Osama bin Laden is gone, but terrorism is not

New solutions need to be sought to eradicate terrorism, as a/Qaeda grows stronger in North Africa and the Middle East

0n March 11, I attended a l ecture by Ajit D oval held at t he Universi ty of Me lbourne's Australia India Institute. D oval spoke on ' The ChaUenges of G lobal Terrorism' , a topic on which he is eminently qualified to speak, given his past role as director of India's Central InteUigence Bureau.

Assuming one believes the official stor y about the May 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden by the Ameri can military, it would be tempting to think that we are entering an era of safety and that groups such as alQaeda are on the brink of being defeated

However according to Doval , such a vi ew is the opposite of the truth. To the contrary, it is time to brace ourselves for a world that i s 111ore unsafe than the world which existed pri0r to the attacks o f September 11, 2001.

There are several reasons for Doval's pessimistic outlook. First, there a re rl1e tens of thousands in l orch Africa and the 1v1idd le East who suppon al- Qaeda lvlichael Sche u er - a former head of the CIA's Bin Laden unit - argues that Is lamic terrorists are ange red by America's support fo r corrupt and tyrannical Muslim governmen ts, western troops on the Arabian Peninsula, western support for Israd, American pressure on Arab energy producers to keep oi l prices low, the occupation

Doval and o ther iurelligence chiefs appear ro have forgotten one of the fundamental ru les of solving crimes - the in1portance of establishing a m otive Io order to ensure the '\'far on Terrorism' is more s u ccessful than rhe '\'<'ar on Drugs' or the '\Xfar on Crime', that is, in order for it ro lead ro a definite outco me rather rl1an continuing o n indefinitely for anorber 1 00 years, i t is in1perative that the underlying reasons for terrorism be addressed.

There i s a wealth of research largelr igno red b y the heads of the major intelligence agencies that directly addresses the question of how best to prevent individuals f-rom turning to terr~)rism in rl1e first place. Most of this scholarship is by individuals with significant experience in cou n ter- terrorism and policing.

''First, there are the tens of thousands in North Africa and the Middle East who and its objectives The organisation has become stronger and its reach now extends further. A l- Qaeda now operates as an almost g lobal organisation, despite the efforts of rbe American Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of

Investigation and equivalent agencies in the United Kingdom and Austra lia of Iraq and Afghanistan, and the support for Russia, India, an d Chi n a against tl1eir Musl im mili tants. ln other words, I slamic terror groups are not all irrational religious fanatics. They have rational objectives that capitalise o n rl1e pub lic resentment caused by western meddling in the internal support al-Qaeda and its objectives. The organisation has become stronger and its reach now extends further affairs of Arab nations Such meddling has led to many atrocities against residents who are then inspired ro sup port insurgent groups. Scandals relating ro the Abu Gharaib

The American-led war in Afghanistan against al- Qaeda's leadership has hurt the o rganisation, yet Doval is worried about what will happen o nce Western forces have withdrawn from the Middle Ease.

"\X'e t hought the antidote (to global terrorism) was cutting off their finances and the people's support, but it turns om the antidote w as really denying rl1em sanctuaries," he stated in bi s leca.u:e. " They have had sanctuaries in Pakistan in the past. ow if they ge t a Ta liban -influenced gover nment in Afghani5tan rl1e y could get sanctuaries in Afghanistan again and the situation could be ver y serio us".

Despi te spending b illi ons of doUars and sacri ficing hundreds of rl1ousands of lives, experts such as Doval adm it that anti - terrorism efforts have not led to ste llar results. Yet Do val does not appear co offer any solutions apart from doing more of the same. He wants tlte US to b e harsher on Pakistan for harbouring terror ists; for there to be greater international cooperatio n ; and for intelligence capab ility ro be significantly enhanced. Bur these are all attempts at tinkering with a system that needs raclica l root-and-b r anch reform.

,,prison, torture, rapes b y American and Britis h soldiers, and collateral damage caused by drone strikes are just the tip of an iceberg rime goes back to America's overthrow of the democratically appo inted leader of Iran in 1953 It is practical concerns such as these that have allowed al- Qaeda to thrive.

Scheuer's thes is is supported b y Robert Pape of the Univers ity of Chicago. Based on an analysis of 315 suicide attacks between 1980 ro 2003, Pape finds "Ii ttle connection between s uicide terr~)rism and l slamic fundamentalism, o r any one o f the world's religions Ra rl1er, what nearly all suicide terrorist attack s have in common is a specific secular and strategic goal: to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from territory that the terrorists consider to be rl1eir homeland". This 'logic' of suicide terrorism applies just as weU in Sri Lanka as it does in rbe US, Saudi Arabia or L:aq i) Advi ce on Migr ation pathways i i ) Ge nera l Skilled M i gration sp eci al ist i i i ) Stud ent V i sas ( new an d exten si o n) i v ) State Spon sored Visas / ENS / RSMS / 4 57 v ) Bu sin e ss Migr ati on vi ) Pa r tn er and Famil y M i gration sp eci a l i st vii ) Adm i ssi o n in A u st r alia n Colleges and U ni ve r si t ies

In rl1e long term, lasting gains against terrorism will require all nations to truly understand their enemy. From this understanding will arise a strategy for reducing the support that groups such as al- Qaeda obtain from rl1e public in A rab nations. This can be done wiiliout appeasing terrorists, giving up legitimate strategic targets or compromising natio nal security.

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''But Pakistan also has an 'unofficial' nationa l bird; and yes, it is a falcon - a Shaheen falcon

0ften the b irth of a c ountry cau be a lon g and painful process, as was Indi a's th at stretched over a hundred yea rs

It can also be ver y v io lent as in the creation of Bangl adesh. O ne thing common to all countries is that as soon as they are formed, they m ust have a national Rag and anth em. These become a symbo l of national identiry and uni ty, and provide a rallying point for the people of d1ac nation. What is interesting and often overl oo ked is that, for so m e curious reason, all cow1tries also have a national bird. I e's almost as if having a n ation al bird is a necessary condition tO becoming an independent nation, and a must- have sym bol of sovereignty For instance, we know chat t he emu is the national bird o f A u stralia.

Cotmtcies of south Asia a re no exception in h avi n g b irds as part of d1ei.r national symbols. Not surprisingly, d1e topograph y of a country's landmass will be a maj or determining factor on the types of bird s to be found in that country.

A collntr y such as India ha s a ve r y wide variety of features rangi ng from high mountains, plain s, deserts and coastal ranges So one would nanu-ally expect to find a large vaiiety of birds in India

Bangladesh o n the other h an d i s l ow- lyi ng, marshy and domin ated by die delras of great r iver syscems Th e variety of birds there includes a lru·ge proportion of birds chat r ely on wa t er systems.

But t he bird that is chosen as the national bird of Bangladesh i s the oriental magp ie -robin lvfainJy black with some white markings a nd the tail like a rob in's tail, they are not large. The most notable feamre is cbe ir clear, p retty so n g which they sing w hen perched on a branch.

Bearing in mind the histo rical associatio n of falconry w ith the great Mog hu.J emperors, T had expected to find chat cbe national bird of P akistan would be a falcon. A common theme in .Moghul miniature pai11tings is th at of a falconer in d1e presence of an emp ero r. Yet, the national b ird of Pakistan is, in fact, tbe Chukar partridge These grmm d - hugging birds live by foraging in bushes and undergrowth, and the co lours of their feathers provide perfect camouAage against prey

Bllt Pakistan also has an 'u n o ffici al' national b ird; and yes, it is a falcon - a Shaheen falcon. ] ts main feamres are the sharp, beady eyes and the typically hooked beak B lack head and matching feathers just go co confirm the n o -nonsense character to be expected fro m a falcon.

Tbe national bird of Sri Lanka i s t he Sr i Lanka junglefowl.

This beautifu l bird w ith strik in g co.lours is n ative to the country. Proud as the proL1desc cockerel , this bird has magnificent shiny purp le -black tail feathers that a re perfectly po ised. A red comb wi th a yellow centre is o n its head, and ics mane and bod y plllmage ranges from golden to orange red. It's easy to see this bird as the master of its Hock. In keepi ng w ith the natural order for survival in birds, the female is a dull brown grey giving it th e perfect camouAage for nesting while the ma le as protector, in all its co.lours, is easily v isib le to prospective enemies.

The Lln b elievably colourful Himalayan monal or danphe is the national b ird of Nepal. The colours on chis bird make it look unreal I saw chem in Nepal at ar ottud 3,700m just b efore dusk, w h ich is the time th ese shy birds come oul After a tiring 9 -b our trek, just a look at. these multi -co loured birds was a ve ry welcome sight. I was thrilled and q ui ce privileged to h ave see n chem.

in their natural h abi tat of low bushes an d grasses, and on freshly ploughed fields

We all know that the peacock is tl1e national bird o f India. Easily one of the grandest and most m ajestic of b irds, the peacock has been an inspiration in song, dance, design and the fine arts. This bird h as even been m entioned in d1e Bible in relation to the Queen of Sheba. Connery houses and palaces in all of E urope regularly h ad peacocks on tl1eir estates. This bird was the inspiration for the sensational Peacock Th rone built for Emperor Shah Jahan

The peacock's large size gives it presence and its shimmering fan of tail feathe rs i s a sight to behold and wonde r at.

The 9uestion chat remains is ,vhy countries need co have a bird as a symbol of their national sovereignty ? Bird s skip, they h op, they are always al ert and beautifully groomed; d1ey never have a feather out of place. At a whim, they can fly high into tl1e sky T h ey seem so free. \V/e see their freedom Man's greatest desire is co be free To have a bird as a national symb ol g ives people a sense of hope and freedom, and tl1at is so m ething to be cherished by all of us.