The G20 Summit: Efforts to Cut Off Terrorism at Its Source

Published in Iwate Nippo
(Japan) on 17 November 2015
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Chris Hennessy. Edited by Helaine Schweitzer.
The backgrounds of the criminals involved in the simultaneous terrorist attacks in Paris are slowly coming to light. One of the men involved who blew himself up in a suicide bombing was holding a Syrian passport and had entered Europe along with the wave of migrants from that region.

There’s no question he slipped into that wave of people with the intent from the very beginning of committing a terrorist act. The terrorist entered France and connected with other migrants who held radical views. Then the plan to commit this crime came into being.

It’s now believed that the Islamic State is changing strategy by spreading its terrorism to countries all over the world. Since October, incidents identified as having Islamic State group participation, including a large-scale terrorist attack in the Turkish capital of Ankara and a downed Russian jet in Egypt among others, provide evidence for that conclusion.

Continuance of this course of events can only invite disruption in the world. Terrorism is not just about causing societal insecurity. It also whittles down human movement and is a cause of instability in the world’s economy.

Can the international community come together to root out terrorism? The G-20 summit taking place in Turkey has become the scene where that question is being tested.

The answer has come in the form of the anti-terrorism declarations announced alongside the usual declarations by leaders at the summit. In order to prevent terrorism, leaders agreed on plans to cut off the Islamic State group’s source of funds as well as the creation of stricter border management to prevent enemy combatant movement.

However, the international community has not by any means built a cooperative coalition. A foreign minister-level meeting held in Vienna had the goal of politically resolving the civil war in Syria, but there was a clash between the American, European and Saudi Arabian side – which worked on assumption that Syrian President Assad would step down – and the Russian and Iranian side – which sought to bolster the Assad regime. This clash exposes the disorder in the overall coalition.

Despite that, the leaders agreed on the establishment of a new government in Syria within half a year and on carrying out free elections under a new constitution within 18 months. The sense of impending crisis created by the terrorist attacks in Paris no doubt hurried along the process toward agreement. This agreement hastens stabilization of Syria, however, this newspaper is not optimistic that the plan will be carried out in the same way it was proposed.

The emergence of the Islamic State group as the source of terrorism and migrant crisis creates chaos in this region. If this issue is not resolved, no matter how many nations push a water’s edge foreign policy, terrorism will never be eradicated. This paper wants the G-20 agreements to be carried out faithfully and wants Japan to also contribute to the stabilization of the Middle East.

Domestic policy in Europe and the United States – regions with many immigrants – is also important. Many immigrants are discriminated against due to cultural friction and a feeling of societal isolation due to unemployment and poverty.

Of course there is no justification for terrorism, but if this "seed of dissatisfaction" is left unchecked, there is a danger that another extremist group will be formed before we even realize it.

It goes without saying that the international community must strengthen its vigilance against terrorism and work toward cooperation in sharing intelligence. Beyond that, rebuilding rift-filled societies is an unyielding path for combating terrorism.


G20首脳会合 テロの根源断つ努力を

 パリの同時多発テロで、犯行グループの背後関係が徐々に明らかになってきた。自爆テロを起こした男はシリアの旅券を所持し、難民とともに欧州に入っていた。

 当初からテロを起こす目的で人の波に紛れていたとしても不思議ではない。フランスに入国したテロリストが、過激な思想を持つ移民と結びついて犯行を起こした構図が浮かんでくる。

 「イスラム国」は世界各国にテロを拡散させる戦略に転換したとされる。10月以降、関与が指摘される事件は、トルコの首都アンカラの大規模テロ、エジプトで起きたロシア機墜落など、それを裏付けるものばかりだ。

 このままでは世界に混乱を招きかねない。テロは社会不安を起こすだけではない。人の往来を細くし、世界経済の不安要因にもなる。

 テロ根絶のために国際社会は足並みをそろえられるか。トルコで開かれた20カ国・地域(G20)首脳会合は、その覚悟を問う場面となった。

 その表れが、通常の首脳宣言とともに発表した対テロ声明だ。テロの未然防止のために「イスラム国」への資金源を遮断するほか、戦闘員の出入りを防ぐ国境管理の厳格化などで一致した。

 しかし、国際社会は協調態勢をなかなか築けない。シリア内戦の政治的解決を目指す多国間外相級会議がウィーンで開かれたが、アサド政権の退陣が前提だとする欧米やサウジアラビアと、アサド政権を支援するロシアやイランが対立。ここでも足並みの乱れを露呈した。

 それでも、半年以内に移行政権を樹立し、1年半以内に新憲法下で自由選挙を実施することで合意した。パリのテロで高まった危機感が合意を後押ししたのだろう。シリアの早期安定化に前進した形だが、予定通り進むかどうかは楽観できない。

 「イスラム国」の台頭とテロ、難民問題の根源は結局、この地域の混乱だ。それを解決しなければ、各国がいくら水際対策を進めてもテロは根絶できない。この合意を着実に履行してほしい。日本も中東安定化のために貢献していきたい。

 多くの移民を抱える欧米の国内対策も重要だ。文化的な摩擦で差別され、失業や貧困によって社会から疎外される移民も多い。

 テロは決して正当化できないが、こうした「不満の芽」を野放しにしていれば、いつしか過激派組織と結びつく危険もある。

 国際社会が情報を共有するなど連携してテロへの警戒を強めるのはもちろんだ。それ以上に、亀裂の入った社会をもう一度立て直すことが、テロに屈しない道になる。
This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

Hot this week

Taiwan: Making America Great Again and Taiwan’s Crucial Choice

Austria: Donald Trump Revives the Liberals in Canada

Mexico: The Trump Problem

Germany: Absolute Arbitrariness

Russia: Political Analyst Reveals the Real Reason behind US Tariffs*

Topics

Austria: Donald Trump Revives the Liberals in Canada

Germany: Absolute Arbitrariness

Israel: Trump’s National Security Adviser Forgot To Leave Personal Agenda at Home and Fell

Mexico: The Trump Problem

Taiwan: Making America Great Again and Taiwan’s Crucial Choice

Venezuela: Vietnam: An Outlet for China

Russia: Political Analyst Reveals the Real Reason behind US Tariffs*

Related Articles

Japan: US Administration Losing Credibility 3 Months into Policy of Threats

Japan: US-Japan Defense Minister Summit: US-Japan Defense Chief Talks Strengthen Concerns about Single-Minded Focus on Strength

Japan: Trump’s Tariffs Threaten To Repeat Historical Mistakes

Hong Kong: China, Japan, South Korea Pave Way for Summit Talks; Liu Teng-Chung: Responding to Trump

Japan: Partial Cease-fire: Avoid Putin’s Pace