Liberty Times (LT): From the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks to the Islamic State (IS) group’s recent attacks in France, are international terrorist attacks changing into something new? Are new trends emerging?
Wang Yu-wei (汪毓瑋): Yes. 9/11 is the watershed between old and new terrorism.
Older forms of terrorism, such as that of the Irish Republican Army or Spanish ETA [Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, or Basque Country and Freedom, an armed group of the Basque National Liberation Movement], have objectives such as the independence of Northern Ireland or the Basque regions. If they can enter a reasonable and equitable political process with the government, they are willing to negotiate or even make compromises.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
However, new terrorist organizations, which include al-Qaeda and the IS, wish to build a Sharia state spanning from the Mediterranean to Southeast Asia, that is distinct from existing Muslim-ruled states, such as Saudi Arabia or Indonesia. In the eyes of IS, Saudi Arabia had already absorbed essential qualities of Western democracy, and is therefore a “secular regime.”
Older terrorist [organizations] needed to negotiate with the government, and could not use tactics that are excessively cruel or cause too many civilian casualties. Primarily they attacked targets of symbolic value to the state apparatus, such as military personnel, law enforcement, court and civil government officials.
Though new terrorists also attack targets that are symbolic of the state apparatus, they do not care about civilians and they even think that attacks on civilians can coerce governments into making concessions or surrender. Causing maximum casualties is their most important objective and therefore they use deliberately cruel tactics to kill as many people as possible and the more people there are in an area, the more likely it will be chosen as a target. [To them] those are necessary sacrifices in a jihad to achieve victory.
LT: The US, Russia, France and Germany appear to be joining efforts to fight the IS. What kind of tactics do you think they will use to strike back? How will the situation develop?
Wang: The international response includes airstrikes to degrade IS combat capabilities and retaking oil fields, dams, towns and cities.
The softer approach is counter-radicalization. The IS has depended on “push” and “pull” to replenish its numbers. Pull refers to using mosques, jails and the Internet to spread its ideologies and ideas for the purpose of convincing recruits to join it; push refers to the conditions of social injustice and unequal distribution of resources that become an invisible force pushing those who felt uncared for [by society] to the organization.
Al-Qaeda and the IS are skillful in building narratives. Therefore, counter-radicalization uses television stations, non-governmental organizations and various activities to publicize the IS narrative.
It must be noted that the IS believes in an ultimate war between the Orient and the Occident, a return to the irreconcilable conflict during the age of the Crusades.
However, radical Muslims are a minority. They need to recruit moderate Muslims into their organization through [the mechanism of] outrage. Therefore, they use incessant attacks to elicit reaction from nations that were attacked, to facilitate its Internet propaganda campaign: “I am oppressed by Western states because I fight for the ideals and the future of Muslims. You must rise up to fight by our side.”
In addition, since the terrorist attacks, the French government habitually targets specific ethnic groups for surveillance. For those groups, [such measures] can incite outrage, especially among their youth. There had been 4,500 IS recruits from Western nations, a majority of whom were young people, and one in six were teenagers. As to what the future has in store for the IS, that is hard to evaluate. It is likely that it will be suppressed, but even more likely, it will not be destroyed, because it is a group held together by ideology and ideas, and will not stop until it accomplishes its objectives.
LT: Would Taiwan become a possible target for international terrorist groups?
Wang: The common thought in Taiwan is that because Taiwanese are considered friendly, that the nation is not home to any terrorist groups, that its religious groups share cordial relations with all ethnic groups and that all problems without immediate solutions, such as rapid unification or rapid declaration of independence, could be solved through political methods, it would not be a target of terrorist attacks.
This is the prevalent myth in Taiwanese society, because we are used to thinking of the possibility of terrorist attacks on Taiwan from our perspective. However, when a terrorist group chooses a target, they do not base that choice on the possibility of their attack, but rather whether to attack or not, and whether such an attack would fulfill their strategic goal.
A terrorist attack in Taiwan is not impossible. What we need to consider then is that if it did occur, are we ready for it?
If it occurred, what are our responses, and how are we going to restore the locations damaged after the attack?
For example, Osama bin Laden had clearly declared a jihad against the US in his 1998 fatwa, but no one placed much stock in it until the success of al-Qaeda committing in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
This example illustrates the point that one should not consider the possibility of being attacked based on their own capabilities. As bin Laden’s files said, found after his killing in Pakistan in May 2011: “We will attack any target that we feel worthy.”
It is also interesting to note that al-Qaeda had actually visited Taiwan as early as 1998 and their motives should be questioned.
While everyone says Taiwan would not be the target of a terrorist attack, the IS has stated it wanted to attack more nations. No nation should state that it would be free from attack, especially Taiwan, since it has replicated the US version of democracy. That in itself might prove enough symbolism for the IS to attack Taiwan.
Additionally, there have been increasingly close ties between both sides of the Strait; the US Department of State reported that China had seen three incidents that were akin to terrorist attacks, and it should be noted that terrorist groups might seek to target Chinese in Taiwan due to the difficulties of conducting successful attacks in China.
LT: Do you think Taiwan has made anti-terrorism preparations? What is still lacking, in your opinion?
Wang: Our nation proposed a draft anti-terrorist act in 2003 [which did not pass the legislative process] and established the National Security office of the Executive Yuan. In other words, our preparations for counter-terrorism are in full accordance with Resolution No. 1373 of the UN Security Council.
In my opinion, the current amount of resources allocated by the government for anti-terrorism efforts is pushing relevant units to their limits. If the threat level rises and Taiwan needs to elevate its efforts to compensate, it would need to devote more resources.
Fighting terrorism is more about prevention. I feel that as long as the bottom line of not violating people’s rights to privacy is kept, anti-terrorism laws should be debated.
Additionally, while the nation complied with Resolution No. 1373 and established a national security office, legal backing for the office has yet to be implemented. We should consider the passage of a national security act to put the office to better use.
LT: How should Taiwan increase its capabilities in anti-terrorism?
Wang: After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, many nations swiftly admitted that the government was unable to provide protection to anyone anywhere within 24 hours of any terrorist attack and instead focused its efforts on making anti-terrorism efforts more tied to daily life.
Israel, for example, is able to clear rubble and resume daily life a short time after explosions occur.
From this example, it is important to make alertness to potential terrorist attacks a part of people’s daily lives.
The US, for example, has been promoting the “If you see something, say something,” campaign, which is to no small amount akin to the slogan: “Everyone is responsible to keep our secrets and look out for spies” (保密防諜，人人有責) in earlier Taiwan.
LT: Taiwan is set to host the Universiade next year. Should preparations for this event take anti-terrorism into account?
strong>Wang: The Universiade would see the arrival of athletes from over 100 nations, many of which have their own domestic terrorist groups. The 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national team in Lahore, Pakistan, for example, was allegedly conducted by Sri Lankan terrorist groups.
There is no guarantee that a similar incident would not occur. Hosts of the Universiade and other international events should devote more resources to security and should list anti-terrorism as a high priority.
In addition, the Universiade is not simply an event that the Taipei City Government must worry about; it is something that requires the devoted efforts of the entire nation.
It is my opinion that the suicide bomber attacks on the Stade de France last month had their sights set on French President Francois Hollande. In light of such attacks, should we not worry about the Universiade?
With the number of stadiums involved, are we ready for such an event?
Translated by staff writers Jonathan Chin and Jake Chung
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