We are at war but are fighting a different type of enemy. Terriorism is our foe, and we continue efforts to make adaptations to accommodate this new fight. President Bush calls it a war of "good and evil."
As a history major I am well aware of the ideology that history repeats itself. Since the beginning of time there has been the "good" and the "evil." Traditionally, wars have been between the good forces and the bad. I often think of Star Wars, but there are numerous examples of the on-going battle.
There have been many comparisons between the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the tragic events that occured on Sept. 11. I see significant similarities between these two events. America's mainland has been attacked by a foriegn nation. Thousands of lives were lost in both occurences.
In the bombing of Pearl Harbor our military was the target. In contrast, our civilians were the victims, in the most recent attack. I'm not so sure the individuals that carried out the attacks on Sept. 11 could have taken a more crippling approach. It's ruthless to specifically target the innocent.
I think the perpetrators carried out the plans they did because this was the most effective way to attack America. It would be awefully hard to attack our military now, at least to the extent the Japanese did at Pearl Harbor. Especially with the limited military power the Taliban have. (tanks, guns, planes, etc.)
Just as the world trade center attacks are similar to Pearl Harbor, there is another comparison we should consider. I believe history has repeated itself more than just once in the past couple of months.
For years the Taliban has been unjustly executing civilians, including women and children. Is the Taliban the Nazis of the twentieth century? Perhaps. Once again we find many similarities between the two.
Obviously the Nazis had an extensive military force to carry out their tactics. They stayed 'afloat' for several years before the United States and her allies brought them to their knees. They were able to exterminate more than 6 million Jews, which was a major accomplishment for them. Thankfully we were able to divide and conquer the axis powers.
The Taliban are not attempting to take over the world, but they are a world threat. Bin Laden believes that all Americans are evil and should be killed. I believe that Bin Laden can be very distructive, just as Hitler was; therefore we should take him and his network just as serious. We must target the Taliban, not just Mr. Bin Laden.
We must not only continue, but also increase humanitarian efforts. America needs to extend a helping hand to those in need. May we learn from what happened in 1941 and throughout World War II. One reason we study history is to learn about events and why they occur.
We must be patient and persistant in our fight against terrorism. I think this is a turning point for Americans. It's a call for citizens of this nation to help others. Not just in New York City or Washington DC, but we should also open our eyes and arms to the needs of this world.
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