Author: Rachel Neuwirth
Publication: Truth News
Date: September 27, 2004
URL: http://www.truthnews.net/world/2004090206.htm
In our war on terror the enemy is
now positioning to strike America from yet another direction and with a
potentially fatal blow, with many thanks to France. The 9/11 Commission
pointed out that our biggest failure was "a failure of imagination." That
is, our thinking lagged the evolving reality and our key leaders failed
to grasp the possibility of such a daring attack and hence we were caught
unprepared. We not only failed to imagine such a scenario but we also underestimated
the enemy's intent and its capabilities even as we also ignored those people
who tried to warn us about our exposure.
Americans already anticipate a variety
of possible internal terror threats and we hope and assume that our government
is on the job. But now another ominous warning comes from Professor Howard
Bloom. He is a visiting scholar at the Graduate Psychology Department at
New York University, an author of two books and is widely published in
major print media. If he is right then there is an urgent need to understand
this emerging threat and to respond in time.
After 9/11 President Bush asserted
that Islam is a religion of peace and that we need to fight only that small
minority of Moslems who are extremists. By now the term "war on terror"
is gradually being replaced by terms like Islamism, Islamo-Fascism, Islamic
extremism, etc. The actions of Moslems around the world, and even inside
America, are raising disturbing questions about the mindset of large numbers
of people within the greater Moslem community.
After the bombing of the train in
Madrid, Spain, King Abdullah of Jordan made a brief but significant comment.
He said that the real conflict was going on within the Moslem world and
it was between the moderates and the extremists. He did not say who is
winning. This is part of the big picture that the west does not fully understand
and hence it is not providing a sufficiently effective response.
Professor Bloom, on his web site
addresses Islamic intent and also the rapidly emerging Islamic military
capability. This article will summarize both issues from his web site and
also include remarks from his lengthy radio interview on the Art Bell show
of August 21, 2004.
Islamic intent
Professor Bloom reviews Islamic
history from the time of Mohammed to the present. On his web site www.howardbloom.net,
click on "Islam's War Against the West" for a sweeping historic overview.
Professor Bloom has also studied the lengthy messages issued by Osama bin
Laden. The media quotes only a very small part of his statement without
reporting that he periodically delivers his long and detailed philosophy
of confrontation with the west. Bloom also has contacts from various parts
of the Moslem community who provide him with additional insights.
Professor Bloom argues that the
extremists are working diligently to radicalize the moderates just as King
Abdullah had said. Osama bin Laden is emerging as a heroic leader among
vast parts of the Islamic world. Bin Laden teaches that the present life
is brief and transitory and of limited value. What is important is to prepare
for the eternity of the after-life where true Moslems will find eternal
paradise and unbelievers will find eternal hell. Islam is the only true
religion and all other belief systems and religions are wrong, even evil.
Moslems must all work and sacrifice to make Islam the one religion for
all humanity. On this there is no discussion, only acceptance.
Bin Laden also teaches that the
west and its institutions are all decadent. Freedom, democracy, women's
rights, man-made laws, popular culture, etc. are all acts by infidels that
must be erased. The west exploits its women who appear in public, dressing
and acting immodestly. The place for women is to be protected, in the home,
having many children to out-populate the west with its low birth rates.
The decadent west is weak and cannot
take pain, sacrifice and casualties. The true Moslem will glory in martyrdom
for it assures eternal bliss.
We deterred the Soviet Union during
the cold war with a policy of mutually assured destruction (MAD). Neither
side wanted to die, and this doctrine of massive retaliation did deter
both sides from launching a first strike. That concept of deterrence does
not apply to the Moslem fundamentalists. According to Osama bin Laden he
would even welcome the deaths of countless millions of Moslems in the process
of toppling western civilization. These Moslems believe there are actually
two billion Moslems in the world (rather than the 1.2 generally accepted)
and even the loss of 500 million would still leave 1.5 billion, plus they
have a high birth rate and can readily replace their losses.
The radicals also believe that this
is their time in history to flex their growing power and to crush a decadent
west and also to settle the score for all past grievances, both real and
imagined. For them there is nothing to negotiate. The infidels will be
given a choice. They can convert to Islam and accept Sharia law or they
might be allowed to live as second class non-Moslems if they pay a heavy
tax. For those who refuse the first two choices the Moslems have a religious
obligation to kill the infidels. And fellow Moslems who deviate too far
from Sharia law must also be punished, possibly with death. And no Moslem,
either a convert or by birth, is allowed to forsake Islam for another belief
- the punishment is death, even if a father must kill a son or a daughter.
This is a brief summary of Islamic
intent according to Professor Bloom, an intent that cannot be deterred
by any amount of retaliation. Note that the basic drive of radical Islam
does not stem from the Arab-Israeli conflict as some commentators would
have us believe. And appeasement also does not work because nothing short
of total conversion to Islam is acceptable, with the limited exception
of inferior status and a heavy tax.
But intent is only as dangerous
as the capability it can mobilize. We have already seen 9/11, plus ongoing
suicide attacks throughout the Middle East and in other parts of the world.
Now it is time to examine some far more extreme possibilities.
Islamic military capability
On web site www.howardbloom.com
click on "Dodging the nuclear 9/11." Following is a summary but it is advisable
to visit the site and also view photos of the stealth submarine. France
has developed an advanced diesel powered submarine. It was designed to
run super quiet and escape detection by the current sensors placed by the
U.S. along the bottoms of the oceans. It carries 16 cruise missiles that
can deliver nuclear warheads. It can travel about 12,000 miles from home
and remain submerged, and undetected, for up to 60 days.
France sold the first submarine
to Pakistan about 4 years ago. But Pakistan does not require this weapon
system for an adequate defense against India, its main rival. This stealth
submarine is capable of striking coastal cities almost anywhere in the
world. Pakistan also induced France to show the Pakistanis how to build
a shipyard where they have already built their second submarine. In 18
months Pakistan will have their third stealth submarine.
Professor Bloom reminds us that
the Moslems in Pakistan are highly radicalized - not all Moslems, but a
very significant percentage. He also reminds us that historically a small
number of radicals can seize control of a government away from the majority.
It has happened before, in the 1930's with both Germany and Japan, for
example. He explains that Pakistani `moderation', and that government,
today depends very much on the survival of one leader, President Pervez
Musharef.
We recently learned that even under
the `moderate' Musharef, Pakistan was proliferating nuclear weapons' technology
to other Moslem regimes. Bloom argues that bin Laden might wait until submarine
number three is ready to then topple Musharef, seize power, and acquire
Pakistan's 40+ nuclear warheads for mounting on the submarine's cruise
missiles.
At this point we will have intent
plus capability. Osama bin Laden could then direct these submarines to
incinerate some of our coastal cities such as Boston, New York, Washington,
San Francisco, Los Angeles, etc. And in case we had any ideas about retaliation
we could be advised that they have a lot more nukes ready to launch in
case we do not immediately surrender.
The reader might well think that
all this is pure nonsense. America is the world's greatest superpower and
while we cannot be 100% safe, it is still largely unthinkable to us ("a
lack of imagination") that those third world extremists could possibly
mount a knockout blow of this magnitude.
Prof. Bloom has discussed all this
with our intelligence people. Some take it seriously, some are highly skeptical
and others say not to worry because our government is monitoring the situation.
As Prof. Bloom says on his web site: "9/11 woke us up, a nuclear 9/11 could
shut us down."
Americans need to be asking tough
questions of our government right now and demanding straight answers. What
in the world is France doing selling these stealth submarines to Pakistan?
Why does Pakistan need such a dangerous weapons system when it makes no
sense regarding any threat from India? Why is the U.S. government allowing
this potential threat to develop?
Now even Iran appears more confident
and is becoming bolder as it moves rapidly towards long range nuclear capability.
There are new threats by Iran to pre-empt and strike Israel and also American
interests in the region and possibly beyond.
The stakes keep getting higher and
higher. We cannot afford a nuclear 9/11 but realistically what are the
chances that America will act in time? History is not encouraging. Never
mind the bumbling and appeasement leading up to WWII and fifty million
dead. After the bitter lessons of that horrendous conflict we still failed
to completely block the proliferation of nuclear weapons to smaller rogue
nations although we tried and we did slow down the process for a time.
Twice we failed to stop Saddam Hussein from seeking nuclear weapons. First,
in 1981 it was Israel, and not us, that neutralized the Osiraq reactor.
Second, after the first Gulf War we discovered Saddam Hussein was close
to having a nuclear weapon. We had fought only to evict him from Kuwait
and not because we were adequately aware of his nuclear progress. We were
very lucky! We bungled in dealing with the north Koreans who now have acquired
both nukes and missiles. We failed to stop Pakistan from going nuclear
and now we learn that Pakistan was also proliferating nuclear technology
to other Arab states and to Iran. Today we observe a defiant Iran rushing
to mass-produce nuclear weapons and we continue to dither with no clear
firm plan for action as of this writing. And there are reports that Egypt,
Syria and Saudi Arabia have shown some interest in also going nuclear.
And the longer we wait the weaker
we look and the bolder become the rogue states in their quest for nuclear
weapons. Whatever effort it would now take to stop Iran, Pakistan and North
Korea, it will take far more effort next year. But where will America's
fortitude come from? We are politically divided at home with half the country
hating President Bush and candidate John Kerry not offering to form a united
national front on this issue. Although western Europe is certainly nervous
over Iran they have shown insufficient resolve to act decisively together
with America. The U.N. has not shown the needed resolve. And Russia and
China are acting to undermine American security in pursuit of their own
imperial interests.
If the picture looks ominous it
is not because all the good news is being withheld. Some will complain
and attack the messenger. But are we better off pretending that this massive
danger does not exist? This story is not a secret. There are a lot of people
among our leadership who purport to be wise and courageous. Now is their
time to come forward and lead this nation.
Rachel Neuwirth is a freelance journalist/writer
who resides in Los Angeles. She can be reached at rachterry@sbcglobal.net.
