U.S.'s blank check approach

War against terrorism - this seems to have become the United States' holy creed. With a spirit of revenge, following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) and the Pentagon -- interpreted as an attack on the U.S.'s dignity -- the U.S. has engaged itself in a military campaign in Afghanistan. Of course, it has been successful. Who could overcome the latest U.S. weaponry?

Today, close to victory in its Afghanistan mission, the U.S. has started to eye another target. As reported by a source of the London-based newspaper, The Observer, the U.S. is secretly preparing an attack on Iraq, again, under the pretext of "fighting terrorism". The U.S. has accused Iraq of involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks.

This is not enough, though. It is also preparing to strike at Somalia, Yemen and the Sudan. On the U.S. world map, these are terrorist states. Perhaps there is another list of terrorist states, including, for example, Malaysia, the Philippines and even Indonesia. The U.S. once said these three countries were harboring terrorists.

The Sept. 11 attacks have made the U.S. belligerent. At home, they have drafted a bill with articles that will allow security officers to arrest anybody suspected of being a terrorist without having to go through the normal judicature. The bill resembles our anti-subversion law.

Even today the U.S. is bringing paranoia to its citizens. There are many stories about how foreigners, particularly those with Arabian faces and an "Islamic look", have been intimidated. It is not surprising that some Indonesian students in the U.S., suspected as terrorists, have been subjected to raids and queries about their religion and their reaction to the Sept. 11 tragedy.

Indeed, the U.S. retains the right to protect itself from terrorist threats. Terrorism must be condemned, whatever form it may take. However, who has given the U.S. the right to consider certain countries as harboring terrorists? Who has given the U.S. a blank check wherein it may list other countries as terrorist states and then prepare to attack them?

When the WTC and Pentagon were destroyed, President Bush sadly asked, "Why do they hate us so much?". This question need not have been asked. As long as the U.S. continues to use a blank check to carry out its aims, hatred against the U.S. will continue to grow.

-- Koran Tempo, Jakarta