Surrendering to Terror; Understanding Our Current Situation
Opinion/Editorial/CommentaryBy C. L. Staten, CEO and Senior Analyst, Emergency Response & Research Institute
"Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it." - George Santayana, A Life of Reason, Book One: Reason & Common Sense, 1916
Waffling, wavering, withdrawal, or appeasement -- all in response to terrorism...the sentiment has any number of names and only one inevitable conclusion. And, in the opinion of this author, all of them are wrong. The last thing that Western civilization should do at this time in history is to display any sign of weakness or fear. To do so is exactly what Al-Qaeda and others of their ilk desire and are working very hard to achieve.
We have seen this problem before, particularly just before World War Two. Although the enemies are very different, history will show that the intent and effect may be very similar. For those of you who remember your history in order to put current events in perspective, the implications of attitudes toward terrorism in parts of Europe are all to familiar. One only needs to return to the history of 1938 and Neville Chamberlain's appeasement of Adolf Hitler which culminated in the "Munich Pact" of 1938. Essentially, and in summary, at that meeting both England and France quickly surrendered to Hitler's demands, and an agreement was signed on Sept. 30,1938 that permitted immediate occupation by Germany of the Sudetenland. (1)
For a more recent and telling example of "capitulation to terrorism," and one that has had a profound effect on the mindset of both the jihadists and the current state of terrorism, one must study Task Force Ranger and the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia (now commonly called "Blackhawk Down"). (2)(3) The outcome of that battle, and the subsequent withdrawal of U.S. forces from Somalia, is believed to be among the important roots of our current world situation.
No less a personage that Usama Bin Laden himself has been quoted as saying that the United States' failed 1993 mission in Somalia was an important example of how Al-Qaeda could defeat the United States. In a Oct 21, 2001 statement that was transmitted to the Arabic-language Al-Jazeera network and later shown on the Cable News Network (CNN), Bin Laden said, ""Our brothers with Somali mujahedeen and God's power fought the Americans. God granted them victory. America exited dragging its tails in failure, defeat, and ruin." (4)
Furthermore, Bin Laden's own words from a 1996 fatwa speak very clearly about the impact in his mind about the street-battle and subsequent withdrawal from Somalia: "But your most disgraceful case was in Somalia; where- after vigorous propaganda about the power of the USA and its post cold war leadership of the new world order- you moved tens of thousands of international force, including twenty eight thousand American solders into Somalia. However, when tens of your solders were killed in minor battles and one American Pilot was dragged in the streets of Mogadishu you left the area carrying disappointment, humiliation, defeat and your dead with you. Clinton appeared in front of the whole world threatening and promising revenge, but these threats were merely a preparation for withdrawal. You have been disgraced by Allah and you withdrew; the extent of your impotence and weaknesses became very clear. It was a pleasure for the "heart" of every Muslim and a remedy to the "chests" of believing nations to see you defeated in the three Islamic cities of Beirut , Aden and Mogadishu." (5) (6)
Whether or not Bin Laden's people actually participated in the ambush and assault on U.S. troopers and helicopters in remains open to some question, although it has been hypothesized by several sources that the situation in Mogadishu may have actually been a trap laid out by Al-Qaeda operatives. (7) But, regardless of whether or not Al-Qaeda operatives engineered the victory in, the response of the United States government played into their hand and convinced Bin Laden that Americans could be intimidated to undertake changes in policy by relatively small scale terrorist events.
Finally, that brings us to try to understand the latest notable terrorist atrocity, this time in in Madrid, Spain, On 11 Mar 2004, multiple bomb blasts engulfed the Madrid transit system, claimed the lives of more than 200 people and wounded more than 1,000 others (8). The attacks were undertaken only days before a major election that was to decide the leadership of Spain for years to come.
It increasingly appears as though our allies in Spain did not learn the necessary lessons from either World War II or the peacekeeping mission in Somalia. Instead, their electorate chose to oust the party of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and reject his decision to take part in the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq.
Almost immediately following his election, Socialist Prime Minister-elect Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero dramatically reversed course about Spanish participation in the "War on Terror" as he announced that he would order Spanish forces to withdraw from Iraq. In effect, Zapatero gave both Al-Qaeda and ETA a major psychological victory in the war on terror. Worse, they loudly told terrorists that coercion, terrorism, and intimidation work. Our present assessment would suggest that the electoral results in Spain and Mr. Zapatero's statements will only encourage further attempts to use violence to influence the political process in any number of countries.
It is obvious that some of our friends in Europe and Asia believe that the answer to transnational terrorism is negotiation and somehow gaining a "diplomatic understanding" with the insurgents. Furthermore, some undoubtedly think that they can prevent an atrocity in their country by simply avoiding confrontation with the jihadists. Others, engaging in some sort of misguided "political correctness," either in rhetoric or practice, continue to try to differentiate between "terrorists" and "freedom fighters," instead of focusing on combating those who kill innocents. In any case, we must respectfully suggest that those who advocate any sort of appeasement or negotiation with terrorists are sadly mistaken. History has shown us the folly of this strategy time and time again.
The democracies and enemies of the terrorists can not allow these sort of events to happen again. We must stand resolved to battle the scourge of extremism and terrorism in all of its forms. We must battle the forces that would undertake attacks on innocent civilians, wherever they may occur. We must counter the propaganda that poisons the minds of those who might assist us in this war. And, we must undertake the necessary programs to undermine the motivations of terrorism and sustain our allies in this battle. To do otherwise is to engage in irrational thinking and will only result in more terrible events like Madrid and more unnecessary deaths of innocents. Collectively, the world must not allow that to happen.
References:
(1) "Munich Pact September 29, 1938," An Electronic Publication of the Avalon Project - William C. Fray and Lisa A. Spar, Co-Directors, Copyright 1996 The Avalon Project, Can be found on-line at: http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/imt/munich1.htm
(2) Urban Warfare Considerations; Understanding and Combating Irregular and Guerilla Forces During A "Conventional War" In Iraq, 29 March 2003, by Staten, C. L., ERRI. Can be found on the internet at: http://www.emergency.com/2003/urban_warfare_considerations.htm
(3) (1999). "Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War." By Bowden, Mark, Atlantic Monthly Press. This is probably the most comprehensive account of the Battle of Mogadishu as it is presently known.
(4) "Bin Laden Defiant In October Interview," Bin Laden's first broadcast interview after Sept. 11, 2001, Reuters News Service, 01 Feb 2002
(5) "Declaration of War against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places." The translated text is a fatwa, or declaration of war, by Osama bin Laden first published in Al Quds Al Arabi, a London-based newspaper, in August, 1996.
(6) "ERRI Terrorist Group Profile-Special Report-Usamah Bin Mohammad Bin Laden (Osama bin-Laden), June 30, 1998, by Zakis, Jeremy, available on the internet at: http://www.emergency.com/bldn0798.htm
(7) "Bin Laden Tied to Mogadishu Massacre," DEBKA-Net-Weekly and WorldNetDaily.com, Thursday
20 September, 2001. Can be found on the internet at: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=24595
(8) "Series of "Real-Time" Reports Concerning Multiple Train Bombings in Madrid, Spain," 11 March 2004, can be found on the internet at: http://www.emergency.com/2004/Madrid_bmb031104.htm