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Globalizing terror Ñ Khaddafy outsourced?


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By John Metzler
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM

Friday, April 30, 2004

UNITED NATIONS Ñ The U.N. Security Council unanimously passed a terrorist weapons ban barring individuals, countries and states from trafficking in chemical, biological and nuclear arms. The resolution would punish Ònon-state actorsÓ for possessing and selling weapons of mass destruction.

The resolution addresses the very real but growing role of non-State players in organized violence. The identifiable countries which long hosted terrorists Ñ Libya, Iraq, Islamic Iran Ñ are now fewer or under very close scrutiny. Thus while this unanimously backed resolution is a major victory for American diplomacy, somehow I donÕt feel the bad guys are running scared.

In parallel to economic globalization thereÕs been a globalization of terrorism too Ñ the usual suspects have outsourced their grisly business to offshore entities from Yemen to the southern Philippines, Morocco and into the historic heart of Europe. Let us not forget that the German city of Hamburg hosted some key Al Qaida cells as much as did London and Paris.

In one sense business globalization Ñ easy communication, simple cross border movement and cash transfers Ñ indirectly abets the terrorists. Crossing European Union frontiers is quite easy with few exceptions. Beyond the positive benefits, naturally this facilitates illegal immigration, crime syndicates, and clandestine terrorist cells.

Beyond the horrific attacks on American September 11th and on Madrid March 11th, one finds that the grisly path has taken many curious turns from Istanbul to Jerusalem to Madrid.

Naturally those who instinctively know better will assure us that the problem remains for the most part Ñ somewhere else or somehow our fault. They refuse to acknowledge that AmericaÕs once lax border controls and domestic surveillance in the 1990Õs allowed these militants to meticulously construct scores of sleeper cells in U.S. cities which were out of the reach of law enforcement. While our War on Terror has successfully rolled up many terrorist cells since September 11th, we must realistically assume many others have not been.

Now thereÕs a nagging dimension which is also distinctly different. A recent upsurge in violence across the Middle East where Islamic fundamentalists have tried to create a spectacular chemical weapon attacks in the Jordanian capital but were thwarted, bombs in Saudi Arabia, and of course Iraqi militants continue to harasses coalition forces in Iraq. Moderate Arab governments from Morocco to Jordan feel the venomous hatred of fundamentalists. Even Syria, who hosts many militants, saw recent attacks. The violence in Damascus could be the fury from fundamentalists who were long suppressed by AssadÕs regime, or a provocation by the Syrians to crack down on rumbling dissent.

Interestingly LibyaÕs leader Col. Khaddafy, longtime alleged patron saint of international terrorism, appears to have gone cold turkey. Given KhaddafyÕs genuine fear that his chemical weapons and nuclear research programs were putting him in the cross-hairs of the Bush Administration, the Libyan leader came clean. Not only has he surrendered some weapons nobody even knew he possessed, but he now has played an awkward political charm offensive with politicos from Tony Blair to the European UnionÕs supremo Romano Prodi.

The images are surrealistic Ñ Blair posing with Khaddafy outside a Bedouin tent in the Libyan desert Ñ camels as the exotic backdrop. Khaddafy goes to Brussels and gets glad-handed by the Euroclass. KhaddafyÕs past terror has been outsourced. Maybe the mercurial Libyan Colonel is just too 1970Õs and 80Õs. Move over Moammar Ñ Osama Bin Laden is the new chief.

There are notable exceptions. Islamic IranÕs President Mohammed Khatami stated recently, ÒHizbullah are the pride of the Muslim and Arab world, the pride of Iran.Ó Indeed this Teheran sponsored terrorist group has long been the bane of Lebanon and Israel.

Formal state sponsorship of terrorist groups, once a mainstay of militants from Tripoli to Teheran, is being outsourced to the shadowy Al Qaida network which lives among the target groups and countries. Realistically any regime who openly sponsors terrorists, knows itÕs on the PentagonÕs short list for action. Such targets are too tempting in the post-September 11th world. America wonÕt allow them.

Thus the terrorists are essentially outsourcing their operations and in many cases are now living among us.

John J. Metzler is a U.N. correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He writes weekly for World Tribune.com.




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