Terrorism in America
27 Sep, 2001 · 591
Report of the IPCS Panel Discussion held on 21 September 2001
Panelists: T Anantha Chari
US
. The magnitude of this tragedy is unsurpassed in the history of terrorism. The
US
response to the tragedy has been two fold. Firstly, amidst the anguish and the anger there is a controlled reaction on the ground in trying to build a global coalition against terrorism. And, secondly, the
US
says for the first time, it will not distinguish between the perpetrators of the outrage and those who harbour them.
US
fight against terrorism must be appreciated. A military strike on
Afghanistan
would result in increasing anti-American sentiments in many parts of the world. Though there is a massive show of force by the
US
in moving its aircraft carriers and destroyers to the Gulf and surrounding regions, action on the ground is still awaited. Intelligence gathering about Osama bin Laden and the terrorist camps in
Afghanistan
is on; but this information will obviously not be made public. If the
US
had intended to strike against Osama, they should have done so immediately after the terrorist attacks in the
US
when the terrorist camps were still operating. At present Osama bin Laden and members of his organisation have had ample time to disperse and go underground; hence
US
military action does not seem imminent. Operationally, the proposed
US
military action needs to be assessed in the light of past
US
operations like the Delta Force operation in
Iran
. The aversion of the
US
public to body bags coming back must also be borne in mind. There are discordant notes also within the
US
establishment; the defence forces want to go for an immediate strike but the Congress is advocating a more cautious approach.
South Asia
Pakistan
has once again become a frontline state for the
US
in
South Asia
, and is making full use of this opportunity to garner support for its stand on
Kashmir
.
India
has fought jehadi violence in
Kashmir
for the past 12 years, and feels concerned about this issue.
Pakistan
has made the demand that neither
India
nor
Israel
should be part of an offensive against the Taliban regime. So far the
US
has not asked for help from
India
and, even if the need arises,
India
’s role, limited to logistical support, will be marginal.
Kashmir
to fight against the
US
in
Afghanistan
,
India
should not be complacent about this and expect a de-escalation in violence in
Kashmir
.
India
tends to overemphasise the international element of the
Kashmir
conflict, without concentrating on the local problems. The present crisis will have ramifications on Indo-Pak and Indo-US relations, and will once again push the local conflict issues into the background.
India
needs to address the local Kashmiris to tackle the root cause of terrorism in
Kashmir
. Finally, the theory of civilisational conflict regarding terrorism needs to be debunked as it will have impact on
India
. Whilst cracking down on all fundamentalist organizations in the country, the branding of an entire community as fundamentalist must be discouraged and needs to be fought against.
Anand Verma
PR Chari
Chair: Lt Gen VK Nayyar (Retd)
Lt Gen Nayyar initiated the seminar by highlighting the following discussion points regarding the September11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon in the
Despite the declared support of a large number of countries, some reservation to the
Fallout in
Though the jehadis have been asked by the Taliban to return from
The panel raised the following issues in their presentations
- The September 11 attacks have shattered the myth of American inviolability. Though there has been a lot of tall talk in the
US US US high point
- The present crisis has proved that terrorism has no territorial limits. It is a low cost war to which all countries are vulnerable. Further, no country is in a position to deal with this phenomenon alone, and global cooperation against terrorism is required.
- The September 11 attacks highlight the failure of human intelligence. In the fight against terrorism, the need for intelligence sharing between like minded nations should be stressed.
- Does the current US–Pakistan cooperation against the Taliban signify the beginning of a long term relationship between the two countries? Or is this an issue based cooperation that will not have any bearing on the South Asian politics in the long run? This is an open-ended question at present.
- In the event of a
US Afghanistan
- Osama bin Laden’s relation with different fundamentalist organisations around the world needs to be investigated. Does Osama bin Laden control the different fundamentalism groups directly or is there some loose organisation to which he provides encouragement and support, but who are independent for all practical purposes? It is essential to determine this relationship if the global fight against terrorism is to succeed.
- There must be a realisation that even the highest levels of security cannot deter a suicide bomber or fidayeen, and hence this chink in the armour of security will have to be accepted.
- Quite apart from terrorist organisations, various cult groups like the Japanese Aum Shinrikyo that threaten mass destruction to promote a new social order, need to be watched and researched.
- An overemphasis on the use of nuclear weapons to ensure national security needs to be re-examined. The dangers from chemical and biological weapons must be appreciated.
- The actual military operation against
Afghanistan
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