Time Running Out!!!

Opinion

The UNSC gets petrified in procedural matters while, every day, Americans are being attacked with anthrax. The case is clear to the Fox News redaction; the time is for action.

Terrorists do not care for international law respect or any institutions. They profited from the weakening of the intelligence community under the Clinton administration to establish solid grounds in Afghanistan and other rogue states. Now they strike in the heart of the American homeland killing thousands. When President Bush visited the sites of the attacks on September 14th he stated, “I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you! And the people -- and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!” meaning America will retaliate with the full force of our military power to safeguard the word.

All countries agree that terrorism knows no borders and that Al-Qaida could strike London, Tokyo or Paris next. So, this seems a simple case; if everybody agrees on what must be done, then let’s do it. Let’s bring the terrorists to justice. This is the case that the United States came to present to the United Nations Security Council. However, the meeting does not seem to go in that direction. 

Instead, the momentum of discussions has been lost in a debate on defining terrorism. This might seem like a simple prerequisite, but this is symptomatic of how international institutions often fail to deliver any results. The Afghanistan delegation agrees that military action is needed, all permanent members of the Security council agree, the pope agrees, but smaller countries that benefit from American trade are holding out swift action from the council. Again, the culprits are known by all, a debate on the definition of terrorism will change nothing to the matter. It will only delay any action and thus serve the terrorist.

Therefore, Americans are in their right, and should as a duty, question whether those international institutions support terrorists if they do not support America. This is even more shameful as Americans are right now being targeted by anthrax envelopes, an event that no holdout delegate acknowledged in any form. If the United Nations are a place of endless and useless debates, then they have forfeited their rights to act on the matter, and it will be up to the United States and NATO to bring the terrorists to justice by any means necessary and by justice, we mean talion law. Al-Qaida did not sign the Geneva conventions; therefore, they should not be protected by it.

Reported by Matthieu Dupraz