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Things That Matter
Charles Krauthammer
Contributed by Nina Calhoun
Content
Overview
Context
Themes
Reviews
Chapter Summaries
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
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Chapter 14
Summary

The attacks made on American soil in the past by various enemies, especially those from the Middle East are devastating. The 9/11 terror attack on the US still stands as the most prominent attack on the nation by a foreign entity. The author thinks that seeking peace or remaining calm after such an occurrence should not be of consideration ever made by the US. Instead, the nation should apply a more profound force to the assailants, leaving them at a significant loss. To him, fighting fire with fire is the correct path to winning the war often caused by the Islam terror groups who seek to destroy the civilization found in the modern world (Krauthammer 207). Krauthammer even uses the example of Franklin Roosevelt after the Pearl Harbour incidence. Instead of bringing the Japanese commander to injustice, Roosevelt vowed to bring Japan to its knees. This decision was bold and calculated, a sure way of ensuring profound respect and fear of the enemy. Similarly, he thinks that the enemies of American interests should receive a proper punishment from the country as a way of ensuring that justice prevails.

Another approach of ensuring that incidences such as the flight hijacks experienced during the terror attacks never occur again is through deterrence. It is quite clear that deterrence worked perfectly in the past for the US and thus it can work on any Islam nation affiliated with terrorism. This also includes the sympathizer nations that offer support to the terrorists (Krauthammer 211). Ideally, being a superpower gives the country enough power to control other nations as a sure way of preventing the rise of terror groups into power.

Analysis

September 11 is a date that will always remain in the minds of most Americans. The date marks the day the US faced the most profound attack in its history. Krauthammer tries to provide a workable solution to such a situation by proposing a counter attack as a lesson to the perpetrators. However, his method may fail to work as most of the enemies seem ready to die for their cause, and they can do anything to ensure their success. For instance, most suicide bombers are happy to die as long as they kill other people, especially the innocent. The mention of deterrence is a provision of the available and workable solutions the US may use successfully in containing the enemies (Krauthammer 212). The various political figures identified in the chapter show that it is the job of the leaders to ensure that all citizens receive proper protection, and the external forces remain outside the nation’s borders and away from its interests. Nevertheless, the author also shows that the political leaders have to work hard and develop the ideal tactics of keeping citizens and America’s interests safe from external or internal attacks.

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