War on Terror vs. Clash of Civilizations

[EagleEye]

http://www.scopevision.org/blog/?p=9

War on Terror vs. Clash of Civilizations

One of the terms frequently used by President Bush is the term the “war on terror.” While we certainly are fighting terrorists, I believe the term is inadequate. As Representative Tom Tancredo and I acknowledge, we are not involved in only a war on terror, but also a clash of civilizations. This is a crucial distinction, because the first term implies that it is just the fringe of society that is behind the terror, whereas the second term recognizes the unfortunate reality that even many of the average everyday citizens are behind it. It is for this particular reason that I believe the theory of conversion to democracy is a bad idea for the middle-east, even if it was successful (which at this point the success is debatable). The citizens will simply abuse their freedom, and end up being even worse than they would have been under a dictator. If a dictator is to be selected, it would go without saying that a more secular and less theocratic one should be selected…but that leads us right back in a circle to Saddam Hussein…this is why I think the whole situation is a mess, and we unfortunately didn’t chose the most intelligent foreign policy. Let this be a learning experience for the future and may America continue to grow and progress. Also, may our leaders make the most intelligent decisions to fix the situation as it is, rather than make superficial decisions designed to please a targeted fan base, whether they be Democrats or Republicans.