A Letter to bin Laden and Al-Zawahiri

Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al—Zawahiri:

As always, I listened with interest to your latest pronouncements, particularly when you mentioned you "don't mind offering a long—term truce" to America . Very generous of you. I understand you may not receive up—to—date news when you are in hiding. Permit me, then, to help you catch up to speed. 

Did you see the recent poll, by the University of Maryland, that 81% of Afghans think Al—Qaeda is pernicious; 88% of Afghans abhor the Taliban; 83% of Afghans support US military forces in Afghanistan —— and, er, 90% of Afghans detest you, Sheik Osama bin Laden, the mujahid, the lion of Islam? Your promise to "rebuild" Afghanistan doesn't seem too popular with the locals, now does it? Somehow they prefer the efforts of "rogue state" America.

Did you read the latest BBC—backed poll which showed Afghans and Iraqis are among the most optimistic people in the world? Says the BBC (hardly a Bush propaganda organ):

"In Afghanistan, 70% say their own circumstances are improving, and 57% believe that the country overall is on the way up. In Iraq, 65% believe their personal life is getting better, and 56% are upbeat about the country's economy."

Do you ever pause to wonder how such cheerfulness squares with your demonization of Crusader America?

Did you hear that Freedom House recently announced in a major survey of global freedom that

"the number of countries rated by Freedom House as Not Free declined from 49 in 2004 to 45 for the year 2005, the lowest number of Not Free societies identified by the survey in over a decade"?

The report also said that the Arab Middle East experienced a "potentially significant increase in political rights and civil liberties in 2005." Evidently America's pro—democracy foreign policy, so maligned by the leftwing writers that you read and praise, is effective. The "merchants of war in America who have supported Bush's election campaign with billions of dollars" (to use your words) are in fact spreading freedom, quite unlike yourself and the Western writers that you enjoy.

Did you notice the ABC/BBC—backed poll in December which showed 71% of Iraqis say their life is good and 69% expect things to improve overall for the country in the next year and 61% say the security situation where they live is good and 66% rate their protection from crime as good and 74% say local schools are good and 70% say their family's economic situation is good and 78% rate their freedom of speech as good and 64% say democracy would be best for Iraq five years from now —— and, alas, only 12% said an Islamic state is desirable? As with the Afghans, the Iraqis don't sound too terribly anxious to have you restructure their country.

Still, you insist "Bush does not have a plan to make his alleged victory in Iraq come true."

Did you not see the three successful elections in Iraq, in which Iraqis, under mortal threat from your head—chopping comrade Abu Musab al—Zarqawi, came out in droves? Have you not heard that unemployment has dropped from 60% under Saddam to 28% today; that Iraqi exports have nearly doubled from 2002; that Iraq now has four international airports compared to one under Saddam; that Umm Qasr seaport now has 21 berths offloading 40 ships per month, while under Saddam the port accommodated zero legitimate commerce; that, before the war, only 2.8 million Iraqi citizens had proper sewage facilities but now reconstruction projects have restored sewage treatment to 7.7 million Iraqis; that pre—war electricity production fluctuated between 3,000 and 4,000 MW but current production is at 5,300 MW; that transportation projects have added over 200 km of expressways and freeways, and that coalition forces have also built or repaired nearly 700 km of primary roads, more than 400 km of village roads, and 10 bridges? None of that sounds like a "plan" to you? 

You didn't notice that, after America's toppling of Saddam Hussein, pro—American Muslim Kurdish villages are finally free from the threat of genocide, that Libya gave up its weapons of mass destruction programs, that Pakistan 's Dr. A.Q. Khan ceased trading in nuclear secrets, that Syria ended its occupation of Lebanon? None of that strikes you as victories for America?

You hoped the economic cost of war would bankrupt us. But the Iraq war has so far eaten a smaller percentage of the United States' GDP —— only 2 percent of one year's wealth creation —— than any other American war except the first Gulf War, which measured a mere 1 percent of GDP. Meanwhile, our tragic human losses in Iraq still remain thankfully small compared to past wars —— indeed, to date, we have lost fewer lives after nearly three years in Iraq than we did on one day, September 11th. All the while, your Jihadists are being picked off with precision and justice by our men and women in arms.

You mention that Americans no longer support efforts in Iraq. That appears true. But you are mistaken if you think such polls are evidence of growing pacifism or fear in America: the latest Bloomberg poll shows 57% of Americans back a hit on Iran if their defiance on nuclear arms persists. Can you imagine what they'd think of such a radical Islamic regime should you, in the name of Islam, make good on your promise to strike America again? Not even sympathy for the Palestinians —— who in huge numbers voted in a radical Islamic government committed to the genocide of Jewish Israel —— could curb American anger.

Ayman Al—Zawahiri, you asked: "Whose soldiers are committing suicide out of despair, ours or yours?" Yours, I suspect. With the majority of Afghans now loathing you, with the mass of Iraqis happy and hopeful, with "democracy" the new buzzword in the Middle East, it is no wonder you are offering us a truce and dying from despair. You are losing. 

Sincerely,

Jonah Avriel Cohen

Jonah Avriel Cohen teaches Humanities at Kaplan University and can be reached at JAC1974@gmail.com