By Liu Qiang
The world saw a large number of terrorist attacks in 2006. At
least 665 of them can be described as serious, an increase of 74
percent over the previous year. At least 4,900 people were killed,
60 percent more than the previous year; and 10,500 injured, 39
percent more than in 2005.
As far as numbers are concerned, the Middle East, South Asia and
Southeast Asia suffered more than the rest of the world and Iraq
was no doubt the worst hit country. The frequency at which terror
attacks were launched and the number of casualties they caused are
such that it is quite accurate to call Iraq the center stage for
terrorist activities.
In a way 2006 can be seen as the most horrible year since 9/11.
People need to dig deeper than ever to find out why terrorism
managed to thrive while nations of the world increased counter
measures.
First of all, Asia remained the region where the most terror
attacks took place, with Iraq and Afghanistan at the top of the
list.
The situation in these two countries was such that it seemed the
more anti-terror measures were thrown in, the heartier the
terrorists became. After Iraq and Afghanistan, the countries
hardest hit by terrorist attacks were Turkey, Israel, Palestine,
India, Pakistan, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
But Iraq suffered more from international terrorism than the
rest of the world combined.
Admitted, international anti-terror cooperation has made
tremendous headway since 9/11 as nations of the world keep gearing
up anti-terror legislation and battle strength.
The United States in particular has thrown US$430 billion into
anti-terror affairs (diplomatic and military) in the past five
years, of which US$386 billion was directly spent on anti-terror
warfare.
And its "war on terror" in Iraq has been going on non-stop since
it was launched, racking up a US death toll of more than 3,000 even
under the much vaunted "zero casualties" battle concept.
Despite these all-out efforts, the number of terror attacks has
been soaring, forcing people to wonder if something went wrong in
the anti-terror philosophy or the way it was applied.
To be objective, the United States' measures to counter and
prevent terrorism within its boundaries have worked quite well with
no major attacks seen since 9/11. But it is another story in Iraq
and Afghanistan, where terror attacks have become very much a way
of life.?
There is perhaps only one explanation for this phenomenon:
Interference and power politics are two of the leading causes of
terrorism, meaning the regional wars launched by the United States
have opened the Pandora's Box of terrorism. And the US occupation
of the two countries is further stimulating the spread of
terrorism.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice admitted to reporters in
Jordan on December 1 that the US "had made mistakes" in the Iraq
War, though she did not elaborate on what the mistakes were.
Summing up developments, first, the war launched in Iraq and the
country's consequent occupation by the US have upset the existing
structural balance of the Iraqi political system and social fabric,
led to conflicts and confrontation between religious sects over the
redistribution of power, and even been indirectly responsible for
the outbreak of terror attacks, which appear to be an eye for an
eye.
All this inevitably forced US government officials to rethink
their Iraq policies.
Meanwhile, other Asian countries suffering from frequent terror
attacks can see the bloodshed as a violent reflection of their
traditional internal conflicts and inherent socio-political
defects.
Second, al-Qaida remained in the lead of all terrorist
activities worldwide.
In 2006, al-Qaida or its influence was behind most of the terror
attacks throughout the world. Its name had come to stand for a
school of thought poisoning minds already infected by savagery and
ignorance. It has remained the driving force behind the spread of
terrorism worldwide.
As an extreme school of thought, al-Qaida can hardly be
eliminated with military force. In fact, under growing military
pursuit it has been spreading faster. An effective way to wipe out
al-Qaida may be by making more efforts to build up a widely
recognized democratic global political system that fosters
exchanges and harmonious blending of different civilizations.
Third, while high-tech terrorism did not occur last year,
attacks by conventional means continued to cause serious
consequences.
The year 2006 passed without the feared nuclear (radioactive),
biological or chemical attacks by terrorists.
Neither have other forms of high-tech terrorism, such as
Internet carried attacks, happened as some experts predicted. The
so-called conventional tactics like bombing, kidnapping and
assassination remained the favorite exercises of terror.
In order to realize their twisted ideals and goals, terrorists
have been trying harder to kill more people and make sure even more
people witness the carnage.
This display of cruelty and disregard for human lives has made
people even more concerned about defense against the
above-mentioned unconventional attacks, because nuclear, biological
and chemical attacks will no doubt bring untold suffering to
humankind and the environment beyond our imagination.
Fourth, innocent civilians remained the majority of terror
victims.
In all terrorist attacks waged since 9/11, the great majority of
victims were innocent civilians, though most attacks targeted the
United States and Western personnel or facilities.
It shows not only the political nature, suddenness and
unpredictability of terrorism but also terrorists' savage obsession
with murdering innocent people.
Fifth, the safety of Chinese citizens in foreign lands became a
major concern.
In 2006, some Chinese citizens learned the hard way that they
should not take their safety in foreign countries for granted.
Though their number is still very small, the fact that the attacks
took place in countries as diverse and far away as Pakistan in
South Asia and Venezuela in South America is enough to cause
concern, despite the fact that the actions were more economically
than politically motivated.
It should be noted that as more Chinese citizens go abroad and
compete in international markets the likelihood of their being
targeted by terrorists for economic reasons also grows.
Meanwhile, some extremist nationalists and religious fanatics
might be motivated by their politically oriented hatred for China
to target Chinese personnel and facilities as the country assumes a
greater role in world affairs.
We have to keep this possibility clearly in mind and take the
necessary precautions to keep ourselves safe. It has become a
critical issue for our government to make the maximum safety of
Chinese citizens overseas a priority while promoting the cause of
building a harmonious world.
Looking back at 2006, the deaths of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader
of al-Qaeda in Iraq, and Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev failed to
dent the enthusiasm of terrorists in launching even more attacks
despite increased efforts by many countries to beat them back.
As the number of attacks with resulting casualties indicate, the
number of unconventional security threats through terrorism is
rising very fast. The numbers show all the signs of a game of
one-upmanship against the war on terror.
The continuing spread of international terrorism and the
disastrous aftermath it inflicts on human society make it clear
that we must find the best way to completely uproot terrorism. We
must identify the thought process that will lead us to success.
Only by doing so can we reach the goal of establishing a harmonious
world sooner rather than later.
(The author is director of the Institute of International
Relations and of the Anti-terrorism Research Center at the PLA
International Studies University)
(China Daily February 16, 2007)
