I am trying to follow the debate but with some difficulty.
As this is an emotional time, it will undoubtedly be difficult to have an
objective and scholarly discussion.
Human reason is not objective all the time; rather it is heavily influenced
by emotions and feelings. Another reason why an objective debate is
difficult, is that most of us do not have enough, unbiased information in
this matter. We are relying on the information, views and opinions coming
from the highly charged Western media.
In order to unravel and get to the bottom of issues, we need calm ourselves
down and try to be objective. We also need to separate out our discussion
into the following three questions (as it currently appears to be jumbled
up):
1. What has happened?
2. How did the terrorist manage to commit this barbaric act?
3. Why are these acts of terrorism taking place in the world today (are
there any sensible explanations and reasons behind these actions)?
I would like to contribute to question 3.
In order to start exploring the answers for this question, one needs to take
a look at the broader international situation. There is no doubt that the US
has a lot of blood on its hands. Over 5 million people were killed in
Vietnam. Over half a million people were killed in Iraq during the Gulf War
and afterwards due to the inhuman sanctions on Iraq. Similarly, many
hundreds of thousands of people have been killed or suffered due American
foreign policy in Nicaragua, Cuba, etc. In addition, the Third World Debt,
and the continuous economic enslavement of third world countries by the IMF
and the World Bank, is seen by many to be supported by the West and the US
in particular.
There is also a huge amount of anger in the Middle East because of the
unjustified US support for Israel. This land belonged to the Palestinians
for thousands of years, however, these people with the support of Britain
and other western nations including the US, were thrown out of their homes
and made refugees. This was a day light robbery, which no civilised nation
should support. Since then, for over 40 years, the Palestinians have been
refused basic human rights, and have been mostly treated as third class
citizens in their own land, and yet the civilised world looks on. There is
NO platform where these innocent people can raise their voice and be heard.
With all these issues, a few extremist groups amongst all poorer nations are
beginning to feel that the only way to free and liberate themselves, and to
live a dignified life is to take control of their own future and to engage
in terrorist activities against the US.
I feel these issues cannot be brushed aside if we are to understand the real
and root causes and motivation behind terrorism in the world today.
Today, we are watching events in America with shock and horror. People from
all nations have strongly condemned the terrible acts of terrorism and share
the grief and sorrow of the American people. There is No religion that
teaches or advocates terrorism, and no cause can justify this carnage.
However, at this moment of confusion, uncertainty and naturally highly
charged emotions, we should not rush to judgment, as was done in the wake of
the April 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma
City. Being academics, our response need to be mature and thoughtful. Terror
on this scale must not be compounded by knee-jerk reactions that would make
victims of other innocent peoples of the world.
The bullying attitudes of the US Government and its unjust and selfish
foreign policy needs to be examined and reshaped for the 21st Century if we
are to eradicate terrorism and improve relations between nations. Terrorism
cannot be eliminated through the use of force. Force will only bring back
terrorism in new forms.
Zahid
-----Original Message-----
From: Eugenia Kemble, Shanker Inst. [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 13 September 2001 15:22
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: debate platform
You're instincts are right. It would seem that serious, objective academic
discussion on its designated agenda is not what this group is really about.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Erik Bush [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 8:20 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: debate platform
>
> Anyone know how to unsubscribe from this list?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Critical Perspectives on Work, Management and Organization
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Steffen Bohm
> Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 4:43 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: debate platform
>
>
> why this constant attempts to separate politics from management? i would
> say
> that what happened yesterday has a lot to do with the way global
> anglo-saxon
> management has colonized this world, and if anywhere, this is the right
> place
> and time to start engaging in a serious discussion about it.
> what kind of academic objectivity are you referring to?, the one that has
> successfully managed to disconnect itself from the 'objective reality' of
> millions of people on the 'ground' who suffer as the result of global
> corporatism?
> i think we should mourn the thousands of people who lost their lives
> yesterday.
> but hopefully this will not lead to some sort of paralysis and hiding in
> academic towers of babel. we need to discuss these issues maturely, we
> need
> to
> develop reasons that help us to understand what happened yesterday. the
> media
> won't do it for us. the mainstream management scholar crowd won't do it
> either.
>
> steffen
>
>
>
> Erik Bush wrote:
>
> > Peter:
> >
> > Frankly,
> >
> > I don't want the philosophical rantings of either side of the debate to
> clog
> > my email utility. Save that for your dinner tables, I signed up for
> this
> > forum to discuss issues of work, organization and management. While a
> case
> > can be made that obviously someone mismanaged something, somewhere, I
> would
> > hope this particular forum remains academically objective, which I do
> not
> > think will occur when we base the discussion on political issues.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Critical Perspectives on Work, Management and Organization
> > [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of PM Hamilton
> > Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 3:55 PM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: debate platform
> >
> > Why not use this forum as a debate platform. Given events like those
> > today it kind of puts debates about critical management studies
> > slightly into the shade.
> >
> > Peter
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