Looking back over the first decade of the new millennium, the event most people remember is 9/11 and the fall of the Twin Towers.  People were shocked and shaken; George W. Bush launched his “War on Terrorism” with which Obama is now saddled; time has slowly dulled the pain and shock.

What are the real consequences and lessons of 9/11?  Thomas Walkom recently wrote an article in the Toronto Star entitled, “Who won the decade? The Terrorists”.  He argues that the West has taken a leap backward because of our own fears and anxieties - civil liberties and social movements have been rolled back; torture has become acceptable; surveillance of citizens is increasingly more intrusive; the Liberals are divided and indecisive, fearing to be called soft or unpatriotic, and so are leaving the field more and more to the extreme Right.

Way back in 2004, I pointed out in my book, “Ageless Wisdom Spirituality: Investing in Human Evolution”, that the American invasion of Iraq was wrong-headed, largely trumped up by the Bush-Cheney administration (google:  project for the new American century) and doomed to failure.  Now in 2010, we know that many more Americans have died in Iraq than died in 9/11, not to mention tens of thousands more injured; Iraq and its population have been devastated and have become a recruiting ground for terrorists; the war has been a huge drain on the American Treasury; Afghanistan has been neglected and now festers, while Al-Qaeda has become stronger as a rallying point for extremists.  Al-Qaeda cannot be defeated by armies because it is an idea, which is spread and enabled by the internet.  Another terrorist attack in the USA will succeed sooner or later because all it takes is one person with relatively crude devices - or even just a computer.

In Ageless Wisdom Spirituality, I pointed out that our greatest strength is actually internal.  We need all our bravery, clarity, common sense and compassion to meet our collective global challenges: the health of the planet, the poverty gap (which I think is linked with terrorism) and the indiscriminate implementation of science and technology.   9/11 was a tragedy but the loss of life and property was relatively small considering what other countries around the world experience.  The terrorists are winning because they have plunged us into Fear and distracted us from our really important challenges.  Americans are living in the past.  They keep on spending more than they earn and borrowing the difference from China, which is now poised to challenge the USA both economically and military; they cling to Old Oil, while the more forward-looking countries are already positioning themselves to lead the next wave, which will be “greener” and based on more alternative energy solutions; they refuse to look outside of their own borders for new ideas and inspiration or even feedback.

And what of Canada? Since 9/11, Canadian leaders have voluntarily (or been pressured behind closed doors) fallen in line with American policies.  Under Harper’s minority government, this process has accelerated with Canada having fallen off the international stage and become not much more than a neglected, American state, toeing the Presidential line.  Harper is operating more like an American president (especially Bush) with the PMO’s office holding ever more “secrets”, controlling talking points and bullying anyone who opposes or contradicts it, including career diplomats like Richard Colvin. Probably the next big bi-lateral issue to surface (or be pushed through in secret) is one which I have mentioned before in my blogs: the idea of Canada being included in a North American defensive “perimeter”, which will be manned mostly by the American army.  Of course, in exchange for all this “security”, they will expect more control of our water and natural resources and whatever else they find useful.  If we are going to hand over our defence to the USA, why is our defence spending increasing?  The whole point of a stronger army is to deter bullies, including the Americans!

Apart from the obvious issues of the erosion of Canadian democracy and independence, does it make even strategic and economic sense to bind ourselves ever more tightly to the sinking American Empire?