The world has faced an escalation of terrorist attacks since
Sept. 11, 2001 because some countries, the United States in
particular, have relied solely on military force to eradicate
terrorism, failing to deal with its root causes, observers
said.
Dewi Fortuna Anwar from the international relations department
at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said that since
9/11, the world has seen bombings in London, Madrid, Bali and
Jakarta, which claimed hundreds of lives. US military approach to
fight terrorism has created global anti-Americanism and enhanced
radicalism among young Muslim people.
"It seems that the more repressive the approach the more martyrs
appear to serve as suicide bombers," the Jakarta Post on
Sunday quoted Dewi as saying.
While agreeing that a military approach alone will not work, Ali
Alatas, former foreign minister and President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono's special envoy to Lebanon, criticized the United States
for preemptive strikes on countries it believes are protecting
terrorists.
"The US military invasion of Iraq, for instance, is seen by many
developing countries as a diversion from the war on terror to serve
the US's narrow interests, as there was no proof that the country
had anything to do with al-Qaida," Alatas said on Sunday.
Other countries, including Indonesia, he said, saw the military
approach and preemptive strikes as the wrong solution for the
problem.
"The US must seek support and cooperation from other countries,
including majority Muslim countries, to address the root causes of
terrorism, which I believe lie in the feelings of injustice,
especially among young Muslims, in how the US handles Middle
Eastern problems, especially the Israel-Palestine conflict," Alatas
said.
It appears US policy in fighting terrorism, however, will remain
the same for at least the next three years, Alexandra Retno Wulan,
a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
(CSIS), said. She predicted nothing would change during the
administration of President George W. Bush.
"Policy reversal is urgent as the more pressure on the militants
the harder they will fight back. But the worst news is that there
is no guarantee that US foreign policy on fighting terrorism will
change under a new administration, whether it is a Republican or
Democratic president," she stressed.
Amris Hasan, a member of Indonesian House of Representatives
Commission I overseeing defense and international affairs, urged
the United States to reverse what he called "double-standards." He
said US policy was causing widespread hatred of the country among
Muslims.
"The 9/11 attacks should have warned the US to reverse its
policy toward the Middle East, especially the Israel-Palestine
conflict, but so far the US has been more repressive. The invasion
of Iraq and the current all-out support for Israeli attacks on
southern Lebanon have created a new level of hatred among Muslims,"
he said.
Amris, who is also a lecturer at the University of Indonesia,
said Bush should immediately find a new solution to Middle East
conflicts. He noted that domestic support in the United States,
especially regarding Iraq and Afghanistan, had fallen because of
the rising death toll of American soldiers in both countries.
The four experts proposed that besides short-term approaches,
such as intelligence cooperation, the United States should also
employ long-term approaches, including finding a just solution to
Middle East conflicts, while trying to gain the trust of Muslims by
increasing contacts.
"Indonesia has been relatively successful in fighting terrorism
by unifying short and long-term approaches. Beside capturing,
putting on trial and punishing the suspects, Indonesia has gained
support from most clerics to denounce suicide bombings and other
terrorist activities as against Islam," Dewi said.
(Xinhua News Agency September 12, 2006)
