|
Preventing Terrorism: Towards a New Approach (part two)
By Nicholas Abbey
4. Refocusing government resources on prevention and solving social, economic, and environmental problems. A 2001 United Nations report on terrorism is adamant as to the responsibility of all governments to act on the underlying causes of terrorism: "were all states to do this in an unbiased way, the incidence of terrorist acts would dramatically decline".
Poverty, famine, mass movements of refugees, and brutal and repressive regimes (that have often been shored up by Western military aid) fuel frustration and desperation. While, of course, no 'root cause' can ever possibly justify a heinous crime against humanity such as what happened on September 11, to simply ignore causal factors is to increase the risk of future terrorist acts.
The September 2001 report, Reforging the Sword, written by retired US Colonel Daniel Smith and others for the US Centre for Defense Information, contrasts the past tendency to deal with "symptoms", via "drive-by attacks using cruise missiles or bombing raids", with the "lack of US willingness to truly engage over the long haul with the causes of conflicts".
In the longer-term, the US and other states have some hard decisions to make about resource allocation, which has implications for crime, violence, and terrorism prevention. Pentagon spending (of roughly $350 billion in fiscal year 2002) accounts for over half of all US federal government discretionary spending (and is more than six times what Russia, for example, spends). Yet, discretionary 2002 US federal funding for program areas such as education, health, and justice is less than $50 billion for each. And in these areas, genuine prevention strategies receive a minuscule amount.
Resources that were gradually reallocated from defense spending to fund strategic, preventative projects in health, education, sustainable development, and violence prevention could help rebuild many local communities worldwide and start a process of establishing a new international security system, solving global and regional problems and tackling the deeply-rooted causes of terrorism.
5. Vigilance against racial vilification, the violation of civil liberties, and the use of apocalyptic language. There are legitimate security measures such as improved protection of ports and airports and better coordination of emergency services. After September 11, these issues are, understandably, high on the agenda of some states, and need to be addressed systematically - without civil liberties becoming casualties of draconian legislation.
Legal scholars and human rights advocates must first scrutinize anti-terrorism legislation. A very real danger for ordinary Americans is that steps towards suppressing domestic civil liberties in the name of national security could act as a catalyst for future homegrown terrorists a la Timothy McVeigh.
In a climate of fear, some countries may run a heightened risk of not only the curtailment of civil liberties and human rights, but also of generalized racism and religious intolerance. Loose talk of a war to "rid the world of evil" lends dangerous credence to those terrorists who do believe the world is caught in an eschatological confrontation between the forces of good and evil.
6. A comprehensive strategy under the auspices of the United Nations and linked to non-governmental organizations. To develop a comprehensive, multi-issue, genuinely preventative strategy (that goes beyond the current focus of governments on 'symptoms' and single issues such as terrorism, crime, and drug trafficking), there must be a high-level conference under the auspices of the UN. The world needs a new international security strategy that redefines security as more than military power: as economic security, sustainable development, social justice, and real human rights. Such a strategy would assist countries such as Afghanistan.
States should also support international agreements to ban chemical, biological, and toxic weapons; ban land mines; and limit the international small arms trade. An urgent issue is a worldwide campaign under UN auspices for the resettlement of refugee populations.
Finally, for an effective campaign against terrorism to proceed in the longer-term, a reformed UN needs new models for non-government and citizen involvement in domains of global governance historically dominated by states.
-Nicholas Abbey E-mail: nic.abbey@austarmetro.com.au
|
|
