Terrorists Learned Language of Violence from U.S.

Chris Hedges, a political columnist for Truthdig, told an audience at a Truthdig fundraiser last night that Osama Bin Laden was an American creation.

The Princetotn resident, who is author of numerous books, including "War is the Force that Gives Us Meaning," had no love for Bin Laden and is not "in any way naïve about what al-Qaida is. It’s an organization that terrifies me. I know it intimately."

But, and the "but" is key, he also views the American involvement in the Middle East and our chest-thumping nationalism in the wake of 9/11 as dangerous and ultimately self-defeating. Our militarization of the Middle East, he says, "has done more to engender hatred and acts of terror than anything ever orchestrated by Osama bin Laden."

We have taught the extremists in the Middle East, he says, the language of violence, taught them that violence is the only currency of worth. So when we invaded Afghanistan and then Iraq in reaction to 9/11, "We responded exactly as these terrorist organizations wanted us to respond."

They wanted us to speak the language of violence. What were the explosions that hit the World Trade Center, huge explosions and death above a city skyline? It was straight out of Hollywood. When Robert McNamara in 1965 began the massive bombing campaign of North Vietnam, he did it because he said he wanted to “send a message” to the North Vietnamese—a message that left hundreds of thousands of civilians dead.

These groups learned to speak the language we taught them. And our response was to speak in kind. The language of violence, the language of occupation—the occupation of the Middle East, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—has been the best recruiting tool al-Qaida has been handed. If it is correct that Osama bin Laden is dead (he made his comments before the news was confirmed), then it will spiral upwards with acts of suicidal vengeance. And I expect most probably on American soil. The tragedy of the Middle East is one where we proved incapable of communicating in any other language than the brute and brutal force of empire.

And in doing so, we may have done irreparable damage to our own democracy and security.

Read Hedges' full remarks at Truthdig.com.