Cooperation and fairer global development to wipe out terrorism needed
It was a blast again. It was very likely terrorism- linked again. It was a European country again.
The dozens of casualties in Manchester Arena, mostly young audience members, require more than rage, tears and even condemnation. They deserve global serious reflection on why the Westdominated anti- terrorism regime has so far failed to halt the bloodletting, not to mention eradicating it once and for all.
In the name of justice and peacemaking, Washington and its allies have in recent decades seen their counter- terrorism strategies in the Middle East and beyond go under one after another.
Some have even backfired. Brutal attacks against innocent civilians in the region have stacked up, humanitarian crisis of refugees has spilled over and new political leaders of the West may find the tricky problems they inherited, such as the hostility against their countries, have sizzled on, if not grown.
In his high- profile speech in Saudi Arabia, US President Donald Trump depicted the fight against terrorism as a battle between “good and evil,” urging Arab leaders to do their fair share to “drive out” terrorism from their countries.
That is an easy reminder of the speech given by Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama in June 2009, when he also vowed to reset America’s relations with the Arab world. But as all have observed, he failed.
The top priority of the West is more than to dismantle their obsolete discriminatory counter- terrorism policy; it should consider updating its terrorism criteria, and expand its partner list to even those nations it has felt reluctant to approach.
The alarming brutality of terrorism has become a global consensus. No one would reject the blistering rhetoric against it. However, the colossal division of countries’ opinions on the root cause of terrorism and means to spurn it has so far crippled much international efforts.
It has never been too much to highlight the importance of a fairer global political and economic order. The lopsided development in different parts of the world due to the current unjust arrangement after the Cold War has invited despair and hatred, breeding nothing but fundamentalism and paranoia.
For its part, China has always stood on the righteous side with the victims of terrorism, and been ready to work with the West and beyond to promote common development in the community of shared future for all mankind, economically and politically.
Like all their recent predecessors that intended to reshape the global security landscape, Trump and other new leaders in the West now appear to be equally ambitious.
Yet, ambitions without caution could mean more violence and further bloodshed, a lesson they need to draw in the anti- terrorism doctrine of their own brand that is still in the making.