Memories are short. And generations have become disconnected. Just over two decades ago the West was first shocked and then galvanized by the Islamic extremism that brought destruction to America’s shore. My parents could never forget the attack on Pearl Harbor. My generation will never forget the attack on the Pentagon and the Twin Towers. But there is a big difference in the aftermath of these events.
Following World War II, Germany was humbled and vowed to change. It was embarrassed by the sins of National Socialism and became a source of European and then of global distinction. Japan, even to a larger extent, changed its errors and started down its path to global honor and economic leadership. It is understandable that the rising generation does not hold grudges against these former foes, even if they did matter so much to their grandparents. And even though history should never be forgotten, we can forgive this certain kind of ignorance even as we strive to teach remembrance.
But when we forget the events of 9/11 so soon, there is much more at stake. Not only are these events more recent, their underlying motivations have not changed. The Islamic world has not become friendly to the West. We do well to receive enclaves of Islamic pacifists into our communities - the Western magnanimous ideal has always welcomed the needy stranger. But it is suicide to ignore Islamic extremism that is very much alive and continues to be hostile. The recent outbreaks of antisemitism are dangerous indications that we are forgetting 9/11, or pretending that it is no longer relevant.
The tent cities and propaganda booths that have sprouted from the lawns and commons of public institutions across America are symbols of this amnesia. We are never going to convince our enemies to play nice by failing in our military deterrence. Strongmen around the globe know only how to play one game, and that game is a win/lose contest involving any kind of military/economic/cultural/religious advantage they can muster. It is not a Judeo/Christian game; and it is, admittedly, an inferior ideal. But nations are not individuals in this sense. We teach our children, and we struggle within our own hearts, to rid ourselves of belligerence. But the protection of our land and of our culture demands a protective determination.
It should be pointed out that deterrence does not imply revenge. Nations are not easily persuaded by Christian ideals of turning the other cheek, or of interpersonal appeals to restorative justice (as Rabbi Jonathan Sacks pointed out years ago in his Insights from the Bible into the Concept of Criminal Justice). These higher human ideals work for communities and individuals if they are to work at all. Nations, in order to survive, must be prepared to return harm when harm has been inflicted. This was obvious to ancient Israel just as it should be obvious today.
