The Price of Empire

Mike Tuggle writes:

The rising death toll in London is just the latest atrocity in the long-standing battle to dominate the Middle East. Both sides have been hardened into ignoring the suffering of others so much that they seem to regard the other side as sub-human. When confronted with evidence of harm to innocents, both sides shrug and respond with language to the effect that they had it coming.

Sadly, die-hard supporters of DC's war party are as bad as the jihadists. Here in the US, people ignore the growing number of Afghan and Iraqi civilians killed by the US occupation. And if the US has to use torture methods just as brutal as Saddam's to stem resistance, then no one's going to talk about it -- which amounts to endorsement by quiet acceptance.

As British and US security tightens up in response to the brutal London bombings, and as civilians -- who are obviously now in the crosshairs of jihadists waiting in secret in numerous Western cities -- begin to look over their shoulders, it's time to start talking about these things. As Pat Buchanan warned, years of Western interference in the Middle East cannot have any other effect than to enflame more hatred against us. For the British, the question is simple: If you invade a country that has not threatened you, and imprison, torture, humiliate, and kill its people, does that make your country safer or less safe?

We need to disown the attitude that Washington is entitled to bomb, starve, shoot, and occupy any people anywhere. We need to repudiate the attitude that any reprisal against DC's policies and actions is an unthinkable abomination because its motivations are so noble. Bush has said as much, and that was the subtext of Tony Blair's mumbling response to the horrific news in London.