MUCH OF our national life following Sept. 11, 2001, focused on "not letting the terrorists win." America conducted its business like America because changing our ways because of al Qaeda would mark an ultimate defeat at the hands of barbarians.
Unfortunately, few in the United States seem to understand the terrorists' concept of victory. When Spain switched ruling parties after last Friday's horrors in Madrid (and as more facts evidence al Qaeda's responsibility), many lambasted the nation for participating in a terrorist-induced regime change. On the contrary, however, Spain's electorate did its part to foil al Qaeda's objectives. Spain has made the first steps in fighting terrorism while truly conceding nothing to the terrorists.
After years of ideological formation, al Qaeda and its partner groups aim at the utter destruction of the corrupt, decadent, satanic West. But these groups do not plan to demolish their enemies single-handedly. Instead, their attacks aim at uniting all Islam behind their extremism and then provoking all-out war between the radicalized Muslim world and everywhere else, particularly the West.
Many call Spain cowardly for electing the Socialists, who promise to withdraw the 1,300 Spanish troops that the center-right Popular Party government had sent to Iraq. Critics decry Spain for "letting the terrorists win" and allowing the attacks to change its ways. But does al Qaeda view the evil, decadent Socialists in a much better light than the evil, decadent Popular Party? Quite obviously, al Qaeda objects to Western nations on far more fundamental grounds than their choice of centrist governments.
The charges against Spain rest on a foolish assumption: that al Qaeda would be much more content if the United States and its allies had never invaded Iraq. Critics damn Spain for "appeasing al Qaeda" to avoid further attacks. But that perspective would hold that at this point al Qaeda terrorizes for peace, quiet and a Muslim world free of Western meddling. In reality, its ideology has grown into a steadfast dedication to bring about the West's utter ruin. Al Qaeda's goals are not so humble as Spain's critics claim.
Those who denounce Spain's "appeasement" do not understand that al Qaeda's strategy to galvanize Muslims depends on the West to react to attacks by escalating the conflict. Al Qaeda's strategy does not aim to shoo away the West. Rather, it aims to generate a spiral ending in total, decisive war.
In order to fulfill its plan's first component and unite Muslims behind radical militancy, al Qaeda needs the West to make attacks in the Middle East and further stir the Islamic world's ire. These terrorists do not attack the West to destroy it at a snail's pace through hit-and-run tactics. Rather, al Qaeda bombs the West to elicit counterstrikes that galvanize more Muslims behind militant Islamists. Reacting beyond dogged pursuit of the terrorists themselves only progresses al Qaeda's evil escalation plan. Their designs would never succeed if the West focused completely on surgical strikes against al Qaeda and abandoned its over-extensive wars. Al Qaeda attacks the West not to make it go away, but to make it throw inflammatory counterpunches. Some Western nations aided the terrorists' goals by invading Iraq and then threatening more such action. Those nations, already disposed to fan the flames, then provide perfect targets as countries that will hit back and stoke the anti-Western fire that only benefits al Qaeda.
Al Qaeda has no interest in electing parties that refuse to escalate its conflict. If al Qaeda did aim to impact the Spanish elections, it only sought to Americanize European nations' policies on terror. Terrorists dared Spain to inch closer to proclaiming the out-and-out war necessary for its evil designs. It takes two to tango, and, for its part, Spain has now wisely refused.
Anti-war governments do not benefit al Qaeda. Rather, those terrorists rely upon Western nations to react by conducting major wars, facilitating the terrorists' plans. It took unbearable pain and many different calculations to lead Spain to the prudent choice. Perhaps America, however, can reach the same rational conclusion without further tragedy. The United States must not participate in al Qaeda's chain of violence. Rather, we must hunt those savages down and refuse to give them the wider war that they would die for.
Michael Slaven's column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at mslaven@cavalierdaily.com.
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