Should America Take Responsibility for the Brussels Terror Attacks?

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Op-Ed by Claire Bernish at ANTIMEDIA

 

Before the bodies had been counted. Before the injuries had been assessed. Before any group claimed responsibility for perpetrating the attacks in the Belgian capitol Brussels, the lazy condemned the entire religion of Islam.

This blame, meted out to a religion whose tenets expressly forbid killing innocents — “it is as if he had slain mankind entirely” — lacks fundamental logic. Worse, it lacks precision.

Without precision and studied consideration of the conditions which culminated in these acts of terrorism, one guarantee can be cemented: future attacks. Why? Because humans have an unironic penchant for neglecting lessons from past mistakes — and an unfaltering blindfold as if their present actions exist in a vacuum.

Indeed, blaming an entire religion for the actions of a few falsely claiming they follow its teachings might be precisely what the ignominious war machine of U.S. imperialism needs. In fact, modern-day terrorism exists because of the actions of a specific religion — and it isn’t Islam.

Imperialism, and its roots planted firmly in statism, inarguably create, foster, and perpetuate terrorism at an alarming rate. An active military campaign and overarching surveillance program ostensibly embarked upon to demolish terrorism — anywhere on the planet — instead manufacture terrorism at an increasingly rapid rate.

This cyclical structure isn’t difficult to comprehend, yet it somehow escapes those eager to scapegoat blame on the undeserving — because xenophobia.

For years, the United States military and its overinflated budget have bombed the hell out of predominantly Muslim countries — doing a bang-up job of mostly missing intended targets, instead killing civilian non-combatants more than 90 percent of the time by some estimates. U.S. foreign policy’s relentless hammer created the staggering refugee crisis as civilians — either having their homes destroyed by bombing or from justifiable fear it could happen — by the millions feel they have no choice but to escape.

Worse still, the U.S.’ vying for natural resources — oil, opium, rare earth metals, and more — have caused a complex juggernaut of proxy wars with sometimes contradictory aims. This wrangling to exploit countrysides in otherwise peaceful countries stands as classic imperialist dogma: they have it, the U.S. government wants it, and the military is promptly deployed to make it happen.

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Largely downplayed in this cycle are countless corporations pulling the strings — directly driving hegemonic foreign policy.

Would we need to invade Afghanistan for its insanely profitable opium crops without Big Pharma? Doubtful. Would we need to partner with Saudi Arabia — not only a notorious human rights abuser, but one of the most despised countries in the Middle East — were it not for its enormous stores of oil? No way. Would Syria be the quagmire it has become if it weren’t geostrategically integral for a proposed oil pipeline? Nope.

War has been called ‘endless’ for justifiable reasons — but it wouldn’t be so without imperialism driving its existence. Violence is its tool. But endless violence isn’t without consequences.

Terrorism holds undeniable responsibility for the attacks in Brussels, but it didn’t manifest because of Islam.

Blaming Islam is the lazy way out of holding those ultimately responsible for its rise — and secures its perpetuation. But it doesn’t mean Islam is to blame.


This article (America Should Take Responsibility for the Brussels Terror Attacks) is an opinion editorial (OP-ED). The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of Anti-Media. This article is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Claire Bernish and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11 pm Eastern/8 pm Pacific. Image credit: Jayel Aheram. If you spot a typo, please email the error and name of the article to[email protected].

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15 COMMENTS

  1. Entièrement en accord avec vous! Mais la droite et les racistes, surtout en France (séquelles de notre passé colonial en Algérie et autre….) diffusent largement cet amalgame Islam égale terrorisme.. Amalgame repris trop souvent par les médiats et certains politique…

  2. Clinton is in trouble. A Clinton’s MO is. Leave bodies and make it big news! Also was I the only one who watched her AIPAC screech? Why Brussels, I don’t know. Maybe none of the important people happened to be there that day. I have dots before my eyes.

  3. America isnt a democracy anymore. Everyone in America is just a puppet to the war machine. The media control what you think and what you say. The medias perspective has lead America into war and as a result lead to the killing of over 200,000 INNOCENTS. So it isnt in Islams religion to kill but it must be allowed in the US Government religion.

  4. You Americans have the most unenviable choice ahead. Trump the facist or the tainted Hilary. Why can t we all take responsibility world wide. It is to easy to condem one faction of soceity.

  5. It’s time Americans stop a tolerating their fascist consumer capitalist, racist, Speciesist, polluting consumerism and behave like civilised beings.

    You can’t get mad for September 11th when you create the conditions for terrorism, and even the terrorists themselves for your own “economic” interests.

    Right now America is the most evil country in the world and it is exploiting and killing not to protect itself, but to protect its wealth!

    Trump shows that it isn’t just the government that is wrong in America, the society is sick too, selfish and greedy, and with a total disregard for the lives of others.

    Racism must end in America to create social justice, Speciesism must be confronted, to end exploitation, suffering and killing.

    If you aren’t demanding human rights for non-Americans, right to life for non-humans, an end to large cars and plastic packaging then you’re part of the problem.

    How many people will you kill so you can buy things you don’t need, drive a car that is too large and too fast, live in a house that is too large, and eat animals that you shouldn’t, so you can get fat and stick.

    Our world take so little to make the world’s fair, sustainable and good, but so many people are too self interested to consider others as much as themselves.

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