by Ryan Weber

Created on: November 27, 2008   Last Updated: July 11, 2010

I write this piece as I watch live footage of the ongoing terrorist invasion of Mumbai by an unknown terror group, self-proclaimed as the "Deccan Mujahadeen". This is a september 11th magnitude terrorist attack on the democratic world.The historic Taj Hotel burns as innocent people of various nationalities are held hostage inside. Today, as in 2001, the free world stands united to rid India and the world of intolerance and violence. It is during these terrible events that all freedom loving world citizens feel as one. This is yet another opportunity; a wake up call to all free people of the world to unite against a common foe.

The league of democratic nations must band together, open trade routes between each other and pressure non-democratic nations to hold free and fair elections. We can no longer allow extremists to chip away at our civilizations.

Remove preferential trade pacts with nations which do not hold elections with the promise that once elections have been held, they will be welcomed with open arms by the democratic community. Throughout history democratic nations have engaged in trade with nations that are unwilling to grant freedom to their citizens. No more! Trade with nations who suppress the free will of their people must cease. We are feeding anti-democratic governments and enabling the destruction of world prosperity and peace.

One must always look to history to forsee the future in order not to make the same mistakes. The current threats to world stability harken back most starkly of the Roman Empire's weakening by terrorists.Though a less perfect form of free society, Rome offered the world the chance to engage in free trade and the opportunity for prosperity and knowledge to many who had previously struggled to survive. Eventually, as attack levels intensified, the capital was overrun and sacked a series of times toward the end of the Roman Era. The result was an empty shell of an empire and an end of a period of unprecedented trade and prosperity. The following millenium would come to be known in Europe as the Dark Ages as the power vaccuum left by the collapse of the Roman Empire was filled by warring despots.

We must not allow this to happen to our world democracies. Today, as we witness another coordinated attack of a major democratic city, we must take decisive action. The Vandals and Visigoths sacked Rome on horseback, but in these modern times, a coordinated terrorist attack could come in the form of a coordinated nuclear attack

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