I initially struggled a little about the place of interrogation techniques like waterboarding. While I was reflexively against any form of torture, I was seduced by the powerful argument of greater good when faced with the ticking time-bomb example.
That was a long time ago. Now I just see base inhumanity and worthless “intelligence”. Our struggle against “terrorists” (for want of a better word), those people who oppose the freedoms we enjoy in place like Australia and Holland, is one of ideas.
In many ways it resembles the struggle we faced during the cold war. I have spent some time lately listening to some of the great speeches of the last century, and I have to say, I have heard some truly inspiring things. The one sticking in my mind is that of Eleanor Roosevelt in her address to the United Nations General Assembly on the Adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its beautiful in its idealism and defiance.
Where are our great orators now? Where are the leaders who can “mobilize the English language and send it into battle”? For this is the stage where our ideas are best demonstrated.
Like the cold war, this “War”, cannot just be won or lost. What we face is a generation long shift in the global environment in which we live. Courage does not come from confronting it head on, but from standing firm in what we believe. By strengthening our systems of government, and then using them to secure our individual freedoms.
This battle of ideas should be easier. Our “enemy” today cares little for life, believes positive propaganda includes decapitation, and has a world view that is more than 1000 years out of date. Sadly, each time we drop to their level, by waterboarding, by Guantanamo Bay, by Abu Ghraib and even by laws which restrict our freedoms, we make the distance between us and them smaller, and undercut what are our powerful ideas.
If you are still not sure about torture, take another look at waterboarding:
Great post Daniel! You analysis is striate to the point. The most powerful part of the western worlds ideals is that they use to be based on hope and the idea of freedom to be place above all else. When we start to make decisions based on fear, then we start to make stupid decisions and then it is that we feel that the distance between what we stands for and what “they” stands for get demisted.
But yes it is dangerous times we live in. Not in the form of terrorist attack – but the western world is about to loose its innocence. Check out my blog later on today because I think you have inspired me