Ever since Sept. 11, rebel groups, separatist organizations and militant political movements in various parts of the world have taken pains to distance themselves from anything resembling terrorism.
The Irish Republican Army has begun to turn over its arms, Chechen rebels are starting peace talks with Russia and Yasser Arafat ordered Palestinian groups to halt suicide attacks.
"Those who are using the killing of civilians to attract attention are maybe rethinking their strategy," said Philip Wilcox, president of Foundation for Middle East Peace in Washington.
Some armed groups may be trying to avoid American wrath after seeing the airstrikes in Afghanistan, analysts say. Others could be trying to adapt to a new international reality in which terrorism is condemned even more harshly than it had been. And others are thinking hard about their tactics.
In a development the terrorists surely never intended, the aftermath of the attacks appear to be pushing some long-festering conflicts toward resolution.
On Tuesday, the IRA said it had begun to lay down its arms after decades of battling British soldiers and bombing commercial centers, including devastating explosions in the capital's financial district, the City of London. Supporters conceded the terrorist attacks in the US played a role.
"The IRA couldn't dream of mounting another bomb spectacular against the City of London," a senior negotiator for the IRA-linked Sinn Fein party said on condition of anonymity. "If it ever was an option, it no longer could be after Sept. 11."
Russian President Vladimir Putin saw Sept. 11 as an opportunity to put the lingering war in Chechnya behind him. In a speech outlining Russia's response he invited the rebels -- with whom he had refused to negotiate since the conflict rekindled in 1999 -- to come to the table.
Analysts say Putin hopes the new international climate will help pressure the rebels to accept a resolution he considers favorable.
The pro-independence rebels, who had already indicated their willingness to negotiate, accepted immediately and said Wednesday that talks would begin within 10 days. Although prospects for real peace remain distant, the events since Sept. 11 represent the best hope in years.
Even the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, which has been resistant to almost every world event for decades, has been affected by the attacks.
After Sept. 11, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat quickly declared a cease-fire with Israel, and his police used guns, clubs and tear gas to battle Palestinians demonstrating in favor of Osama bin Laden.
Although militant groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad didn't sign onto the cease-fire, their attacks against Israeli targets have fallen off noticeably, and neither group has carried out a single suicide bombing since Sept. 11.
"Hamas and Islamic Jihad have become more sensitive to trying to avoid the kind of activities which might label them more as being terrorists," said Ghassan Khatib, a Palestinian political analyst.
When the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for the Oct. 17 killing of ultranationalist Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi, Arafat's officers arrested 20 members of the group, although Israel has said they haven't arrested those responsible for the killing.
Nearby in Lebanon, the guerrilla group Hezbollah -- which has been accused of links to al-Qaeda -- condemned the Sept. 11 attacks and dramatically cut back on attacking Israeli forces. Hezbollah leaders deny the two events are related.
Most armed groups from Mexico to Manila have taken pains to condemn the terrorist attacks, with some have even said that the US bombing of Afghanistan was justified.
‘REGRETTABLE’: TPP lawmaker Vivian Huang said that ‘we will continue to support Chairman Ko and defend his innocence’ as he was transferred to a detention facility The Taipei District Court yesterday ruled that Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) be detained and held incommunicado over alleged corruption dating to his time as mayor of Taipei. The ruling reversed a decision by the court on Monday morning that Ko be released without bail. After prosecutors on Wednesday appealed the Monday decision, the High Court said that Ko had potentially been “actively involved” in the alleged corruption and ordered the district court to hold a second detention hearing. Ko did not speak to reporters upon his arrival at the district court at about 9:10am yesterday to attend a procedural
Thirty Taiwanese firms, led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and ASE Technology Holding Co (日月光投控), yesterday launched a silicon photonics industry alliance, aiming to accelerate the medium’s development and address the energy efficiency of artificial intelligence (AI) devices like data centers. As the world is ushering in a new AI era with tremendous demand for computing power and algorithms, energy consumption is emerging as a critical issue, TSMC vice president of integrated interconnect and packaging business C.K. Hsu (徐國晉) told a media briefing in Taipei. To solve this issue, it is essential to introduce silicon photonics and copackaged optics (CPO)
The High Court yesterday overturned a Taipei District Court decision to release Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and sent the case back to the lower court. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on Saturday questioned Ko amid a probe into alleged corruption involving the Core Pacific City development project during his time as Taipei mayor. Core Pacific City, also known as Living Mall (京華城購物中心), was a shopping mall in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) that has since been demolished. On Monday, the Taipei District Court granted a second motion by Ko’s attorney to release him without bail, a decision the prosecutors’ office appealed
GRAFT PROBE: Critics questioned Ko claiming he did not know about the Core Pacific floor area ratio issue until this year, citing a 2021 video in which he was asked about it Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released without bail early yesterday, while his deputy during his tenure as Taipei mayor was detained and held incommunicado after being questioned since Friday over graft allegations related to a shopping center redevelopment project. Prosecutors on Saturday filed a request with the Taipei District Court to officially detain Ko and former Taipei deputy mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲) over allegations surrounding the redevelopment of Core Pacific City, also known as Living Mall (京華城購物中心). The court yesterday determined that the evidence provided by prosecutors was insufficient to justify the detention of Ko and ordered his
RSS