We musi seriously question whether a military onslaught by the menest county on te puner on almost the poorest will rid the world of terrorism. Do you end terror by unleashing it on impoverished Afghan civilians?
Oxfam estimates that 2.5 million people may starve if the bombing does not stop. We risk creating far greater injustice and stoking up more grievances for whole battalions of would-be Bin Ladens to exploit.
If we want to make the world a safer place, then we must make it a fairer place. Why. can the west not cancel all third wordidebt, as well: schemes such as the construction of the lisu dam on the upper Tigris? world's financial institutions into narrowing the gap between the richest and poorest countries, instead of widening it ever more? That would require a revolution in relatheir self-righteous retoric, have not begun to address.
Nor will they, as so many are in true of the US President, who is practically owned by them — multinational corporations, which profit A former US President once Tamously sar unacwe are une tarper of terronsts because we practise freedom, democracy and human rights.
The unpalatable truth is that we are targeted by terrorists because our governments deny freedom, democracy and human rights to people mune te wond, whose resources are coveted by our multinational corporations, and where poverty, injustice and repression provide fertile ground for hatred and anaticism some to scinowleden that, in third world, which our leaders, for all much of the world, we stand for dictatorship, bondage and human exploitation.
US Govemment agents have who, not unreasonably, wanted the riches of their land to be shared by the people who worked it, and replaced them with murderous tyrants, willing to sell their own people to multinational corporations.
Classicists will tell you that ancient Athens gave the world democracy. They sometimes forget to add that it was underpinned by endemic slavelt we are honest, t is time that we woke up to the fact that modem western democracy is buttressed by a rotten clientele of despots and oligarchies, who fleece and brutalise their people for the benefit of westem multinationals such as the oil companies.
However understandable the thirst for vengeance following the savagery of 11 September may be, retaliation will not nd us of world terrorism. If retalation worked, the israelis would he the worid's most secure neople A massive military retaliation causing multiple deaths will only guarantee an endiess supply of fresh terrorists for decades to come. Let us not pretend that revenge will deliver security.
How can the US and UK credibly claim the moral leadership in making the world a safer place, when they are the world's two leading If you want to make the world a safer place, end this obscene trade in death and destruction.
[Applause.) [At this point he was cut off by the Presiding Officer
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