Welcome call for global effort

The call made by President Mahinda Rajapaksa for a joint international effort to deal with global terrorism would no doubt add to the growing voices demanding such collective action particularly those countries who have been lain seige by the phenomenon of terrorism.

There have been cries for such joint action before in the wake of major terrorist strikes but certain countries are yet fighting shy of setting up the necessary institutional structures to deal with the problem in more concrete terms.

For instance there are still countries where the LTTE is a banned organisation where funds are collected for the Tiger war chest. There are even lawmakers who attend LTTE fund raising events in the open which all negate any serious effort made to jointly tackle the scourge of terrorism.

We hope the President’s appeal would elicit a positive response and a concerted effort would be made across the board to view the issue in a more pragmatic light. As a leader of a country which had bore the brunt of terrorism for over three decades the President’s call would no doubt find resonance with others that are beset with same problem.

In an interview with New India Express the President said “terrorism is an international phenomenon and it has to be curbed collectively.......Every country should be free to defend itself against terrorism whenever it comes from whatever its manifestation.”

The identical sentiments were expressed by Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh addressing the Lok Sabha in the wake of the devastating Mumbai attack.

Said the Indian Premier” We have to galvanise the international community into dealing sternly and effectively with the epicentre terrorism.......The infrastructure of terrorism has to be dismantled.”

The importance of tackling international terrorism as a joint project has never been more underlined than at present when the phenomenon has assumed global dimensions making inroads into nations and regions hitherto spared the spectre of terrorism.

A wave of anti Muslim sentiment is also still prevalent in India following the Mumbai attacks which led to the cancelation of sporting and cultural events between India and Pakistan. Therefore the damage that can be caused by terrorism to regional and international peace cannot be overemphasised.

It is in the interest of terrorist handlers to create animosity and friction among people and communities and between nations, with sinister designs. This was no more clearly demonstrated than in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks when all the careful efforts and diplomacy to heal the rift between the Indo-Pakistani relations went up in smoke.

Therefore it is incumbent on all democratic States which value pluralism to redouble their efforts to eradicate this menace that is threatening to divide people and nations by sowing the seeds of suspicion and discord as was clearly evident post Mumbai.

Unlike in the past today international terrorism has a different mission outside the scope of religious or ideological objectives. Its aims have bow shifted from fighting on sectarian issues to destabilising states and their economies.

There are today evil forces who manipulate terrorism to secure geopolitical advantages and also bargaining clout. It is up to those countries who value global peace to identify this modus operandi and tackle the issue at the core.

Today terrorism has been the single issue that has pit nations against each other to war. It is therefore important that the true motive of terrorists are understood and the challenge met from that stand point. It is in this context that the collective effort as spelled out by both Lankan and Indian leaders should be pursued with vigour. Fighting terrorism with guns alone will not suffice. International terrorism has today made deep inroads into the legitimate structures of states and operate with freedom.

Hence the need for identifying and isolating terrorist outfits through dismantling their networks and bringing in stringent laws to deal with those who aid and abet their macabre cause. There can be no half measures in this regard. The monster of terrorism is growing in scale and power and has spread its tentacles far and wide.

Commitments made by states to defeat terrorism should be translated into words. If this context it encouraging to note a combined international effort that is currently being waged to tackle piracy off the coast of Somalia with to several nation sending their worships to ensure safe passage for merchandise ships.

No doubt it is such joint action that would act as a deterrent against the further spread of terrorism. It is this collective responsibility that was lacking in the past in spite of the various pronouncements made at International Anti- terrorism fora by state actors- that has given room for terrorism to multiply and expand into a global phenomenon.

The unfolding developments should galvanise powerful nations to take more concrete steps to tackle international terrorism that has grown into a monolith to challenge nations and their existence. Above all what is needed is a well strategised combined effort to rid the world of this malignant cancer that is causing much bloodshed and misery to peoples and nations.