Gore Should Thank the Florida Voters
Rodrigo Vaca, MBA1
Issue date: 10/1/01 Section: Perspectives
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If Al Gore never thought of saying ‘Thanks’ to the Florida voters, he should now probably be thinking about it. After the September 11th attacks, President Bush faces an unbelievable great challenge and a greater responsibility, not only to the Americans (U.S. citizens, that is), but also to the world. Would anyone like to be in his shoes right now?
I think it is clear that this attack not only affected U.S. nationals or interests. It also killed people from my country and many others. Ultimately, is not just the fact that they killed people from certain countries or for certain reasons; it is the fact that they killed people.
The TV images showing people in the streets, dancing, singing and celebrating upon learning of the attacks were quite shocking. Yet, it is so heart-touching seeing so many people donating blood, so many companies offering not only money, but also their technology, so many demonstrations of people around the world praying, holding candles and bringing flowers to US embassies everywhere.
While some key countries might be reluctant to fully support the U.S. against military retaliation, I think most of them agree that something must be done against terrorists. Even countries that have not traditionally been US allies fear the possibility of being targets of such ignominious attacks as the ones we just experienced.
The options President Bush (and the world) has of dealing with this are many – but none of them seems to be quite a really effective choice – let alone a popular one. Some talk about ‘minimal’ military action, some others argue in favor of a massive one. Whether these options are effective or not is left to the US army. Whether they are right or wrong is a much more difficult question and is up to the world and history to answer.
Economic sanctions might be in mind for some people, but are they really effective? It is not like the countries where the terrorists are trained have big economies that can suffer a lot from an embargo. Look at Cuba: the US thought that economic pressure would oust Fidel Castro. And he’s still there. Diplomatic pressure? Is it useful when four planes are hijacked and thousands of innocent people die?
We’re not sure about what we’ll be seeing over the next few days, months or even years. Probably no one knows for sure. I am just praying that President Bush, and other world leaders will take not only the best actions, but also the right ones. Let’s hope that they don’t forget what one wise man, H. H. Williams, said “Furious activity is no substitute for understanding.”
I think it is clear that this attack not only affected U.S. nationals or interests. It also killed people from my country and many others. Ultimately, is not just the fact that they killed people from certain countries or for certain reasons; it is the fact that they killed people.
The TV images showing people in the streets, dancing, singing and celebrating upon learning of the attacks were quite shocking. Yet, it is so heart-touching seeing so many people donating blood, so many companies offering not only money, but also their technology, so many demonstrations of people around the world praying, holding candles and bringing flowers to US embassies everywhere.
While some key countries might be reluctant to fully support the U.S. against military retaliation, I think most of them agree that something must be done against terrorists. Even countries that have not traditionally been US allies fear the possibility of being targets of such ignominious attacks as the ones we just experienced.
The options President Bush (and the world) has of dealing with this are many – but none of them seems to be quite a really effective choice – let alone a popular one. Some talk about ‘minimal’ military action, some others argue in favor of a massive one. Whether these options are effective or not is left to the US army. Whether they are right or wrong is a much more difficult question and is up to the world and history to answer.
Economic sanctions might be in mind for some people, but are they really effective? It is not like the countries where the terrorists are trained have big economies that can suffer a lot from an embargo. Look at Cuba: the US thought that economic pressure would oust Fidel Castro. And he’s still there. Diplomatic pressure? Is it useful when four planes are hijacked and thousands of innocent people die?
We’re not sure about what we’ll be seeing over the next few days, months or even years. Probably no one knows for sure. I am just praying that President Bush, and other world leaders will take not only the best actions, but also the right ones. Let’s hope that they don’t forget what one wise man, H. H. Williams, said “Furious activity is no substitute for understanding.”