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)