The United States can be a funny place sometimes, and it is an interesting perspective people in this country have come to have of the world: Either you are with “them” or against “them.” Of course, this is hardly a surprise since that is the kind of thinking we have been fed for the past two years, but to apply that closed-minded thinking to what happened in Spain’s elections is to miss the point entirely.
The Spanish people did not let terrorism dictate their election as many are suggesting, but rather they chose a leader who would listen to the people first and not just follow orders from the White House. For clarity’s sake I will review some key facts about the situation in Spain, even before former Prime Minister José Mariá Aznar decided to join the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq.
First there is the crucial fact that as many as 74 percent of the Spanish people were against the invasion of Iraq. Aznar decided, in a very un-democratic gesture, to ignore his people and ally his country with the United States. And after the terrible events of March 11, first the Spanish people responded, not by siding with the terrorists but with a massive show of solidarity when 11 million people marched in the streets for peace. This is something that perhaps could give people in this country something to think about. No, the Spanish people did not respond with a call to more violence and more deaths — they responded by going out on the streets and calling for a halt to violence – all violence.
I know the hawks out there will say that terrorists are not fought with marching in the streets, but I think the facts speak for themselves: Evidently, war does not fight them at all, and let me briefly make a note that there has yet to be a link between the invasion of Iraq and the attacks of Sept. 11 and al-Qaida – soldiers die every day for a cause that this administration has yet to clarify.
Finally, the most important fact of what happened in Spain is that the government of Aznar lied to its people when it insisted on blaming Basque separatist group ETA for the attacks, even when there was plenty of proof that a radical Islamic group was responsible. Aznar tried to lie to his people and manipulate the media, but the people of Spain stood up for democracy and changed leaders. It is sad that the media here is portraying this as a “victory” of terrorism, when really it was a courageous victory for those who will not be blinded by grief and will uphold the ideals of democracy even in the face of terrorist threats. The real loss was for those who would take advantage of death and grief to advance their political agendas, restrict freedom of speech and access to information.
Perhaps there are some things to be learned from the Spanish people, such as their lack of apathy. I would like to know when the last time was that 11 million people in this country participated in a peaceful civil act. Their extraordinary participation in the election, as 80 percent of registered voters participated could serve as an example to follow since only 55 percent participated in the last U.S. “election.”
Finally, maybe we could think about what we have to do when we are faced with an administration that has sacrificed lives for a lie. We should demand transparency from this government and not get lost in a desire for “revenge” and a black and white version of the world that the leaders of this country are trying to sell us. The U.S. government has turned its back against the world by imposing on other nations its unilateral acts of violence. And I’d like to note that unity for the sake of unity is extremely dangerous; even unity is needed to put and end to the violence – there must be room for questioning. The world cannot be a place where there are only two paths: “With us” or “against us” – if we allow this to happen, we will fall into the blind regimes that humanity has followed in the past.
Cecilia Duran is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences.