CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

War on Terrorism – a rewarding endeavor

Shenali Waduge

The first echoes of the “war on terror” followed the 9/11 attack on America. The Bush Administration’s war on terrorism has become a costly affair & the US is running a $500 billion budget deficit. We then wonder how terrorists can afford their arsenal.

A brief look into history’s past would reveal how during the times of the Cold War terrorism became the trade of the superpowers whose preferred choice was to fight wars by proxy – arming local groups. These groups matured towards the early 70s & 80s & began to raise money using a number of illegal & even legal means. With globalization & expansions in international business it was easier to raise money cross border. Many of the world’s notorious terrorists are in fact socially accepted men who deal in real estate, property, massive businesses & who are personally worth millions. America’s most wanted man – Osama bin Laden has 70% stake in the Gum Arabic Company. Gum Arabic (grown in Sudan) is used to make ink stick to newspapers, prevents sediments forming in soft drinks & creates a protective shell around sweets & pills to keep them fresh. The US is the largest importer in the world. 80% of the worlds supply is produced by Gum Arabic Company. With Osama having such a sound investment it is extremely ironical how each time an American sips a soft drink or buys a newspaper they end up contributing to Osama’s financial empire.

We need to be very alert about the business mindedness of terrorists globally. Records indicate that during the weeks before 9/11 there was an unusually high volume of trading in sectors like air transport, energy & insurance. Days before the attack oil & gold also saw unexpected price rises too. Obviously those who were aware of such an attack could easily have predicted the trend.

There have been many efforts & drives to curb international terrorism – unfortunately they have not reaped the results they should – despite the freezes on terror money, front organizations of terrorist networks they are able to thrive. Perhaps the American Government should explain why they did not give the green light to the Sudanese to extradite Osama who was in Sudan at the time but instead gave the order to allow Osama to depart to Pakistan? When countries continue to take stands in the interests of their own existence instead of the interest of the country terrorists will continue to be the winners in the “war on terrorism”. Osama can be happy that his finances are in tact while the US has ended up running the highest budget deficit in history.

Any efforts against terrorism must in deed answer the question whether the are genuinely serious abut ending the menace with every instrument at their disposal or whether they wish to use it as a means to steer public opinion towards the sustenance of their own survival politically.

Wherever terrorism exists today inevitably it is linked to legal business enterprises through stakeholders who indulge in the fancy of terrorist activity. Combined with that there also remains people with vested interests who certainly thrive from war situations … think of how undertakers, transport providers, construction firms, uniform suppliers, etc have been able to thrive over the years. Except for the public many including Governments have unfortunately gained from the existence of a terrorist environment. Would they then take the risk of completely ending such a lucrative environment for the future of a nation minus terrorism?

Put simply, terrorism has become a global business – until such time governments begin to treat terrorism for what it is even if it means hitting at strongholds that the terrorists have been able to secure legally, the “war on terrorism” will remain a farce.

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