[Opinion] Sept. 11 Irony

A weapons Expo is now being held at the center of London, England. Major arms buyers from all over the world were invited to the weapons party titled the `Defense System and Equipment International.` Syria, known for its sour relationship with the U.S., also came to London to look around weapons to shop. And the largest seller by far is the U.S. England comes in second. Weapons traded through such events were used to 4 million in the 1990s alone. Of the total, 90% were innocent civilians. The organizer insists that it is a mere coincidence that the event is being held at the time of the second anniversary of the Sept. 11, in which some 3,000 civilians were killed by terrorist attacks, according to the British Observer. While some are mourning the deaths of innocent people, others are eager to sell machines used to kill people.

We see irony when we see something leading to an unexpected result. Then, the Sept. 11 and following developments must be called irony, for sure. Two years ago, U.S. President George W. Bush declared a war against terror, saying he would root out terrorist organizations across the world. Yet, his war has led to more terrorist attacks. More than 1,000 innocent lives were taken in Bali, Riyad and Najaf. There are tens of thousands of Osama Bin Ladens in the world, while Bin Laden has been on the run for years.

Soaring oil price is another testament to the Sept. 11 irony. Former Environment Minister of Britain Michael Mitcher, who was a member of Blair cabinet only three months ago, revealed that the Sept. 11 was terrorist attack the U.S. let happen intentionally at the expense of its hegemonic power. He also explained that the war on Iraq was driven by U.S. thirst for oil. Then, oil prices must go down by now. Instead, oil pipes are burning in Iraqi oil fields and oil prices keep soaring in the U.S.

The most ironic thing about the Sept. 11 is that it has changed the meaning of words in a contradictory way. The `Patriot Act` supposed to protect Americans from terrorist attacks becomes a tool of abusing human rights of American citizens as well as immigrants. `Patriotism` now stands for nationalism that justifies harming other nations and peoples for one`s own interest. Islamic `holy war` has become a synonym with terror. The `Ministry of Truth` in Britain is called the Ministry of Spinning. The declaration of the war on Iraq has led to a new form of guerrilla war. Now that we see the U.S., which used to be a country of freedom and humanity, asks for the U.N. and other countries for help after vicious unilateralism, the irony now seems to have no end.

Kim Sun-deok, Editorial Writer, yuri@donga.com