The war in Iraq and international terrorism
Name: Zhang Jinfeng Student ID：S07355
Research paper supervisor:Dr.Seku Conde
Minzu University of China
2007-2008 Academic Year
【Abstract】The United States claims that in order to fight against terrorism, it launched the war in Iraq. Was the Iraq war to eliminate international terrorism, or aggravated international terrorism? This article begin from the links between the war in Iraq and international terrorism, summed up the new traits of the international terrorism after the war in Iraq,and analysed the reasons for its spread and how to eliminate the root of international terrorism. In the current complicated international situation, to look into this problem is of great significance of safeguarding China's own strategic interests
【Keywords】The war in Iraq;international terrorism; Al-Qaida
The United States claims that there are two main reasons to start the war against Iraq: First, Iraq had weapons of mass destruction;Second,Iraq has relation with the Al-Qaeda. At the same time, the United States claimed that the war in Iraq would make the world become "More security." However, as soon as the end of the war in Iraq, terrorism on the back.And to make a comeback. Iraq war not only failed to make the United States to achieve the anti-terrorism, but also actually trigger a new wave of terrorist attacks, Iraq has therefore, become “paradise”of International terrorism
一、Iraq war led to the proliberation of international terrorism
（一）The war in Iraq offered a rare opportunity to the development of strong international terrorism forces.
In the war in Afghanistan, althrough being hit, "Al Qaeda" has not been eliminated, its members has scattered, waiting for opportunities to come back.The United States launched the Iraq war rashly, therefore, provide a rare opportunity for the "Al Qaeda" to revive. First, the Iraq war forced the United States transferred armed forces from Afghanistan, so as to reduce the the pressure on al-Qaida to recuperate, development and growth. Second, the Iraq war further intensified the Arabica Peter's anti-US sentiment, and this has increased the development and expansion of an endless stream of soldiers. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said: "The Iraq war will produce one hundred bin Laden."[1]During the Iraq war, tens of thousands extremists volunteers go to Iraq to resist US-British coalition forces, with Samoa Dam (Saddam Hussein) regime and cofrontation community of people because of dissatisfaction and hatred, together form the fertile soil which international terrorist forces could take root in. After the fall of Saddam Hussein, the situation in Iraq was so complicated that it failed to fill the power vacuum and create a social order in the chaos. These has provided very good opportunities for terrorist penetrate Iraq. After the war, hundreds of professionally trained terrorists from Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and other places sneak into Iraq to launch new terrorist attacks. Again, taking the opportunity of the act that the United States get into the quagmire of Iraq and so has no time for other things in the World, "Al Qaeda" transfer and filter into other regions, and there are plans to "plant cells"secretly, thus further increase empowerment in a larger area. According to the U.S. intelligence community, "Al Qaeda" has infiltrated into Saudi territory and developped many "hidden organization".Moreover, it has its own spys in the elite Saudi National Guard, Navy and land army. At present, "Al Qaeda" spread into more than sixty countries around the world.[2] At the same time, "Al Qaeda" has also completed its organization as a whole, transfered from the original "centralized model" into a relatively decentralized "free model", The organization distributed more subtly. " Al Qaeda "has revived, still has a strong terrorist network.
(二)、The war in Iraq incited the Muslims hate the United States, hasten the birth of a new wave of terrorist attacks.
Soon after the war, terrorist attacks against the United States and its allies continue one after another. The high frequency of such attacks and the extent of casualties is unprecedented compared with other places and other times. First of all, attacks against the United States exists almost every day, there are about two people died each day in the U.S. military averagely.[3] After Saddam Hussein was Arrested, the attacks against U.S. forces has not decreased. These terrorist attacks are the strong response of the terrorist forces, Saddam Hussein and the remnants of the Iraqi national forces which led by "Al Qaeda".
二、The characteristics of international terrorism after the war in Iraq
(一)、Expansion of terrorist activities
In fact, terrorism has existed for thousands of years. But after the war in Iraq, the organizational form of terrorist activities have a profound change. Compared to the past, the U.S. counter-terrorism strategy has promoted the expansion of terrorist activities, the terrorist activities are against the United States primely before and has now expanded to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Japan, South Korea, and other pro-US countries. In other words, the target of terrorist attacks choose Westerners, Israelis and the pro-US countries as the main goal, not only limited to the Americans. It simplified that international terrorism is being opened up "the new battlefield" of terrorist attacks when it extend terrorist attacks to these countries.[4] As the United States and Britain and other European countries have strengthened anti-terrorism measures, has increased the difficulty of terrorist attacks, the U.S. and British allies actively participate in Iraq's post-war related issues. This contributed to "Al Qaeda" change its attack strategy, seized ally of the United States to start. According to the latest goals and targets of terrorist attacks of "Al Qaeda", the focus has shifted out of the allies of the United States and Britain to destroy the circumference of the war. The attack of Italian military police headquarters, the Saudi bombings, Istanbul bombing, the Madrid train station bombings in Riyadh and the Saudi General Security explosions are obvious examples.
(二)The complexity and diversity of terrorist activities.
Like the SARS virus, terrorist activities showing a more "complicated and diverse" character more and more. First, the terrorist attacks after the war in Iraq showed that "Al Qaeda" has taken a new attack strategy, that is, " decentralized attack," rely more on local organizations for more targets on terrorist attacks. These terrorists are likely to belong to some branches of "Al Qaeda". But now, "Al Qaeda" move more and more quickly, the time required to attack become less and less, the top organizations are relyed on weaker and weaker. Everywhere, there are extremist organizations engaging in terrorist activities under the banner of "Al Qaeda". Second, in the past, to achieve certain political and economic purposes, the terrorists often use assassinations, hijackings, bombings and other incidents of extreme means to carry out sabotage and revenge and blackmail, lead to terrorist deterrent which can not eliminate easily in relevant countries and regions. After the war in Iraq, the threat of terrorism is in wide variety, first, the attackers frequently use a series of bombings to attack two or more goals in the incident at the same time, this is relatively rare in the past. The second is to spread false terrorist information. Third, it is no longer use truck bomb attack, but the smaller backpack bombs.[5] In Madrid, the attackers only used ten bombs in backpack, but made more than 1,700 casualties.[6] Using carrying weapons which are easily escape from inspections, the terrorists achieve the effect as the large-scale attack. Forth, the terrorists has not attack directly to the U.S military as before, they arrest civil persons of pro-US state as hostages in order to coerce their troops, to arouse domestic demand of withdraw troops.
(三)、Politicalize of the terrorist activities
If we say that "9·11" incident showed a barbaric, religious fanaticism of the anti-Americanism, then a series of terrorist action after the war in Iraq is clearly has a very strong political purposes. First, the terrorists choose the Palestinian-Israeli issue as a starting point, select Saudi Arabia and Turkey to launch series of terrorist bombings. This action illustrate That international terrorists want to warn the "moderates" of the Arab countries and contain these countries accept the Middle East peace "road map" on the issue of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the problem of the Middle East peace. It is also to instigate these countries in the anti-US sentiment, to prevent them come too close with the United States, otherwise they will get the same fate as the U.S. "Al Qaeda" is very concerned about the Palestinian-Israeli issue, the real reason why bin Laden hate the United States is that the United States has been biased toward Israel in the Palestinian-Israeli issue. If the United States could not resolve the Palestinian-Israeli problem justly, the terrorism can not be eliminated completely. Second, the terrorist make use of terrorist attacks to transform the political power of one country to achieve political success.The Spanish "3 • 11" incident which has evoked enormous repercussions in the world led to crushing defeat of the pro-US government in parliamentary elections which nearly win the general election and lead to the new government withdraw troops from Iraq, thereby caused many countries to withdraw troops from Iraq. The bombings has not only influenced the political cohesion and other aspects of the democratic [...]
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