Terrorism is once again rearing its ugly head. In the wake of a suspected terrorist attack on a French supertanker in the sea off the coast of Yemen a few weeks ago, we now hear that on the second anniversary of the bombing of the USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden, a car bomb in Bali, Indonesia has caused over 500 casualties. This incident is the worst terrorist bombing in the history of Indonesia, and, for that matter, of Asia. A majority of the victims were tourists from Australia, Britain and Canada. Thus, those countries and others around the world, as well as the government of Indonesia, are taking the incident very seriously.
If a fire-breathing dragon is the best metaphor for the former Soviet Union, then post Cold War terrorism is a nest of poisonous snakes. The dragon was vicious and fierce, but it stood alone. Moreover, it has already been slaughtered. The snakes are even more sinister. Although they can be found everywhere, they aren't easily exterminated and often prove virtually impossible to defend against.
Today, terrorism takes many different forms. Some terrorists advocate a political ideology or seek ethnic separation; others have a religious fervor that puts them on the path of extremism and violence. Regardless of which variety is under consideration, terrorism is now a threat to national security of most countries. Terrorism stemming from religious extremism represents the most severe threat. Although governments around the world have adopted strict measures to deal with the problem while at the same time offering inducements to make peace, none has been able to effectively eliminate the latent threat of terrorism.
Modern terrorism employs new strategies based on asymmetrical thinking such as "the few attacking the many," and "the weak attacking the strong." Because the power of terrorists is limited, they must attack at the point where their opponent is most vulnerable to maximize the effect achieved. They strive to deliver a single devastating blow that will cripple their enemies.
In the case of the current incident, attacks were directed against the well-known tourist destination of Bali Island, an important source of foreign currency revenue for Indonesia. A terrorist attack on such a target is guaranteed to scare off foreign tourists and foreign currency revenue, worsening the state of Indonesia's already crumbling economy like pouring salt on a wound.
On this occasion the terrorists chose to attack a region that was relatively remote at a time when people were off guard, defenses were relatively weak, and outsiders were relatively concentrated in one place. They avoided major metropolitan areas or political and economic centers where the police and military were on alert, and they used a car bomb, which is relatively easy to make and conceal. These measures accord with terrorists' strategy of attacking "the most vulnerable point."
They clearly exemplify a true terrorist threat, by striking when least expected, a tactic that is nearly impossible to defend against. If these conjectures are valid, then future anti-terrorism measures should not be limited in their coverage to major urban centers. Valuable places with relatively weak defenses that offer a better chance of success for a terrorist attack may become prey for these snakes.
Finally, although the moderate Sunni sect constitutes a majority in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, there is an increasing tide of calls there for strict adherence to Sharia law. Moreover, this movement has received support and financial assistance from foreign organizations such as bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.
It would be well worth closely observing whether radical organizations of Muslim fundamentalists will continue to use violence in conjunction with financial backing as tools to attack other groups or interfere with the domestic affairs of neighboring countries, thereby sparking separatist movements, and wrecking regional stability, security, and peace.
Chang Chung-yung is a professor in the Department of Public Security at the Central Police University.
Translated by Ethan Harkness
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