Death of diplomat
-A A +AFriday, September 14, 2012
THE murder of American ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other US citizens in Libya is a serious crime not just against the United

States but also against all nations of the world. It is right for US President Barack Obama to be angry, calling the killing an “outrageous attack.”
It hasn’t been an easy road for the United States since eleven years ago when terrorists struck the most powerful nation in the world. Not only has the economic might of the US been shaken, a number of its allies have also turned their back on its continuing presence in the Middle East.
When US elected its first black president with an Islam-sounding name, it was perceived not just as the fulfillment of Martin Luther King’s dream but also of Americans embracing their diversity and accepting their multi-ethnicity.
Getting Hillary Clinton as secretary of state was a work of genius for Obama, as the former has a built-in profile in dealing with nations in trouble or states having relationship problems with the US. And for some time, the US has seen the demise of some of its most notorious enemies, Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi.
If it was sort a consolation, the Arab Spring forced out of power dictatorial leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, and brought about democratic reforms in other countries.
There has been no major terror attack on the United States since 2001, but still the country has not let its guard down. It continues to implement strict security procedures in its airports, and settle differences with countries that it has strained relations with.
While the promised total withdrawal of US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq has been pushed back, it is clear that President Obama, if reelected, is bent on getting the US soldiers back home.
Because of some films that is said to have insulted the Prophet Muhammad, the US government has taken the blame. As America commemorated the eleventh anniversary of the tragic terror attack, the death of the US diplomat in Libya and the protests against US in Muslim countries have reopened the wounds that scarred the American people in the past.
Let us pray for those who have died. Let us seek justice for the victims. Let us ask the US to be patient, as its nearly vanquished enemies are desperate in their hopeless cause of terrorism.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on September 15, 2012.
Opinion
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