As the United States marks the fifth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, will it change its controversial antiterrorism strategy?
　　
　　SO MUCH PAIN: An Iraqi weeps while holding the belongings of a loved one killed in a car bombing in Baghdad. Iraq has become a new terror breeding ground in the wake of the U.S. invasion, Chinese experts say
　　Five years after the United States launched its war on terror, the terrorist threat the world faces is mounting instead of declining, experts say. For many years before the Al Qaeda attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, the world suffered one major terrorist attack every two years, but since then, it has been hit by major terrorist attacks at least twice a year, said Li Wei, Director of the Center for Counterterrorism Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR).
　　“While eliminating some terrorists, the United States is fostering new ones,” Li said in an interview with Beijing Review.
　　Mindful of the infamous attacks on the United States and fully alert to the insidious trends that have emerged in recent years, Chinese experts have offered reasons for the current antiterrorism dilemma and emphasized the need to address the root cause of terrorism.
　　
　　Fragile progress
　　
　　Li acknowledged the positive developments achieved in the past five years, saying the international community has made a “monumental breakthrough” in its antiterrorism efforts. The world has become more aware of the threat of terrorism, he said, and has increasingly stressed the importance of international cooperation and the role of the United Nations in the fight against terrorism.
　　He noted that regional and bilateral cooperation in fighting terrorism has been enhanced, while many countries have come up with new antiterrorism strategies. More funds and human resources have been devoted to developing new means of preventing and combating terrorism. A number of countries have incorporated antiterrorism into their national security strategy, a move rarely taken before the September 11 attacks, according to Li.
　　He cited such achievements as the destruction of Al Qaeda’s headquarters in Afghanistan, the toppling of the Taliban regime in that country, the murder or arrest of a large number of terrorist leaders and the destruction of illegal terrorist networks such as those for money laundering and weapons smuggling.
　　Despite these efforts, terrorism has gained strength around the world and demonstrated new features, experts agreed. Yang Hongxi, a Beijing-based columnist and scholar of international studies, told Beijing Review that Iraq has become a new source of terrorist attacks, where various jihad organizations and anti-U.S. forces are emerging. They have become entangled with the local sectarian and ethnic conflicts, worsening the security in the country. The Taliban and Al Qaeda are gathering strength and are attempting to make a comeback, he added.
　　Yang noted that terrorist activities are expanding, involving sophisticated technology and becoming better organized, threatening not only Europe and the United States but also South and Southeast Asia.
　　Apart from these, Li noted that more and more young people-those born in the 1970s and 1980s-are joining the ranks of terrorists. In addition, homegrown terrorists have become a major force in terrorist attacks in various countries.
　　Notably, all 24 suspects arrested in August over the alleged plot to blow up passenger jets flying from Britain to the United States were British citizens. The 19 who were publicly named ranged in age from 17 to 35. Many were of Pakistani descent but were born or grew up in Britain, often in Muslim immigrant neighborhoods, media reports said.
　　
　　Antiterrorism paradox
　　　
　　FIGHTING ON: George W. Bush addresses U.S. service people who returned from Iraq at Kansas State University. Despite the strategic burdens it has caused, the president is unlikely to halt the antiterrorism campaign
　　Experts offer different explanations for the bewildering fact that terrorist attacks have risen despite the escalating antiterrorism efforts. Li of the CICIR cited three reasons.
　　First, despite all the appeal of combating terrorism, the international community has yet to come up with a commonly accepted definition of terrorism. As a result, some countries have adopted double standard out of consideration of their own national interests, making the goal of the antiterrorism campaign inconsistent.
　　Second, some countries, such as the United States, seek world supremacy in the name of antiterrorism, an approach that can only heighten the terrorist threat. For example, Iraq has been turned into a terrorist breeding ground and a terrorism-exporting country in the wake of the U.S. invasion.
　　Third, despite the small number of terrorists, some Western countries tend to target an entire ethnic group. This strategy has escalated ethnic conflicts, hindering the progress of the antiterrorism campaign.
　　“On the international stage, some countries’ insensible, extreme actions have worsened existing problems, making the soil where terrorists grow more fertile,” he said. “Domestically, they have led to the emergence of homegrown terrorists as they intensify their counterterrorism measures in a simplistic manner.”
　　Echoing these ideas, Yang Hongxi pointed out that Western countries rely too much on high technology and military force in the fight against terrorism. It is his belief that all-inclusive cooperation involving politics, economy, education, international aid and arms control is required to address the complicated issue of terrorism. Also, efforts should be made to explore the reasons for different forms of terrorism and address them accordingly.
　　Although the United States claims that it respects Islamic culture, it has not changed its prejudice, Yang said. It seeks to transform Islamic civilization by imposing the concepts of “democracy” and “freedom” in the Middle East, attempting to replace the core of Islamic civilization with Western values, according to the expert. He called on the United States to change its positions on some international issues, including Iraq, and give due consideration to the reasonable appeals of the Muslim world.
　　
　　Li also noted this trend. As the United States expanded the scope of antiterrorism, the campaign has deviated from the right direction, he said, adding that the preemptive strategy of the United States has severely threatened the present international security regime.
　　
　　The fight continues
　　
　　STAUNCH GUARDIANS: A unit of the Shanghai armed police stage an anti-hijacking exercise
　　Despite significant international criticism of the way the United States is conducting its war on terror, it will not halt its antiterrorism efforts, Li predicted. He noted that the war on terror has brought remarkable strategic benefits. After the September 11 attacks, the United States strengthened its military presence in the world and gained a tighter control of the Middle East. At the same time, it has made antiterrorism a global endeavor, ending the days when it had to fight alone.
　　Yang pointed out that the U.S. persistence with the antiterrorism campaign could affect its global strategy. As its military forces are engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, it will be less capable of taking dramatic actions to deal with other international issues such as the Iranian and North Korean nuclear issues and to contain potential major powers.
　　Moreover, as it exports U.S.-style democracy and freedom, it has aroused objection in the targeted nations, especially among the extremists in those countries.
　　Despite the fallout, Yang said antiterrorism would still be a strategic aim of the United States in the coming two years, the remaining term of President George W. Bush. The Bush administration may adjust its antiterrorism strategies to a certain degree but will not change foreign policy fundamentally. In order to justify his administration and the interest groups behind it, Bush is likely to continue to create strategic burdens for himself, according to Yang.
　　Given the current dilemma, Li underscored the importance of addressing the root cause of terrorism. He said more attention should be focused on resolving inequities and building real justice and democracy in international relations. Every country is expected to respect the diversity of ethnic cultures and religious beliefs, while guarding against exporting its values by force.
　　He said the UN should play a leading role in fighting terrorism, adding that the campaign should not be led by a couple of countries. Priority should be given to the overall interests of the international community and the double standard policy should be discarded, he stressed.
　　
　　China’s efforts
　　
　　“China has become an active member in the international antiterrorism campaign,” argued Liu Enzhao, an international affairs expert, in an article published on the website of the China Institute of International Studies.
　　China has signed a number of international antiterrorism treaties and conventions. It is eager to join the discussions on antiterrorism in various international conferences and put forward its suggestions and proposals. It has formulated laws and regulations on antiterrorism in line with international antiterrorism legislation. It has also set up an Antiterrorism Bureau under the Ministry of Public Security and some research institutions on antiterrorism.
　　
　　Liu particularly noted the establishment of a regional antiterrorism organization-the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which groups China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
　　China and Kazakhstan recently completed their first joint antiterrorism military drill under the auspices of the SCO along their border. The drill involved helicopters, anti-riot vehicles and police and special forces troops from both countries.
　　Zhao Yongchen, Deputy Director of the Antiterrorism Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, briefed the media on the measures China has taken to check terrorism in recent years on the sidelines of the joint antiterrorism military exercise.
　　First of all, he said China is pressing ahead with building a “harmonious society,” thus paving the way for eliminating terrorism at its source. He underlined the importance of curbing terrorism by promoting economic development and achieving social justice and stability.
　　China has boosted its antiterrorism capacity by improving cooperation among different departments, devising emergency-response schemes and conducting antiterrorism drills, according to the official.
　　He said the government has raised the awareness of its antiterrorism actions among the general public; the Ministry of Public Security publicized China’s first list of terrorist organizations and terrorists in 2003.
　　China has exerted efforts to sever the funding of terrorists, according to Zhao. The country adopted a series of laws and regulations to curb money laundering by terrorist organizations to honor its commitment under the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.

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