This week the reign of al-Qaeda
reached that of the Nazis: 4,481 days.
Al-Qaeda and the Nazis: 4,481 Days that Terrorized the World (Die
Welt, Germany)
"For the same length of time that has passed since 9/11,
millions of people lived in fear of the Nazis and Nazi Germany, and ultimately,
all Germans. First in Germany itself, then in Europe, and finally, almost all
over the world; For the same length of time Osama bin Laden's face has been with
us as the embodiment of al-Qaeda and as the physical symbol of a movement willing
to commit mass murder - Hitler, too, terrorized the world, held it in suspense,
and compelled it to defend itself."
On the day of his appointment as chancellor, January 30, 1933, Hitler pays his respects to the aged Paul von Hindenburg, the heroic field marshal of World War I.
The Nazi regime
lasted twelve years and four months. One realizes how long this is, when looking
back exactly 4,481 days to the murderous September 11, 2001.
Today,
December 18th, 2013, 4,481 days have passed since September 11, 2001, when the
attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in New York occurred. It's a
period that seems like an eternity. In that time, an entire generation of young
people have grown up for whom the television images are no more than childhood
memories. For school children, "9/11" is pure history.
This
is just as it was at the end of World War II, when democracy was pure history
for young Germans, or at most a blurry childhood memory. To the day, September
11, 2001 is as long ago as January 30, 1933 [end of the Weimar Republic] was on
May 8, 1945.
That's
how long, through summers and winters alike, Hitler’s face hovered over
everything. That's how long the swastika was a threat outside everyone's front
door or over the horizon, depending on whether you lived in Germany or America.
For
the same length of time that has passed since 9/11, millions of people lived in
fear of the Nazis and Nazi Germany, and ultimately, all Germans; First in
Germany itself, then in Europe, and finally, almost all over the world. For the
same length of time Osama bin Laden’s face has been with us as the embodiment
of al-Qaeda and as the physical symbol of a movement willing to commit mass
murder - Hitler, too, terrorized the world, held it in suspense, compelled it
to defend itself and go to war.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
Days of Fear and
Terror
In
the thirties, and then until 1945, Germany was “al-Qaeda” - initially only in
the minds the regime's opponents, those hunted down for their race or political
beliefs, Jews in America, and a few farsighted politicians in London or
Washington, who at the time were frequently ridiculed and mocked because of
their fearful vision.By 1939, or 2007
if calculated for today, the majority of people thought of Germany as we think
of al-Qaeda.
Four
thousand, four hundred, eighty one days of fear. And then? Assistance for
conquered Germany. The West helped Germany just as it helped Afghanistan, and
that was just as controversial among American voters as help for the land of
the Hindu Kush is today.
The Marshall Plan was
no easy sell. On the contrary. For many Americans - and for French, British, or
Dutch - helping Germany was similar to helping al-Qaeda hotbed Afghanistan is
today. And with the Korean War, the Americans had also this era’s counterpart
in the Iraq campaign, which was just as pointless, superfluous and idiotic as
liberating Iraq from Saddam Hussein is still considered today. And Korea? “Japan,”
many Americans said at the time, “Japan attacked us! Why are we meddling in
Korea?”
Hitler breathing
down their necks
On
the evening of the 4,481st day after Osama bin Laden’s attack on America, one also
recalls how many professional successes and personal happiness people have
experienced in Germany and elsewhere. And one might ask oneself what this legth of time would have meant in another era: Gerhard Schröder, Angela Merkel 1, 2, and 3; the Football World Cup;
Facebook, Twitter, the iPhone; the election of Obama,
and the rise and fall of [Defense Minister] Guttenberg.
One
may wonder what it would have been like if we had spent this entire time under
al-Qaeda rule - just like the people had Hitler breathing down their necks after
1933. How much good fortune would have been destroyed or never come about. And
how many people might have considered these twelve years and 98 days to be so
unmentionable, so terrible, or so shameful, that they would never speak of or
want to hear about them again?
