The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

Voters need to answer before next election

In regards to recent news about the Sept. 11 commission, I am very concerned that policymakers, investigators and the media are not focusing on deeper issues.

I agree the failures of intelligence and military operations against al Qaeda need investigating, however, ignoring the long history of U.S. policy failures that have helped to create the threats we face today is a mistake. Shouldn't the Sept. 11 panel be asking about U.S. support for Osama Bin Laden in the 1980s? Or about alliances with dictators and abusive regimes in the Middle East and elsewhere? What about U.S. policies of unilateralism and global military dominance? Or severe economic inequality between Arab states and the West? What about U.S. policy toward the intractable conflict between Israelis and Palestinians?

It is clear we need a deeper investigation into the causes of terrorism before we can design policy to prevent future terrorism attacks. The best intelligence and strongest military will not end this global threat. The political and economic roots of the problem must also be tackled.

I hope Americans will start asking these questions and support smarter policies to address this very real threat. Otherwise, I fear we're bound to fail again.

Brooke Thurau

graduate student, forestry

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