The manipulation of terror

By Michael J.W. Stickings

If you're looking for something good to read this weekend -- aside from what you might find here, of course! -- check out Zbigniew Brzezinski's latest op-ed in The Washington Post. It concerns the so-called war on terror, specifically how it has "created a culture of fear in America":

The Bush administration's elevation of these three words into a national mantra since the horrific events of 9/11 has had a pernicious impact on American democracy, on America's psyche and on U.S. standing in the world. Using this phrase has actually undermined our ability to effectively confront the real challenges we face from fanatics who may use terrorism against us.

None of this is new -- many of us have addressed the culture of fear that has emerged as a result of pernicious fearmongering since 9/11, much of it emanating from the White House -- but Brzezinski puts it all extremely well.