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11 Years On, We are (Still, and Forever) at War

The assassination of the US Ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stephens, tells us many things about the Middle East, US foreign policy, and the post-9/11 world. Eleven years to the day after the largest terrorist attack in American history, our enemies are plentiful, widespread, and organized. And they share a common theme - a hatred for American freedoms and a willingness to carry out the worst evils in the name of their religion.

Ambassador Stephens was a hero to many in that part of the world. A representative of a government that helped to overthrow Muammar Qaddafi's frightful rule, he exemplified diplomacy, patriotism, and dedication to advancing our values and defending our principles abroad. Sadly, the overthrow of the Qaddafi regime created a vacuum, both politically and throughout society, that ushered in radicals hellbent on preventing any semblance of democracy from rising from the ashes of that horrific dictator's rule.

But his death is much more than just a loss of a good man and a setback in relations with a country still trying to find its way in the wake of the Arab Spring. The brazen attack on sovereign US territory - diplomatic territory - raises alarming concerns about the safety and security of our foreign installations. The reasoning for the attack, anger at a film critical of Islam and produced by a US citizen, suggests that we've made little or no headway in fostering societies where basic freedoms - such as women's rights, freedom of opinion, basic education, and rudimentary rule of law - are recognized. A people who are willing to commit murder to avenge criticism of their God are a people not worthy of defending. And they are a people who, try as we might, will never respect what we stand for.

Several changes need to be made to ensure that Ambassador Stephens' death is not in vain. First, the rules of engagement for our Marines guarding US embassies overseas must be modified so that any threats to the lives of those working at the embassy, or to the embassy property itself, are neutralized. As one editorialist wrote today, "the first terrorist who fires on the embassy should receive a warning shot to the leg; any subsequent attackers not deterred by the warning should receive a bullet to the head." Secondly, we need to send a clear message throughout our government and throughout the world: Though this film was made in poor taste, criticisms of a religion (or any other opinions for that matter) are legitimate forms of speech, and though the US government does not endorse such opinions, our principles and our values require that we fight to protect the rights of those opining. Third, we must condemn, in the strongest terms, not only the assassination of Ambassador Stephens and the three other US citizens killed yesterday, but also the breaching of both the Benghazi embassy as well as the attack on our embassy in Egypt. Protest all you want, but do not think that violence against our country or its representatives will ever be tolerated. Fourth, we must make it clear to our enemies - those in Libya and Egypt, Hezbollah and the Syrian and Iranian regimes, that any links they have to these attacks will be uncovered and will be dealt with swiftly. And that they will be punished severely for any future material support they offer to those who attack Americans. Lastly, efforts to thwart Iran's nuclear program must continue apace. We cannot wait idly, praying for negotiations to produce a diplomatic solution, while Iran races toward the capability, if not the actual development, of a nuclear weapon. A world where these same terrorists, who attack our embassies and assassinate our diplomats, live under a nuclear umbrella provided by Iran, is a world we must never let come to fruition.

There can be no more excuses for the behavior exhibited by these mobs. Whether protesting a European cartoon depicting the Prophet or rioting because of a film's poorly-timed, yet, at least to some extent, uncomfortable truths about today's widespread practice of Islam, the Muslim community worldwide needs to take a look in the mirror and decide their religion's future. Is it a future where moderates fight to win back the mantle of their religion, or is it one where the "few" who have hijacked a religion define its legacy. This is the war we must ALL fight today. A war between the forces of modernity and peace and the forces of savagery and intolerance. In the names of Ambassador Stephens, Sean Smith, and the two other Americans killed in the embassy attack, this is a war not only worth fighting, but a war we must fight if our way of life is to survive.