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Kathmandu Wednesday December 26, 2001 Paush 11, 2058.
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Terrorism, the uncharted
frontier
By Madhab Khanal
If human ingenuity, intelligence and daring are
some of the essential qualities for the advancement of civilisations, these very
endowments are equally responsible for promoting a parallel growth of different forms of
destructive cultures that have infested the entire humanity today. Terrorism is
undoubtedly one such aberration that many countries of the world are suffering from at
this hour. A close look at the phenomenon reveals that it is obviously the outcome of an
inevitable clash between political utopia and mundane reality, religious bigotry and
secular vision, and economic affluence and stark destitution. Blatant hypocrisy coupled
with moral bankruptcy among political leaders in several countries of the Third World has
further emboldened a growing spirit of defiance among the younger generation against the
accepted norms and values of civic society.
Today humanity is forced to live under the
lurking shadow of terrorism that has been changing its pattern every now and then, and its
magnitude and lethal impact are found being further augmented each time it strikes. Its
web has expanded so menacingly that even to contain it is a Herculean task for a single
nation, let alone its eradication from society altogether. The claims of its success
notwithstanding, the current military adventure undertaken by the United States against
the operational hideouts of Osama bin Laden and his notorious al-Qaida ruffians in
Afghanistan appears to be the beginning of an endless crusade that could possibly involve
heavy loss of human life, create an unintentional division among the peoples of the world,
and drain out an outrageous amount of funds. Even after taking such a risk against all
these odds there is no prophetic certainty that terrorism will be rendered emasculate for
a long time to come.
Obviously, the United States had sufficient
reason to avenge the grisly attacks on its prestigious symbols on September 11 which
killed several thousand innocent people in less than an hour. But the story of Osama bin
Laden’s campaign of global terrorism had already unfolded two years back when his
former associate Jamal Ahmed al-Fahd testified before a Manhattan federal courtroom in
connection with the US embassy bombings in Africa. During the court hearing the former bin
Laden accomplice also disclosed that the shadowy al-Queda network had bank accounts from
Khartoum to Hong Kong and was forging alliances with extremist groups in several Muslim
countries. But even after hearing the entire testimony, the US authorities turned a blind
eye to the looming threat. The Bush-Gore electoral duel with their occasional election
squeaks during the presidential campaign kept entire North America preoccupied for almost
a year and bin Laden was classified as simply ‘one of the threats’ in the
official jargon of the FBI.
No one can dispute that the Afghan war’s
legacy of political chaos, abundant supply of arms from the West including shoulder-fired
missiles and trained guerrillas and the installation of the repressive Taliban regime in
Kabul were all perfectly congenial for fostering bin Laden’s new brand of terrorism.
It is estimated that the US funding during the war for dislodging the Soviet grip on
Afghanistan was between three to four billion dollars. The Americans never realised that
the war and the CIA’s covert campaign in Afghanistan would have unintended
consequences. Needless to reiterate that the US very unwisely thought the only thing that
mattered was killing as many Soviet soldiers as possible. They never gave a damn for
Afghanistan’s political future. Even after the Soviets left the US kept pouring money
and arms into the region to fight possible pro-communist uprisings. Thus one is very
easily tempted to conclude that Osama bin Laden is, in fact, a terrorist monster created
by none other than the United States itself.
The factors that motivate terrorists to launch
attacks have never been given any serious consideration by Western countries so far. Their
foreign policies are primarily structured on ethnic, religious, economic or strategic
considerations and do not reflect their professed ideals. Those countries that do not fall
within the ambit of their specific interests have been generally relegated to the bottom
of their priority in every respect. The US and its Western allies were simply gratified
with the expansion of their sphere of political influence in various parts of the world.
When many countries of Asia and Africa were literally bleeding from the increasing acts of
terror perpetrated by packs of dehumanised bandits and psychotic criminals the West
remained absolutely unconcerned. It was only after the ghastly attacks of September 11
that they have realised terrorism needed to be wiped out from the civilised world.
There certainly exists a correlation between the
US involvement in several international situations and the mounting terrorist attacks on
its interests. Even the experts in terrorism and international crime admit that any
attempt to combat terrorism ought to be preceded by addressing the factors that motivate
it. They maintain that annihilation of bin Laden and al-Qaida network would not
necessarily put an end to global terrorism. After bin Laden some other barbarian will
emerge to take over his mantle and continue the Satanic game. There was terrorism before
bin Laden and it will continue to remain an endemic threat to the civilised world even
after him.
Before embarking upon the armed intervention in
Afghanistan the US president made a fervent but very blunt invocation to the community of
nations that they either support him or side with terrorism. No country aspiring to forge
an economic or strategic alliance with the United States could dare disregard the de facto
decree from Uncle Sam. The UN simply ignored the spirit of Article 2 (4) of its Charter
and gave the US its thumping support. Pakistan, the erstwhile staunch supporter of the
Taliban, had no option but to keep its Western allies in good humour and put all its
strategic facilities at the disposal of the invading forces. So much so, even the Russian
Federation, which until the demise of the Soviet Union symbolised the mainstay of the
‘evil empire’ lost no time expressing its solidarity with the United States. But
no power concedes anything without demanding something in return. What these countries
will demand is yet to be seen.
It is immaterial whether the allied forces in
Afghanistan apprehend the elusive Saudi extremist or not; what is important at this hour
is how far the operations have been successful in weakening the threats of further attack.
By launching an armed intervention in Afghanistan the United States has definitely pushed
international politics or to a uncharted frontier.
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