Hey there everyone, welcome back to today’s blog post!
For this week, I’d like to talk about a book we’re going to begin reading called Zeitoun. Written by author Dave Eggers, it tells that story of a Syrian-American man called Abdulrahman Zeitoun who was arrested after being accused of looting during Hurricane Katrina, and subsequently, terrorism. The War on Terror has always been a very controversial topic in American politics, with an affluent amount of support shortly after the 9/11 attacks to a disapproval of US domestic and international affairs. This change of opinions can be seen in the annual Gallop polls: http://www.gallup.com/poll/5257/war-terrorism.aspx. Has the War on Terror truly being a success so far? I’m not sure I’m one to give my opinion, being an outsider and never having lived in the US; but I think it’s important to have a foreigner’s perspective on this, particularly one whose country isn’t truly involved in said affairs. If you don’t very well know what the War on Terror exactly is, it can be classified as an international military campaign against any manner of terrorism against the US, be it overseas or in the country; you can also check the Wikipedia page for more information, it’s a pretty good starting point for this topic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_on_Terror. With that being said, I’ll attempt to give an outsider’s view on this issue. One of the many effects of the War on Terror that truly affects me is in the traveling aspect. Many times, I need to pass through the US during flights and the environment found in their airports is very different from those in Canada or Mexico. It gets very, comparatively, tense in the security lines and one feels scrutinized by the TSA, who just look like they’re waiting for a problem to arrive. It is not a very pleasant experience and I hate traveling through the US because of it. Apart from that, I also find it unbelievable that people, like Zeitoun, can be arrested for no particular reason; in my opinion, all that does is foster anger and create racism, I truly don’t see how that is very beneficial. However, I never experienced the tragedy that was 9/11; I never felt scared or insecure in my home. But, all I see is the foundation for a police state, an idea that goes against the very values on which I’ve been taught the USA was founded on, and that something that really frightens me. However, it seems this time of fear and insecurity is coming to an end, with American people starting to become tired of all the “security” being put in place for their “protection”, even the government itself has stopped acknowledging this war, with the Obama administration now calling it Overseas Contingency Operation. Was this decade just a simple spike in paranoia, or will the US, and other nations, keep on walking down this path of “fear” and “security”? Only time will tell I guess.
That’s all from me today, I hope you enjoyed reading and I wish you all a good weekend!