Re: the Nov. 20 editorial “We can’t let terrorist destroy our humanity”. The media does a disservice by presenting a distorted analysis of terrorism, ignoring its political, geographical and historical causes, preferring instead to propagate simplistic sound bites and sanctimonious platitudes.
France has currently 21,000 troops deployed in different African nations, mostly populated by Muslims. France has been in the forefront of military actions in Afghanistan, Syria, Guinea, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso. The NATO-French indiscriminate military operations have created a fertile soil for extremists and their deranged ideas and criminal practices.
Terrorism is the weapon of those who don’t have – unlike their enemies – guided missiles, intelligent bombs, drones, powerful navies or air force. Asymmetric war, as practiced by NATO, ISIS and other criminals, knows no boundaries, gender, combatants’ status, age, religious adherence, political affiliation or country. The difference between NATO and ISIS is that one is endorsed by established and recognized governments, the other one is not.
An “intelligent” drone bomb dropped on a wedding, a neighbourhood or a hospital is not different than one exploded in a theatre: in both cases innocent people dies for no reason.
ISIS and its dangerous disciples are the direct result of imperialist confrontations, wars of aggression and geopolitical control of the area’s rich resources going back to the ‘60s and continuing at the present with new faces, but with the same imperialistic intentions of yesteryear: plundering of resources.
Failure to recognize the historical and political context will confirm George Santayana’s comments: “Those who don’t remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Terrorism is ultimately a political problem.
Carlos Flores Sr.
Saanich