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

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.