Why Anti-American Militancy continues?

After the lapse of more than eight years, a ‘different war’ between the US-led state actors and the non-state actors continues unabated. It includes an unending wave of ambush assaults and suicide bombers in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Philippines, Yemen, Kashmir and Palestine.

The new brand militancy which has maintained a prolonged resistance against the imperialist powers needs special attention. Their invisible tactics such as suicide attacks, roadside bombs and surprise attacks have proved to be a more effective deterrence. The conflict especially between Americans and the Muslim militants is not only just a battle between two peoples over one piece of land as noted in case of Iraq, Afghanistan, Indian-held Kashmir and Israel, but it is also a self-destruction contest of national wills. In such a war, spirit of self-sacrifice is a potent weapon, and there the Muslim fighters have the edge.

There seems to be no military way to fight the Islamic radicals as particularly found in case of Palestinian-Israeli conflict and NATO-Taliban clash in Afghanistan which are test cases for Washington and Tel Aviv in their anti-terrorism campaign.

Why Anti-American Militancy continues-33In the past, it was the job of professionals who could fight guerrilla warfare. Today it is popular effort and aspiration of thousands of Muslim girls and boys. You can kill, deport and deter professionals. There is no military way to eliminate the Muslim revolutionaries who are fighting against the occupying forces as well as the neo-colonialists. As regards the suicide attacks, the terrorism experts of the United States and Israel have remarked, “the infrastructure of suicide bombing requires little more than bomb making know-how and some very basic equipment”. If an explosives belt can be assembled in a work shed or, a garage, then destroying the “infrastructure of terrorism” begins to sound virtually impossible, more a slogan than a battle plan.

In fact, there are signs the US Administration and Israeli and Indian governments do not know exactly what goals they are pursuing against the Afghans, Iraqis, Kashmiris and Palestinians including the militants of other countries like Somalia, Yemen and Philippines. They are so confused in achieving their goals that they do not know as to how the end game might be played out. Government high officials and army generals of these powerful states are increasingly frank about their need to punish the freedom fighters and “teach them a lesson” for turning to violence and terror, though it is usually phased in terms of “reestablishing the American, Israeli and Indian strategic deterrence.”

No matter, how difficult it may be emotionally to step into the shoes of steadfast Islamic revolutionaries. It is impossible not to take note of the fact that until now the violent conflict stuck to a formula of relatively direct relationships between terror attacks and punitive deterrent actions that followed.

Let us see the example of Afghanistan. Frustrated in their misadventure due to successful resistance of the Afghan Taliban, US and its NATO members are reluctant to send more troops in Afghanistan. Although America and UK have decided to dispatch more troops there, yet they agree that they cannot live in that country permanently. Recently, American Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton said that the US will not stay in Afghanistan for a long time.

There is another instance of Israeli ‘target killings’. An Israeli helicopter missile hit a car on March 22, 2004 and had killed the spiritual head of the Palestinian organization, Hamas. Later on, on April 17, 2004, another Hamas leader, Abdel Aziz al Rantissi was killed in the Gaza city by the Israeli gunship helicopter in the similar style. Decisions to kill the Hamas leadership were made in the Israeli cabinet under the former Prime Minister Sharon. Tel Aviv told the world media openly that it would assassinate all the coming heads of Hamas. Apart from these killings, blockade of Gaza, use of chemical weapons on the Palestinians might also be given as example. Israel has broken down the rule of the game. One can note that there is no difference between Bin Laden and Israeli rulers, if he judges the latter in light of the extra-judicial killings.

It is mentionable here that the US-led forces have been committing similar crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq as seen through their pounding and shelling of the cities and towns. Almost same pattern of state terrorism prevails in the Occupied Kashmir.

American, Israeli and Indian military actions have provoked the Iraqis, Afghans, Palestinians and Kahmiris to adopt extremist approach and to keep revive their own deterrence against the formers. The sense of insecurity has seriously gripped the Americans, Israeli and Indian aggressors, rendering their superior deterrence obsolete. So in this struggle Muslim freedom fighters are nothing to lose.

This is very important here to explain the cause behind the persons who sacrifice their own lives in this ‘different war’.
Why Anti-American Militancy continues-1Some western psychiatrists believe that many suicide bombers are criminal-minded persons and have had “a difficult childhood producing narcissistic wounds”, resulting in “projecting the hated parts of the self onto the outside world”. According to another similar sort of reasoning, “the desire to destroy the establishment is driven by the terrorist’s search for identity”. Moreover, by striking out at the enemy, the terrorist hopes to destroy the enemy within. This dynamism could result in operatives taking unauthorized vengeance against society for their own reasons unrelated to the group’s cause. Such acts are equivalent to military officers making politically unauthorized use of their weapons. Why Anti-American Militancy continues-3

The fact of the matter is that the above mentioned psyche as expressed by the logic of western scholars may compel some persons to commit violent acts or suicide, but is quite non-applicable to the majority of the Muslim fighters.

The most important cause behind the suicide attacks is that when real brothers, sisters, sons, daughters and parents of the Muslims demanding independence from colonialism, and neo-imperialism are being killed due to state terrorism, extremism develops in the concerned persons who feel psychologically compelled to commit suicide and the political objectives they espouse are only a rationalization.

Psychologically speaking, when a person crosses the stage of fear towards non-fear in these adverse circumstances, the previous one can never be achieved and in such a situation, even a coward person becomes bold to sacrifice his or her life. A number of suicide missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel and Kashmir verify this fact. Particularly, in the recent past, some events of women committing suicide in some cases as found in Iraq and Israel further testified this fact.

It is because of these reasons that human lives themselves become bombs, supplying the requisites of a new style of militancy.

As regards the new ‘different war’, the United States has a far higher nuclear deterrence and technological superiority over the Islamic radical groups including strict measures, taken in the aftermath of the September 11. But it is helpless before the ambush assaults and suicide missions as events in Afghanistan and Iraq have indicated

Without any doubt, we can conclude that the moral force of the Islamic radicals have demoralized the US-led western allies, equipped with ‘sophisticated weaponry’. That is why, anti-American militancy still continues.