Armies alone won't defeat terrorism, its root causes must be addressed

Liu Qiang, China Daily, Asia News Network/Beijing

Terrorism is an increasing threat, albeit non-traditional to our security and to social progress, and as such demands our attention.

The high frequency of terrorist incidents shows that countermeasures in the post-Sept 11 era may not have had the desired effect. As a result, we have to accept what comes our way and scramble to defend ourselves.

The international community joined hands in the aftermath of Sept 11 attacks and for a while there was a lull in terrorist activities. But they have bounced back with a vengeance.

An incomplete tally puts the total number of "major" and "influential" terrorist incidents in 2002 at 179, which grew to 268 in 2003, 339 in 2004 and 370 in 2005, as of mid-December.

The increase has happened despite strong counterterrorism policies across the board.

The British government has taken measures such as setting up special army units, adding screening systems at some agencies and empowering police to shoot suspected suicide bombers. But explosions have nevertheless shocked London.

The United States has tightened the screws on Iraq's anti- American forces, but that has not reduced terror one bit. On the contrary, these attacks are more frequent and more widespread than ever before.

Even US officials admit that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who heads the Iraqi subsidiary of al-Qaeda, has broadened his sphere of activities to some 40 countries and built a network that incorporates 24 regional units, with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Lebanon as their prominent battlegrounds.

When it comes to defeating terrorism, there is consensus that the soil in which it is rooted must be removed in order to wipe it out completely.

What is the "soil for terrorism?" This much-used expression has not been clearly defined.

In fact, "soil for terrorism" refers to an all-encompassing social and political environment, including international, regional and domestic politics, and economic structures that causes terrorism to spread.

This is an abstract notion from social politics, rather than a concrete geological one.

Watched closely, the soil for terrorism exists in places of poverty, conflict, external intervention and historical hatred, which are part of today's international reality. Terror in the Middle East radiates around the globe because it is the place where all the animosities overlap.

"Weeding" the soil is not a realistic option because it implies violence and military action. It will only give rise to more terrorism.

US President George W. Bush announced after Sept 11 that this was a war forced onto the United States. Indeed it was, in the broadest sense. But how can such a war be won?

The experiences of Afghanistan and Iraq have demonstrated that using traditional definitions of war can only lead to victories in the traditional sense.

But since victories were declared there have been further waves of terror. Daily reports from Iraq have shown that it has become a hotbed for extremists.

Theoretically, a terrorist organization is not an entity of political power. It embodies a force that is non-traditional and non-systematic in nature.

Therefore, there are no parameters to measure it, not on a military or economic level.

Military action, backed by the state and its machines of violence, should not be the only means with which to fight terrorism, nor will it be the most effective.

A war can overthrow a regime; a military maneuver can capture a few terrorists, but it cannot solve problems such as the lack of geopolitical balance, inadequacies in the social economy or even the absence of justice.

Fighting terror militarily is a mission impossible, as the United States has demonstrated, and will only create new breeding grounds for terror as its troops get bogged down in the Middle East and anti-American sentiments flare up.

Recent trends point to an enrichment of the terror soil.

Terrorism does not live or die by itself, nor can it be easily eradicated. As long as injustices exist and political and social environments are not ameliorated, terrorist attacks may take place.

To rip terrorism out of the soil by its roots, there must be fundamental changes.

Given the complicated geopolitical setting, this will hardly be achieved in the near future. Instead, it requires continuous efforts and co-operation among nations.

As Chinese President Hu Jintao pointed out during the 2004 APEC meeting, fighting terrorism has become a global concern that is testing our wisdom, courage and resolve.

Realistically speaking, "reforming" the soil is a necessary path to finally changing it, and is the most practical option for fighting terror.

By reform, we mean using political, economic, diplomatic and myriad channels in an effort to manage the environment and reduce the tensions that spark extremist acts. This should be the way we seek to change the status quo.

The writer is a researcher at the Jiangsu Provincial Academy of Social Sciences.