14 September 2001, Copyright © Turkish Daily News
Opinion by Mehmet Ali Birand
We should start thinking differently in Turkey
- This business is not over. It will go on for some time to come. A new world order has begun to be formed. We should all now forget our old approaches and start thinking differently
Following the mass murder in the United States on Tuesday, the situation is beginning to take shape. A period of calm, collected thinking has begun. However, developments are not yet over. They will go on for much longer. We are going to experience some major incidents.
It is already clear that the most significant aspect of the new world order will be the fight against terrorism and the elimination of those factors that drive communities to terrorism.
Terrorism cannot be combated through security measures alone. It is necessary to eliminate those factors that drive states or communities to terrorism.
The most vivid example is that of Bin Laden and Afghanistan.
Who was it that created Bin Laden, who it is said masterminded this murder that shocked the world? How did the Taleban regime in Afghanistan, which all fingers are pointing to, come about?
Was it not the United States and Pakistan that created this regime between them in order to intervene in the Soviet Union's occupation of Afghanistan?
In those days, radical Islamic groups were given money and terrorists were trained. While the Soviet Union called them "terrorists", the United States called them "freedom fighters" and praised them. Eventually, the Russians pulled out of Afghanistan. However, the Islamic terrorist groups that had been created and nurtured survived and now here we are.
We witnessed the same thing in the Israeli-Palestinian fighting. The combatants are called terrorists or freedom fighters depending on people's point of view.
The PKK activists in Turkey also received much support from many countries and thrived until that support was cut off.
Even today, many countries are feeding terrorist groups in other countries they view as the enemy.
This attitude is finally going to cease.
This is because no matter on what pretext you create a terrorist group, it will in the end strike back at you.
Another change the new era needs to introduce will be the drying up of those swamps that allow terrorism to thrive.
It will become a priority now to create the conditions whereby communities can live comfortably and not feel the need to resort to terrorism.
This list will see regional conflicts and tensions, starting with the Middle East, resolved. In the fight against terrorism freeing communities from the feeling they have no choice but to resort to terrorism will be as important as taking new security measures.
It is clear that only through more democracy will the swamps that breed terrorism be able to be dried up.
It is extremely difficult to get anywhere through policing alone. Naturally, security will increase and new techniques will be developed. However, it is also known this may not be enough. Drying out those swamps is a must.
NATO's famous Article 5 takes to the stage
It only takes one single incident to change so much.
NATO's Article 5 (An attack on one member is considered an attack on all members and the aggressed country will be supported with all available means) has been invoked for the first time.
You will recall that during the Greek coup on Cyprus in 1974, Turkey called for Article 5 to be invoked but this was denied.
For this article to be invoked now shows the seriousness of NATO countries, and for the first time in history, towards combating terrorism.
The factor that caught my attention was the attitude of the Turkish Cabinet, and which can be summed up as: "This should teach the Europeans a lesson in terrorism."
Actually, Turkey should adopt a different approach to the "Didn't we tell you so?" one. It should think more adult. It should plan how it is going to dry up the terrorism swamps in the country.
If the people are hungry, unemployed and desperate... If they cannot get themselves heard no matter what they do and whenever they open their mouths they find themselves beaten and thrown in prison, in the end they will explode.
Therefore, both from a security perspective and from the angle of drying up the swamps, a whole new way of thinking needs to start.
It is high time something was done.
Mehmet Ali Birand's article is translated by TDN staff
mailto:mbirand@ibm.net
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