-Caveat Lector- http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week602/juergensmeyer.html
THE MORAL WAR AGAINST IRAQ by Mark Juergensmeyer The punch line came at the end. Prior to that, President George W. Bush's speech to the United Nations on Iraq seemed almost restrained. It was, to a large extent, a straightforward litany of grievances -- promises broken, UN resolutions ignored. Only at the end did the rhetoric of the speech begin to sound, well, rhetorical. In fact, it sounded almost sermonic. "We must choose," Bush said, "between a world of fear and a world of progress." This stark dichotomy seemed to echo the words he used shortly after the September 11 attack a year ago, when he said that nations should line up either for or against the war on terrorism. What was chilling about the war language against al Qaeda was that it seemed to mirror Osama bin Laden's own view of the world. Bin Laden, like many religious extremists, was animated by the notion that a hidden cosmic war was behind many of the evils of the world. Bush's war on terrorism rhetoric picked up that theme and directed it against bin Laden himself. Such a war allows for no bystanders. You are either "for us or against us," Bush said, challenging the world a year ago. As he made his case for attacking Iraq, he again presented the world with a stark moral dichotomy. In the UN speech, Bush concluded with a kind of altar call, addressing directly the moral conscience of each delegate. He told them that the United States would "make that stand" against fear and in favor of progress, and then charged each delegate in the hall to replicate the moral commitment he had made. "You have the power to make that stand," the president solemnly urged them. The moral imagery of the war on terrorism was thus transferred to the war on Iraq. The proposed Iraqi incursion, Bush seemed to say, is a struggle over ultimate values. It is not just a matter of reining in an erratic and potentially dangerous rogue regime. It is a matter of making profound and enduring choices: of choosing progress rather than fear, truth over evil, light over darkness. Political leaders often lean on absolute language - - especially images provided by religion -- to buttress their political positions. It was this kind of language that animated the rhetoric of political leaders during the Cold War. But what is interesting about the use of Manichean language in the Iraq case is that the foe is not another USSR or China but a rather lonely, unlikable despot in a Middle Eastern country with an economy comparable to that of a moderate-sized county in the state of California. Like Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein possesses relatively little real power -- at least at present -- but he does have the ability to annoy America's leaders and scare its population. Much of his danger is his unpredictability, the danger of the unknown. No wonder, then, that quasi-religious language is invoked to prepare the world for such an encounter. Saddam Hussein has become a symbol for fear itself -- and who in their right minds would choose that over progress? Mark Juergensmeyer is the author of TERROR IN THE MIND OF GOD: THE GLOBAL RISE OF RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE and editor of GLOBAL RELIGION: AN INTRODUCTION, forthcoming next year. He is professor of sociology and religious studies and director of global and international studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
