5 years since 9. 11 prove war cannot get rid of terrorism

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

5 years since 9. 11 prove war cannot get rid of terrorism
Akahata editorial

Five years have passed since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001. The revised "National Strategy for Combating Terrorism" that the U.S. government released on September 5 concluded: "America is safer," and "We have liberated more than 50 million Afghans and Iraqis from despotism, terrorism, and oppression." The reality, however, is the opposite of this.

What has become clear in the past five years is that the U.S. "wartime nation" policy to solely depend on the use of force has not only failed to remove terrorism but given even more room for terrorist activities.

Reality in Afghanistan and Iraq

People are keenly aware that war has been increasing the dangers of terrorism around the world. In fact, terrorist attacks took place in Spain, Britain, and Indonesia. The annual Strategic Survey 2006, the International Institute for Strategic Studies published on September 5, states, "The development of terrorist cells among UK citizens poses a severe challenge (snip) also for those of other European countries."

The situations in Afghanistan and Iraq where the U.S. Bush administration started the wars under the pretext of eliminating terrorism vividly prove this.

In Afghanistan, the situation has only got worse. The U.S. has not only failed to seize the ringleader of terrorist attacks but caused the increase of attacks by armed insurgents, including Taliban forces, against occupation forces.

Against Iraq, the Bush administration launched attacks claiming that the county is "the main battlefield in the war on terror" without showing Iraq's clear connection with terrorists. This brought foreign terrorists into Iraq, thus security there has further deteriorated. At least 50,000 Iraqis and more than 2,600 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq so far.

Even the latest U.S. Department of Defense report admitted the deterioration of the situation, saying, "Conditions that could lead to a civil war now exist in Iraq."

Terrorism is a criminal act that religious beliefs or political positions can never justify. The removal of terrorism should be carried out through reasoned judgment in accordance with laws, not by military retaliations or wars. International criticism of the U.S. for conducting the war with the "Coalition of the willing" and trampling on the U.N. Charter and international laws is increasing.

In the World Summit held at the U.N. in September 2005, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, while not mentioning the country's name, criticized the U.S. unilateral attack. U.S. allies such as France and Germany also criticized the war in Iraq. The Non-Aligned Movement, in which nearly two-thirds of U.N. member states take part, held a ministerial meeting last May in Malaysia, and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the prime minister of Malaysia, gave an address, stating that in the fight against terrorism, "the actions of some of the big powers" have violated "international law and the norms of civilized conduct."

According to an opinion poll conducted by the U.S. magazine "Time" on August 22-24 this year, 54 percent of the respondents agreed with the statement that "the U.S. involvement in the war in Iraq has hurt America's standing in the war on terrorism," and 59 percent agreed that "the Bush Administration does not have a clear and well thought-out policy to deal with terrorism." The Bush administration's failure is abundantly clear.

International cooperation needed

On the fifth anniversary of the 9.11 terrorist attacks, we need to reaffirm that only cooperation and joint efforts among nations, the U.N., and other international organizations will pave the way for the eradication of terrorism. The U.N. Summit agreed on the strategy to weaken terrorism by establishing a comprehensive anti-terrorism treaty. It is also needed to tackle with the root causes of terrorism, based on justice and fairness, in order to get rid of the breeding grounds for terrorism.

A critical examination must be conducted on the Koizumi Cabinet's anti-terrorism policy in its support of the U.S. wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
- Akahata, September 10, 2006