UPEL
      STUDENT
      NEWSPAPER
     
     
      OCTOBER
      10,
      2001
     
    
   
   
    
     
      editor-in-chief
     
     
      Matthew
      DORRELL
     
    
   
   
    
     
      copy
      editor
     
     
      Joel
      MEGGS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      production
      manager
     
     
      Jeff
      COLL
     
    
   
   
    
     
      news
      editor
     
     
      Erin
      FAGAN
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      entertainment
      editor
     
     
      Stephan
      MACLEOD
     
    
   
   
    
     
      sports
      editor
     
     
      Adam
      GAUTHIER
     
    
   
   
    
     
      photographer
      /
      style
      editor
     
     
      Jonah
      CAMPBELL
     
    
   
   
    
     
      reporter
     
     
      VACANT
     
    
   
   
    
     
      advertising
      manager
     
     
      Kim
      TRAN
     
    
   
   
    
     
      distribution
      manager
     
     
      VACANT
     
    
   
   
    
     
      graphic
      design
     
     
      Bill
      MATTHEWS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      contributors
     
     
      Brad
      DEIGHAN
     
     
      Marc
      MACDONALD
     
     
      Mariéve
      MACGREGOR
     
     
      Kelley
      MASON
     
    
   
   
    
     
      2,000
      copies
      of
      The
      Cadre
      are
      printed
      10
      times
      per
      semester.
     
     
      The
      deadline
      for
      submissions
      is
      Friday
      at
      5:00
      PM.
     
     
      The
      opinions
      expressed
      within
      The
      Cadre
      do
      not
      necessarily
     
    
   
   
    
     
      represent
      the
      views
      of
      UPEI
      or
      the
      UPEI
      Student
      Union
      Inc.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Letters
      to
      the
      editor:
      mdorrell@upei.ca
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Cadre
      is
      the
      official
      newspaper
      of
      the
      UPEI
      Student
      Union.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      There
      are
      meetings
      open
      to
      anyone
      Mondays
      at
      5:00
      in
      Main
      06.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      [2]
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Editorial
      4:
      Choosing
      Sides
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      takes
      an
      extreme
      sort
      of
     
     
      cynicism
      to
      speak
      of
      attacks
      on
     
     
      Afghanistan
      by
      the
      United
      States
      and
     
     
      its
      allies
      as
      an
      operation
      which
      will
     
     
      help
      free
      the
      Afghan
      people
      from
      the
     
     
      miserable
      rule
      of
      the
      Taliban,
      yet
      this
     
     
      idea
      has
      been
      repeated
      often.
      To
      speak
     
     
      of
      aiding
      a
      people
      while
      bombing
     
     
      them
      has
      become
      a
      cliché,
      as
      insulting
     
     
      as
      it
      is
      absurd,
      particularly
      in
      the
      case
     
     
      of
      Afghanistan,
      whose
      current
      situa-
     
     
      tion
      has
      already
      been
      greatly
      shaped
     
     
      by
      the
      hand
      of
      the
      US.
     
    

    
     
      In
      the
      early
      eighties,
      the
      US
     
     
      government
      began
      assisting
      Afghan
     
     
      rebels,
      in
      the
      hopes
      of
      repelling
      the
     
     
      Soviet
      occupation
      of
      Afghanistan.
     
     
      Money,
      arms,
      food
      and
      medicine,
     
     
      were
      funnelled
      from
      the
      US,
      through
     
     
      Pakistan,
      to
      Islamic
      extremists
      within
     
     
      Afghanistan
      -
      among
      them,
      Osama
     
     
      Bin
      Laden.
      The
      rebels,
      with
      tactical
     
     
      information
      and
      training
      provided
      by
     
     
      Americans,
      were
      successful
      in
      pre-
     
     
      venting
      communist
      forces
      from
      taking
     
    
   
   
    
     
      hold,
      forcing
      the
      Soviets
      to
      retreat
     
     
      entirely
      by
      1989.
      The
      Soviets
      defeat-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ed,
      US
      concerns
      in
      the
      region
      were
     
     
      apparently
      resolved,
      and
      the
      Afghan
     
     
      people
      were
      left
      to
      live
      with
      the
      fall-
     
     
      out,
      including
      the
      oppressive
      and
     
     
      extremist
      Taliban
      regime,
      which
     
     
      seized
      power
      in
      1996.
     
     
      This
      is
      but
      one
      of
      numerous
     
     
      instances
      of
      passive
      US
      aggression
      in
     
     
      the
      Middle
      East.
      For
      three
      successive
     
     
      administrations
      the
      US
      government
     
     
      either
      directly,
      or
      by
      a
      conspicuous
     
     
      lack
      of
      disapproval,
      supported
      the
     
     
      actions
      of
      Iraqi
      President
      Saddam
     
     
      Hussein.
      The
      US
      was
      willing
      to
      ignore
     
     
      the
      massacre
      of
      Kurdish
      minorities
     
     
      within
      Iraq,
      provided
      that
      Hussein
     
     
      continued
      to
      also
      kill
      Iranians.
      US
     
     
      support
      of
      Hussein
      ended
      only
      when
     
     
      Iraq
      invaded
      Kuwait,
      threatening
     
     
      Western
      economic
      interests.
      The
     
     
      United
      States
      has
      also
      long
      been
      criti-
     
     
      cized
      for
      its
      continued
      support
      of
     
     
      Israel,
      and
      for
      its
      failure
      to
      condemn
     
    
   
   
    
     
      what
      many
      see
      as
      undue
      Israeli
     
     
      aggression
      toward
      the
      Palestinians.
     
    

    
     
      Though
      already
      bitten,
      the
      US
     
     
      shows
      no
      evidence
      of
      shyness
      in
      con-
     
     
      tinuing
      to
      assist
      rebel
      forces
      in
     
     
      Afghanistan.
      Presently,
      the
      US
      is
     
     
      assisting
      the
      Northern
      Alliance:
      Tajik
     
     
      and
      Uzbek
      rebels
      who
      have
      been
     
     
      fighting
      the
      Taliban
      regime.
      A
      govern-
     
     
      ment
      led
      by
      these
      two
      minority
      groups
     
     
      could
      be
      disastrous
      for
      Afghanistan;
     
     
      the
      last
      Tajik
      led
      government
      in
     
     
      Afghanistan
      resulted
      in
      civil
      war
      in
     
     
      the
      mid-nineties.
     
    

    
     
      The
      United
      States,
      as
      we
      are
     
     
      constantly
      reminded,
      is
      the
      only
     
     
      remaining
      world
      super-power,
      and
      as
     
     
      such
      cannot
      avoid
      having
      a
      profound
     
     
      impact
      on
      the
      world
      at
      large.
      Because
     
     
      of
      this,
      it
      is
      imperative
      that
      US
      foreign
     
     
      policy
      in
      the
      Middle
      East
      not
      continue
     
     
      to
      be
      so
      blindingly
      self-serving
      while
     
     
      at
      the
      same
      time
      destabilizing
      the
     
     
      region.
      Through
      its
      foreign
      policy,
      the
     
     
      US
      has
      created
      larger
      problems
      than
      it
     
     
      sought
      to
      solve,
      showing
      both
      a
      dis-
     
     
      tinct
      lack
      of
      foresight,
      and
      a
      marked
     
     
      indifference
      to
      the
      wishes
      and
      well-
     
     
      being
      of
      the
      nations
      left
      to
      deal
      with
     
     
      the
      repercussions
      of
      ‘its
      actions.
     
    

    
     
      The
      opinion,
      tacitly
      held
      by
     
     
      many,
      that
      US
      foreign
      policy
      does
      not
     
     
      affect
      daily
      American
      life
      has
      been
     
     
      resoundingly
      proven
      incorrect.
      I
      may
     
     
      be
      called
      naive
      for
      suggesting
      this,
      but
     
     
      perhaps
      if
      the
      United
      States
      were
      less
     
     
      willing
      to
      back
      corrupt
      leaders,
      mur-
     
     
      derous
      dictators
      and
      blood-thirsty
     
     
      rebels,
      the
      reputation
      of
      the
      US
      abroad
     
     
      might
      not
      be
      so
      overwhelmingly
      nega-
     
     
      tive.
      The
      terrorist
      attacks
      on
      the
     
     
      United
      States
      cannot
      be
      justified,
      but
     
     
      until
      the
      US
      is
      able
      to
      put
      long
      term
     
     
      progress
      and
      stability
      above
      short-
     
     
      term
      tactical
      expediency,
      it
      will
      con-
     
     
      tinue
      to
      be
      the
      target
      of
      both
      hatred
     
     
      and
      violence.
      :
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Matthew
      Dorrell,
     
     
      Editor-In-Chief