by Ken Sanes
November 13, 2001

In the last few days, the Taliban have melted away in the face of an onslaught by the Northern Alliance. It happened so quickly, it exceeded virtually all our expectations. First Mazar-e Sharif fell; then there were reports of the fall of Herat and now the Northern Alliance has entered Kabul. The key factor in these victories has been America's saturation bombing of the Taliban, which cleared the way for the Northern Alliance to retake northern Afghanistan. From press reports, it appears that Northern Alliance efforts to get Taliban commanders to defect made a difference, as well.

We are now seeing an early example of the results as women in newly liberated territory are removing their veils, men are shaving their once-mandatory beards, and people are again free to play music in public. A general in the Northern Alliance has also been quoted as saying that Afghan women once again have the same rights as women in other countries. If these changes continue, it will be an indication that America has done some good, not only by protecting itself from terrorism but by expanding the realm of freedom in another nation.

But, even as we have finally been able to enjoy a victory, we have had another airline crash in New York that has increased the feeling of constriction and danger. Once again, we are witnesses to death on a mind-numbing scale. Once again, we are struck by how thin the border is between life and death, and how easy it is for life to be destroyed by technology. And we can't help but be mindful of the disturbing irony in this, since it is airline crashes that have killed thousands of people in America in the last few months, and aircraft that are now saving Afghanistan.

With this latest crash, people are again wondering what will happen next and how the economy will respond to this latest disaster. News that the crash may have been an accident may mollify these concerns somewhat. It is also unsettling in its own way since, like the anthrax scare, it suggests that unrelated disasters are going on at the same time.

But America will weather this and win the war because, if there is one thing America does very well, in addition to generating wealth, it is respond to danger. It is no exaggeration to say that America saved the world from tyranny three times in the last six decades -- in World War Two, in the Cold War, and in the Gulf War, which stopped Saddam Hussein from using nuclear weapons and control over gulf oil to become an imperialist dictator. Now, at the beginning of the 21st Century, we are doing it again.

America has a lot of flaws, from the influence of money on government to the triviality and cynicism of its popular culture. But it has the courage, the power and the clarity of vision to repeatedly rise to the occasion. That's a good thing because it is the only nation that has the capacity to save the world from would-be dictators who still haven't learned the lessons of history.