Disclaimer: I am not trying to hurt your feelings; I am trying to give us a reality check. I am not here to baby you since you're likely a competent adolescent or adult. It is when our votes and our voices dictate the lives and livelihood of other people that I and The Mind Catalyst team rise. I am not an expert on politics; however, all the information written here is from a 9/11 Commission Report or Brown University (sources linked below). If you doubt the credibility of these facts, check the sources and get back to us with a coherent counterargument. We're ready to listen, but only if you USE YOUR BRAIN.  

Introduction

It ruffles my feathers when I hear someone say, "History is set in stone," or "We can't change the past, so let's move on," or the most recent one I've heard: "I can imagine what can be, unburdened by what has been." That last quote is not to point fingers or to accuse politicians and parties; it is simply a means to illuminate the pervasive narrative of American nonchalance. The United States is skilled at covering up its tragedies. For decades, government secrets have remained hidden, causing millions of deaths swept under our rugs and infinite pieces shadowed to prevent the moral uprising society needs. Before someone comments that there are laws and codes to avoid the government concealing information, you'll soon realize in this essay that it's not about physically publishing information; it's about the people's blinded trust toward the government. Ask yourself, has the government gained your trust? Your respect? Why do you follow what you're told and not what you find? I'll answer that last one for you, it's because you don't even look.  

9/11 Attack

On September 11, 2001, 19 Al-Qaeda extremists led by Osama Bin Laden executed a premeditated terrorist attack on the New York City Twin Towers and the Washington D.C. Pentagon. These terrorists, many trained as pilots in the United States, killed 2,977 civilians, shaking the country with an ever-resonating pain that altered our attitude toward patriotism. 

This attack was not random; Osama Bin Laden had been building anti-American sentiment since the 1980s. Bin Laden's method of cultivating followers was the appeal to religion. He fabricated an anti-American outlook within Islamic religious texts and weaponized this agenda to create an obedient army. Appeal to religion is one of the most potent brainwashing tactics to date; there is no doubt that these civilians were devout to their God and were willing to do anything in His name. It may seem difficult for many to grasp that faith can cause an override in moral judgment for something they can't concretely trust. Yet, aren't we victims of blind trust, too? Ask yourself when you last took the words of Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Charlie Kirk, Dean Withers, or anyone else like they were the law.

Immediate Response: Afghanistan

On the evening of September 11, President Bush declared a time of 'self-defense' against Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, and Iran with Pakistan's support. The day after the attack, the President stated that the new objective of the United States was the "elimination of terrorism as a threat to our way of life" by eradicating Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Notably, President Bush incorporated a determination not to distinguish terrorists from those who harbor them since utter destruction was necessary to end Al-Qaeda's presence in Afghanistan. It was on October 7, 2001, that the United States military invaded Afghanistan (is the date a coincidence? No one has mentioned it, but I noticed. What do you think?). This directive was signed on October 25, but the violence in Afghanistan had already begun. The war in Afghanistan lasted over two decades with several trillion dollars spent, over double the amount of U.S. soldier casualties compared to civilian 9/11 deaths and hundreds of thousands of Allied deaths. 

Second Gulf War

Immediately after the 9/11 attack, President Bush was skeptical of Iraqi involvement–they had been an enemy of the U.S. for over 11 years. The lack of concrete proof lead to speculation, assumption and a counterfeit excuse for attack. The 9/11 Commission report has confirmed that there was no evidence of Iraq's collusion in the attacks, and a variety of foreign intelligence personnel argued that the link between Iraq and Al-Qaeda was little to none. With this, Bin Laden's religious appeals were directly contrasted with Sadam Hussein's secularism, causing a polarizing difference that kept the two distant. 

The most baffling fact is that the United States yearned to find a reason to attack Iraq. It didn't matter if there was no concrete proof; if they dug enough, they could make a story worth attacking, and so they did. The final statement was that Iraq had access to weapons of mass destruction that had to be contained. Then, a strategy was drafted to enact the War On Terrorism, the three targets being Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and Iraq. Pause and realize how utterly absurd, paradoxical, petrifying, unscrupulous, and hypocritical this action was. There was no proof, no evidence, no 'innocent until proven guilty' concept that the U.S. fanatics flag in our faces when atrocities are confronted. There was a will, so they found a way. A way that ended up catalyzing immeasurable suffering for Iraqi families, U.S. military personnel, and millions of civilians–yet another nationalistic decision that's swept under the rug. Its justification? Peace and safety for the American people. The outcome? A war found on a lie, only fueling dehumanization, danger, and death for everyone further. 

Conclusion

Here's the bitter irony: Much of the Middle East's anti-American sentiment stems from United States actions. We've become the orchestrators of our demise. WE ARE THE PROBLEM. When has our involvement in the Middle East done anything but harm? 

Foreign affairs should resemble a boxing ring–strategic, deliberate, but constrained. Yet, in our dominance, the United States has abandoned its humanity. The War On Terrorism, framed as 'self-defense,' was the government's way of abusing an emotionally scared society. They pinned it on "them," the "terrorists," the "extremists," and the "Middle Easterns." The justification? "They killed three thousand people" –mothers, fathers, children, and personnel, right? But are we any better? Ask yourself this. Twenty years later, what have we achieved? At least 400,000 civilians across the Middle East have died directly due to the wars, while an estimated FOUR MILLION have died indirectly in war zones. More than 7.6 million children under five years old now suffer from acute malnutrition in post-9/11 war zones. Is their suffering worth it? According to Madeleine Albright, the former secretary of state, the deaths of half a million Iraqi children were 'worth it.' Is this who we are? We have achieved nothing but indescribable pain, horror, death, financial drain, ongoing war, anti-Americanism, but we are still not safe. Our peace plan is a failure. 

What now?  

Citizens of the United States, please stop underestimating our military's power and stop overestimating our government's moral compass. We are selfish, narcissistic, and monstrous if we continue to live in dirty revenge. When do we stop? It's time to question the motives of our United States foreign affairs. DO NOT underestimate the power of your voice, but if you choose to use it, don't embarrass us–do some research. 

Sources: 

• National Commission On Terrorist Attacks. The 9/11 Commission Report, 9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024. 

• Watson Institute For International and Public Affairs. “U.S. & Allied Killed and Wounded.” US & Allied Killed and Wounded I Costs of War, 2024, watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/costs/human/military#:~:text=Over%207%2C000%20U.S.%20service%20members,%2C%20Iraq%2C%20and%20Syria%20died. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024. 

12/31/2024