IS Global Threat Requires Forceful International Response

IS Global Threat Requires Forceful International Response
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
August 20, 2014

Summary: The failure to resolve standoffs, historical grievances, and the peristence of extreme hostility, created a hotbed of radicalism. IS is a reminder to the world. Narrow-minded confrontation and persistent hatred will not solve problems. They will only bring on greater disaster. We must persevere in our reconciliation efforts. We must reduce conflicts and eliminate resentments. Opposition to terrorist organizations such as IS requires perseverance and willpower. It requires greater attention from the international community. Middle Eastern historical grievances offer East Asian nations a lesson they can learn from.

Full Text Below:

The US has escalated its attacks against Islamic State (IS) rebels in northern Iraq. In addition to launching air strikes and supplying weapons to the Kurds, the CIA has dispatched spec ops groups to hunt down IS leaders. The brutality of this heinous terrorist organization has jeopardized collective security and humanitarian values. The international community must join hands against it. This, one fears, will be a long battle.

In recent years, terrorist organizations have become an increasing threat to global security and order. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the United States exterminated the Al Qaeda organization, waged war against Iraq, toppled Saddam Hussein, and assassinated Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Al Qaeda began to decline.

But who knew an even more terrible terrorist organization would appear? Saddam Hussein's authoritarian rule effectively suppressed sectarian disputes. But with Hussein's fall from power, successive Iraqi governments were unable to suppress Shia vs. Sunni conflict. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki failed to consider the differences between various factions. He even attacked the majority Sunni faction, provoking intense antagonism. As a result, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an offshoot of Al Qaeda, grew rapidly.

ISIL is even more frightening than Al Qaeda. The enemy of Al Qaeda is Europe and America. ISIL, a Sunni Islam organization, regards all non-Sunnis as the enemy. The organization was founded in April 2013. Its goal is to establish a theocracy in Iraq and the Levant. It currently controls large parts of northeastern Syria and large parts of northern and western Iraq. It is among the rebel forces opposed to Syrian President Hafez al-Assad.

ISIL has been the recipient of secret assistence from Saudi Arabia, the leader of the Sunni faction, and Qatar. It robbed local banks of large sums of money. It captured oil fields and sold crude oil on the black market. As a result, ISIL is financially quite flush. But its ideology is too extreme, and its methods ae too savage. When it captured the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq, it massacred 1700 POWs and posted photos of the executions online. It also kidnapped women as sex slaves, brainwashed children and turned them into terrorists. Even Al Qaeda could not stomach these atrocities, and announced that it was severing relations with ISIL.

In June 2014 ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed himself "Caliph." He announced the establishment of the Islamic State (IS), and proclaimed himself the highest authority in the entire Muslim world. Recently the organization went even further. It attacked the minority Yezidis in Northern Iraq. It forced them to renounce their beliefs or be executed. It abducted 1500 women as sex slaves, saying it was purifying their blood. These besieged people are on the verge of starvation and death. Refugees have been displaced, resulting in the loss of life and a humanitarian tragedy. The world could no longer bear watching the Yezidi tragedy. It was the last straw. Eventually the United States and the international community decided they could no longer sit back and do nothing. U.S. President Barack Obama announced air strikes on a northern Iraq IS stronghold. He provided weapons to the Kurds to help them fight the IS rebels. France and Australia also pledged military aid. In a full force counterattack, Iraq recaptured the Mosul reservoir, enabling people to survive.

For Obama, the decision to act was a painful one. The United States has been mired in Iraq and Afghanistan for 10 years. It is already worn out. So are the people. Obama is now forced to return to the battlefield in Iraq. He is truly reluctant. So far he has limited his attacks to unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopter bombing, and weapons supplies. But according to media reports, elite teams of CIA agents and Special Forces have been ordered to hunt down IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Obviously for the United States, the IS organization is a national security threat, one serious enough that it must be wiped out as soon as possible.

Hillary Clinton has criticized Obama for passivity on the political situation in Iraq, and for enabling the IS organization to rise and expand. But in fact, Shiite minority rule under Hussein's authoritarian rule planted the seeds of hatred between the two sects. Improper governance by his successor failed to defuse the sectarian rift. Nouri al-Maliki's personal style and wrangling with local leaders was also a factor. Now Nouri al-Maliki has been driven back. Haider Al-Abadi has formed a cabinet. If he can make a fresh start and reduce sectarian tensions, he can reduce popular support for the IS organization. Add to this continued military attacks, and they should be able to effectively suppress the IS forces.

The failure to resolve standoffs, historical grievances, and the peristence of extreme hostility, created a hotbed of radicalism. IS is a reminder to the world. Narrow-minded confrontation and persistent hatred will not solve problems. They will only bring on greater disaster. We must persevere in our reconciliation efforts. We must reduce conflicts and eliminate resentments. Opposition to terrorist organizations such as IS requires perseverance and willpower. It requires greater attention from the international community. Middle Eastern historical grievances offer East Asian nations a lesson they can learn from.

社論－IS威脅全球 國際社會須強力因應
2014年08月20日 04:10
本報訊

美國打擊伊拉克北部叛軍伊斯蘭國（IS）的行動全面升高，除了發動空襲、提供武器給庫德族外，更派出中情局與特種部隊獵殺其首領。這個恐怖組織之殘暴令人髮指，已經危及全球的集體安全與人道價值，國際社會必須聯手予以壓制。而這，恐怕將是一場長期的戰爭。

恐怖組織近年來對全球安全秩序造成極大威脅，美國在911恐怖攻擊後全力剿滅「基地」組織，對伊拉克發動戰爭，拔除哈珊政權，最後更狙殺「基地」領袖賓拉登，終於讓「基地」勢力日走下坡。

沒想到又出現了一個更可怕的恐怖組織。哈珊的集權統治原本有效鎮壓了教派之爭，但哈珊垮台後，接續成立的伊拉克政府既無力壓制什葉與遜尼派的對抗，擔任總理的馬里奇也沒有兼顧不同教派的雅量與手腕，甚至打擊居人口多數的遜尼派，引發強烈不滿，以致於原本是「基地」分支的「伊拉克與大敘利亞伊斯蘭國」（ISIL）迅速壯大。

ISIL比「基地」更可怕的是，「基地」組織的敵人是歐美國家，屬於伊斯蘭教遜尼派的ISIL卻視所有非遜尼派為敵人。該組織於2013年4月成立，目標是在伊拉克及黎凡特地區建立政教合一的伊斯蘭宗教國，目前控制敘利亞東北部大部分地區、伊拉克北部與西部大片領域，也是對抗敘利亞總統阿塞德的反抗軍之一。

由於得到遜尼派老大哥沙烏地阿拉伯、卡達的暗助，並搶取當地銀行巨款，攻占油田後在黑市出售原油，ISIL的財力相當豐厚。但他們的意識型態過於極端，手段凶狠殘暴，大舉攻占伊拉克北部庫德族自治區，曾經一次屠殺1700名政府軍俘虜，並將處決照片上網；還強擄婦女充作性奴，將兒童洗腦為恐怖攻擊戰士。種種殘忍暴行，連「基地」組織也看不下去，而宣布切斷與ISIL的關係。

2014年6月ISIL領袖巴格達迪自稱為哈里發，宣布建立伊斯蘭國（IS），宣稱對整個穆斯林世界擁有最高權威地位。最近該組織更變本加厲，攻擊伊北少數族群雅茲迪人，強迫改變信仰，否則予以處決，還擄走1500名婦女為性奴，聲稱要清洗其血統。被圍困的民眾瀕臨飢渴而死，難民流離失所，造成一場生靈塗炭的人道悲劇。雅茲迪人的悲慘遭遇令全球不忍卒睹，宛如最後的一根稻草，終於讓美國及國際社會決定不再消極坐視。美國總統歐巴馬宣布對伊拉克北部IS據點發動空襲，並直接提供武器給該區的庫德族，以助對抗IS叛軍，法、澳也表示要提供軍援。在全力反擊下，伊拉克已經奪回摩蘇爾水庫，大大解除了民生危機。

對於歐巴馬來說，這是一個痛苦的抉擇。美國陷入伊拉克與阿富汗戰爭泥淖長達10年，早已心竭力乏，百姓也極度厭戰。歐巴馬現在又被迫重回伊拉克戰場，著實十分無奈。因此至今他仍把工具限定在無人機、直升機轟炸、供應武器等隔空手段上。但據媒體報導，一批中情局特工與特種部隊組成的精銳隊伍，已受命對外號「鬼魅」的IS領袖巴格達迪展開獵殺行動，顯見對美國而言，IS組織對國家安全造成的威脅，已經嚴重到必須盡快殲滅。

雖然希拉蕊批判歐巴馬對伊拉克政局的消極作為，才導致IS組織崛起坐大，但事實上，伊拉克在哈珊時期的少數什葉派集權統治，已經埋下教派之間的仇恨種子；繼任政府治理不當，未能化解教派嫌隙，與馬里奇個人風格與當地政治角力也有關係。現在馬里奇已被逼退，由阿巴迪籌組內閣，如果能改弦更張降低教派緊張，會有助於減少IS組織的支持基礎。再輔以持續的軍事攻擊，應該可以有效壓制其勢力。

無法化解的對立、糾纏不去的歷史恩怨、極端的敵意憤怒，都是促成激進路線的溫床。IS組織的例子提醒世人，狹隘對立與執著仇恨解決不了問題，只會帶來更大的災難，必須仰賴鍥而不捨的和解努力，才能降低衝突消弭怨恨。對抗IS這樣的極端恐怖組織需要長期的意志力，以及國際社會更強的關注。中東地區歷史恩怨糾纏不去的教訓，東亞國家應引以為鑑。