Turkey Leftovers
From conference notes I took in Ankara several days ago, participant quotes about Islam, Al Qaeda, radicalization, homeland security, and perceptions of U.S. foreign policy. This post closes with a reminder from 1848.
Al Qaeda
- “Al Qaeda is present in anywhere from 60 to 90 different countries.”
- “It used to be said that Al Qaeda wanted a few people killed, but a lot of people watching. Now, Al Qaeda wants a lot of people dead and a lot of people watching.”
- “Al Qaeda’s biggest victory was getting ‘Islam’ and ‘terrorism’ used in the same sentence.”
Islam
- “There is no religion untainted by terrorism.”
- “There is no one version of Islam, no one Islamic culture. So how can there be a class of cultures?”
- “There is nothing wrong with Islam. But there are some things wrong with some Muslims.
- “The Qur’an, like any holy book, you open it and read it. But it also reads you.”
- “There is an Islam of Identity and an Islam of Truth. Two competing identities will fight each other. Two truths will cooperate.”
- (An annoyed university professor after another speaker’s presentation about Islam and homegrown terrorism) “I know we are in a seminar setting where there is free and open discussion. And that is good. But it is important to remember that Islam and jihad are two sacred words to Muslims. And one should be careful using those words in conjunction with terrorism.”
- “The primary responsibility for combating extremist ideology should fall on the shoulders of the Muslim community.”
- (Islamic scholar citing a quote from Muhammad) “You will kill each other over interpretations of the text.”
Radicalization
- H.R. 1955 (cited by an Eastern European university professor) – “The term ‘homegrown terrorism’ means the use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual born, raised, or based and operating primarily within the United States or any possession of the United States to intimidate or coerce the United States government, the civilian population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.”
- “In the 1960s, left wing terrorists [in Europe] were motivated by communism. We did not call them ‘homegrown terrorists.’ But that’s what they were. Why do we use that term now? Is it a coded way to say ‘Islamic terrorism?’ “
- “There is very little evidence to support the claim that the internet is an effective channel for radicalization.”
- “There are more than 5,000 radicalization websites; there are fewer than 100 counter radicalization websites.”
- “Most of the online Al Qaeda stuff is dense and boring. Very few people will plow through that [on line] material.”
- Singapore has a strategy (described here) to rehabilitate those who have been radicalized. It is based in part on the idea that those who have been radicalized “… are the faithful, but they have gone the wrong way. They need to be taught the correct way.”
Homeland Security
- “In some places in America, ‘community policing’ is evolving into ‘homeland security policing.’”
- “Does the proliferation of and language about homeland security contribute to the production of terrorism?”
- “While there may be no universally accepted definition of terrorism, we can more easily agree on definitions of terrorist acts.”
- “I am an advocate of homeland security. My critics call me an ‘agent of a repressive state.’ I wear the label proudly.”
- “What comes after ‘homeland security?’ How about ‘human security.‘”
US Foreign Policy
- A Pakistani officer’s suggestion for U.S. policy makers: “Take your soldiers out of Afghanistan. Allow us to deal with the problem.” [For another perspective, see Jessica's "Afghan Policy - Making A Presidency" immediately below this post.]
- A senior Pakistani army officer just back from the battlefield talking about not knowing who they are fighting. “It’s not Al Qaeda or Taliban. We go into a village. Everyone is friendly to us. We leave and they start shooting….” Who is the enemy? “Someone is providing the enemy with massive quantities of powerful weapons,” he said. He suspects “U.S. interests” – whatever that means. He said the US is making more enemies in Pakistan than friends. “Every death affects 10 people. It’s your soldiers dying. But it’s our people and our children who continue to suffer. We are not like you where everyone can earn a living. For us, one person earns a living for 10 people.” He gives us 2 years to find a way out or “It will be worse for you than Vietnam.” The man seemed a little sad, a bit desperate, a lot resigned. As if he were under a sentence of death.
- We were reminded that “The U.S. allowed Iran “to purchase a small [nuclear] … research reactor for Tehran University. In 1967, Tehran’s research reactor was fueled with highly enriched uranium provided by the United States.”
- Eastern European army officer: “I am worried that [the U.S.] will go to war against Iran. Then what will happen? Israel will get involved. Then the Arab world. Then it will be 1914 Sarajevo all over again. But this time with nuclear weapons.”
- “If a nation bombs, say, one of your power stations, you will respond with full force. But what is the proper response if someone uses a cyber attack to shut down your power station?”
- “Six failures in the War in terrorism: 1) Failure to capture Bin Laden and Zawahiri; 2) Afghanistan — allowing Al Qaeda and the Taliban to re-infiltrate the country; 3) the strategic blunder that is the War in Iraq, with its 3 trillion dollars in costs to the U.S.; 4) the failure to prevent Al Qaeda from using organized crime to move money across international borders; 5) the failure to win hearts and minds of the Muslim world and its diaspora; 6) failure to maintain solidarity and optimize cooperation within the Coalition Against Terrorism.”
- “Improved cooperation among nations and agencies — even if not perfect — is better than no cooperation.”
Last Word
“We have no eternal allies and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are perpetual and eternal, and those interests it is our duty to follow.” Lord Palmerston, British Foreign Secretary (1848)
