BY FIKRET BILA
MILLIYET- Columnist Fikret Bila writes on the concept of global terrorism. A summary of his column is as follows:
Saturday morning’s terrorist attacks on two synagogues in Istanbul during Sabbath services must be evaluated alongside the concept of ‘globalization.’ Global terrorism, the phenomenon of terrorists operating simultaneously across several nations, has been facilitated by globalization itself and now has ironically become the greatest challenge to the global world order. Terrorist networks at work today use the technological tools of globalization to supply their financial and human resources.
The US, as the world’s superpower leading the new world order, believes that terrorism can be stopped through a show of brute force. Washington has been pursuing a policy of coercion in order to destroy threats to the global economic order. The terrorist attacks have been used as a justification for American forces’ occupation of both Afghanistan and Iraq. However, this thesis is demonstrably false. The fact is that globalization has created a breeding ground for terrorism which cannot be eradicated through military force alone. If the social and economic roots of this breeding ground aren’t eliminated, there is no hope of stopping terrorist groups.
The US should re-allocate at least a small portion of the resources that it currently devotes to military operations over to new initiatives aimed at eliminating the ever-growing socioeconomic imbalances throughout the world. Continuing to ignore the social and economic dynamics of terrorism will inevitably do irreparable harm to world peace.
States cannot fight global terrorism individually. Countries should establish international platforms to combat global terrorism. In addition, a similar platform should also be established to fight poverty and ensure a just distribution of world income. One cannot stop global terrorism without paying attention to all the factors involved. The US must take these dimensions into account if it wants to succeed in its plans in Iraq. The Iraqi opposition should also be seen in this context. This issue is more important than Washington’s economic plans to open the resources of the countries it’s occupying to world markets.