The Challenge of Terrorism and War on Terror: Chinese Response

Perceptions about its invincibility: While there is no dispute that the US is the most powerful and technologically advanced country in the present day world, its inability to defeat Taliban, despite all the technological resources, military power, global political influence and economic strength, has raised questions about the actual strength of ‘indomitable’ American forces and the sustainability of its economic power as well .

Institutional strength: The way the US shifted its stance regarding its goals and strategy  in the WoT has made people believe that it has failed in correctly assessing the ground situation and perceiving the amount of resistance it could have faced, in addition to lacking a long term perspective. Moreover inconsistencies in its priorities and lack of coordination in various organs of its system, which have a direct impact on its decision making, have also built up a negative image of the most powerful country in the world.  

The irony of a war is that one may initiate it but cannot continue with the course, one likes. The dynamics of war dictate their own course which may not be ideal for the initiator.  This is also reflected in the case of US-led WoT where the US is continuing with its aggressive strategies despite knowing that it is causing huge damages to its image and credibility. In this regard, it is pertinent to note here what the Subcommittee On International Organizations, Human Rights, And Oversight Of The Us House Committee On Foreign Affairs concluded.  

Discussing its main findings about the levels, trends, and causes of international opinion of American policies, values, and people  the report acknowledges that it is true that in almost all regions of the world “generally positive ratings of US from 1950’s to the year 2000 have moved to generally negative ratings since 2002”. Citing the reasons for the decline it says it has been caused due to the “Opposition of specific U.S. policies, rather than to American values or people” ; in addition it is the Unilateralism – “pattern of ignoring international consensus, particularly in the application of military power”; moreover “disappointment and bitterness arise from the perception that the proclaimed American values of democracy, human rights, tolerance, and the rule of law have been selectively ignored by successive US administrations” which has developed a perception of hypocrisy about America; besides “Interaction with the U.S. immigration and the visa process Particularly with Muslim applicants ”, has also been mentioned as a significant source of dislike for America causing a perception of arrogance about it; and finally, the report states, it’s the perceived war on Islam, “a growing belief in the Muslim world that the United States is using the ‘War on Terror’ as a cover for its attempts to destroy Islam” .   

US Achievements: What exactly is the target and how the success may be defined in this war has remained uncertain and unclear owing to the very nature of this war. There is however little progress towards the stated objectives of initiating the war; nevertheless we are discussing here the accomplishments (if any) of this war from the US perspective.  

The ‘repressive’ regimes in Iraq and Afghanistan have been overthrown with the establishment of new governments therein, and the two countries have been introduced with new constitutions and the process of elections. Some developmental work has also been done in Iraq and Afghanistan. About 6 million children (including girls) are now being educated in educational institutions in Afghanistan. Numerous private universities have been established while some progress can be seen regarding civic facilities and infrastructure as well. In addition, thousands of small and medium level businesses have been started in the stretches of Afghanistan. However the war is still going on in Afghanistan and no immediate signs of stability can be spotted there at present. In Iraq, though the situation apparently seems relatively smooth and calm, 43,000 American soldiers are still posted  and Iraqi communities are more segregated today than before in terms of ethnicity, as a result of the war.

From the US perspective, its presence in strategically important areas and its success in legitimizing the extended role and scope of NATO can be counted another accomplishment. In addition, since Osama Bin Laden (and a good part of Al-Qaeda leadership) is believed to have been killed, it is hoped that Al-Qaida will grow weaker with time, which is, no doubt, a major achievement for US.

An important element in today’s war strategies is to ensure a constant influence on the public opinion and opinion makers. Media is the most important tool in this regard. The US and allies are quite resourceful in this area and have further invested huge resources in it as part of the WoT. Their success in this regard is quite satisfying in the sense that they have been able to, by and large, control the agenda setting and the narratives in both the media and the intellectual circles.  Nevertheless, two factors have overshadowed this success: first, facts cannot be hidden forever and media has to come up with some truth for the sake of its own credibility; and second, the technological development in this area has given ample opportunities to the other party as well, to present its views on the proceedings.  

The above analysis of the US costs and its achievements in the WoT suggests that it has not been successful in eliminating terrorism or even terrorists i.e Al-Qaeda and Taliban. Despite the killings of several Al-Qaeda leaders, it is difficult to consider that Al-Qaeda has lost whatever influence it used to have; on the contrary, it has become an ideology which attracts all those who are frustrated with the present global order and are not satisfied with their own rulers. In fact from Afghanistan, they have dispersed to many other places. Taliban are also now much stronger than what they were in 2001 while an image of a national resistance against foreign occupational forces and so-called collateral damage has only increased their strength on ground; whereas America, though still the most powerful country of the world, has lost a lot in terms of its credibility and image and has paid huge human, economic, social and political price which has certainly impacted its role as a global leader. And though we have not discussed the costs paid by US allies in the war, they have their own share in losing the image and credibility along with America.