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Commentary

TOP TWENTY-FOUR QUESTIONS to answer as thoroughly as possible before we make a move in the Mid-East or South Asia
© Kristin Young Christman October 6, 2001

. 1. What causes someone to become a terrorist?

2. What are the motivations of the terrorists, their leaders, their weapons suppliers, their financiers, and the governments that shelter them?

3. Which US actions will foster and which actions will fracture the bonds that unite anti-US coalitions in the world?

4. Based on our knowledge of the former USSR’s war in Afghanistan and Europe’s experience in fighting terrorism, at what cost is it possible for the US to capture/kill the majority of terrorists in the Mid-East and South Asia?

5. Will US-led violence at various levels against the guilty and/or innocent scare Mid-Easterners and South Asians into not wanting to become terrorists or will it anger them into becoming terrorists?

6. Do we have a precise definition of "evil people" that would enable us to kill only the evil people in the world?

7. Do we have a precise definition of "terrorist" that would enable us to impartially target all terrorist organizations in the world?

8. If the US uses violence in the Mid-East and South Asia, what follow-through steps will we need to ensure that the roots of terrorism will not grow?

9. If the US topples a government that shelters terrorists, what steps does the US need to take to install a government that will have the popular support needed to survive?

10. How has US policy over the past 30 years harmed and helped the inhabitants of the Mid-East and South Asia?

11. Do terrorists actually want the total destruction of Israel or would they be satisfied in other ways such as with the end of both poverty and violence in a homeland for the Palestinians?

12. Would a US attempt to address terrorist interests based on international standards of justice be perceived as a sign of US justice and thus prevent the development of more terrorists, would it be taken as a sign of US weakness and thus lead to further terrorism, or would it provide a means for terrorist leaders to save face and retire from terrorism?

13. Would the development of a better economy and standard of living in the Mid-East and South Asia develop more content, less violent inhabitants who are not angry at the US or would it develop a wealthier, more organized Mid-East and South Asia that is more capable of and more prone to waging war and terrorism against the US?

14. What are all the advantages and disadvantages that peoples around the globe receive from US capitalism and from the activities of US corporations in other nations?

15. If the US became less dependent upon oil, would terrorist networks have less money and also fewer grievances against the US?

16. Has the US adopted a short-term definition of self-interest that does not consider our long-term self-interest in maintaining friends?

17. If accurate and comprehensive information were broadcast into the Mid-East and South Asia about American policy and culture and about Mid-Eastern and South Asian governments and political and religious groups, would there be more or less terrorism?

18. How can we keep non-violent conservative Muslim fundamentalists from becoming violent radical fundamentalists?

19. Does the US currently co-exist with American citizens who hold views just as inimical to American principles as those of Muslim fundamentalists?

20. Can non-violent Muslim fundamentalism and the United States co-exist?

21. If co-existence is possible, what steps would need to be taken to achieve long-term peaceful co-existence?

22. What are all the steps we and the President can take to protect our Arab/Asian/Muslim citizens in the US?

23. How can we keep Americans from wanting to hurt people of other races and religions?

24. What causes someone to stop being a terrorist?

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On Innocence / Unraveling anti-Americanism / Top Twenty Questions