Who started the war, and who will finish it?

Question

Death to America
by Daniel Pipes, New York Post, September 8, 2002
http://www.danielpipes.org/article/460

America's war on terrorism did not begin in September 2001. It began in November 1979.

That was shortly after Ayatollah Khomeini had seized power in Iran, riding the slogan "Death to America" - and sure enough, the attacks on Americans soon began. In November 1979, a militant Islamic mob took over the U.S. embassy in Tehran, the Iranian capital, and held 52 Americans hostage for the next 444 days.

The rescue team sent to free those hostages in April 1980 suffered eight fatalities, making them the first of militant Islam's many American casualties. Others included:

April 1983: 17 dead at the U.S. embassy in Beirut.

October 1983: 241 dead at the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut.

December 1983: five dead at the U.S. embassy in Kuwait.

January 1984: the president of the American University of Beirut killed.

April 1984: 18 dead near a U.S. airbase in Spain.

September 1984: 16 dead at the U.S. embassy in Beirut (again).

December 1984: Two dead on a plane hijacked to Tehran.

June 1985: One dead on a plane hijacked to Beirut.

After a let-up, the attacks then restarted: Five and 19 dead in Saudi Arabia in 1995 and 1996, 224 dead at the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in August 1998 and 17 dead on the USS Cole in Yemen in October 2000.

Simultaneously, the murderous assault of militant Islam also took place on U.S. soil:

July 1980: an Iranian dissident killed in the Washington, D.C. area.

August 1983: a leader of the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam killed in Canton, Mich.

August 1984: three Indians killed in a suburb of Tacoma, Wash.

September 1986: a doctor killed in Augusta, Ga.

January 1990: an Egyptian freethinker killed in Tucson, Ariz.

November 1990: a Jewish leader killed in New York.

February 1991: an Egyptian Islamist killed in New York.

January 1993: two CIA staff killed outside agency headquarters in Langley, Va.

February 1993: Six people killed at the World Trade Center.

March 1994: an Orthodox Jewish boy killed on the Brooklyn Bridge.

February 1997: a Danish tourist killed on the Empire State building.

October 1999: 217 passengers killed on an EgyptAir flight near New York City.

In all, 800 persons lost their lives in the course of attacks by militant Islam on Americans before September 2001 - more than killed by any other enemy since the Vietnam War. (Further, this listing does not include the dozens more Americans in Israel killed by militant Islamic terrorists.)

And yet, these murders hardly registered. Only with the events of a year ago did Americans finally realize that "Death to America" truly is the battle cry of this era's most dangerous foe, militant Islam.

In retrospect, the mistake began when Iranians assaulted the U.S. embassy in Tehran and met with no resistance.

Interestingly, a Marine sergeant present at the embassy that fateful day in November 1979 agrees with this assessment. As the militant Islamic mob invaded the embassy, Rodney V. Sickmann followed orders and protected neither himself nor the embassy. As a result, he was taken hostage and lived to tell the tale. (He now works for Anheuser-Busch.)

In retrospect, he believes that passivity was a mistake. The Marines should have done their assigned duty, even if it cost their lives. "Had we opened fire on them, maybe we would only have lasted an hour." But had they done that, they "could have changed history."

Standing their ground would have sent a powerful signal that the United States of America cannot be attacked with impunity. In contrast, the embassy's surrender sent the opposite signal - that it's open season on Americans. "If you look back, it started in 1979; it's just escalated," Sickmann correctly concludes.

To which one of the century's great geostrategist thinkers, Robert Strausz-Hupé, adds his assent. Just before passing away earlier this year at the age of 98, Strausz-Hupé wrote his final words, and they were about the war on terrorism: "I have lived long enough to see good repeatedly win over evil, although at a much higher cost than need have been paid. This time we have already paid the price of victory. It remains for us to win it."

Remember these are innocent people, not the armed forces. The Military is supposed to fight for us.

Answer 1

Why did the revolt take place in Iran? It happened because the people were tired of being oppressed by the Shah whom the US in its infinite stupidity installed in the 1950's. The people were in the street starving while his bathroom had a solid gold toilet. yeah that would kind of rub people raw. We are famous for backing the wrong horse, we did it in the 30's & 40's with the installation of Duvalier Sr. in Haiti, you see how wonderful that has turned out, Cuba in the 40 & 50's with Batista. We know how to pick them don't we.
Now in Iraq, the people are suffering and they are cheesed off at the Americans because
a) we invaded their country when they had not attacked us
b) we have set up the "green zone" with every amenity known to man such at electricity 24/7 while the people who used to have electricity round the clock now might have electricity for 4 hours per day while the "green zone" shines brightly in the night.
c) we tell them they must like democracy and cram it down their throats

yeah that would cheese off people too
Funny, we are telling them democracy is the greatest thing since sliced bread and they must like it, yet when people here in the US question the policy, a tenet of the constitution- questioning authority, they are told they are unpatriotic

So from 1980-1992 who was in charge- Republicans. How long- 12 years. Did they do enough, if anything- no
1993-2000- who was in Democrats- How long 7 years. Did they do enough, -no
2001-present who is in charge- Republican. How long 6 years. Did they do enough- no.

So let's see, the majority of this time has been under the auspices of the republicans yet they still say it's the Dems fault. There is enough blame to go around however, that being said starting a war based on a lie was not the way to go, we have over 3000 dead, 20,000 wounded of which over 6000 are maimed in the worst way

Answer 2

The Questioner is incorrect in his assumption that Europeans start wars for America to finish. To give the questioner an example;In 1812 America launched a pre emptive unprovoked strike against a Canadian city. The result was that the British and Canadians under the British General Sir Robert Ross defeated a vastly superior number of American forces under the American General Winder on August 24th ,1814 at Bladensburg Fields which Americans called the Bladensburg Races because they were 'rolled up' so quickly. This ended up with the White House being burned down. That was one battle the Americans did not finish!Successfully! How come John Wayne never appeared in a film of the British and Canadian entry into Washingto DC? Is it because of the usual American way of 'airbrushing' adverse military history to their advantage? Why in 10years time they will be saying that they won the Vietnamese War!

Answer 3

When politicians place their own selfish agendas ahead of protecting American and Americans what you cited is what happens. We need more people like Bush in the White House. Someone with the guts and balls to take the fight to the coward terrorists. If not, then I guarantee we will be fighting them here on our own soil.

Answer 4

The war on terrorism (read islam) will end with nuclear war.

Many non-muslims will never allow islamic domination of the world which is in every since of the word just as bad as nazism.

I for one will never ever pray to allah.

Answer 5

Haha, why did the revolt happen in 1979 in Tehran? It's because the US government overthrew the democratic Iranian government in the 1950's and installed the Shah, who was a dictator. He mistreated the Iranians and gave us the hookup on oil. I don't know why the US did that, I don't know of anything Iran did to provoke that. So technically by your example, we started it.

You need to dig a little deeper in your history book.

Answer 6

People are to stupid to understand logic and the history graph you have created here they are to happy with mob rule and mud slinging.

Answer 7

The terrorists started it. The US military and the coalition of the willing will end it.

Answer 8

The war was over three months after it started, when Bush himself declared 'Mission Accomplished' all enemy military personnel had been neutralized. The WAR was OVER.

Since then we've been occupied in the OCCUPATION of Iraq, not in a war.

Answer 9

Hopefully Bush with a nuke downtown Terran...hello mushroom cloud...

Answer 10

Who will finish it?

Not Bush or the Neocons, that's for sure.