Deepak Chopra, Indian doctor and intellectual, has spoken some tough truths about the impacts of the war on terror and failures in Iraq on the worldwide terrorist network.
Chopra: What we have seen in Mumbai has been brewing for a long time, and the war on terrorism and the attack on Iraq compounded the situation. What we call "collateral damage" and going after the wrong people actually turns moderates into extremists, and that inflammation then gets organized and appears as this disaster in Bombay. Now the worst thing that could happen is there's a backlash on the Muslims from the fundamental Hindus in India, which then will perpetuate the problem. Inflammation will create more inflammation.
Absolutely correct.
CNN: Let me jump in on that because you're presuming something very important, which is that it's Muslims who have carried out these attacks and, in some cases, with Washington in their sights.
Chopra: Ultimately the message is always toward Washington because it's also the perception that Washington, in their way, directly or indirectly funds both sides of the war on terror. They fund our side, then our petrol dollars going to Saudi Arabia through Pakistan and ultimately these terrorist groups, which are very organized. You know Jonathan, it takes a lot of money to do this. It takes a lot of organization to do this. Where's the money coming from, you know? The money is coming from the vested interests. I'm not talking about conspiracy theories, but what happens is, our policies, our foreign policies, actually perpetuate this problem. Because, you know, 25% of the world's population is Muslim and they're the fastest growing segment of the population of the world. The more we alienate the Muslim population, the more the moderates are likely to become extremists.
Chopra's words will no doubt be controversial to many, and instantly debunked by the crowd that refuses to ponder its mistakes. But there's some golden truth to his statements.
Of course, the far right has already jumped on this and accused Chopra of "blaming Washington" for the Mumbai attacks. They conveniently left out when he said point blank that "it's not Washington's fault" and that it's a chain reaction that has arisen from failed policies that are inflaming and perpetuating the situation.
CNN: I hope you'll forgive me for jumping in because someone might say the dispute over Kashmir has caused so much violence, so much terror, and that's not Washington's fault, and the war on terror hasn't really been the problem.
Chopra: It's not Washington's fault. You know right now this is not Washington's problem, it's not India's problem, it's not Pakistan's problem, it's not Afghanistan's problem, it's not Saudi Arabia's problem -- it's everybody's problem. This is the moment where India has to stop blaming Pakistan and actually ask Pakistan for help because Pakistan is going to become a failed state, as a breeding ground for the terrorism. In turn it's not enough for Zardari to say 'I condemn this' - He should be telling India what can I do to help eliminate these terrorist groups. As far as Kashmir are concerned, unless they find an equitable solution which is independent of India's interests and Pakistan's interests, the problem is going to perpetuate. So it's all interlinked.
There has to be a Kashmir resolution, there has to be this ceding of enmity between India and Pakistan, and there has to be also a broader perspective for America. That declaring a war on terrorism is an oxymoron. War is what the people wearing uniforms and pressing buttons 35,000 above sea level causing collateral damage and they call it War On Terror, and the other side perceives it as awe and terror. Ok so it's the perspective. Americans have to come up with a policy, hopefully President-elect Obama, who says, You know, 25% of the world's population is Muslim. How can I use this to overturn the tables on these terrorist groups. Because these terrorist groups, the worst thing that can happen to them is Obama wins sympathy with the Muslim world by making friends with them. [End]
Tough words but necessary truths. Chopra expressed himself very well, saying that he isn't blaming Washington or any particular entity or action. It's the lack of a broader outlook and the lack of an effective long-term strategy that has created this quagmire.
I think Chopra hit the nail on the head when he said that appeasing the Muslim community and regaining their trust is "the worst thing that could happen" for the terrorists.
Update: The Huffington Post reports that CNN ended the interview hastily and cut to a Chevy commercial. Michelle Haimoff writes in the comments section:
In the live TV version I saw last night, CNN abruptly ended the interview after Chopra's comment about the US funding both sides of the war on terror. In the web version above, the reporter changes the subject to the dispute over Kashmir. Based on how the segment was cut last night, I question if CNN included the entire interview.
I'm generally a supporter of CNN but talk about cowardly. This is one of those instances where a man is speaking the cold, hard truth and the news network knows it but is afraid that some of their viewers can't handle the truth.