Act together to prevent violence

Act together to prevent violence

Even though a war against terrorism has been launched, there
will still be many willing to sacrifice themselves in acts of
terror, notes Dewi Fortuna Anwar, a political scientist at the
Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), who served as an advisor
on foreign affairs under former president B.J. Habibie.

Question: What is the strongest motive behind the attacks (on
New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon)?

Answer: The United States is known as the sole superpower but
this attack proves that it is still vulnerable to terrorism. This
is not just given the scale of the attacks and the number of
victims, which are really unprecedented, but the target itself
had been very carefully thought out so as to cause maximum
national and international impact. It is also an incident that
has brought national humiliation to the U.S. The World Trade
Center was the symbol of the American financial market and the
mecca of international finance. It is also the symbol of Jewish
financial influence in the U.S. and the Pentagon is the center of
American military decision-making.

Q: So what would be the strongest reasons?

A: The attack should give the U.S. a reason to reflect on why
such attacks have been perpetrated, which may lead to recognition
that maybe some U.S. policies have resulted in a lot of enemies
for the U.S, not because people are jealous of U.S. power but
because many feel the U.S. has been unfair.

Many groups feel that the U.S. had been victimizing them and
the country had been arrogant. Americans are very angry, shocked
and want to hunt down the terrorists by punishing them to the
full extent of the law. But none have really reflected on the
possible social, economic and political causes that had caused
the spread of terrorism.

Unless the U.S. is really willing to take up the roots of the
problem, they will not really be able to eradicate terrorism.
They can catch and kill terrorists but terrorism will continue to
grow as long as there are people who think they are treated
unjustly and that there is no other recourse except to carry out
terror.

Q: Do you share fears that the U.S. may react excessively?

A: There are always such worries. The U.S. needs to be able to
identify clearly who the perpetrators of the crimes are and I do
not think that it needs to immediately point to figures like
Osama Bin Laden. And how about (the possibility of) bombing
Afghanistan if it is believed to be hiding Bin Laden? I think
they need to be more willing to cooperate with other countries.

Q: Will there be impacts on perceptions toward Islam?

A: If America acts to demonize Islam and Islamic religion, it
will only make the U.S. be seen as more unfair, because there are
a lot of Muslims across the world and everywhere they turn,
including in their own country, there will be Muslims.

Most Muslim countries condemn violence. Indonesia has also
condemned the violence. They should be able to narrow down the
problem. For instance this is a conflict about Palestinians, this
is a conflict with Israel. It has nothing to do with religion.
They have to look at the problems in a more cooperative manner.

Q: Will the attacks affect American policy on Asia?

A: Probably not, Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim country
and Americans need a friend like Indonesia, which is very
moderate. America cannot continue mistreating the Palestinians
and to continue to regard "Israel, whether right or wrong, is my
ally." As long as the Palestinian problem is not resolved, then
there are always people who are willing to sacrifice themselves
to fight for their rights.

If Americans continue to pressure Iraq, it is not (president)
Saddam Hussein who suffers, but the people. So instead of winning
the mind and hearts of the Iraqis, America has forced them to
support Saddam. Saddam is still there and Iraqis have become
united against the U.S. That kind of policy needs to be revised,
in that America behaves more moderately and is willing to
cooperate with other countries. America cannot do it alone.

Q: What is the most valuable lesson from the attacks?

A: First, that Americans are not invincible. The Bush
administration is concentrating on anti-ballistic missiles and
has been alienating many allies. But, the attacks did not come
from non-conventional weapons. Attacks can come from anywhere,
including within the U.S. itself. Look at the Oklahoma bombings.

America needs to be less reliant on superior technology and to
become more sensitive to the aspects above. The more you use
violence against people, the more they will react with all means
available. And the attacks could be indiscriminate. They could
attack hospitals, churches like in Indonesia, or mosques. If
people are treated like they have been in Aceh, then you can
expect terrorist attacks. (Kornelius Purba)