25 September 2001, Copyright © Turkish Daily News

We must read 'September 11, 2001' correctly!

Opinion By Dr. Cuneyt Ulsever

culsever@hurriyet.com.tr

I do not want to repeat all that has been discussed while I was away on vacation for the last two weeks, about the treacherous attack on the United States.

I believe that nearly all that needs to be put forward after the attack has been done so.

Today, I only want to warn about a wrong path the counter-attack may take in the coming days.

***

Given the previous bloody history of Osama bin Laden, he has been made the target of both a new war and hatred of the world. After all we are talking about a possible third World War and nearly all countries will be involved in it.

I have no objection for a worldwide combat against terrorism and the possible removal of bloody criminals like bin Laden from the world scene.

Living in a country which has had long experience with terrorism, like any Turkish citizen, I would welcome the counter-attack.

But still then; in my view, the world is making some serious mistakes in putting bin Laden, the Taliban and Afghanistan as the sole responsible bodies for the infamous attacks.

***

My reasons are:

1) The very attacks both to the World Trade Centers and Pentagon have shown to the world that who ever achieved these bloody actions have used: a) great technology, b) international cooperation, c) complex logistics, d) genius brains, e) pilot training at a very high level.

Nobody in the world can convince me that all of these attributes are solely owned by bin Laden and his gang.

If so, he would long ago have conquered Northern Caucasia and the Middle East.

By now, all the Muslim countries in these areas would be under the shariah rule of bin Laden.

Israel would have been already wiped out of Middle East!

Neither bin Laden, nor the Taliban have that kind of capacity at any rate.

Even if bin Laden put up his millions of dollars for the cause, without an international cooperation from all over the world including the United States and Europe, and without the planning capacity of the world wide gurus of the new technologies, he could not possibly be successful.

***

2) If we concentrate solely on bin Laden and Afghanistan, we will also miss the new face of the picture.

The day September 11, 2001 has shown to the world that globalism has also her own anti-thesis: i.e. new enemy: new terror!

As globalism is: a) international, b) beyond the state apparatus and c) above national boundaries and as it is shaped by tremendous advancement on technology; so is her anti-thesis!

We are not "at the end of history" but only starting a new epoch in history.

My warning is: If we want to combat the new enemy in the so called third World War with the strategies of the old second World War, we may as well lose the combat.

If we believe that the new enemy has boundaries, is nation-linked (i.e. Afghanistan or else) and fights with orderly strategies; we will make a huge mistake.

The new enemy deserves new strategies as she has international locations and human capital.

***

3) As the countries and the names closely related to the new terror are nearly all from a Muslim culture, it is quite possible some will believe that the new war may be run among the Muslim and the Christian cultures.

It is not possible for the world to make a more serious mistake!

It is a fact that these two fundamental cultures have faced great dichotomies.

In the past; but at the very verge of first time ever possible in history to put them in cooperation, thanks to globalism, we may put them at a very distant position once again.

Then globalism will lose the basis of her spirit which she gained in the last 2,000 years!

***

4) One should not also forget that the root of historical clashes between two civilizations is economic more then anything.

It is the poor Muslims who have put the blame on imperialist Christians for their historical poverty.

Without overcoming the root of the problematic; any attack against the terrorists in the Muslim world will mean another injustice to the civilian Muslims in the eyes of the these very poor people.

***

I am scared that all of these concerns of mine may separate the world from one another once again and we may lose the distance we have gained so far in bringing the civilizations under one umbrella in the era of globalism!

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