It is well known that the US-backed mujahideen insurgency defeated the Russians in Afghanistan in the 80s. It is equally well known that the Osama bin Laden led Al Qaeda was a by-product of this successful insurgency. We also know that the ISIS’ Islamic States of Iraq and Syria now threatening the world with terror attacks is an offshoot of the Al Qaeda. Thus indirectly, the US is at the root of the creation of the ISIS. Much of the initial firepower acquired by the Al Qaeda was provided to it by America via Pakistan. Now, of course, 25 years after the end of Russian occupation of Afghanistan there is a completely different scenario at play. Both the Americans and the Russians are pitted against the ISIS, and they are involved in bombing them across Syria and portions of Iraq.
Possibly, after World War-II, this is the first time that the Americans and the Russians are finding themselves on the same side of an armed conflict. Though it is must be added that their political objectives are quite different. The Americans want a regime change in Syria whereas the Russians are defending President Bashar Assad. The ISIS is exploiting the four year old civil war in Syria, and the old Cold War warriors cannot see eye to eye on this primary issue.
But the ISIS threat cannot be taken lightly anymore. They are not content with sporadic and random acts of terror interspersed with long periods of lull. Both in Paris and at Mali, the jihadists have served notice of their firepower. Ordinary policing and so-called security measures are not going to yield the desired safety assurances. Already Brussels is under a lockdown, as the apprehensions of another attack put the region under Red Alert. The terrorists have to succeed just once more to ratchet up the levels of fear.
On the Global Terrorism Index — a parameter that measures the impact of terrorism on a country — both Russia at 23 and the United States at 35 have a much better safety environment than the five countries which serve as the base of terror activities — Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria and the sixth ranking India that has been bearing the brunt of these attacks. The GTI report has some stark statistics as it tells us that the total number of deaths from terrorism in 2014 reached 32,685, constituting an 80 per cent increase from 18,111 the previous year. Though terrorism is concentrated in just five countries — Iraq (9929 deaths), Nigeria (7512), Afghanistan (4505), Pakistan (1760) and Syria (1698) accounting for over 78 percent of the rise — the number of countries which have had a terrorist attack is also increasing. In 2014, terrorism impacted more countries than ever before with attacks in 93 countries, up from 88 in 2013. The number of countries that recorded over 500 deaths has more than doubled in 2014 to 11 as compared to five countries in 2013. Yet, the global responsibility to fight terror rests heavily on the shoulders of both Russia and America. It is they who have to collaborate and cooperate effectively to fight this challenge all over the world as terrorists gain increasing mobility, and capacity to hurt innocent people across international barriers. The latest incidents being the coordinated attacks in Paris and the crashing of a Russian jet with 224 people on board.
The issue of religion and terror has also been debated extensively, and whereas it is patently unfair to discriminate against people on the basis of religion the fact that some sort of religious radicalism always powers terrorism cannot be ignored. True, the persons involved in specific terror acts may have other motivations arising out different socio-economic circumstances, but somehow the ‘eliminate the root cause’ theory does not work when it comes to fighting terror. Unless the power of the same organised religion is harnessed to fight terror perpetuated in the name of that religion, it would not pay any divided to mouth inanities that terror has no religion. We must confront the reality that a distorted version of the religion is being used to inflict terror, and all religions have a responsibility to fight this tendency.
This ‘ideological’ fight is the only way in which the attraction of terrorism as a means to establish superiority over others can be effectively tackled. The separation of religion and politics works only in ideal situations, and in real life, it is religion that drives a lot of politics. We cannot blame any particular religion for this situation, and indeed, everything depends on the political equations prevailing in any territory. As we live in a modern world, driven by crashing international barriers through the force of technology, we must also remember that the same tools are available to those who wage wars in the name of religion. This has been a traditional curse afflicting mankind: People killing each other in pursuit of their beliefs.
The forces like ISIS or any other variant will always be able to attract enough resources and manpower to ensure that the rest of the world does not remain at peace with itself, unless this ideological battle is won. It is one of their unstated objectives that the rest of the Muslim population that does not join its battle actively also remains suspect in the eyes of the West. This situation acts as a force multiplier for the ISIS and its variants.
There are a whole lot of other factors at play, and the West has to combine forces — military as well as ideological — to fight this challenge effectively. But the whole point is whether the ISIS will prove a strong enough glue for the West to overcome the rest of its differences and defeat the destructive ideology of ISIS. Expressions of firmness at G-20 summits are one thing, and action on the ground is quite different. Americans who shall be bearing the brunt of this fight should know things better after their experiences with the multi-layered affairs of Osama bin Laden.
