Military

DATE=October 29, 2001

TYPE=Dateline

NUMBER=7-35501

TITLE=Root Causes of Terrorism Revisited: A Critical Arab Perspective

BYLINE=Carol Castiel

TELEPHONE=619-0702

DATELINE=Washington

EDITOR=Neal Lavon

CONTENT=

INTRO: Since the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, a flurry of articles has appeared on the root causes of terrorism. Some analysts say U.S. foreign policy, particularly towards the Middle East, is partly responsible for provoking the terror attacks. In this edition of Dateline, Carol Castiel speaks to Arab analysts about "homegrown" causes of terrorism----ones that have as much to do with shortcomings in many Arab nations as they do with external factors such as U.S. foreign policy.

CC: Analysts cite numerous factors that have contributed to anti-American sentiment emanating from the Middle East. Chief among them are the presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia, the perceived U.S. bias toward Israel, the impact of U.S. sanctions on the predominantly Muslim populations of Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, as well as America's support for what are considered repressive, corrupt regimes. Such policies have enraged disgruntled masses in the region. Osama Bin Laden himself has cynically capitalized on many of these same arguments to defend the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Most world leaders have rejected this rationale outright. Even those who disagree with aspects of U.S. foreign policy say that nothing can justify the September 11th attacks on U.S. soil. However, the viewpoint that condemns the attack but implies that America is somehow responsible for the anger behind it has resonated with a broad spectrum of Muslims and Arabs.

Hisham Melhem, Washington correspondent for the Lebanese newspaper, A-Safir, says Arab reactions to the September 11th attacks ranged from outright condemnation to the belief in conspiracy theories.

TAPE: CUT #1 HISHAM MELHEM 1:04

"You have on the one hand those genuine supportive statements, condolences without any qualifications that reflected the horror that some felt in the region. You have on the other extreme, those views expressed by a few columnists and opinion makers who did not want to believe that Arabs and or Muslims could do such a horrendous thing and it's these people who engaged in the belief of certain outlandish, outrageous, surreal conspiracies such as right wing militias avenging the execution of Timothy McVeigh, the Mossad, the CIA, disgruntled security or intelligence operatives in the United States. So, with this category of people, there is a degree of denial. Most of the people reacted yes this is horrible but, maybe the United States will review its policies in the regions. Yes let's combat terrorism, but first let's define terrorism. So, you have this yes, but, and then there is some sort of qualification after that. So, the majority of people were in that category probably."

CC: But, Mr. Melhem says it is too simplistic to blame the United States or the Western world for the ills that afflict the region. He says Arab and Muslim regimes must also bear responsibility for their own systemic failures.

TAPE: CUT #2 HISHAM MELHEM :45

"Definitely there are other reasons for this ferment that we see in the Arab and the Muslim world from Central Asia to Pakistan to Sudan-- things that are not related in one way shape or form to the Arab-Israeli conflict or to the West, but related to the failure of the existing regimes of these countries in terms of delivering the basics to their own peoplein terms of basic human rights, basic civil rights, basic economic development, good education, and a promise of a better future. There is a tremendous failure in this area and I think you hear voices--intellectuals, academicians, journalists and some religious people telling their particular regimes that you are responsible in part, at least, for this sad state of affairs."

CC: In an interview last week with an Egyptian magazine, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak said if the issue of the Palestinians could be resolved, terrorists would have no more justification to practice violence. Hisham Melhem rejects the notion that a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would in and of itself eradicate the roots of terrorism.

TAPE: CUT #3 HISHAM MELHEM :20

"I would argue that a fair just, comprehensive resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict, particularly the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, will go a long way in reducing violence in the Middle East, but definitely this in and of itself will not be a panacea that will put an end to all political violence or terrorism in the Middle East or any part of the world for that matter."

CC: However, for many regimes in the Arab world, blaming external factors such as U.S. policy toward the Middle East deflects criticism from their own internal shortcomings. Asaad AbuKhalil is Professor of Political Science at California State University at Stanislaus, and author of Bin Laden and Taleban: The New American War Against Terrorism.

TAPE: CUT #4 ASAAD ABUKHALIL :60

"There is no question there are factors in the Arab world that are responsible. We can say in general there is deep dissatisfaction among Arabs regarding their lives---there's misery, there's unhappiness, there's frustration that is prevailing throughout the streets of North Africa and the rest of the Middle East. People are quite unhappy. They're economically desperate and they are politically impotent. And you have governments that are seen as justifiably spending exorbitant amounts of money on defense which basically means keeping themselves in power in their own throne and they basically do not have the capacity or the desire to satisfy the genuine demands for openness of the system and for finding solutions for the acute problems that people face in those societies. In addition to that, there's no question, we should say that the Saudi royal family is responsible for the exportation of a particular brand of conservative, exclusivist, extreme brand of Islamic fundamentalism from the ranks of which came out somebody like Bin Laden and to an extent the Taleban themselves."

CC: It is no secret that the Saudi regime has tolerated harsh Islamist movements, was a major funder of the Taliban, and turned a blind eye at indirect fund-raising for Osama Bin Laden as a way of currying favor with its hard-line Islamist critics. Again, Hisham Melhem.

TAPE: CUT #5 HISHAM MELHAM 1:07

"Even regimes can be intimidated by the Islamist opposition in their own societies and this could be the case maybe in Saudi Arabia or even in Egypt. But, I think most people are reacting in the following way. They are saying to the United States, we are not with you, but we are not also with terror. That is their way of answering President Bush's stark choice when he told the rest of the world you are either with the United States or you are with terror. And, by saying we are not with you and not with terrorism, they are trying to find a third, safer place for them. ///opt/// And, they are saying this is a Manichean view of the world similar to Osama Bin Laden's Manichean view of the world---that you have evil and good in a never-ending struggle. But they are saying it this not as simplistic as you are saying. We don't want to give you that kind of carte blanche because you'll probably use that against groups that we don't consider terrorist like maybe Hezbollah or Hamas or other organizations that are fighting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. That in part at least explains the reluctance of some people in not endorsing the American view wholeheartedly."

CC: However, Mouafic Harb, Washington correspondent for the London-based pan Arab newspaper Al Hayat says Arab governments will have to boldly choose sides. He says their regimes have been and will continue to be targets for Osama Bin Laden and political Islamists. Mr. Harb says that rather than pander to the so-called "street," Arab leaders should take the lead in exposing Osama Bin Laden's real motives which have less to do with helping the Palestinians and Muslims around the world, and more to do with attaining power.

TAPE: HARB CUT #6, :37

"Governments in the Arab world should take the lead and responsible organizations should take the lead and say by condemning what happened in New York you are not forgetting the Palestinian problem, but they are not linked to each other. Maybe Bin Laden and the Bin Ladenites might take advantage of this situation and use it to indoctrinate and recruit people to join their organization, but they are not linked. This is a message that should be stressed by Arab leaders to their interest not only to help the United States. They should find a way to explain to their masses that joining the United States in this is in the interest of the Arab world and I think this is what is missing at the moment."

CC: Mr. Harb says in the long run, continued equivocation will only weaken already fragile Arab regimes.

TAPE: HARB CUT # 7 :19

"They're caught in the middle---they have to choose very soon because if you don't join the coalition, it means that Bin Laden or people like Bin Laden might gain ground in their street and it's a matter of time before they get replaced and so they don't have all the time in the world to make those decisions. Yes, there is some element of fear and they're still trying to see where they should go."

CC: To be sure, in tackling the roots of terrorism, America must critically re-examine its foreign policy, particularly towards the Middle East. But the Arab world may also have to look inward and decide whether to accept responsibility for the restlessness and dissatisfaction that have led so many to sympathize with, if not follow, radical Islamic elements in their midst. For Dateline, I'm Carol Castiel.