A Contrarian View on Terrorism in Paris

The murderous acts of terrorism in Paris last month were a terrible experience for the survivors, the families and friends of those killed, the residents of Paris and many observers in the Western World.

But the terrorist action was not unexpected. I am neither surprised by the brutality of the attacks, nor the reaction.

My condolences go to those who lost loved ones and friends. I experienced that loss when my father was murdered by terrorists in Rhodesia in 1979. I lost good friends in that terrorist war and again in the early 2000s when president Mugabe’s government unleashed his brand of state sponsored terrorism on innocent people. .

I lived in Natal during the late 1980s when Mandela’s ANC were busy exterminating hundreds of Zulu people and other opponents. Many by the horrific “necklace” method of placing a car tyre around kneeling and bound victims, dousing them with petrol (gasoline) and setting them on fire.

What was different then was that the West aided and abetted those acts of terrorism by openly supporting ZANU, ZAPU and ANC terrorists. The Canadian government under our current Prime Minister’s father, Pierre Trudeau channelled funds to Mugabe and Nkomo’s terrorist groups.

For many years, the USA was the only major nation refusing to change its view that the ANC in South Africa, ZANU & ZAPU in Rhodesia and SWAPO in South West Africa were terrorist organisations. However liberals in that country did support the terrorist groups much like liberals today support Palestinian terrorists stabbing Israelis. Ultimately the USA too caved in and did nothing to prevent further atrocities once those terrorist groups intimidated their way into power.

That all the Rhodesian and South African servicemen and their descendants – mainly of European descent – who stood and died shoulder to shoulder with the allies in both world wars should be sacrificed to appease newly independent, corrupt and brutal third world dictatorships has to be one of the most disgraceful chapters in recent Western history.

The misery, death and economic hardship forced on millions of Black Africans by the world’s support for those same terrorist groups is equally disgraceful.

We lived with bombs in supermarkets and restaurants, landmines on country roads, ambushes by terrorists armed with AK47s. Two civilian aircraft shot down, huge disruption and tragedy for years.

But we survived, with our limited resources and firm resolve, we convincingly won the battles on the ground. However we lost the war against the campaign by supposed supporters of democracy determined to install promoters of terrorism as legitimate governments at any cost. And despite overwhelming evidence from the experience in every newly independent state on the African continent that the result would be disastrous.

There is a parallel today.

Humans cope with real adversity far better than the mere expectation of it. The people of Paris and survivors of future acts of terrorism that will happen in other Western countries will recover. Many terrorists will be shot or captured on the streets and in the quiet European and North American countryside.

The battles on the ground could easily be won given enough resolve and decisive action by Western governments.

But not by prevarication, surrendering to the demands of sponsors of terrorism like Iran, pulling fighter jets out of the campaign against ISIS and encouraging the entry of potential terrorists by accepting thousands of migrants masquerading as refugees, in indecent haste.

The overall war against Islamic terrorism will be much more difficult to win, is already in danger of becoming unwinnable.

The time to wipe out ISIS was before it started, back in the days when Somali pirates started building huge cash reserves from the millions of dollars paid in ransoms for captured ships and crew because Western governments were too timid to blow the pirates out of the water.

Disbanding the Iraqi army and police force, then pulling the American troops out of the country, leaving it undefended and leaving huge stockpiles of weapons and vehicles, access to huge oil revenues was all ISIS needed to quickly take over large parts of the country.

The West has made too many mistakes in the MIddle East. Until recently, the consequences of those mistakes have been largely confined to that region. Now they are being painfully felt by the people of Paris.

Unless people and governments in the West wake up quickly, those painful consequences will become more frequent and more widespread. This week’s shooting of 14 people in San Bernardino appears to be one of those consequences.

The future of the free world is at stake.

Sadly, only one country seems to recognise that fact – Russia, and it has its own agenda which might not be one we like.

What do you think? Leave a comment.