Another theory on Al-Ghozi's death<\/p>\n
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Asia News Network, Manila<\/p>\n
The death of escaped Indonesian terrorist Fathur Rohman al-
\nGhozi represents the Philippine edition of the doctrine of
\npreemption that has underpinned U.S. President George W. Bush's
\ndecision to invade Afghanistan and Iraq.<\/p>\n
The philosophical rationale behind this doctrine says you
\nshould hit the suspected terrorist enemy before he harms you. In
\nthe case of Iraq, for example, the Bush administration decided to
\ninvade on the flimsy justification that Saddam Hussein possessed
\nweapons of mass destruction (WMD) and that his regime has
\nprovided sanctuary to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist
\norganization.<\/p>\n
Months after the fall of Saddam, the Bush administration is
\nhard put to present evidence on the WMDs and the link between
\nSaddam and Osama bin Laden. What is now emerging is that Bush
\nordered the invasion on false pretenses. As a result, his
\nreelection in 2004 is now in doubt. His popularity has taken a
\nsteep dive as the casualties of American occupation troops have
\nrisen along with the costs of reconstruction.<\/p>\n
The killing of al-Ghozi is another application of the Bush
\ndoctrine. Thus, the U.S. president can be expected to express
\ngreat pleasure over this development when he comes visiting this
\nSaturday, never mind the controversy surrounding the killing of
\nthe top Jamaah Islamiyah operative.<\/p>\n
Al-Ghozi's death has removed a security nightmare for the
\nMacapagal administration during the Bush visit. Al-Ghozi was a
\ncritical test for the ability of the administration to fight
\nterrorists. His removal does not make Jamaah Islamiyah less of a
\nterrorist threat, but it does at least make up for the
\nembarrassment caused by his escape from the national headquarters
\nof the Philippine National Police.<\/p>\n
On the eve of his departure for his six-nation Asian swing,
\nwhich culminates in his participation at the Asia-Pacific
\nEconomic Cooperation APEC summit in Bangkok, Bush told
\nSingapore's Straits Times that terrorism would be the key focus
\nof his visit. \"There's no question that Southeast Asia has seen
\nits share of violence from terrorist activities,\" he said. \"One
\nof the key agenda items on my trip is to discuss terror. And to
\nremind people that we are dealing with cold-blooded killers.\"<\/p>\n
Reports from Washington say that Bush is concerned over the
\nactivities of Jemaah Islamiyah in Southeast Asia. According to
\nthese reports, the United States has indicated that it believes
\nsome countries in the region have not been putting their weight
\nbehind the effort to combat terrorism. A retired American
\ndiplomat posted in Southeast Asia said, \"Publicly, Mr. Bush will
\npraise the Philippines and Indonesia, but privately he will
\nexpress serious concerns.\"<\/p>\n
Bush is also expected to press for contributions from Asian
\nnations to the recovery effort in Iraq.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, Bush is scheduled to meet several key Muslim
\nleaders, including those of Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, to
\nwin over moderate Muslim groups. These two organizations, which
\nhave a combined membership of about 60 million, are seen as a
\nbulwark against Islamic extremism.<\/p>\n
The killing of al-Ghozi was greeted with relief by the rest of
\nthe region. His escape from the custody of the national police
\ncustody had raised fears of new bombing campaigns by Jamaah
\nIslamiyah.<\/p>\n
Bush's praise will be most welcome to President Gloria
\nMacapagal-Arroyo who is seeking military and economic aid from
\nthe United States to boost not only the Philippines' capacity to
\ncombat terrorism but also her electoral chances in May 2004.<\/p>",
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