Who is Endangering the Global Security?
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
