With 9/11 Mastermind Killed, Work on Dialogue toward a World without Terror

Published in Kyoto Shimbun
(Japan) on 3 May 2011
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Andrew Gonzalez. Edited by Gheanna Emelia.
U.S. President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. has killed Osama bin Laden, leader of the international terrorist organization al-Qaida.

Bin Laden was living with his family in a compound in a suburb of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. He was killed in a firefight with U.S. Marines engaged in a ground operation and buried at sea.

President Obama stated in an address: “The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al-Qaida,” but he shocked the world by using terrorist-like methods to kill a terrorist network leader.

This will likely be a major turning point in the U.S.’s War on Terror, but al-Qaida is still armed and is still a worldwide threat. There is fear of increased terrorist activities, including reprisal against the U.S. and its allies. The outlook of the “War on Terror” is murky.

This situation concerns Japan as well.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan commented, “We welcome any significant progress against terrorism,” but Japan has a history of supporting the U.S., such as with the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law and the refueling mission in the Indian Ocean. We implore the government to gather sufficient information and be on alert.

The Undermining of U.S. Moral Authority

After concluding that al-Qaida was responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, the U.S. government launched an offensive against Afghanistan’s then-ruling Taliban government, which was believed to be harboring bin Laden.

Since then, al-Qaida has also been rumored to be involved in other terrorist acts, including the 2004 commuter train bombings in Spain and the 2005 attacks in London. While remaining in hiding, bin Laden used Middle Eastern satellite TV, Al Jazeera, and the Internet to continue calling terrorists to action.

The U.S., on the other hand, has seen its international standing plummet since 9/11 due to its involvement in two wars and the economic crisis that started with the collapse of Lehman Brothers.

The U.S. declared war on Iraq in 2003 on the pretext of fighting terrorism, but Congress later released a report concluding that al-Qaida had nothing to do with Iraq, thereby undermining the U.S.’s moral authority in going to war.

The number of casualties from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is staggering. A 2004 attack in northwestern Pakistan that sought to sweep out armed Islamist groups resulted in several civilian deaths and injuries, provoking the hostility of the Pakistani people.

The Obama administration is drawing up an exit strategy for withdrawing from Afghanistan in July, but what sort of impact bin Laden’s killing will have is unclear.

Break the Chain of Hatred

It is impossible to think that bin Laden’s killing will put an end to Islamic extremists’ acts of terrorism.

The U.S. has attempted to cut off terrorist groups’ funds in addition to launching military strikes. However, if the fundamental issues that give rise to terrorism are not resolved, there cannot be any hope of achieving significant results simply by treating terrorism’s symptoms.

Islamic extremists harbor fierce resentment toward Israel, which was founded after World War II by driving out the Palestinians. That hatred is focused on the U.S. because of their support of Israel.

Bin Laden once stated that “the U.S. government is a U.S.-based spy for Israeli power.” He also criticized Islamic nations such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia as “traitors” for having deep ties with the U.S. and attacked countries such as Japan for following the U.S.’s lead.

The U.S. has shown its overwhelming military might in Afghanistan and Iraq, which has ironically incited anti-U.S. sentiment in the Islamic world. The concept of jihad has spread and given rise to more Osama bin Ladens.

Bin Laden could be worshipped as a martyr who died at the hands of the U.S. There is concern that Islamic extremists may carry out a “second 9/11” to avenge bin Laden. It is indeed almost impossible to expect bin Laden’s killing to have any effect in deterring terrorism.

The U.S. knew these risks when it forged ahead with its operation to kill bin Laden, a decision that was likely the flip side of the deep wounds the U.S. still bears from 9/11. President Obama appealed to the people by saying that “justice has been done,” but this statement also comes across as a justification of revenge.

The way to eradicate terrorism is to break the chain of hatred and revenge.

Search for a New Way

In Islamic countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa, movements calling for freedom and political reform are gaining steam, and dictatorships with whom the U.S. cooperated in the war on terror have been falling one after another. In the deposed dictators’ places, moderate Muslim figures are emerging and gaining more support from the people.

We want to pay close attention to what sort of impact these new movements will have on the U.S.’s relations with the Muslim world and on Islamic extremists who are fueled by terrorism.

In his much talked-about thesis “The Clash of Civilizations,” American political scientist Samuel Huntington advanced the idea that mutual understanding between the West and the Muslim world is impossible. 9/11 and the War on Terror seem to support his theory. Both civilizations must overcome this pessimism and work to bridge the gap between them.

President Obama declared in his inaugural address, “To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.” However, Obama has since adopted a hard line, mirroring bin Laden’s criticism that “he is walking the same road as his predecessor (former President George W. Bush).” We want the U.S. to start over and begin a dialogue that goes beyond the differences in civilizations.

Japan, which has cooperative economic ties with Palestine, should be able to contribute to constructing channels of dialogue. We already provide military and financial support to the U.S., but we want to find another role in achieving a world without terrorism.


9・11首謀者殺害  テロなき世界へ対話進めよ

 オバマ米大統領は、国際テロ組織アルカイダの指導者ウサマ・ビンラディン容疑者を殺害したことを明らかにした。
 パキスタンの首都イスラマバード郊外の住居に家族とともにいたビンラディン容疑者を、米部隊が銃撃戦を伴う地上作戦で殺害し、遺体を水葬したという。
 オバマ大統領は声明で「同容疑者の死は、アルカイダを打ち負かす取り組みの中で最も重要な業績だ」と述べたが、テロ組織の指導者をテロまがいの方法で殺害したことは世界に衝撃を与えた。
 米国の対テロ戦略には大きな節目となるだろうが、武装集団のネットワークであるアルカイダの世界的な広がりは、なお脅威だ。
 今後、報復を含めた米国や同盟国へのテロ行為が活発化する恐れもある。「テロとの戦い」の見通しは不透明なままだ。
 日本も他人ごとではない。
 菅直人首相は「テロ対策の顕著な前進を歓迎する」との談話を出したが、テロ対策特別措置法を成立させてインド洋での給油活動にあたるなど米国への支援を続けてきた経緯がある。情報収集を十分に行い、警戒するよう求めたい。

覆った米国の大義

 2001年9月11日の米中枢同時テロについて、米政府はアルカイダの犯行と断定。ビンラディン容疑者をかくまったとしてアフガニスタンのタリバン政権(当時)への攻撃に踏み切った。
 その後、04年にスペインで起きた列車同時爆破テロ、05年のロンドン同時テロなど、各地で起きたテロへのアルカイダの関与が取りざたされた。
 ビンラディン容疑者は潜伏したまま、中東の衛星テレビ、アルジャジーラやインターネットを通じてテロを呼びかける声明を繰り返してきた。
 一方、米国は9・11以降、二つの戦争とリーマン・ショックによる経済危機などで国際的地位を低下させてきた。
 対テロ戦争を名目に踏み切ったイラク戦争(03年)は、後にアルカイダの関与はなかったとする報告書を米議会が公表するなど開戦の大義が覆された。
 アフガンと合わせた戦死者も相当数にのぼる。パキスタン北西部のイスラム武装勢力掃討を目指した04年の攻撃では多くの民間人を死傷させ、パキスタンの人々の反感を買った。
 オバマ政権は今年7月にアフガンからの撤退開始を目指す「出口戦略」を描いているが、今回のビンラディン容疑者殺害がどんな影響を及ぼすか定かでない。

憎悪の連鎖を断て

 ビンラディン容疑者の殺害によって、イスラム過激派によるテロが根絶されるとは思えない。
 米国はテロ組織への武力攻撃と並行し、資金の供給源を断とうとしてきた。しかし、テロを生む根源的な問題が解決されなければ、こうした「対症療法」で大きな効果は望めまい。
 第2次大戦後にパレスチナ人を追い出して建国されたイスラエルに対し、イスラム過激派の反感は強烈だ。その憎悪はイスラエルを支持する米国に集中している。
 ビンラディン容疑者は以前「米国政府は、米国内のイスラエル勢力の回し者だ」と語った。イスラム国でありながら米国と深い関係を持つ「裏切り者」のエジプトやサウジアラビア、米国に追従する日本なども指弾した。
 米国は、アフガンやイラクで圧倒的な軍事力を見せつけたが、皮肉にもそのことがイスラム世界の人々の反米感情を煽った。ジハード(聖戦)の思想が浸透し、「第2、第3のビンラディン」を生んできた。
 米国に殺された同容疑者は、殉教者として崇拝の対象となりかねない。イスラム過激派による弔い合戦「第2の9・11」が懸念される半面、殺害によるテロ抑止効果はほとんど期待できない。
 そのリスクを承知で米国が殺害作戦に踏み切ったのは、米国社会が受けた9・11の傷が今なお深いことの裏返しだろう。オバマ大統領は「正義が成し遂げられた」と国民にアピールした。しかしこれは、復讐(ふくしゅう)の正当化にも聞こえる。
 憎悪と報復の連鎖を断ち切ることこそ、テロ根絶への道だ。

「新たな道」模索を

 中東と北アフリカのイスラム諸国では自由と政治改革を求める動きが活発化し、米国が対テロ戦争で連携してきた独裁政権は次々と倒れている。代わって、イスラム穏健派が台頭し、市民からの支持を広げている。
 こうした新たな動きが、テロに走るイスラム過激派の行動や、米国とイスラム世界との関係にどう影響するのか、注視したい。
 かつて米国の政治学者サミュエル・ハンチントンは、論文「文明の衝突」で西欧とイスラム世界の相互理解不能を唱え、話題になった。その説は9・11や対テロ戦争が裏付けたかに見える。そうした悲観論を乗りこえ、両世界を橋渡しする努力こそ必要だ。
 オバマ大統領は就任演説で「イスラム世界に言いたい。われわれは互いの利益と互いへの尊敬に基づいた新しい道を求める」と宣言した。ところが、その後は「前任者(ブッシュ大統領)と同じ道を歩んでいる」(ビンラディン容疑者)という批判どおりの強硬路線を歩んでいる。今からでも初心に立ち戻り、文明を超えた対話を始めてほしい。
 経済協力を通じてパレスチナと関係がある日本は対話のチャンネルづくりに貢献できるはずだ。米軍の後方支援や資金協力以外に、テロなき世界の創造に向けて果たすべき役割を見いだしたい。
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