years and one month after Kristallnacht, on the 7th of December 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Three years and one month after the attack on the embassies, on the 11th of September 2001, the symbol of American freedom was brought to its knees.
It is at this point that the parallels between the two periods end. On the 8th of December, 1941, the United States declared war against Japan and a day later, as part of their Tripartite Pact with Japan, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. The United States started its worldwide battle against fascism that ended close to four years later with the surrender of Japan.
Following the attack on the 11th of September 2001 President George Bush said that an act of war was committed against America; however, he did not declare war against the attackers. Instead, the United States and its allies wasted precious time looking for evidence connecting specific terrorist groups and countries to the attack on America - looking for links with one group of terrorists or another. Yet no evidence is necessary, because the real enemy, which most people claim is hiding in obscure huts and invisible caves, is in full view. It is no other than the states sponsoring terrorism.
Terrorism, to use Benjamin Netanyahu's definition, is "the deliberate and systematic assault on civilians to inspire fear for political ends." We know exactly which organizations promote this end, and it is perfectly clear that no terrorist organization can survive and prosper without state sponsorship. We also know which states are responsible for terrorism - they are listed, for all to observe, on the FBI website. Even if a specific country or group was not directly linked to this specific attack, the past actions of terrorists and their sponsoring states - those acts that earned them their notoriety and place on the FBI list - surely make them a justified target. These countries openly declared, and acted upon, their hatred of the "The Big Satan" and everything it stands for. It is only for fear of retaliation that their voices are temporarily muted. They have not changed their ideals and are still after the destruction of this country, just as they were prior to September 11, 2001.
If the United States does not declare war against these countries, but goes to the negotiating table and proposes to form a coalition with them, they will continue to harbor terrorism and the attacks will become more vicious and destructive. Already now we are hearing of terrorists who wanted to purchase spray planes for the purpose of chemical and biological warfare, so that they could produce fields of death. With the rapid proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the stakes today are as high as they were in World War II: the future of the free world.
How would the American people have reacted following Pearl Harbor had Roosevelt declared that the United States will attack the Japanese Pacific fleet and its Kamikaze pilots, while negotiating with Emperor Hirohito and his government? Yet, today, that is precisely what the US is doing by extending a diplomatic arm to the likes of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Bashar Al-Assad.
The war that the US fought in the 1940's was not merely against those who perpetrated Pearl Harbor or against the fascist-fanatic-Japanese pilots, the war was against fascism and all those who harbored it. Similarly, today, it is not terrorists of a specific group we're fighting, but terrorism per se. The United States, from 1941, fought a war with the purpose of eradicating the roots of fascism, which were planted and cultivated by the regimes of Italy, Japan and Germany. Today, we must fight to eradicate the roots of terrorism, which are planted and cultivated in places like Iran, Syria, Lybia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Only Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz called for ending states that harbor terrorism, but his lone rational voice was silenced promptly by people higher up on the hierarchy, like Secretary of State Collin Powell. Putting an end to such states, as Wolfowitz suggests, does not imply indiscriminant killing, as some pacifists claim. Every war effort must try to avoid the death of innocents, however this is not always possible. Some innocent civilians will unintentionally be hurt if the United States attacks terrorism's strongholds, be they government buildings or training camps.
When the infrastructure of terrorism collapses, everyone, except for the terrorists, will benefit. The people of Germany, Italy and Japan lead better lives today than they did under the rule of fascism. The people of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Syria will be much better off under a leadership that respects the rights of other nations and that, instead of focusing on destroying others, would focus on improving the lives of their own people.
While I have heard many stories about my great grandfather, today, for the first time, I can begin to imagine how he felt in 1933. He must have felt helpless against the growing power of fascism and the refusal of the free countries to recognize that a great calamity was imminent. I feel the same when I look around me and see the majority of the world leaders calling for a measured response against terrorists and their sponsors, offering weak words rather than uncompromising action. My feelings of fear and helplessness do not so much emanate from what was done by the terrorists - they can be fought and destroyed - but from what was not done, following the attacks, by the countries of the free world.
My great-grandfather ran away from the world he loved hoping for a better life for him and his family. He died in 1942, amidst rough terrain and hatred, and never realized the life he dreamt of. His descendants did and sixty years later we are living in free countries around the world. Israel's swamps have been dried and the United States is more accessible to my generation than it was to his.
Today, freedom is once again under attack, but, unlike my great grandfather, I have nowhere to run, because Israel and the United States, the two countries that must lead the war against the evil forces of terrorism, are talking to the very people who want to take away my freedom. American representatives are speaking with the leaders of Iran, Syria and Pakistan, while Israeli leaders are speaking with the terrorist Yasser Arafat.
Like my great-grandfather, I will not budge from my position and I will continue to believe that a better world is possible - that irrational arguments can be defeated and enemies of freedom eradicated. I love this world. I want my great-grandchildren to say that the latter part of the 20th century was not only the beginning, but the beginning of the end, of terrorism.
------------
Tal Ben-Shahar, a teacher and lecturer, writes extensively on education, philosophy, psychology and politics and published the book "Heaven Can Wait" in 1998.