Home Page > Articles > November 2001
The Epistemology of Terrorism

I am sitting at a computer in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam, as I am writing this article. I thought of not writing anymore monthly articles for this website while I am staying in Vietnam, but the name of this website is Vietnamese-American.org, and the history of both these countries and their peoples are interconnected.

Thus, I feel compelled to write, and to tell the truth in order to help Vietnamese-Americans to become aware of the societal issues that are unique to America. I believe the underlying cause of all these societal problems is the continuing practice of racial discrimination at all levels, by all agencies both public and private. This un-ethical and morally reprehensible conduct is in direct violation of the United States Constitution, yet it is widely practiced, as agencies charged with enforcing these laws are both inept and hypocritical.

I have written enough articles for this website to illustrate the domestic practice of racial discrimination, and the ensuing poverty in the lives of the oppressed. In this article, I will write about racial discrimination as a foreign policy of the United States of America, and the consequences of this practice, which Americans are now painfully aware of--terrorism.

The American War is a war against American imperialism, which by the way, was a continuation of the French colonialism of Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia). This imperialist and colonialist expansion of the European empire was rooted in the belief of Manifest Destiny by European nations of the last few centuries in order to subjugate the peoples of the third world through slavery, and to exploit their labor in the name of capitalism. Manifest Destiny, in reality, is a racist policy. It is a belief by the Europeans that their race is superior. Therefore, the motto: "we came, we saw, we conquered."

At the present time, Israel receives three billion dollars in aid from the United States every year. This annual amount of aid is more than the amount all of other countries in the world receive from the United States. One can only speculate why this favorable treatment.

It is a fact that Jewish people in the United States control the banking industry and the monetary policy. Furthermore, the United States has always taken the side of Israel in opposition to Arab nations where the majority are adherents of Islam.

Israel is occupying Palestine in violation of the Oslo Peace Accord. Israel is expanding its territory at the expense of Palestinians. Yet, the United States, under the Bush administration, refused to use its influence to compel Israel to give up occupied land for peace. This whole hearted support for Israel is rooted in American prejudices toward Islam and Arabs. In fact, in the first videotape released after the United States attacked Afghanistan, Osama Bin Ladin states that America will not be at peace unless peace reigns in Palestine. One also needs to take note of President Carter's criticism of the Bush administration, along with Israel, for walking out of the race discrimination discussion relating to Zionism at the United Nations.

I hope that Americans will think critically about why America is under attack by terrorists. If America exerts its tremendous economic and military influence in the cause of justice and equality both at home and abroad, then I believe peace will prevail. Otherwise, a chant I often heard during marches for justice amongst the mostly African-Americans can best sum it up: "no justice, no peace."

Sincerely,

Tuan Tran