Understanding terrorism
Two years ago, the world was shaken by a frightening and ruthless form of terrorism. The response was for the world to retaliate in kind. Afghanistan was attacked and the Taliban regime, accused of sheltering terrorists, was dislodged.
Later, the search began to discover links between terrorism and other states. The main charge against Saddam Hussein was that he possessed weapons of mass destruction; subsequently, a connection was invented between him and Al Qaeda in an attempt to strengthen the case for war on Iraq.
For its erstwhile links with the Taliban, Pakistan was on the verge of being declared a terrorist state, and was saved by 9/11, but western media continues to view the country with suspicion and barely concealed cynicism. The Palestine Authority has been singled out for blame for not doing enough to control "terrorists" and Yasser Arafat attacked and humiliated.
Iran is among the countries now being maligned for failing to do enough to combat terrorism, and allegations about Saudi financing for militant organizations form the staple of reporting from the Middle East by the western media. The almost daily attacks on US and coalition troops in Iraq are not seen as an expression of the Iraqi people's anger at the occupation of their country but as the handiwork of outside terrorists.
President George Bush claims the war on terror is being won. There have indeed been successes in some countries, such as Indonesia, which was shaken into realizing the danger posed by fundamentalist groups operating within its territory by the Bali bomb blast. But there is still no definitive information on Osama bin Laden or his chief lieutenants or Mullah Omar.
Saddam Hussein's sons have been killed, but there is no trace of the deposed Iraqi leader himself. In a tape released on Wednesday and apparently timed to coincide with the 9/11 anniversary, Osama bin Laden is seen alive and moving, although the tape is undated and the location unknown.
Perhaps both Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden will be captured or killed some day. Other alleged terrorists may also be found and punished. But will that mean the end of the phenomenon of terrorism in its virulent new form?
Ferreting out people believed to be committing acts of terror, particularly those who attack wantonly and kill civilians, is necessary. But reliance only on a policing response will leave the threat of terrorism in place.
The international community at some point will have to come to grips with the reasons for the anger and frustration that drive otherwise ordinary citizens to acts of desperation and make them put their own lives at risk or blow themselves up. A deeper sentiment must move them than ordinary envy - President Bush's typically simplistic explanation.
Resistance to alien occupation or a desire to be free or to fight continued oppression or denial of economic and social rights cannot be dismissed as envy or jealousy. Religious militancy can at times be driven by simple fanaticism, but even in such cases, the seeds are sown by twisted attitudes that harp on "Islamic terrorism" and ignore Zionist terrorism, with the latter coming laced with sophisticated missiles and aircraft.
The United Nations is due to hold a conference later this month on international terrorism. It will serve a useful purpose only if it makes an attempt to go beyond discussing ways to "combat" terrorism and explores ways on how the sense of injustice, discrimination and exploitation prevailing in large parts of the world can be removed.
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