Since 9/11, terrorists have attacked civilians in Indonesia, India, the U.K, Spain, Russia, Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and yes, in Iraq. China, Thailand, much of western Europe and Australia have experienced threats of terrorism. And the most savage and unrelenting terrorist atrocity that continues unabated but is not mentioned in the same breath as others – the carnage in Darfur, Somalia. Today, a massive explosion rocked Amman, Jordan. Is a global war on terror at all possible? Or must affected nations devise local solutions? And is there a universal "root cause" of terrorism? Such as poverty, oppression or a particular religion?
Following is an excerpt from an editorial by Manoj Joshi, of the Hindustan Times, an Indian national newspaper. It was published after the recent lethal explosions in New Delhi earlier this month. The perspective here is mostly from the point of view of India’s long and bloody struggle with terrorism within and across its borders. But the writer addresses several global issues involved in the fight against terrorism.
…… A major cause of conceptual confusion in the war against terrorism is the idea that there are ‘root causes’ of terrorism. Terrorism is not about root causes, but perversion of beliefs — nationalism in the case of the LTTE, religion in the case of al-Qaeda, ideology in the case of Maoists or in the case of Pakistan a mix of nationalism and religion. Pakistani officials who back and organise terrorist acts believe that it is a weapon to keep a more powerful Hindu India at bay.
Given the present situation, it is clear that a lot more needs to be done, in comprehending the nature of the threat as well as in the conducting the war. Michael Walzer has laid out the problem pithily: “First oppression is made into an excuse for terrorism, and then terrorism is made into an excuse for oppression. The first is the excuse of the far Left; the second is the excuse of the neo-conservative Right.” One of the sadder aspects of the GWOT is how it has undermined the very institutions it seeks to preserve in the West — liberal democracy with its strong emphasis on judicial due process. Excesses in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as within America, have put a question mark before its ideological leadership. Even the British government seems to be acting out of short-sighted panic. ….
The rest of the article here (War Without an End) at Dr. Joshi’s archival blog.
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