By Brandon Smith | Activist Post

When it comes to national crises and man-made disasters, America as a society has a tendency towards selective blindness.

If we were to truly think critically instead of reactively with hyperemotional conclusions, we might ask ourselves a few important questions. In the wake of 9/11, we did not investigate the actual crime for ourselves.

Instead, the investigation was done for us, and within hours of the attacks a convenient group of villains was presented to us on a silver platter complete with trimmings as well as a few target countries we did not particularly like ready to bomb into oblivion. After 9/11, we did not think; we set out to slay monsters. Whether they were real or imagined made little difference…

If we had any sense back then, the populace would have asked themselves WHO truly benefited from the event? Who really gained, and who really lost? Did a bunch of cave dwelling Muslim fanatics “gain” from 9/11? What did they gain? Where was the incentive?

In any guerilla resistance or insurgency, the primary objective is to win the support of a particular populace. To win hearts and minds. Post 9/11, the world was ready to embrace the U.S. in a way that had not been seen in decades. The “terrorist” plan to undermine the collective American character had apparently backfired. The supposed goal of Al-Qaeda to rally the world behind its cause against U.S. imperialism had turned to poison.

The attacks then opened the political doorway for even more U.S. military dominion in the Middle East, and policies of preemption continue more than a decade later as politician after politician rides the tired pony of “national security” to complete exhaustion, playing the terrorism card as an excuse for every violent action and every disruption of civil liberties, while the establishment rams through every piece of unconstitutional legislation they have had on the backburner for years.

Again, the question remains: who really benefited from the event?

Now, some might claim that terrorists are generally disposed to insanity or religious zealotry, and don’t necessarily need to think in terms of cost/benefit when planning to kill people. This assertion, however, is a mere feat of mental gymnastics designed to allow us to tapdance around the more complex issues.

Many of us would like to assume that the story of a sinister super-secret Al-Qaeda clan of death exists, and in order to do so we also have to believe that they are smart enough to embed themselves into every fabric of Western culture as our government constantly forewarns.

But, if they truly are that ingenious, wouldn’t we also have to consider the possibility that the terrorists are smart enough to take actions which serve THEIR interests, instead of only serving the interests of the people they are supposed to despise, like the U.S. and European power elite?

Al-Qaeda’s (or whoever they are) presence in Syria and the admitted (or loosely admitted) support they now receive from the U.S. in the form of monetary aid and weapons shipments is a perfect example of this dynamic. Why would we reinforce a terrorist organization which our government has accused of killing thousands on 9/11? Why would they help us destabilize Syria?

Why is it that everything Al-Qaeda does ultimately enriches the men they call their enemies?

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