World tours and terrorism

Barack Obama’s recent world tour was indubitably bold.

For a man who has yet to even officially be named his party’s presidential nominee, it is only natural that his actions were seen by many as presumptuous. Numerous critics condemned Obama for undermining the authority of Bush by meeting with foreign leaders. Others questioned why Obama seems to be campaigning for the U.S. presidency in foreign countries. Fox News even lambasted the photograph taken of him playing basketball with troops in Kuwait, pointing out that McCain would not be capable of such a stunt due to his war wounds, which prevent him from raising his arms above his head.

Ultimately, however, the tour was ingenious and was a great success for the Obama campaign.

But for a moment, let’s look past the narrow scope of Obama’s individual campaign. His tour, and its relative success among his supporters and U.S. voters in general despite its unorthodoxy, exemplified a shifting American worldview. We are learning, albeit slowly, that for better or worse we as Americans are not isolated from the rest of the world and that the opinions of other nations matter.

As the United States continues to address and attempts to understand terrorism, this lesson is invaluable. For too long we have relied on an “us and them” mentality, seeing ourselves in the First World as separate and secluded from the problems and the people in developing nations. The attacks of Sept. 11 unveiled not only Muslim rage but also the harsh reality that we cannot continue to ignore the plight of the “other” world without devastating repercussions. Sept. 11 exposed that we, just like those in Rwanda, Lebanon and Srebrenica, are vulnerable.

The key to fighting terrorism is not occupation. In fact, terrorism, especially suicide terrorism, has been strongly linked to a strategy of national liberation against foreign occupiers. Robert Pape points out in his book “Dying to Win” that Osama bin Laden’s principle goal is “expulsion of American troops from the Persian Gulf and the reduction of Washington’s power and influence in the region.” He continues to explain that “the use of heavy offensive force to defeat today’s terrorists is the most likely stimulus to the rise of more.”

Terrorism can be better addressed by ordinary Americans. We need to learn of foreign ideologies and religions. It is our responsibility to be familiar with our government’s foreign policies and utilize our democratic rights to support or oppose them. We are citizens of the United States; but more importantly, we are citizens of the world. It is up to us to develop sympathy for those who have experienced the helplessness similar to what we felt in September 2001. As Obama’s tour suggests, we are slowly adopting to this one-world mentality and the realization that the rest of the world is important, too. That is a courageous step toward a safer and more just world.