Terrorism is a global threat to humanity

By Rizal Sukma

Tuesday's unprecedented tragedy in the United States was a calculated attack on humanity, writes Dr. Rizal Sukma, Director of Studies at the Centre for Strategic International Studies, Jakarta.

JAKARTA (JP): The attack on America, which occurred in the early morning of Sept. 11, was a despicable example of an evil act against humanity. No one should simply say that the attack was against the United States or the American people. The attack was directed against humanity; against anyone who cherishes mankind, freedom and liberty; against all of us.

No one should respond to the act by saying that the attack on America is understandable because the U.S. has many enemies. Nor should anyone say that the attack was the price that the U.S. has to pay for being arrogant. Such a terrorist act -- regardless to whom it is directed, where it occurs and for whatever reason -- is simply inexcusable and unjustifiable. It is simply an evil act committed to serve evil purposes.

We might disagree with U.S. foreign policy. No one forces us to agree on all aspects of American policies. For example, Indonesia has always been sympathetic to the cause of the Palestinians in their struggle against American-backed Israel.

We have all criticized the U.S. policy of supporting Israel and of ignoring many UN resolutions on the conflict. Here, in Indonesia, we might regret the fact that the U.S. has not lifted its military embargo on Indonesia. Many Indonesians, including some in our government, are irritated by what they often perceive as the American tendency to interfere in our domestic affairs. At the extreme, one might even disagree with the existence of a state called the United States of America.

However, those who see the attacks on World Trade Center (WTC) and the Pentagon as the consequences of American arrogance clearly miss the point and they miss it miserably. True, that many, including Indonesians, feel that there is a degree of arrogance in American foreign policy.

True, the latest attacks took place on U.S. soil, destroyed buildings owned by the U.S. and killed many American citizens. However, if arrogance is seen as a factor that, directly or indirectly, makes terrorist acts understandable, could anyone in Indonesia say that if some Acehnese or Papuan groups blew up public places in Jakarta, then that act is understandable because they feel Jakarta is arrogant?

Therefore, anyone who intends to comment on the terrible event should first understand the nature of terrorism and the very essence of terrorist acts. First, terrorism is a specific kind of violence. It is the use of violence or the threat of violence calculated to create an atmosphere of fear, generally in support of political and other objectives. When terrorists strike, they intend to induce fear in someone other than the victims.

Second, for terrorists, no person or place is immune from the attack. Anyone can be a victim. You, me, your mother, my sister, your wife, or your children could have been on the two ill-fated planes that crashed into the World Trade Center (WTC). You, or anyone you love or know, could have been in or around the WTC.

In that context, terrorism is obviously different from war. In war, the use of violence is still subject to rules of international law. Meanwhile, terrorists recognize no rules. In that perspective, terrorists never see the victims as human beings.

Third, terrorists want a lot of people watching. They need to publicize their attack. In order to generate as much fear as possible, the profile of the target and the number of casualties that goes with it, becomes an important factor in selecting the target.

Afraid that their evil act does not achieve the intended objective of creating fear, terrorists often aim for a spectacular incident involving a high casualty rate to attract attention. The tendency to kill as many people has strengthened in recent years.

The WTC bombing in 1993 killed six and wounded 1,000. The attacks on U.S. military barracks in Saudi Arabia and two U.S. embassies in Africa inflicted 6,059 casualties. Now, the death toll in the deadly attacks against the WTC and Pentagon this week might reach more than 10,000.

Seen from the three main characteristics above, it is obvious that the attack on the WTC should not be regarded solely as attacks on the U.S. There were the calculated terrorist attacks against humanity. Regardless of who did the evil act, it should not be seen in terms of religious conflicts, ideological battles, or a clash of civilizations.

It is an attack against reason, freedom and humanity by a group of people against reason, freedom and humanity. It should be seen as an attack against the world community. Terrorism is a global phenomenon and the struggle against it must therefore be carried to the world stage. Only by framing the problem in that perspective can the international community work together to combat terrorism.