THE ROVING DIPLOMAT
TRIBUTE series MARCH 2002
MOUNTING GLOBAL TURMOIL
President George W. Bush assures the world of US support to fight terrorism
The State of the Union Address by President George W. Bush was a timely setting in which to review the international scene.
And the key question facing the world was the next step by the US in its international war against terrorism where an attack on Afghanistan was regarded as the first step.
Of course, the question was whether other countries would also be attacked, and if Iraq, Iran and North Korea were considered likely targets.
His speech clarified America’s position and affirmed that the nation was at war – and that the ‘War on Terror’ was only beginning. Bush claimed that the target was inclusive of tens of thousands of followers of Osama bin Laden scattered throughout the world in more than 60 nations.
He described them as “thousands of dangerous killers schooled in the methods of murder, often supported by outlawed regimes spread throughout the world like ticking time bombs set to go off without warning.”
Bush added: “We have found diagrams of American nuclear power plants and public water facilities, detailed instructions for making chemical weapons, surveillance maps of American cities, and thorough descriptions of landmarks in America and throughout the world.” Here are the objectives he identified: shutting down camps; bringing suspected terrorists to justice; and preventing terrorist regimes that seek chemical, biological and nuclear weapons from threatening the US and the world.
It’s significant that references to Iraq, Iran and North Korea were not as likely targets but rather, prospective threats to peace because they were the most advanced in developing weapons of mass destruction.
The speech should serve as an assurance therefore, that apart from the worldwide manhunt for bin Laden’s followers, there’s no prospect of the war in Afghanistan being extended to other nation states.
In fact, US efforts at the moment are to strengthen the newly established government in Kabul. As such, the visit by the President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai to Washington D.C. for talks and his presence in the audience at the State of the Union Address are signs that this policy is making considerable headway.
Speaking on the role of the US in helping to combat global terrorism, Bush said that the presence of American troops in the Philippines was to fight Islamic militants. He added that if countries did not act, then America would.
Another alarming development is that of apparent divisions of opinion among interested states over the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. One instance is the reported criticism of US policy in the Middle East by Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia who has condemned American support for Israel, stating that the US must reject oppression and humiliation.
There is even a hint of a rift between the US and Saudi Arabia on this matter where it’s being hinted that Washington has been asked to withdraw its military personnel stationed in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Bush has repeatedly expressed his disappointment to the Chairman of the PLO Yasser Arafat over his failure to control Palestinian terrorists.
More alarming is the latest statement by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. He’s expressed regret that he didn’t arrange for Arafat to be killed in the war in Lebanon some 20 years ago.
In context of the EU’s efforts to convene a Middle East peace conference, Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar has deplored Sharon’s statement. It’s also untimely since it coincides with a discussion in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on the Middle East crisis – UNSC members have expressed alarm at the unprecedented levels of violence in the region.
There are also signs that the war against international terrorism is entering Southeast Asia with the deployment of US troops in the Philippines, and the decision by both Indonesia and Malaysia to share military intelligence to combat terrorism.
The role of US forces in the Philippines will primarily be to protect Filipinos in the south from attacks by militant Muslim groups such as Abu Sayyaf. US forces will act as military trainers rather than frontline fighters.
Fear of terrorism in other countries, notably Indonesia and Malaysia, seems to be a reaction to their own recent experiences. There are fears in Malaysia of a homegrown militant group, which has been accused of trying to overthrow the Mahathir government. In Indonesia, a Muslim cleric is suspected of having links to Al-Qaeda.
Talks between the two countries are mainly exploratory because to take concrete action to combat terrorism, they will require the endorsement and cooperation of all members of ASEAN.
