Dear Kita!

I read your blog today and I found your attempt to "piss some people off". 
First of all, you didn´t piss me off.
Second: I´m German, so you managed to offend me a little with your last 
statement. Maybe that is the reason, why I decided to write to you. Not 
because I am offended ( I can live with that), but because I think it might 
be interesting for you to hear an opinion by someone who comes from another 
country.

Believe it or not, but there are actually people outside of the United 
States, who do not judge the war, but discuss it before judging. I am one of 
those persons, and in the last weeks, I discussed it quite a lot.

Though I can understand why you feel offended by what is written and said 
about your country´s role in the war, I think you should also see, why 
people say these things. A good reason for saying them does not make them 
right, but I think it could make it easier to understand them.

There are various reasons, why people from other countries cannot understand 
the war.
One of these reasons you mentioned in your blog: patriotism. For me, as a 
German, who has to live with Germany´s difficult history ( I am 23, even my 
parents were after the Second World War) patriotism is something very 
difficult to understand. It simply does not exist where I am from. Try to 
say " I´m proud to be German" here, and people will immediately say you are 
a racist. These things don´t go necessarily hand in hand, but it is the 
reaction you will get. Somehow, while growing up I learned that it does not 
matter which country you are from and that all men are equal and that in 
consequence, the simple fact of being from a certain country is nothing to 
be proud of. Only what you do as a member of this country is something you 
can be proud of, or ashamed about. Now, I don´t want to say, that patriotism 
is bad. Actually I think that it can be quite good, as it gives people a 
motivation to do things for their country, to create a country which one can 
be proud of. I just want to say, that it might be difficult for some people 
to understand the patriotism that can be found in the United States, simply 
because they cannot be patriots themselves. Add to that the fact, that we 
get our information from the papers and news of our respective country, and 
you will see that people are mainly influenced by what is written. And to 
tell you the truth: the papers and news in Germany -no matter what they 
think of the war- tend to present Americans as a bunch of absolute patriots 
who support their country without thinking. Of course that´s not the true, 
and a reasonable reader will discover that and maybe build his own opinion, 
but let´s stay in reality: people don´t. Why think about something if an
opinion is already presented to you and you can take it for granted? That is 
really sad, and it is one more reason for you to get offended by what is 
written, but even more sadly: you cannot suddenly make all people 
intelligent enough to become more critical against what is said in the 
papers.
Another reason, why it is difficult for people from other countries to 
understand the war is: we weren´t there. We have not been in New York, when 
it happened! It wasn´t our country! So, we simply cannot understand what it 
feels like when your own country is attacked like that. And, another very 
human but not necessarily good way of behaviour is, that judging from the 
outside is always very easy.
By now you will have noticed that so far I have given you only more reasons 
to become really offended and pissed off. Well, I just wanted to make clear, 
that  coming from another perspective, the way of judgement is different 
too. Please keep that in mind when reading what I want to say about the 
other things you wrote.

"Well, America *used to support* the Taliban!"
Nice argument, heard it quite a lot in the last weeks! And you have to 
admit, that America used to put not just a little money and weapons into 
Afghanistan, during Afghanistans war with Russia. So it is kind of absurd, 
that your country fights against its own weapons, so to speak, now. Only, 
that  is neither an argument for the war, nor against. And I really don´t 
want to judge if it was ever right to support the Taliban, I really don´t 
know and it is a little late now anyway! But, when you write, okay, "we did 
support a lot of ill-concieved regimes. But for godsake, if CANADA took out 
the Twin Towers we'd bomb their ass too, 'cause it don't matter who you 
sleep with, they still don't have the right to rape you", I have to 
disagree. Of course this is purely my opinion, but I really don´t think you 
would have started a war with Canada. First of all, starting a war (I 
suddenly noticed that starting might not be the right term, because the
terrorists started it, but you know what I mean by using it). Well, starting 
a war is something that is usually eyed very suspicious by the rest of the 
world, and, being in nice international agreements as most countries, the 
United States would not just start (or answer or continue or whatever) a war 
with one of the countries of the one of these agreements ( I´m sorry, but I 
don´t know the technical terms, it is probably allies). BEcause if they do 
that, the other partners of the agreement (alliance?) would automatically be 
against them, and the consequences might not be so nice. In that  way, 
Afghanistan was an easy target! The important American allies, are not 
allies of the United States. Thus, other countries with a considerable 
weapon strength did not have to be feared in a war with Afghanistan. To the 
outside observer,  the fact that  Afghanistan is a easy to attack enemy, can 
be seen as a not really legitimate reason to indulge in a war with it.
Which explains some of the voices against the war.

The argument "Well, Americans are rich and spoiled, so they had it coming!" 
that you state next, is no argument at all, and I agree on what you say 
about it. If it is any help I can tell you, that I have neither read it in 
any of the German newspapers I read, not heard it from any of the people I 
discussed with. As said as it is, there will always be people who are 
jealous and envious on the richness of another country or other people and 
who will therefore be pleased when something happens to those people.

In my opinion, something entirely different can be said about this war, 
something you haven´t mentioned:
There are rules about wars. And one of these rules is, that a war can only 
be declared against a country. A war is a thing between two or more 
countries. There cannot be a war against a single person. In this case, that 
is the big problem. It was not Afghanistan, that  sent those planes into the 
WTC and the Pentagon. It might have been a person who currently lives in 
Afghanistan. But it was not the government. Therefore, from a legal point of
view, a war against Afghanistan is not justified.
Another of these rules is, that a war is only a defensive war, if it is in 
defense against the warlike attack of another country. There was no warlike 
attack of another country, only an attack by other people! Afghanistan never 
said, "we declare war against the United States by bombing the WTC and the 
Pentagon with some planes." They did not say that! And this, from the pure 
legal perspective, turns the war into a war of aggression, which is a lot 
harder to justify than a defensive war.
These are arguments that are actually written, adn I know many people who 
support this opinion.
I think you have to at least consider them. There are things about this war 
which make it at least questionable.

I don´t support this opinion. But I would, if it was another country. 
Personally, I´m almost convinced, that  either the Taliban government knew, 
what Bin Laden had planned, or they at least welcomed it afterwards. For me 
that  is the same. It would be absurd, if a government could attack other 
countries through some terrorists and then say "it wasn´t us, it was those 
stuid terrorists! SOrry about that, but now you can´t start a war". It would 
also be wrong, if the United States were not allowed to do something 
themselves, because Afghanistan denied the extradition of Bin Laden. I don´t 
think a government has the right to hide a murderer, especially not a 
murderer in a case like this. But, in another country, I would have had 
doubts, if the government can be held responsible for the actions of one of 
their citizens, and I would very probably say that they can´t.
Only, Afghanistan does not have a government like other countries! It 
suppresses its citizens and they live in absolute poverty. THe effect of the 
war is -of course- that their living conditions deteriorate even more. That 
is something that the parties of this war are responsible for. That  they 
United Stated are responsible for. It is a consequence of every war, that 
usually the innocent suffer the most. But in itself it cannot be an argument 
against defending the own country, and therefore it cannot be held against 
your country.
There might have been different ways to react to the attacks. But I don´t 
think it is the business of other countries to judge about the way your 
government took. I don´t want to answer the question, if there has been a 
better way to react, if fighting was maybe not necessary. I don´t have to 
answer it. Your government chose to fight against the Taliban. And I think 
they  have every right to do so.
I understand that  you were angry about the things that you pointed out in
your blog. I believe it is a good thing to write about them, because maybe 
it makes people think about what they say. But maybe my letter has shown 
you, that it is actually worth thinking about the reasons for this war, and 
that there are people who actually might have good reasons against it.
So, now you have seen a perspective from someone who is not American. If you 
think something I wrote was absolutely wrong, don´t hesitate to tell me. I 
am always willing to rethink(is that a word?) my opinion.

Kind regards, Anna Schmitt

************

Hiya Kita,

Just read Angry-blog...

I *so* love the american sensibility I've discovered
in my US friends.  There is a sense of optimism, and
good nature.  Open-hearted and minded, in a way that
I've never found in such proliferation in the UK, or
Europe.  Americans care for each other and it feels
good.

I am a long time, and vocal, critic of US foreign
policy, as I am of the forign policies of most other
misbegotten governments on this sorry fucking planet. 
And most of their other policies too.

It makes me love people more because, still, with all
this shit going on, there are people everywhere who
are contributory, and positive in the world. 

Don't worry about the vocal imbercils, who can gloat
at the death of people.  Their own anger is making
them inhuman.  They have probably been badly hurt
sometime too.

There is, *duh*, NO excuse for the unconsidered
killing of a stranger.  Never.  Under any
circumstance, and, if some people do forget that,
well, most of us don't.

Personally, I went into a two days of physical shock
on September the 11th.  My reaction, and the thoughts
that followed it, have led me to be a little less
absolutist in my judgements, and a little kinder to
people around me.

We are living in a strange, and sometimes hostile,
time.  I happy that there are things pulling us all
together, as well as those trying to push us apart. 

The internet has broken down more barriers between
peoples of different contries than would have been
though possible.

I have hope!

Love

JaneX