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Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Let’s jump the Gun: Lt Gen (retd) Asad Durrani


By: Lt Gen (retd) Asad Durrani

(This is a cross post from The Nation)

Something about this terrorism bit is not making sense. In fact, hardly anything about this latest of our deliriums is making much sense.

Most of us agree that it is the greatest menace of our times, but hardly anyone can describe, let alone define; what is it all about. We may grudgingly concede that it was unlikely to go away unless we removed its “root-causes”. It is unlikely though, that many of us would agree where they were rooted. Even if we did in an odd case, these would be too deeply embedded in history to be rooted out.

There is general agreement, even consensus, that use of force against the terrorists was ineffective, if not out-rightly counter-productive. We still, all of us, go right ahead and crackdown upon them with all our force and fury.

We reiterate, ad nauseam, that we will not let the terrorists dissemble our cherished values of freedom and rule of law. We seem to have no choice but to restrict our freedoms and violate our laws in the name of our scourge. In the process, we have even renounced Jihad, one of our most sacred values.

We all agreed that the terrorism was a global threat and we must therefore face it together. Each country on the other hand, unless arm-twisted or terrorised by another, insists on defining its own threat and working out its own response.

Indeed we all detest terrorism, except when we find it useful: to eliminate our opponents or legitimise illegal regimes, to name but two. In principle, one cannot talk to the terrorists. In practice, we almost always do- in Ireland, in Palestine, in Sri Lanka, in Kashmir, and in our own tribal areas.

Is it any wonder therefore that when we say we were winning against the terrorists, it is but understood that we were losing? In fact, there is no wonder that the terrorists were winning.

Against the “Terrorism al-Afghania al-Islamia al-Qaida”, we all lined up behind the US in its “global war on terror”. In the meantime, this grand coalition is in a state of disarray. America and Europe, the ultimate allies, disagree on the concept as well as on the conduct of war. The Front Line & Major Non-Nato ally, Pakistan, can simply not do enough. And Afghanistan, that brought us all together, has had enough of all of us. There are still reasons to rejoice.

The Middle East, that probably started it all, is praying to Allah for the terrorists’ long life. The late lamented Zarqavi contributed to its oil economy at least as much as Zawahiri to our bubble economy. A more inhuman reason may well be that but for these human bombs the American steamroller might have levelled Syria, Iran’s bravado would have been more muted, and many others, like Pakistan, could have been waiting for their turn to be overhauled. Lately, another of their kind has won our admiration and gratitude. Hezbollah has performed better, both on and off the battlefield, than all the Muslim countries put together.

There may be yet another perhaps the most transcendent of all reasons: these non-state actors may well be our last hope to protect us from the state terrorism.

All “terrorist” movements started with a domestic agenda (even Al-Qaida had initially pleaded for in-house reforms). Unable to contain their disaffection, some of the states chased them across their frontiers- once even sent them to Afghanistan in the hope that they would embrace martyrdom- and bandwagoned with others of their ilk. The terrorists reacted predictably: they networked. Globalisation of terrorism was thus state sponsored. And lest we forget, during the Cold War the two super-states actively encouraged and enflamed discord in the other camp.

And how did these regimes that had pushed their own citizens to desperation and then out of their homeland act thereafter? They perpetuated themselves as the last citadel of defence against “radicalism, extremism and terrorism”; and in the process earned the right to oppress a little more. When that did not help, they made peace overtures to their nemesis. Every time it was the state that violated the terms of the truce. To be fair, it was not entirely the fault of those who sat on top of the heap. That is the way the state system works.

Once they shed their official baggage, the one-time icons of the national security establishment are often found preaching accord and concord. One wonders then; how come they did not make a difference when they were “in the loop”? The honest answer has to be: “because at that time, they spoke the language of the state”.

The state has a large ego. It is concerned more with the “writ of the state” than with the moaning and groaning of its teaming subjects. It has arrogated to itself the exclusive right to use force. The state also has a large vanity. When the force fails to impress the terrorists, it lashes out with greater anger. If an odd one tried to break the vicious cycle, the “system” overrides him. Little wonder that the state is now increasingly seen as the root-cause of terror- another cause that defies uprooting. Mercifully, the worldly laws are overridden by the laws of nature that provide the antidote from the same roots that germinate the disease.

When we forged a worldwide alliance to battle terrorism, by default we created a new global power. It has in the meantime grown into a Frankenstein’s Monster; all set to destroy its creator, the world state order. Now that it seems to be on the winning streak, it is time to switch sides. At the time of the Armageddon, I don’t want to be on the losing side.
(The writer is Former Head of ISI).

7 comments:

  1. THE PICTURE '' A STRANGE CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON''...IS ABOUT A PERSON WHO IS BORN OLD, BUT GETS YOUNGER BY THE DAY . HOW COME WE SEE WISDOM WHEN WE LONGER HAVE THE POWER TO IMPLEMENT ANYTHING, WHICH DAWNS ON US A BIT LATE .WHILE WE HAVE THE MEANS TO ALTER WE SEEM TO RIDE THE CREST AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE CHAOS DOWNHILL.
    IF ONLY PEOPLE WHO MATTER IN THE WORLD, AND THOSE WHO WIELD POWER , WOULD BE BORN LIKE ''BENJAMIN BUTTONS'' , WITH ALL THE WISDOM AND THEN ACHIEVE YOUTH IN A CONVERSE ORDER.
    A CASE IN POINT IS OUR BELOVED , DEFUNCT PRESIDENT, THE RETIRED ''SUPREMO'' , WHO SEEMS TO NOW HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS NOW AFTER MAKING A MESS OF THE COUNTRY WHEN HE WAS INCHARGE.
    INDIVIDUALS QUICKLY COMPREHEND A MISTAKE AND ADJUST . THE STATE POLICIES ARE LIKE MAMMOTHS , WHICH , TAKE AGES TO PAUSE ONCE SET IN MOTION, EVEN AFTER REALIZING THAT THEY HAVE MADE A SRATEGIC MISTAKE, THEY MAY TAKE YEARS TO RECTIFY OR CHANGE
    AS THE GENERAL CORRECTLY OBSERVED , WE CANNOT EVEN ''DEFINE'' TERROR OR TERRORISM .SHALL WE ASK THEN WHETHER , WHEN AN INVIDUAL COMMITS SUICIDE , AND KILLS A NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN PROCESS IS TERIBLE OR THE CRUISE MISSILE , THE TANK ROUNDS , THE 200POUND SHELLS OR THE THE HELLFIRE RELEASED BY A DRONE , WHICH ELIMINATES A SLEEPING FAMILY CAN ALSO BE LABELLED AS ''TERRIBLE ACTS'' , IF NOT ACTS OF ''TERRORISM''
    ITS THE STATE WHICH JUSTIFIES EVERYTHING . ONE MORNING NATONS HAVE WOKEN UP, WHEN A LEGITIMATE WAR IS DECLARED, AND FIND THET ''CULPABLE HOMOCIDE'' IS NOW A NOBLE AND PATRIOTIC ACT , TILL THE STATE DECREES OTHEREWISE .
    AS SUCH CAN WE THEN SAY, THAT WHEN WAR IS WAGED BY THE STATELESS, INDIVIDUAL OR GROUPS OF PEOPLE BANDED TOGETHER , AMOUNT TO ACTS OF TERROR ?
    BUT WHEN THE SAME IS WAGED BY THE STATE, EVEN AS TOTAL WAR , WITH HOLDS BARRED , WITH HORRIFIC CASUALTIES AND RESULTS IS ACCEPTABLE , EVEN AS WORST AS TERRIBLE ACTS OF GENOCIDE, BUT CANNOT BE LABELLED AS TERRORISM , CASES IN POINT RWANDA AND BOSNIA !!
    A TRULY ''SUBLIME'' DIFFERENCE !!

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  2. Interesting comment by Aquarius.I wonder if the Gen is reading & can reply?

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  3. A TRULY "SUBLIME" DIFFERENCE...The sublime and the ridiculous are often so nearly related that it is difficult to distinct them separately. One step above the sublime makes the ridiculous; and one step above the ridiculous makes the sublime again. Dont know what Mr. AQUARIAS is trying to denote with the Author and his the than Boss who striked a deal for safe exit and abondoned us at alter. For sure this state is in shock & Awe, out of that brain dead doctrine of those yankees Doodle dandy Doers..Bunch of real live Nephews of Uncle Sam born on 4th of July..To protect themselves from endangered species they have themselves become the one but are miserably failed..Unless Americans come to realise that they are not stronger in this world because they have Bommbs and Killer Drones,,But they are weaker because of their vulnerability they will never be able to conduct their policy and acceptance for the world at lake success.

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  4. Contemporary philosophical thought written in amazingly lucid prose. Gen Durrani is gifted,indeed. Even for dummies like me, it was easy to see things in clear perspective and think out of the box after reading the article.
    But General, are we not jumping the gun by presuming " the terrorists are winning" and that we better side with them before the Armageddon ? Unless of course you implied that the the state terrorists ARE winning, which they always do.The huge, continuous booty that Uncle Sam and partners ALWAYS get, after creating an illusion of loss and faking defeat in all their wars,is something that they are now addicted to pathologically. They will keep coming back here, and will keep engineering new wars, in order to 'lose' these wars and in the process perpetually keeping their war based economies thriving.On a net, net basis they are the real winners if you think about it.!!!
    Habib

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  5. HOW TIMES CHANGE AND PERHAPS DONT! IMAGINE A GROUP OF PEOPLE IN TIMES OF NATIONAL CRISES,WHEN DAILY A PICKET IS DESTROYED ON THE BORDER , AND PEOPLE GET BLOWN UP, BEHIND THE APPARENTLY PEACEFULL FACADE OF A CITY LIKE LAHORE..... DISCUSS THE NATIONAL CRISES FROM THEIR AIRCONTIONED ROOMS,AND THE CONFINES OF THE VIRTUAL FRAGRANCE OF A CHAT ROOM CALLED ROOM , CALLED ''POUTPOURRIE''.... WHAT DO THEY THINK THEY WILL ACHIEVE ??
    WE MAY NOT REALIZE, BUT WE SEEM TO BE , NO DIFFERENT IN BEHAVIOR,FORM AND SHAPE, FROM THE ARISTOCRACY IN FRANCE , JUST PRIOR TO THE REVOLUTION , WHO WOULD DISCUSS WITH ''SCORN'' THE PATHETIC WHIMPERS, AND ANGER OF THE SUFFERING MASSES , WHCH ONE FINE MORNING , ''METAMORPHOSED'' INTO ONE OF THE MOST BLOODY URBAN UPRISING THE WORLD HAD SEEN .
    FORTUNATELY FOR US, THIS NOT FRANCE , AND CAN NEVER BE , BUT WHAT IS SLOWLY SHAPING UP AROUND US, HAS THE MAKING OF VERY ''INTERESTING TIMES'' IN OUR REGION ..... AND SEEMS TO BE AROUND THE CORNER .
    THE GENERAL HAS USED A WORD TO SIGNIFY THE COMMING TIMES , THE FINAL DAY OF JUDGEMENT AND THE END .WHAT BOTHERS ME MORE IS , THE FACT THAT A PERSON OF HIS STATURE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE LARGER CANVAS ........... FEELS THIS WAY .
    I JUST HOPE THAT THE VIRTUAL FRAGRANCE OF THE OF ''POTPOURRIE"' , DOES NOT COME TO AN ABRUPT END , AND WE FIND OURSELVES IN THE REAL WORLD,... WHICH WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO EVEN .......RELATE TO OR RECOGNIZE .

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  6. Thank you Habib Sahib for the kind words. I do not expect an outright victory for the non-state "terrorists"; I also do not wish that, because it would get very messy, before it had a chance, if any, of restoring stability. All the same, it is quite possible that large sections of our society, who have been relentlessly given a raw deal, would not be averse to this development. Their lot may not get better (probably would also not get worse), but they might still get some sadistic pleasure from seeing the likes of us biting the dust.

    I think Aquarius in his way is also trying to draw our attention to this phenomenon. (Being an Aquarian myself, I may have deluded myself in believing it.) No Aquarius, I am not forecasting doom, only extrapolating the present curve.

    Laila; the question often asked about the wisdom that dawns too late, though addressed en-passant in the previous article, I will try to answer some other time.

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