World to America: Why now?

Now that we have bombed Afghanistan, we must ask whether throwing devastation at an already devastated country has really done anything to prevent terrorism, punish a global network of anti-American terrorists and enlarge our understanding of a confusing international web of cause and effect.\nThe answer is that war is a ham-fisted way to get something done. To make progress in the advance toward peace, this country must give credit to the subtlety and nuance of the global network. \nDefense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell are trying to put together a coalition to fight terrorism. Here's an idea of the kind of reactions they might receive:\nDear America,\nWe are delighted at the prospect of your war on terrorism. We hope you are serious about your commitment to ridding the world of terrorism, because you won't be able to do that without helping us fight the Basque Separatists, whose violent nationalism lead to the deaths of at least 800 people by the end of the 1990s. This group of misguided freedom fighters just hasn't come to grips with the fact that Spain cannot afford to grant everyone their own state. Imagine! \n -- Spain\nDear America,\nA war on terrorism? We hope the first front is here in Northern Ireland. To be sure, we were on a good run, what with the power sharing agreement and meaningful dialogue between Catholics and Protestants. But now, my red, white and blue friends, those IRA thugs are refusing to disarm, despite the 2000 disarmament agreement. Surely you can agree that if you're wanting to rid the world of terrorism, you have to start here! \n -- Northern Ireland\nDear America,\nWe are confused. When, in less than four months, more than half a million people were killed in the ethnic cleansing of 1994, the United States did next to nothing. Is this not terror? Is this not worthy of an international coalition?\n -- Rwanda\nDear America,\nSo now you know. You know what it is like to step on a bus or a plane or into the shopping mall, and wonder if you will leave alive. And you wonder why we fight so hard to prevent the Palestinians from taking even one inch. As the bombs explode, you will begin to understand why we cannot tolerate their tactics.\n -- Israel\nDear America,\nWe find it hard to believe you are waging a war on terrorism after supporting the terrorism of Zionists. The man you call the current prime minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, is nothing but a white-haired terrorist. You need look only to his service in Israel's guerrilla "war for independence" for proof of it. \n -- Palestinians \nDear America, \nSo now the Taliban is an oppressive regime? Now they are worth destroying? We find this odd, as we have been the victims of a thousand acts of terror since the Taliban captured our capital in 1996. \nWe have been locked in our homes and in the strictest forms of religious dress. We have been subjected to the vilest forms of punishment, including death by stoning. Those of us with degrees cannot use them, and we cannot send our daughters to school. Women who once worked as doctors and lawyers have to be escorted outside the home. \nAll this, since 1996. And yet, only when the terror is dropped at your doorstep have you decided to take an interest in the plight of our women. We certainly mourn for your loss, and we are grateful for American intervention ... but forgive us if we are suspicious of your sudden compassion.\n -- The women of Afghanistan