Taking Stock - 5 years after Sep 11

As I sit back on my comfortable couch after a long tiring day and go back in time by 5 years, I remember watching the Twin Towers in flames on CNN in my house in Delhi. For a long time, I kept wondering if it was one of the sci-fi movies' clips or it had happened for real. No one trusts CNN anyways but after I saw it on BBC, I was sure it had happened and was in absolute shock. However, given the analytical mind that I have, in moments that shock gave way to thinking how the US was going to retaliate and how the world might not longer be the same place. Would it do something like what Israel did after the Munich olympics to systematically eradicate the culprits and go a step further in cleaning up the house like a responsible superpower or it will live up to its image of being the big arrogant superpower of the world and flaunt its military arsenal.

It decided to do the latter as I had expected and invaded Afghanistan. However, I must say that it turned out to be a much better decision than I thought it would turn out to be. It defeated the terrorists and destroyed the infrastructure that was producing new terrorists for years. The attack or rather the retaliation had the international support and putting in place a roadmap for elections proved that the US was doing what a responsible superpower was supposed to do. This meant that the Islamic world didnt see the US as an invading enemy of Islam but as a country which was protecting itself and the world from Extremism.

However, just when it all appeared to be going good in Kabul, it made the terrible mistake of invading Iraq three and a half years ago. There are various theories - I find the theory of waging that war for oil as a little too immature. Americans run the biggest investment banks of the world and I find it hard to believe that they would do something which had a huge negative NPV right from the start. I absolutely detest the weapons of mass destruction theory and it had been proved to be a blatant lie anyway. The only theory which seems to be working with me is of deriving political mileage from a half finished war in the election year. The Republicans had to get the Americans thinking in a rhetoric mood rather than in a sensible mood. and it worked!

Three and half years later, we now have a 5 year old war which is a half success yet and the younger one as a total failure. Afghanistan still has a long way to go to be a full success but there are some positives to feel happy about - Jehadis, howsoever strong they are, cannot think of overthrowing the democratic government in Kabul and the people of Afghanstan to an extent do see the value of a democratic structure. With strong determination and unbiased support from the international community, Afghanisatan may well turn out to be a great case study in the field of politics and international relations and security.

Iraq on the other hand is on the verge of complete collapse - Its churning out jehadis in chilads; Its created a very hostile image of US, Israel and other democratic countries of religious and cultural freedom (like India) in the eyes of most of the Muslim nations. Lack of international support for the Iraq invasion also meant US and UK to fight this battle conceived in Sin on their own. Lack of troops commitment and an almost non-existant Iraqi force means Jehadis have a free hand. Jehadis now want to do to the US what they did to the USSR earlier, teach its supporters and like minded countries a lesson and eliminate Israel from the world map. Secret prisons and torture stories have only added to the hatred for Americans in the Muslim world. This hatred keep reflecting itself in Osama enjoying popular support in the Muslim world and Islamic fundemenalists supporting recent plots of UK plane crashing etc in public to a thunderous applause. Osama issuing tapes warning of fresh attacks has more or less become a quarterly home video subscription which is more of a comedy than thriller.

My analytical mind fails thinking of a way out. I can only hope that the international community will eventually rise to the occassion in supporting the US and UK troops in Iraq in rebuilding the two nations to a point when they can take care of themselves. International community will have to play the big brother's role and clear the mess that US created in Iraq. US also will have to leave behind the big arrogant superpower's attitude and ask the international community to come forward and help restoring peace to the most troubled part of the world which could well become the center of terrorism and extremism for the entire non muslim world.

Without a commited and collaborated effort by the international community in restoring peace and rule of law in Iraq and help in making the current Afghan government stronger, world will stay a darker and more vulnerable place to live in where every local clash acquires a global scale.