Although the fighting of the recent war in Iraq is over, the full impact of the conflict has yet to be felt.
The transformation of international politics brought about by this conflict will be no less significant than the changes that followed World War II. To understand this point we must consider a number of important parallells between these two wars.
First, the US sent troops to fight in Europe during World War II to topple Nazi Germany, an aggressive, expansionist regime that made human rights attrocities a matter of policy. Similarly, the US opted for regime change in Iraq because of the former president Saddam Hussein regime's threat to world peace and security through the development of weapons of mass destruction and its continued infringements of human rights -- as in the gassings of Kurdish populations.
Second, the US acquired international superpower status through its participation in World War II. The Iraq war has served to reaffirm America's dominance in post-Cold War world affairs.
Third, following World War II, the US occupied Japan, Germany and Italy in order to establish democractic systems of governance in those countries. The occupation forces currently in Iraq have the same aim.
Lastly, World War II forced the League of Nations to reorganize as the UN. Likewise, the recent war obviously will bring about substantial change in the UN.
The financial resources of most Middle Eastern countries are monopolized by a handful of royal families and tyrants. This wealth is easily distributed to terrorist organizations. The extreme poverty in many of these countries is also an aggravating factor in radicalizing populations.
More equitable and democratic distribution of national resources is the ultimate means of eradicating terrorism.
Some of the important underlying factors for anti-Western and anti-American sentiment in the Middle East can be found in the imbalance of these two civilizations' social systems.
The population of Saudi Arabia, for example, has doubled over the past 20 years, with people under the age of 25 now making up 65 percent of the population. These demographic trends have driven Saudi Arabia's per capita GNP from US$17,000 in the 1980s to US$8,000 today. With the Saudi royal family controlling virtually all of the country's national resources, it's not hard to imagine that poverty is widespread. Under these circumstances an increasing number of people seek to join terrorist organizations.
Not until the democratization of the Middle East is completed and is accompanied by an equal distribution of resources will terrorist organizations be finally eliminated. Unless these groups are defeated, people around the world, regardless of their race and nationality, will always live in deep fear of terrorism.
It is worth noting that the US did not join the fight in World War II until Germany, Italy and Japan had devastated much of Europe and Asia. This time the US adopted a strategy of moving first against Iraq and confining the conflict to a limited area, and attempting to minimize deaths and injuries.
Democracy, human rights and peace are values shared by people all over the world. They cannot be denied or neglected by any single civilization or nation. Peace is not simply the state of not being at war. Peace comes when all people live without fear or under threats from other countries.
Li Ming-juinn is associate research fellow at Institute of International Relations of National Cheng Chi University
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