Nothing justifies an act of terrorism. 

As darkness fell in Afghanistan on Sunday, October 7, the U.S. government, with the support of the International Coalition Against Terrorism (a new organization responsible for representing the United Nations), initiated an aerial attack on Afghanistan. Television channels displayed computerized images of missiles, bombs, rockets, and bunker-busting missiles. Around the world, people were taken aback, and even the excitement for new video games came to a halt. The United Nations, now reduced to mere acronyms with no power, wasn't even consulted to name this war.

As former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright once said, 'We will act multilaterally when possible and unilaterally when necessary.' 'Evidence' to implicate terrorists was shared among allies in the coalition. After discussions, they declared that bringing this evidence to a court was irrelevant. Thus, centuries of legal precedent were disregarded.

There is no justification for an act of terrorism, whether committed by religious groups, the military, popular resistance, or even disguised as revenge by a recognized government. The bombing of Afghanistan was not a retaliation for the events in New York and Washington; it was yet another act of terrorism.

Each innocent person killed only adds to, rather than diminishes, the tragic toll of victims in New York and Washington. On both sides, America and Afghanistan, civilians are pawns in the actions of their governments. Both sides share a common bond: they must endure the unpredictable phenomenon of terror. Each cluster of bombs dropped on Afghanistan was met with growing panic in America regarding anthrax, hijackings, and acts of terrorism.

There is no easy way out of the current terrorist dilemma. This is a time for humanity to come together and draw from ancient and modern wisdom. The events of September 11 forever changed the world. Words like 'freedom,' 'development,' 'prosperity,' 'technology,' and 'war' have taken on new and deeper meanings.

When announcing the attack, President George Bush stated, 'We are a peace-loving country.' America's beloved ambassador, Tony Blair (who also serves as the British Prime Minister), echoed this sentiment, saying, 'We are a peace-loving people.'"

Speaking at FBI headquarters a few days later, President Bush stated, "This is a message from the United States of America, a country renowned for its commitment to fundamental values such as eradicating hatred, violence, murder, and crime. We remain unwavering in our pursuit of these ideals."

Here is the information regarding countries the US has been involved in military conflicts or bombings since World War II: China (1945 - 46, 1950 - 53), Korea (1950 - 53), Guatemala (1954, 1967 - 69), Indonesia (1958), Cuba (1959 - 60), Congo (1964), Peru (1965), Laos (1964 - 73), Vietnam (1961 - 73), Cambodia (1969 - 70), Grenada (1983), Libya (1986), El Salvador (1980s), Nicaragua (1980s), Panama (1989), Iraq (1991 - 99), Bosnia (1995), Sudan (1998), Yugoslavia (1999), and now, Afghanistan.

Of course America is "tireless". Grinding a pile of rubble into dust

The International Coalition Against Terrorism represents the world's wealthiest nations. They manufacture and distribute the majority of weapons, possessing the largest stockpiles of destructive weapons, including chemical, biological, and nuclear arms. These nations have been involved in most global conflicts and have been responsible for a significant portion of genocide, racism, and human rights violations in modern history. They have supported, armed, and funded numerous dictators and tyrants. The primary distinction between the Taliban and these nations is their lack of alignment with this coalition.

The Taliban emerged amidst the ruins, heroin trade, and mines during the Cold War era. The senior leaders are just over 40 years old, many of them having suffered disabilities like the loss of an eye, an arm, or a leg. They grew up in a society plagued by terror and devastation due to war. Many of the young men, including orphans, have never experienced the security and warmth of a family or the care of a woman. Now, as the adults and rulers, the Taliban have subjected women to beatings, stonings, and torture, seemingly unaware of any other way to interact with them. The years of conflict have stripped them of their gentleness and human compassion, and they have turned their malevolent tendencies toward their own people.

With all due respect to President Bush, humanity need not be confined to choosing between the Taliban and the U.S. government. All that's beautiful in human civilization—our art, music, and literature—resides far from these two extreme points of dogmatic thought. The real issue isn't the struggle between Good and Evil, Islam or Christianity, but rather how to preserve diversity and prevent the relentless march toward hegemony, encompassing economic, military, linguistic, religious, and cultural aspects.

Over the past two decades, one and a half million Afghans have lost their lives. Afghanistan has been reduced to ruins, further crumbling into dust. On the second day of the air assault, American pilots returned to base without using all their bombs, claiming that "Afghanistan lacks significant targets." During a press conference at the Pentagon, U.S. Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld, when questioned about running out of targets, quipped, "First, we will attack targets again. Second, we never run out of targets. Afghanistan is..." The entire press conference room erupted in laughter.

On the ground, the Northern Alliance, once a rival of the Taliban but now an ally of the anti-terrorism coalition, is advancing toward Kabul. The Northern Alliance's track record is no better than the Taliban's, but these details have been conveniently overlooked. The moderate and rational leader of the coalition, Ahmad Shah Massoud, was assassinated in early September. The rest of the coalition consists of a motley crew of ruthless warriors and former Afghan powerholders.

Before the U.S. attack, Northern Alliance forces controlled a mere 5% of Afghanistan's territory. Now, they are shaking the Taliban's grip. The Taliban soldiers, sensing impending defeat, have started fleeing to the Alliance. Both forces have been swapping positions and uniforms, but with an army that lacks moral constraints, these details become trivial.

In the global arena, discussions have arisen regarding the establishment of a "representative government" or, more accurately, the restoration of the throne to the 89-year-old former Afghan king, Zahir Shah, who has lived in exile in Italy since 1973. The game of supporting, then toppling, the likes of Hafizullah Amin, financing Mujahideen fighters, and then bombing them as if wielding a hammer in a blacksmith's forge, continues in an attempt to install Zahir Shah and test his suitability for a representative government—a notion as challenging as trying to make a democratic choice, like adding cheese and pepper.

Reports have begun to surface regarding civilian casualties and deserted cities as Afghans flee to closed borders. Essential trade routes have been obliterated. Experts working in Afghanistan suggest that by early November, food aid organizations may not be able to reach 7 million Afghans, according to the United Nations. Tragically, it is estimated that 5 million people will perish from starvation during the winter. The reality seems to dictate that the days preceding winter will be dominated by either warfare or efforts to feed the starving, as both cannot coexist simultaneously.

Bombs and Humanitarian Aid

As a humanitarian gesture, the U.S. government air-dropped 37,000 emergency food packages into Afghanistan, with plans to release 500,000 more. However, it's worth noting that this amounts to just one meal for half a million people, out of the seven million who are in desperate need of food.

This act of dropping food from the air has been criticized by aid workers as both cruel and dangerous, even bordering on propaganda, as it doesn't effectively reach those in dire need. Moreover, individuals who rush to collect these packages are at risk of encountering landmines, resulting in a tragic form of charity.

Each of these yellow food packages, adorned with an American flag, includes rice, peanut butter, bean salad, strawberry jam, grapes, bread, a plastic tableware set, and usage instructions, in accordance with Muslim dietary regulations.

This approach is a cultural misstep and a fundamental misunderstanding of the consequences of three years of continuous drought and prolonged periods of severe hunger. The U.S. government's intention to leverage this dire suffering to enhance its image has faced criticism.

To gain a different perspective, imagine the Taliban government bombing New York City, claiming that their primary target is the U.S. government and its policies. In between these bombing raids, the Taliban air-drops packages containing American ostrich meat and kebabs wrapped in the Afghan flag. Will conscientious New Yorkers ever forgive the Afghan government? Even if they are hungry and consume the food, can they forget the humiliation and condescension? It's reminiscent of when Rudi Giuliani, the Mayor of New York, declined a $10 million gift from a Saudi prince due to the attached friendly advice on American policy toward the Middle East. Is pride a luxury only the wealthy can afford?

War and Oil

The Bush family has a long-standing tradition in another industry: oil. It's important to remember that both President Bush Jr. and Vice President Dick Cheney have significant ties to the American oil industry.

President Bush recently boasted, "When I act, I don't shoot a $2 million missile into a $10 empty camp or stab a camel in the ass. It has to be in the right place." However, Mr. Bush should acknowledge that there is no target in Afghanistan that justifies the cost of these missiles.

Perhaps, to balance the financial aspect, President Bush should consider producing cheaper missiles for less valuable targets and preserving lives in foreign countries. But this approach doesn't align with the interests of the anti-terrorism coalition's weapons manufacturers. Among them is the Cali Group, the world's largest private equity group with $13 billion in assets.

Caly is deeply involved in the defense sector and profits from military conflicts and weapons consumption. It's noteworthy that Caly is under the leadership of experienced figures. Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci serves as its President and CEO. Caly's other partners include former Foreign Minister James A. Baker III, billionaire George Soros, and Florie Malek, who led Bush's election campaign. An American newspaper has even reported that the elder Bush once sought investments for the Caly Group in the Asian market and was generously compensated for introducing potential government clients. The oft-heard saying, "It's all in the family," rings true here.

Turkmenistan, situated to the northwest of Afghanistan, possesses the world's third-largest oil reserves, estimated at around 6 billion barrels. This amount could satisfy America's energy demands for 30 years or provide energy for a developing country for centuries. The U.S. invariably views oil resources as a matter of national security and goes to great lengths to safeguard them. Few question that America's military presence in the Gulf is primarily linked to strategic oil interests rather than human rights concerns.

Currently, oil and gas from the Persian Gulf are directed northward toward the European market. Geographically and politically, Iran and Russia pose obstacles to U.S. interests. In 1998, then-CEO of the oil industry conglomerate Halliburton, Dick Cheney, acknowledged, "I could not have predicted that there would be a time when a region would suddenly emerge as important strategically like the Caspian region. It seems that opportunities appear overnight." Indeed, circumstances change rapidly.

For years, the American oil giant Unocal has been engaged in negotiations with the Taliban, aiming to secure permission for the construction of an oil pipeline that would traverse Afghanistan and Pakistan to reach the Arabian Sea. From there, Unocal hopes to tap into burgeoning markets in South and Southeast Asia. In December 1997, a group of Muslim clerics visited the United States and met with American and Taliban officials in Houston. At the time, public executions and discrimination against Afghan women weren't considered crimes against humanity, as they are now.

Today, the grand opportunity for the U.S. oil industry has arrived.

In the United States, the arms trade, oil trade, major media networks, and foreign policy are influenced by the same business groups. Thus, it would be imprudent to expect these interconnected matters related to weapons and oil to be widely reported in the mass media.

Smart Missiles Are Insufficiently Intelligent

What about the rest of us, the unwitting recipients of what we recognize as ludicrous propaganda? Every day, we are fed falsehoods and smear campaigns alongside peanut butter and strawberry jam, dropped from the air in those yellow packages. Should we simply look away and partake because of our hunger, or should we gaze steadfastly at the tragic spectacle unfolding in Afghanistan until we collectively cry out that we've had enough?

Rather than extinguishing it, this cycle of vengeance only begets more terror. Hatred and retribution are like unleashed beasts; once free, they seldom return to their cages. For every "terrorist" or "terrorist supporter" slain, hundreds of innocent lives are extinguished. And for every hundred innocent souls lost, a few potential terrorists may be born. This isn't to suggest that the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks shouldn't be pursued and brought to justice.

But is war truly the most effective way to achieve this? Can we find a needle in a haystack by setting the entire stack ablaze? Or will this approach only stoke more rage and transform our world into a living nightmare?

In the end, how many people can we investigate, how many bank accounts can we freeze, how many conversations can we eavesdrop on, how many letters and emails can we intercept, and how many phone calls can we record? Even before September 11, the volume of data at the disposal of the CIA surpassed the limits of human analysis. (In fact, at times, excessive data can hinder intelligence efforts – for instance, U.S. spy satellites entirely missed India's preparations for a nuclear weapons test in 1998.)

Unmitigated surveillance would devolve into a human rights and ethical crisis, and freedom, that precious treasure, would become the first casualty.

So, as the first year of the new millennium draws to a close, one must ponder: have we lost the privilege to dream? Can we not marvel at the shimmering hues of a newborn lizard under the sun or exchange whispers with a fashion label without being inundated by thoughts of the Trade Center and Afghanistan?

If you put your ear to the ground, you can hear the growing rumble of anger. Please, please halt the war. Enough lives have been lost. Smart missiles, in truth, are not intelligent enough; they're merely detonating the reservoir of uncontained fury.

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Conclusion when republished in 2022

 The Taliban regime regime has completely collapsed. This outcome was inevitable because it contradicts the principles governing the progress of human society. If it isn't America, some other force, possibly originating within Afghanistan, will eventually eliminate the Taliban regime. Nevertheless, America's goal of "fighting global terrorism" remains unfulfilled. I'm convinced that America will never announce the demise or capture of individuals like Bin Laden, or the obliteration of the global terrorist network. This is because the existence of Bin Laden and this terrorist network provides a pretext for the U.S. to attack any country it desires, simply on the basis that the place harbors "terrorists" and "global terrorists."

Hanoi, June 2002 - Pham Viet