Friedman-Connect the Dots

From today's New York Times:

<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/25/opinion/25FRIE.html>

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"Sure, poverty doesn't cause terrorism — no one is killing for a raise. But poverty is great for the terrorism business because poverty creates humiliation and stifled aspirations and forces many people to leave their traditional farms to join the alienated urban poor in the cities — all conditions that spawn terrorists."

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"I would bet any amount of money, though, that when it came to deciding the Bush team's position at Cancún, no thought was given to its impact on the war on terrorism. Wouldn't it have been wise for the U.S. to take the initiative at Cancún, and offer to reduce our farm subsidies and textile tariffs, so some of the poorest countries, like Pakistan and Egypt, could raise their standards of living and sense of dignity, and also become better customers for U.S. goods? Yes, but that would be bad politics. It would mean asking U.S. farmers to sacrifice the ridiculous subsidies they get from our federal government ($3 billion a year for 25,000 cotton farmers) that make it impossible for foreign farmers to sell here."

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"So then the Saudis have more dollars to give to their Wahhabi fundamentalist evangelists, who spend it by building religious schools in Pakistan. The Pakistani farmer we've put out of business with our farm subsidies then sends his sons to the Wahhabi school because it is tuition-free and offers a hot lunch. His sons grow up getting only a Koranic education, so they are totally unprepared for modernity, but they are taught one thing: that America is the source of all their troubles. One of the farmer's sons joins Al Qaeda and is killed in Afghanistan by U.S. Special Forces, and we think we're winning the war on terrorism."

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I'm glad to see Friedman getting back to the kind of writing I used to really enjoy from him instead of the often-loony stuff he has delved into recently.

He makes a "Lexus and the Olive Tree"-worthy point in this piece: The War on Terrorism is not just about bombing people, arresting and detaining enemy combatants, or invading countries. To miss the essential point of rectifying the foundations that allow terrorism to flourish is to miss the entire point of waging a war on terrorism.

Bravo, Tom! Keep up the good work and leave the other crap behind!

just too full of himself for his (or anyone else's good), I'll go along with you on both counts.

There have been some totally awful columns, lately. That ridiculous attack on the French, for instance.

But when he's on, and stays focused and knows his topic, the Kid from St. Louis Park (west suburb of Minneapolis, I know it well) can turn in a pretty decent piece of writing.

but I really appreciate you putting the correct
title and author in the subject line!

Here's the original post this morning. rfu, moderator

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=103&topic_id=13161