The World’s Mayor
Aghast, the world watched the horrific events of September 11th, 2001, unaware that it was a foreshadowing of a barbaric phenomenon that would spread to Istanbul, to Bali, to Riyadh, to Islamabad, to Baghdad, to Moscow, to Madrid, and to Beer Sheva, that civilians world over would be threatened with random death, beheading and kidnap within a few years. The atrocities have become commonplace in 2004.
Rudolph Giuliani, mayor of New York at the time of the attacks, led New Yorkers through their finest hour, unbowed, compassionate and determined to stand together. He is often called ‘Americas Mayor.’ During his recent speech at the Republican National Convention held in New York City, Giuliani recalled the day. He spoke of the moment American ’stood face to face with those people and forces who hijacked not just airplanes but a religion and turned it into a creed of terrorism dedicated to eradicating us and our way of life.’
He spoke of all America when he said: ‘The horror, the shock and the devastation of those attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and over the skies of Pennsylvania lifted a cloud from our eyes.’
To a large degree, Giuliani, who attained international prominence after the attacks, was speaking to the world as well. There is now no safe corner, no alliance of convenience, no policy of appeasement that will protect families when terrorists decide it is in their interest to strike, as the news of nearly any day will attest: ‘We have carried out the sentence of God against 12 Nepalis who came from their country to fight the Muslims and to serve the Jews and the Christians…believing in Buddha as their God,’ said a statement by the Army of Ansar al-Sunna as they took ‘credit’ for the brutal execution of twelve workers in Iraq. The group posted photographs and video to the executions.
The French had expected a degree of immunity from the terrorists wrath in return for their sustained and vocal opposition to the US led war in Iraq. The recent kidnapping of two French journalists proved it was not so. Le Figaro, employer of one of the journalists, pointed out that the war in Iraq was ’sought by the president of the United States, but condemned by the president of the French Republic.’ The paper says, ‘France could have hoped to be spared this cruel ordeal.’
The goal of impacting a state’s domestic or foreign policy through the brutalization of innocents ‘did not start on September 11, 2001,’ Mr. Giuliani noted at the convention. ‘It had been festering for many years. And the world had created a response to it that allowed it to succeed…So terrorists learned they could intimidate the world community and too often the response, particularly in Europe, was accommodation, appeasement and compromise.’
The kidnapping of two journalists elicited surprise that French domestic policy had prompted the outrageous act. The terrorists demand to overturn the French ban on the hijab in schools was rejected after a few days. The hope of a separate peace for France exists no more. Anti-Americanism is no shield from jihadiis.
It does often function though as a shield from popular expression and domestic political reform, Mr. Giuliani noted: ‘Rather than trying to grant more freedom, create more income, improve education and basic health care, (some) governments deflect their own failures by pointing to America and Israel and other external scapegoats. But blaming these scapegoats does not improve the life of a single person…’
The protesters gathered outside the Madison Square Garden convention site disagreed. A day earlier, a hundred thousand people marched past the to demand enhanced gay rights, civil rights, and abortion rights, and to demonstrate their strong disapproval of President Bush’s foreign policy, US troop deployments in Iraq, Korea and the Philippines, the level of AIDS funding, US policy on Cuba, the Palestinians and illegal immigration. The general message was ‘Save America, Defeat Bush.’
Mr. Giuliani took the opposite tack: Save the world, re-elect Bush. Giuliani, like many Republicans, believes that ‘nothing more powerful than freedom. Give it some hope, and it will overwhelm dictators, and even defeat terrorists. That is what we have done and must continue to do in Iraq…The long-term answer to ending global terrorism (is) governments that are free and accountable.’ A successful Iraq he believes will enhance the security of civilians everywhere.
The political development of Iraq even at this infantile stage has been based on gaining and maintaining the approval of the governed The Iraqi leadership is distinguishing itself from its regional neighbors in many respects and newly enfranchised Iraqis now expect their voices and their representatives to be welcomed in the political system and not punished, tortured or imprisoned.
Many nations around the globe have begun a dialog on political reform and the strengthening of civil society. The terrorists war against civilians has brought condemnations from many quarters- although fear of being too closely allied with the US and President Bush has had a stifling influence. At this late date, Mr. Giuliani reminds the world that President Bush’s declaration, ‘Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists’ is becoming more self-explanatory daily.
Speaking as the world’s mayor, as the mayor of every city devastated by terrorism, Giuliani urged that the survivors must be able to say to ‘our fallen brothers and sisters (and) to our heroes …we have done all that we could with our lives that were spared to make your sacrifices build a world of real peace and true freedom. That (the terrorists) have heard from us a message of peace through free, accountable, lawful and decent governments giving people hope for a future for themselves and their children.’ He received a sustained standing ovation from the Republicans in New York. Outside, protesters jeered.
Works Cited
Press Outraged by French Hostage Threat. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3611494.stm
Transcript Giuliani’s Speech: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,130670,00.html
Iraqi Militants Kill 12 Nepali Hostages: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20040831/wl_nm/iraq_dc
