One Year Later ... An National Council of Churches Reflection
This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq. There will be peace marches. There will be candlelight vigils. There will be political speeches. But one thing that may be lacking is sustained reflection on who we are as a nation, one year later.
To begin such reflection, we must necessarily think back to that fateful day of September 11, 2001. For it was on that day that our world changed. Certainly there had been terrorism before 9/11, in the United States and in other parts of the world. But it was on that day that the world realized that terrorists have the capability to utterly destroy all that civilized humanity has achieved.
We now have a March 11, the day of the large-scale terrorist attack in Spain, the day the world was once again reminded of the magnitude of terrorism’s destructive power. As in all acts of terrorism in all parts of the world, we mourn with the families of the victims in Madrid. Indeed, 3/11 will now stand as an exclamation point in the sad narrative of world affairs in the two-and-a-half years since 9/11.
In between 9/11/2001 and 3/11/2004, the United States, along with a small cadre of allies, waged war in Afghanistan and Iraq. In Afghanistan, we defeated the Taliban, only to leave the search for the 9/11 culprits unfinished and the Afghani people without the necessary infrastructure to rebuild their lives. In Iraq, we defeated Saddam Hussein, only to plunge the country into chaos and the Iraqi people into further instability after years of oppression.
The United States Government led the American people to war in Iraq as part of its “war on terror.” In fact, the progress of the “war on terror” has become the standard against which we have come to measure ourselves as a nation. Now, after a year of increasing violence that seems to be spiraling out of control in Iraq and around the world, many Americans - those who supported the war and those who opposed it - are reflecting on our choices. One year later, what have we learned?
We have learned yet again that we are capable of waging war. What we have forgotten is that the true greatness of our country lies, not in our military might, but in the ideals of freedom and justice and equality. Since the founding of our nation, our ideals have been an inspiration to others. In the last year, the United States - through its preemptive invasion of Iraq, through its dismissal of the international community, through its continued imprisonment of detainees without due process as mandated by U.S. and international law - has inspired disappointment and resentment around the world.
We have learned that we are quick to seek retribution. What we have forgotten is that, in order to build up from the ashes of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the fields of western Pennsylvania, the blood of others will not nurture future peace. Certainly, the perpetrators of this crime should be brought to justice in the courts of law. But, as we seek a future free of terrorism, it is good to remember that it is also necessary to remedy the causes of injustice in the world that breed perpetual destructiveness.
We have learned that we can be misled by fear. What we have forgotten is that the American spirit has long been characterized by bravery in the face of adversity. Since 9/11, we have allowed ourselves to be manipulated by fear. How else to account for our willingness to yield to restrictions on civil liberties, to squander our long-term social well being in favor of unchecked military spending, to accuse our allies of disloyalty instead of weighing the validity of their concerns?
On this somber anniversary, the National Council of Churches USA has called for prayer vigils in churches, mosques, synagogues, and other houses of worship across the country. People will gather in congregations and town squares nationwide to mourn the dead - the hundreds of American and international soldiers; the thousands of Iraqis; the several missionary and other aid workers. There will be fervent prayers for the many thousands who have been injured in this conflict, and who, perhaps for the rest of their lives, will live with wounds to body, mind and spirit.
Let us also use these vigils, and other opportunities, to reflect on who we are as a nation, one year later.