US Suicide Bombing - Terrorism Aids Reaction
By Ted Grant and Alan Woods
On Tuesday September 11, 2001 the world was shaken by news
of the most devastating terrorist attack in history. Hundreds of
people are feared dead and thousands injured after two planes
crashed into the World Trade Centre towers in the heart of New
York's financial district. Just 18 minutes after the first explosion
there was a second blast as another plane hit the other tower.
It is thought that the aircrafts were passenger planes, and
one is believed to be an American Airlines Boeing 767 flying from
Boston. The first aircraft crashed into one of the towers shortly
before 9am (2pm BST). Smoke billowed out of a gaping hole in the
110-storey tower, which was utterly demolished. Soon after, the
other tower was hit by a hijacked plane. People were seen jumping
out of windows in a scene of appalling terror. Some 50,000 people
worked in the towers, though it seems that at the time of the
attack there were about 6,000 - many of whom must have been
killed or injured.
The building, the tallest in New York, was a popular tourist
attraction which houses financial services companies and the
attack occurred at a time when employees and tourists would
have already arrived at the building. The Centre was bombed
in February 1993, killing six people and injuring more than
1,000 others. Now it no longer exists, reduced to a smouldering
ruin.
Nor did the attacks stop here. In another incident, a plane
crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC, setting it on fire.
In Pennsylvania, airport officials at Somerset County Airport
reported a large plane crashing just north of the Somerset
County Airport, about 80 miles Southeast of Pittsburgh.
Other hijacked planes were reported to be heading for
Washington. The streets of Washington and New York were gripped
with panic. Bridges and tunnels in New York have been closed
amid fears of further attacks. The tragedies stunned the
nation and prompted officials, fearing still more attacks,
to evacuate the Capitol, the White House, State Department
and other federal buildings. Flights were cancelled at all
major airports in the USA. Shortly after the explosion at
the Capitol, the federal government ordered all federal
buildings in the Washington area closed down, according
to the Office of Personnel Management. Within the hour, the
federal government took the additional step of shutting down
national landmarks across the country, including the Washington
Monument, the Statue of Liberty and the St. Louis Gateway Arch,
among other locations, according to the National Park Service.
US officials wasted no time in describing the incident
as a terrorist attack. It seems that the FBI was investigating
reports of plane hijacking before the two crashes. US president,
George Bush, is returning to Washington and has convened a
national security meeting. He said the explosions were an
"apparent terrorist attack" and said "terrorism against our
nation will not stand". For the first time in American history
the President has ordered a national grand stop, prohibiting
all flights under threat of being shot down.
President Bush ordered a full-scale investigation to
"hunt down the folks who committed this act". "I have ordered
that the full resources of the federal government go to help
the victims and their families," he said, before asking his
audience to hold a minute's silence, and offering a prayer
for the victims.
This terrorist act has a completely insane and criminal
character and must be condemned - but not for the hypocritical
reasons given by Bush and Blair. Marxists oppose individual
terrorism because it is counterproductive and plays into the
hands of the most reactionary sections of the ruling class.
This is clearly the case here: this bloody outrage will play
into the hands of US Big Business and imperialism. It will
give Bush a free hand to do anything he wants in the Middle
East and on a world scale.US public opinion will be softened
up for any reactionary policies at home and abroad.
It will have a similar effect on US public opinion to
Pearl Harbour, which Roosevelt publicly condemned but secretly
welcomed. The American public will now be prepared to accept
the atrocities of so-called counter-insurgency and
counter-terrorist actions abroad, and also reactionary and
anti-democratic legislation at home.
Who is behind the attacks?
No group has so far accepted responsibility for the
incidents, but many observers have blamed forces in the
Middle East. At first, the finger was pointed at the
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The
Democratic Front immediately denied responsibility, and
this is undoubtedly true. Such an ambitious attack,
involving the simultaneous hijack of four different aircraft
on US soil, must have involved a large amount of planning
and organisation, taking months or even years. In fact,
none of the Palestinian resistance groups would have the
necessary degree of organisation, financial backing and
infrastructure to mount such an attack. It is not possible
to say exactly who is behind the present attacks. On previous
occasions bombing attacks that were blamed on "Middle East
terrorism" turned out to be the work of right wing American
organisations.
"This is perhaps the most audacious terrorist attack
that's ever taken place in the world," said Chris Yates,
an aviation expert at Jane's Transport in London. "It takes
a logistics operation from the terror group involved that
is second to none. Only a very small handful of terror groups
is on that list. ... I would name at the top of the list
Osama Bin Laden."
It is obvious that this attack is in accord with Bin
Laden's aims and methods and that he would have the necessary
means of carrying them out. Bin Laden has called in Moslems
everywhere to attack and kill Americans. He warned three weeks
ago of an "unprecedented attack" on US interests because of
Washington's support for Israel. This man and his movement
has nothing in common with socialism or anything progressive,
but representative of the most rabid reaction. However, it
is not enough to shout about Bin Laden. It is necessary to
explain how he arose and why.
It must not be forgotten that Bin Laden was originally
financed, armed and backed by US imperialism and was the
creature of the CIA. When it suited Washington to stir up
Islamic fundamentalism as a weapon against the Soviet Union,
they did not scruple at supporting such epileptic reactionaries
and mass murderers. As long as the people being murdered were
far away - in Afghanistan or the Middle East, these hypocrites
could afford to turn a blind eye. Now they suddenly discover
that Bin Laden and his like are the "enemies of civilisation".
But in that case, the threat to civilisation should be stamped
"made in USA".
As we have stated, the Trade Centre was bombed before in
1993. "A second occurrence is just beyond belief," said Ira
Furber, former National Transportation Safety Board spokesman.
Indeed, it is, and it is clear that there are many enigmatic
elements in this outrage. How does it come about that the
terrorists managed to launch such an attack without alerting
the US intelligence agencies? Such a vast enterprise must
have involved a large number of people, a complex apparatus
and a long time to prepare. How could this have escaped the
notice of US intelligence?
It has been said that it is difficult to penetrate
terrorist organisations. Actually, the reverse is the case.
The CIA keeps detailed files on all these groups and
undoubtedly has its agents and confidants planted in t
heir ranks - including agents provocateurs, who would be
characterised by their extremist attitudes.
In the past, the secret services have had considerable
success in preventing terrorist attacks. This time there
seems to have been a massive - and astonishing - failure
of the intelligence network. British intelligence experts
have commented that the failure of US intelligence to
detect such an operation on such a vast scale, which must
have been planned and organised over a long period is
quite astonishing - in fact, inexplicable.
How is it possible that the CIA was so ignorant and
inept as to permit such a devastating attack on the nerve
-centres of the nation? One possibility has not been
mentioned - namely that it was the result of a provocation
that went badly wrong. In the shadowy world of intrigue,
provocation and counter-provocation that characterises
the activities of the secret services, it is not beyond
the bounds of possibility that a section of the US military
Establishment decided to allow the terrorists to launch
an attack inside America as a means of boosting public
support for an aggressive policy and rearmament. This
would explain the surprising failure of US intelligence,
although the devastating nature of the attack would suggest
that the provocation got out of hand.
One thing is certain. That the consequence of the attack
will be to strengthen imperialism and the right wing in the USA.
Once again, we see the reactionary consequences of individual
terrorism - which Marxists unconditionally condemn.
The economic effects
The economic effects of the attack have been immediate and
dramatic. Trading on the New York stock exchange was halted
indefinitely. This news was followed by steep falls on the
stock exchanges in London and other world trading centres.
80 percent of the Internet was down, and mobile phones out
of action, adding to the panic.
US stock futures plunged before trading was suspended in
definitely before the opening bell on Tuesday. Stocks in
Europe rapidly fell more than 6 percent, with the pan-European
FTSE Eurotop 300 down 4.5 percent after earlier gains. "Investors
will be wondering if this the start of a terrorist campaign on
the US. aimed at high profile institutions," said Andrew
Milligan, head of global strategy at Standard Life Investments
in Edinburgh. "There are no prices. There is no trade," said
one emerging markets trader in New York. "All the brokers are
downtown in the Trade Centre, so there are no prices."
US stocks were expected to tumble after a delayed
opening, while insurance stocks were hard hit on fears of
massive liabilities. "When the market opens, it will open
down a lot,'' said Stanley Nabi, a managing director at
Credit Suisse First Boston, which oversees $110 billion.
"I think it will open down a couple hundred points on the
Dow at least. This is absolutely unbelievable."
Mike Lenhoff at broker Gerrard said: "It's a disaster.
It throws the whole market background into chaos. The
Pentagon has been bombed and nobody really knows the
American policy response, which I think is going to be
pretty severe, once they feel confident about who is
responsible.
Stocks and the US dollar plunged and safe-haven bonds
soared as investors, seeking safe havens in a time of
uncertainty, drove the prices of gold and oil and the
Swiss franc higher in the wake of the incidents.
The London stock exchange immediately went into freefall.
The London FTSE index has fallen 200 points, and similar
falls have been repeated in all other stock exchanges.
The price of oil has risen by two dollars a barrel.
Many buildings in the City of London were hastily evacuated,
as a result of fears of attack.
In Europe also, short dated European government debt
yields plunged with the two-year paper hitting near two-year
low. The disaster sapped liquidity from the Euro corporate
bond market as investors fled into safe haven government bonds.
Investors were already nervous before the attacks, now a new
element of volatility has been introduced into the equation.
The dollar fell against both the Euro and yen after
the explosion. The Euro stood at $0.9050, compared to $0.8978
just before the first explosions.
The Swiss franc spiked briefly to 1.4901 to the dollar,
from opening levels around 1.6882, but fell back quickly to
around 1.66. IPE Brent crude futures rose over three and a
half dollars to more than $31 a barrel, while gold prices
rose over six dollars, or 2 percent, to $278.00/$280.50 per
troy ounce. The nervousness of investors was expressed by
one commentator in London:
"I don't think one can talk sensibly about market
behaviour. Just as we're talking, the UK market fell
by 20-30 points - these are pretty fast market conditions.
Banks, insurers will fall the most - anything that's exposed.
Oil stocks will do well and oil prices are rising. The oil
price is now almost $30 (?0) a barrel compared with $27.50
earlier this morning."
The dollar's strength - given the weakness of the American
economy - has defied the law of gravity. It has been so far
seen as a safe haven in a period of global instability. At
a certain stage, it was inevitable that this would be reversed
as foreign investors withdrew their funds from America,
provoking an increase in interest rates in the USA and
pushing the US economy into recession. This process may
have already begun.
After nearly ten years of boom in the USA, the world
economy is already hovering on the brink of a serious
recession. The reality of globalisation turns out to be -
a global crisis of capitalism. The underlying cause of
capitalist crisis is overproduction. Once the economic
cycle reaches the critical point where quantity becomes
transformed into quality, any incident can push it over
the brink into recession. This was the case with the oil
shock of 1973-74. It is necessary to remind ourselves that
the rising price of oil was linked to events in the Middle
East. Now it is possible that history will be repeated.
New World Disorder
Overnight, the greatest super power the world has
ever seen turns out to be a colossus with feet of clay.
The most powerful military state the world has ever seen
has shown its powerlessness in the face of terrorism.
Before the Second World War, Trotsky predicted that America
would emerge as the victor and establish world hegemony,
but he added that it would have dynamite built into its
foundations. These prophetic words have now turned out to
be literally true. Ten years ago, after the fall of the
Soviet Union, President Bush's father promised a New World
Order. Now the reality has struck home with a vengeance.
The rape of the planet by Big Business has created a
world fraught with misery, war and chaos, which has now
impacted on the heart of world imperialism. This is the
real cause of the present atrocity. The terrorism of
world-wide hunger, disease, misery, exploitation and
oppression which torments millions of men, women and
children each and every day of their lives, is the root
cause of the turmoil and instability which is sweeping
the planet in the dawn of the 21st century.
Nowhere is this more obvious than in Palestine,
where the people on the West Bank and Gaza are daily
subjected to the bloody attacks of Israeli imperialism,
their homes demolished, their young people shot down,
their livelihood taken away. Is there any wonder that
sections of the Palestinian youth have been driven to
desperation? Is it surprising that there is a fierce
hatred of US imperialism which backs Israel and remains
silent about all these atrocities? Where was the
condemnation of President Bush when the leader of the
PFLP was recently murdered by the Israelis in a rocket
attack? Where was all the talk about an "attack on
civilisation" when hundreds of Palestinian civilians
were being killed and maimed by the Israeli army?
All this has had the most terrible effects on the
consciousness of the Palestinian masses. Hours after
the attacks there were reports of celebrations on the
streets of Nablus on the West Bank. The terrible suffering
inflicted on the Palestinian people by Israeli imperialism,
backed by Washington, is what provokes such a reaction.
But it is profoundly misguided. Scenes of Palestinian
youths on television demonstrating support for the killing
of hundreds of US civilians will do tremendous harm to the
Palestinian cause in the USA and internationally. The sympathy
which they had won among the workers of the USA and other
countries because of their suffering at the hands of the
Israeli oppressors will be forgotten in a wave of revulsion,
which will be used by the US reactionaries to whip up
anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab feeling. This in turn will
pave the way for new and monstrous acts of repression
against the Palestinians which will be more acceptable
to world public opinion, whereas previously they were
condemned.
The Americans will have to launch a strike against
some Arab country - presumably Iraq. They will need the
collaboration of Israeli intelligence to carry this out.
This will strengthen the hand of Israel, not weaken it.
It will harm the cause of the Palestinians, not help it.
Therein lays its reactionary character. One has to be
blind not to see this.
Despite its spectacular impact, even the best-organised
terrorist attacks can never succeed in destroying or even
seriously weakening imperialism. George Robertson, the NATO
secretary, immediately took advantage of the attack to
advocate the stepping up of NATO's military power.
The consequences of the present attacks will be serious
and reactionary. US imperialism will be under pressure to
retaliate, and will not be fussy about which victims it
chooses. Already, there have been attempts to blame Iraq
for the atrocity. New bombings and devastation will be the
answer, adding to the devilish spiral of killing and
counter-killing. As far as the peoples of the Middle East
are concerned, the present incident will do nothing to help
them in their plight. The Palestinian people will derive
no benefit from this attack. The US imperialists will be
driven even further into the arms of Israel. The brutality
of the latter against the Palestinians will be "justified"
by the alleged threat of terrorism.
After the terrorist attack in Africa, the US imperialists
bombed Libya and Sudan, although neither of these countries
had anything to do with it. They will now presumably return
to bombing the helpless people of Iraq - as if one bloody
crime justified another. In this way, they will aggravate
all the contradictions on a world scale, creating new
victims and new hatreds - the fuel for new acts of terrorism.
This is what they call the "defence of civilisation".
Lenin once said that capitalism is horror without end.
In recent years the Americans and Europeans have been arming
to the teeth, with a view to intervening against the movement
of the masses in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America,
as in the so-called Colombia Plan. The present atrocity will
mean a further acceleration in this aggressive programme of
rearmament. It bodes nothing positive for the workers and
peasants of the world, but is just another manifestation of
the convulsive crisis of capitalism on a world scale. In the
words of the Roman historian Tacitus: "And when they have
created a wilderness, they call it Peace".
London, 11th September 2001.
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