Dr Sudhanshu Tripathi
With large scale decentralisation of Al-Qaeda global network in recent months, the US, once again,has become vulnerable to the escalating threat of home-grown terror, called “lone-wolves” within the country, and also the world over,despite having successfully eliminated many hard core terrorists and their hide-outs. But it (America) has not yet overcome the most-bitter hatred that the terrorists nurture against it as their “enemy number one”, because of its long practised policy of intervention, neo-imperialism, hegemony, and dominance in differentregions of the world, which itmust immediately shun for its own peace and security and also of the whole world, as well.
Although the US’ on-going war against terrorism has eliminated severaldreaded terrorists including Osama bin-Laden and Bait-ullahMehsud,before and afterthe 9/11 terror attack over it, yet this war is still far from over in America, what to speak about it in other parts of the world.In fact, the fears pertaining to fool proof security of the country and other important centresare a major challenge for it as the Al-Qaeda ideology is again fuelling home-grown terrorists, often referred to as “lone-wolves” in the USA. The US policy makers and their law enforcing agencies (LEA) are worried with the pace of decentralisation of the Al-Qaeda global network,which has led to the emergence of many potent terror groups in the last two years in various parts of the world, besides inspiring”home-grown terrorists” in America.In fact, these terrorist are said to be seriously engagedin planning possible terror attacks in the US,so as toretaliate the continuous killings of several of their prominent leadersin drone attacks by the US, in and around Afghanistan. In fact, such drone attacks in the recent months have proved to be the most disastrous and devastating for them (terrorists), who are, perhaps, running from pillar to post in search of safe havens for their survival. Hence, to reverse this on-going drone attacksand such other onslaughts upon them and also to demoralise the US, besides their retaliation, they wish to teach a lesson to the US.
It is in this context, the continuous outpouring of several splinter groups of Al-Qaeda have aroused serious security concerns among the American police and experts in prevention of terrorism, as these groups have gained greater autonomy to carry out their attacks in the US wherever possible, since “the Al-Qaeda shifted its base from the Afghanistan-Pakistan border,” to Yemen, Syria, Iraq and other countries in North Africa and Asia. These splinter groups are not the only challenge in the US, but such other groups (operating in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India) like the Haqqani Network, Teherik-e-Taliban Pakistan and Lashker-eTaiba (LeT) are also active in the country, and they need to be immediately eliminated. In fact, these are the offshoots of different regional conflicts over which the US is very much concerned and is busy in devising mechanisms to prevent such terror attacks. Though LEA officers and think tank functionaries believe that these offshoots of Al-Qaeda no longer have capabilities to carry out 9/11 type spectacular attacks, their major concern is home-grown terrorists or the “lone wolves” who through their amateurish ways are trying to carry out attacks against American interests, like the Boston marathon bombings and Fort Hood (Texas) cantonment attack. These terror groups are “difficult to be located and are the biggest challenge today for intelligence and LEA officials” said a senior Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). The US hadto bear the brunt of 43 terror attacks since 9/11, of which majority were inspired by the Al-Qaeda’s ideology and philosophy. Though only three such attempts were successful, almost all, except for the failed Times Square bombing attempt to New York by a Pakistani-American, were by home-grown terrorists who were not sent by Al-Qaeda or its affiliates to carry out attacks, said Brian Michael Jenkins, a senior advisor to President of Santa Monica,a California based RAND Corporation that works closely with the US policy makers and the US army.
Against this backdrop, the pertinent question arises here is that why the menace of terrorismis not over in the US? It is, indeed, so due to its long practised policy of undue intervention into different regional conflicts in the World, particularly the Middle East and West Asia, during Cold War yearsimmediately after the second World War,with a view to check the erstwhile USSR’s spreading sphere of influence into the region, and also in other parts of the world. Another motive for both USA and USSR was to protect their economic and commercial interests,particularly in this region, which is rich in oil and natural gas.And that resulted intofierce rivalry between them whichdestroyed the peace, security and economic prosperity of the member countries in the region.Their undue involvement and long presence in the region through their armies and armaments resulted into bitter reactions against them in the form of terrorism and such other acts of brutal and heinous violence. And that is going on because most of the Muslim fundamentalists consider the US as their enemy number one. Almost in the same way, the successor Russia is also suffering from this menace.
And the more the US resorts to their (terrorists) repression or suppressionand elimination through its campaigns like Operation Desert Strom or Enduring Freedom or drone attacks, the more they react by their brutal ever methods possible. The growth and rise of ‘lone wolves’ or the home-grown terror in the US is mostly due to their (terrorist)bitter hatred towards it and its unjustpolicies. Now, the US must give up its policy of intervention, neo-imperialism, hegemony and dominance for sake of the peace and security ofnot only its own but also that of the whole world,in the true spirit of the Peace Treaty of Westphalia of 1648, which stands for sovereign equality of nation-states in international relations,and is also enshrined in the Charter of League of Nations as well as that of the United Nations. In fact, this principle of international behaviour by sovereign states will, ultimately, remove the hierarchical positioning of nation-states and will also lead to harmonious and peaceful relations among them in the larger interest of peace, security and stability in the world, thereby, considerably reducing thescope of terrorism.
(The author is Head & Associate Professor, Political Science, MDPG College, Pratapgarh (UP)
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