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Sober truths on terrorism

At a time when the Western call for an all out war against terrorism is winning an increasing number of supporters from almost all sections of the international community, we are reminded by President Kumaratunga of the complex and multi-dimensional nature of the phenomenon of political terrorism. In a timely speech made on the occasion of a commemorative meeting held to mark the first death anniversary of the late Minister and founder of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, M. H. M. Ashraff, at the BMICH on Sunday, the President said that it was just not enough to hunt down terrorists but to also understand the deep-rooted causes which lead to terrorism. "Violence certainly will not be the answer but dialogue and mutual reconciliation may be the answer," the President explained while elaborating on the means of wiping out terrorism.

Seen against the backdrop of the current moves to form a worldwide alliance to battle terrorism, mainly by military means, these views by the Lankan President are both timely and corrective in nature. Certainly, deeply-entrenched political terrorism calls for a military response. It is the conviction that the military option would not work in the face of principled and hardened resistance by the forces of law and law which contributes towards bringing militant organisations to the negotiating table. However, unless and until the main grievances of the rebels are resolved through a political solution, these disaffected groups will remain committed to the path of violence. In short, there is unlikely to be peace, nationally and internationally, until governments redress the grievances of disaffected groups by peaceful means. The military response, therefore, is only a means to resolving the conflict and not an end in itself.

At this juncture when a section of the international community has declared war on terrorism, it is important to remember these crucial points. A purely armed response to terror would only deepen current differences among political players of the world stage, for, military action usually breeds bitterness among antagonists to a conflict.

President Kumaratunga also did right to point out the economic dimension to global terrorism. Deepening economic differences among countries and within them, in the wake of globalisation in particular, give rise to discontent and resentment which usually spur civil wars and conflicts. Economic grievances very often spur the poor and the youth to the path of militancy.

Thus terrorism is no simple phenomenon. It calls for a multi-pronged response which has to be worked out on different tracks. Constitutional change is one of these. This is one of the reasons why the Lankan Government has been seeking to engage the LTTE in negotiations aimed at ending the ethnic conflict. Striking at the root causes of the ethnic conflict is one of the most effective means of resolving it.

• Editorial of  The Observer - 17.9.2001:
  America's acid test
  

• Voice of the Sinhala and Tamil Media
  Editorials from Sinhala and Tamil Newspapers
  of 17.9.2001

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