By Sajjad Shaukat
Russia’s Defense Ministry hosted the fifth
Moscow Conference on International Security, held in Moscow on April 27-28,
2016 with the participation of high military officials and experts from around
the world to discuss the fight against terrorism and other pressing security
challenges. Besides, security problems of Asian-Pacific region, war and peace
problems in Europe as well as global security and military interaction were
discussed at the forum.
The special attention was paid to the Middle
East region—traditional and new challenges as threats to the international
security and role of the armed forces in countering them. Fighting terrorism
and security cooperation remained as top priority on the agenda.
In this context, Russia’s analyst Martin
McCauley said on April 27, this year, “Only Russia and the US, the two major
global powers can bring a solution to the many problems threatening
peace…unless they make concessions to each other and share information, the
progress is unlikely to be achieved.”
He elaborated, “Russia invites NATO members to
the conference every year. Sometimes they come, sometimes they don’t. But there
is not many to be seen at today are meeting, why so?...the head of America’s
National Intelligence Agency, James Clapper stated…there are Islamic State
[ISIS] cells already in England, Germany and Italy. Therefore, the Americans
are saying things which perhaps they should have been saying in Moscow. But
they have been saying these things and they are warning Europe that there is a
formidable threat from Syria, from jihadists returning from Syria, North
Africa, Iraq…the Americans say that more and more closer cooperation between
states is necessary. They are…saying that it’s very, very important to
collaborate. But of course, their top people should be in Moscow saying that.”
In this regard, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov said, “Security cooperation with Russia was one of the projects
frozen by NATO. Why are they unwilling to work together in this sphere?..it is
very unfortunate. There is this so-called Cold War between America and Russia
at present. At a time when information sharing, working together against
terrorism, working together to solve more problems are not really on the
table…and if they are willing to do that and make concessions to the other
side…then progress can be made in Syria. But if they continue to argue we are
supporting [Bashar al-] Assad, from the Russian point of view; the Americans
they say, Assad has to go before we can really get down to business…that
approach is blocking progress. Compromise has to be made. It is very important
for Russia and America…Moscow underlines that in a world where security is
becoming more important and a threat from jihad and terrorism is increasing.
Although in their speeches at the Moscow
International Security Conference, the representatives of the USA and other Western
countries emphasized on the joint cooperation among the major countries
including Russia to fight terrorism and other related-challenges to the global
security, yet in practical terms, these Western states prefer American shrewd
diplomacy against Moscow.
Notably, in their speeches, Russia’s Defence
Minister, Sergey Shoygu, the Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery
Gerasimov, including top military experts, while indicating that terrorism is
the fault of the West pointed out, “The US and Nato…causing global insecurity
and waging an information war against Moscow…the rise of terrorism was partly
the result of attempts to transfer the values of Western democracy to countries
with their own mentality, spiritual values and traditions...this had exploded
North Africa and the Middle East…the biggest threat is the adventurous military
and political policy of some countries like the US and its close allies in the
Middle East.”
However, as regards the question of security,
renowned power-theorists, Morgenthau, Waltz and Kissinger see international
relations as constituting a search for security in the world where there is no
super agency to impose law, and where maximization of power is the only route
to state security. This is because of this reason that America and its allies
of war on terror have, so far, wanted security only for themselves, including
Israel, and seek to guarantee it through lethal force. In the past few years,
heavy aerial bombardment and ground shelling by the US-led forces-and-supported
terrorist outfits like the Afghan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP),
Al-Qaeda, Al-Nustra Front and ISIS killed millions of innocent civilians in
Afghanistan, Iraq (During the Anglo-Saxon occupation) Syria, Libya and
Pakistan. A similar pattern of the US-backed state terrorism could be noted in
case of Palestine, Kashmir, Somalia, Yemen and elsewhere in the world.
In order to ensure the security of Israel,
America jeopardized the safety of the Middle East, then of Asia and Europe,
including the US and the entire world by playing double game in relation to
Al-Qaeda, ISIS and their affiliated militant groups. Besides the past terror
attacks, the recent ones by these outfits, especially ISIS in Iraq, Syria,
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Pakistan, America, France and Belgium, and in some
African countries might be cited as instance.
Particularly, due to their failed adventure in
coping with the Afghan Taliban and Syrian forces-backed by Russia, America and
its Western allies have already made themselves insecure as ambush assaults and
suicide attacks continue on the coalition forces in Afghanistan, while in case
of Syria, ISIS, and Al-Qaeda (Al-Nusra Front) are still fighting to topple the
regime of Bashar al-Assad whose army has liberated several towns and cities
from the control of the CIA-assisted these terrorists, and the rebels. In the
recent months, Russian President Vladimir has displayed as to how fight the
ISIS and Al-Qaeda, as Russian military compelled these terrorist groups to
vacate most of the regions of Iraq and Syria. Now, under the cover of
countering Russia and by following paradoxical policy openly, American
President Barack Obama has announced to send additional troops in Syria, and
its Western partners (NATO) are also supporting the US in this respect.
Various other drastic developments such as
American support to Kurds, Turkey’s continued crackdown on Kurds, exaggeration
of the threat of the so-called threat of Islamophobia in the West-especially
Europe, persecution of the Muslims, implications of the migrant-crisis,
controversial Turkish-EU refugee deal, forced returns of refugees by the
Turkish authorities to war-ravaged Syria, protests and violence at the Greek
border in connection with more than 50,000 refugees etc. are likely to produce
more terrorism by threatening the international security.
By blindly following their anti-Russia rhetoric,
now, the US and its Western friends have totally ignored the dangers of their
flawed strategy. Even, they do not bother for violation of the sovereignty of
an independent state. In this connection, on April 13, 2016, the UN-brokered,
Libyan unity government rejected the US-led British plan of deploying troops
for anti-ISIS mission, because the head of the North African state’s new
government turned down the offer of Western soldiers’ deployment. Similarly,
violations of the sovereignty and extrajudicial killings have continued for a
long time by the CIA-operated drone attacks on Pakistan and some African
countries.
On the other side, by utilizing
the vicious circle of terrorism and the dual policy of America, some Western countries, Israel and
India, Al-Qaeda, ISIS and TTP also employ double game. Besides working for CIA,
Mossad and RAW, these militant outfits have, also, been motivating the common
Muslims for suicide attacks and terror-related activities as part of Jihad.
Otherwise, Jihad does not permit suicide attacks and prohibits any sort of
terrorism.
It is owing to the double game
of the US-led Western World that ISIS which is most dangerous terrorist group
than Al-Qaeda is rapidly spreading its tentacles to all over the world by
giving a greater setback to the global security through suicide attacks and
bomb-blasts. However, both the terrorist outfits have massacred several innocent
Muslims and Christians, and are further making the safety of the human beings
insecure.
It is also due to the irresponsible approach of
the US-led West that the Muslim militants who have been fighting against the
Israeli-led imperialist powers through ambush rocket attacks and suicide
bombers have broken the myth of old model of power-based security which only
safeguards the interest of the major countries at the cost of the small states.
Nevertheless, war-mongering hidden strategy of
the Western powers against Syria, Iran, Pakistan and Yemen will further
expedite extremism among the young men, turning them into suicide bombers,
radicalizing a vast region from Pakistan to Syria, ultimately making America,
Europe and Israel insecure—besides endangering the world peace. Such a covert
policy will result into recruitment of more terrorists, and consequently
massive hostility and resistance against American-led Israeli dominance of the
world’s status quo.
In the present era of globalization, there is a
direct relationship between internal and external security. If America and its
allies intend to convert Syria, Pakistan and other Muslim countries into
“failed states” by causing instability, they, are, in fact, creating external
insecurity which is likely to further harm their larger geo-political and
economic interests on regional and global level.
It is mentionable that in the aftermath of 9/11,
even some Western think-tanks have recognized inter-relationship between
economics, politics and terrorism. They agree in light of the US fake global
war on terror, failed strategy, prolonged war against terrorism and defeatism
in Afghanistan that religious fanaticism and stiff resistance of the Islamic
militants are linked to political and economic injustices.
Taking cognizance of these facts, the US and its
major allies must abandon their anti-Russia strategy and should not create
obstacles in the Geneva peace talks on Syria, which would, now, resume on May
10, 2016, while the US Secretary of State John Kerry had agreed to keep the
Syrian president in power and for a unified state of Syria. They should also
note that division of Syria, as envisaged in the “CIA Plan B” will likely to
culminate into uncontrolled terrorism which will jeopardize the security of every
nation.
In wake of the social media and modern
international trends like renunciation of war, peaceful settlement of disputes
and economic development, these so-called arbiters of the world politics must
not depend upon old power factor for obtaining security in sense of Henry
Kissinger (As already mentioned), which has failed. Otherwise, more collapsed
states will cause more poverty, more lawlessness and more terrorism. Instead,
America and its allies should give economic and security aid to the less
developed states—for the development of infrastructure, particularly to those
countries which have deliberately been made by these big powers unsafe. They
must also agree with Moscow to resolve the Syrian question through political
process. And they must also pressurise India to settle the Kashmir issue with
Pakistan, as its solution is essential for the Asia-Pacific security.
These multicultural Western powers should ensure
the national interests of their own nations and those of the other nations or small
countries in accordance with international law and on the basis of mutual
respect, equality and mutual benefit—the aspects which are necessary for global
security.
In the present world of rapid interaction among
the countries and international integration, Washington and its partners like
Europe and Israel must know that security is a two-way traffic. If they need
security, states like Syria, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, Libya Pakistan etc. also
need the same. Security cannot be obtained by endangering the security of these
and other weak states, especially the vulnerable Muslim countries.
Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs
and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power:
Dangerous Shift in International Relations
Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com
Courtesy Veterans Today
No comments:
Post a Comment