DSA Statement on the September 11 Terrorist Attacks

Nothing can justify the terrorist attacks that came from the skies on September 11th. Democratic Socialists of America condemns these brutal crimes. The victims of this tragedy require effective justice not politically motivated hyperbole. Few have been spared the agony of some personal connection to the pain and anguish caused to those who have lost family or friends. Our hearts are with all who have lost loved ones and colleagues. All of the perpetrators of these criminal acts must be brought before the bar of justice. In the days and weeks ahead we will begin to learn the identities of those who perished, compounding the shock of the terrible images that we all saw time, and time again, on our television screens.

Our television screens have also been filled with the pundits of the right pushing their agenda of increased military spending and diminished civil liberties. Progressives and progressive elected officials must demand that all proposals be based on proven need rather than emotional excess. Sadly such excess has already resulted in attacks against Americans of the Islamic and Sikh faiths. There can be no doubt that more effective anti-terrorist measures including more effective intelligence gathering, better security measures and policing of the skies are necessary. But we cannot allow these needs to be used as fig leaves for wasteful and ineffective increases in military spending.

Nor should our response be unilateral. The Community of Nations has condemned this heinous act. We should act with them to extradite these criminals and seek justice through trial and punishment rather than the kind of ineffective bombing and missile campaigns that our government has initiated in the past. The apprehension of proven suspects in this crime against humanity should be carried out through the international system of justice and international criminal procedures. We must remember that the terrorists hope to provoke inappropriate military responses. If force must be used, a multinational police action is the most appropriate means. Indiscriminate aerial attacks or prolonged military campaigns on foreign soil will breed more terrorists and further endanger the security of the United States as well as the rest of the world.

We cannot pretend that the answer to terrorism is simply a matter of military or law enforcement measures. We live in a world organized so that the greatest benefits go to a small fraction of the world's population while the vast majority experiences injustice, poverty and often, hopelessness. Only by eliminating the political, social and economic conditions that lead people to these small extremist groups can we be truly secure.

Approved September 16, 2001 by the
DSA NPC Steering Committee