Lawyers, Guns & Money

BBC World Service reported this morning (and unfortunately, I can't find it on their website), in a conversation with a BBCNews correspondent who has written several books on the Middle East, that Al Qaeda, for all intents and purposes, no longer exists. The reporter noted that many feared, especially after 9/11, that Al Qaeda would prosper and spread, but that hasn't happened, in large part because the message of Al Qaeda simply isn't that alluring to that many Muslims around the world. Which implies that most of them, like most Americans, simply aren't blood-thirsty or power-hungry. What it doesn't explain, is why America, through its leadership, continues to act as if it is.

NPR ran a report this morning on the Supreme Court decision declaring capital punishment for juveniles (those under the age of 18 at the time the crime was committed) unconstitutional. The bulk of those juveniles on Death Row are, not surprisingly, in Texas, and the report focussed on one convicted killer, whose death sentence has been automatically commuted to life without parole. The DA who prosecuted the case challenged the Court's decision on the grounds that some 17 year olds are capable of thinking like adults, or at least being as responsible as adults. This lawyer ignored, of course, that 17 year olds cannot legally drink, cannot marry without parental consent, cannot enter into any contracts, or otherwise exercise the rights of adults. Are some 17 year olds mature enough to handle such responsibilties? Yes, but the law says (with rare exception), that none are so capable. Now the law says, without exception, none should be held responsible with their lives, for their bad decisions. But still, the DA declared, the law should be able to demand and eye for an eye, no matter how young the first eye is.

Are we a bloodthirsty people, or not?

Well, one does not speak for all, so the question in context is unfair. Still, we should feel sharply rebuked by the Club de Madrid and the International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security, which is meeting close to the first anniversary of Spain's "9/11", the 11 March Madrid train bombings.

"Only freedom can save freedom, and the struggle against terrorism can only succeed by the rule of law," say the summit organisers, the Club de Madrid - an independent body made up of more than 40 former heads of state and government from around the world.

The Club's purpose and priority is "to contribute to strengthening democracy in the world".

Funny, but I had heard that was "our" job. But the U.S. attacked Iraq with impunity, and on poor evidence of threat to us or the world at large, and with no justification in law. The March 11 bombing was one of the worst such incidents in Europe; would that we had heard these responses from our leadership:

"We owe it to the thousands of victims of terrorism to find better ways to stop terrorists from threatening our democratic way of life," say the organisers.

"For this reason, we will explore the most effective use of the police, the military, the intelligence services and other national and international agencies to prevent and fight terrorism."

The Club's secretary general, former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell, says one key aspect will be to "look very seriously at the roots of terrorism and locate the factors over which we might have some control".

"What, for example, might reinforce a sense of alienation, or a person's susceptibility to a belief system that justifies something which seems so horrible, such as the targeting of civilians and innocent people to make a political point?" she told openDemocracy.net.

Instead our leaders, not unlike that Texas DA, ignore the law and think only of retribution and revenge. Rather than address the problems of violence in the world, we add to it. Violence is all about power, but so long as ours is the greatest power, so long as we have the last word, violence isn't really a problem, is it? The 40 former heads of state and government from around the world meet to confer on ways to stop violence. Our leaders prefer to treat the world like a wasp's nest, while they play the role of the foolish child with a stick.

John Bolton's nomination to Ambassador to the UN is a middle finger extended to the rest of the world. Condi Rice was blustering so much in Europe one could be forgiven for thinking she was trying to pass an initiation into an exclusive fraternity. George Bush has done nothing since November except indicate he'd love the excuse to invade Syria or Iran, or maybe both countries. The world's response to terrorism is to seek answers. Our response, is to fall back on the solution of privileged Americans: send lawyers, guns & money.

And if that doesn't fix it, well, frankly, we don't know what to do. We don't really care about civil liberties, or freedom, or even security. What we care about is power; so long as we can project that, we think we will be safe. It's an idea that anyone except, apparently, an American, can see through:

Among the panellists [at the summit] is Middle East and international relations expert Fred Halliday, who told the BBC News website the summit was a chance to learn from different approaches to combating terrorism.

"We have to face the fact that all of us are flying blind as far as this new form of terrorism is concerned," he said. "There are a lot of questions to which we don't know the answers - such as how long this will go on."

...He said Spain was pushing the message that democracy has to defend itself against terrorism, but the defence of democracy is just as important.

He said it was a message to countries like the US and the UK that they cannot have a blank cheque to suspend civil liberties.