Beyond Terror: The Truth About the Real Threats to Our World

1. A Clear and Present Danger? The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country. Hermann Goering Introduction The sight of planes flying into the Twin Towers in New York on 11 September 2001 has become an iconic image of our times. That day affected people in so many different ways, but in most of the world horror, sadness, disbelief, anger and solidarity were the immediate responses to the events unfolding live on our televisions. The next day the French liberal newspaper Le Monde famously summed up the mood by declaring: 'Nous sommes tous AmÉricains' we are all Americans. During the five years that have followed those attacks, the sentiments of that headline have been squandered. The ongoing 'war on terror' and, in particular, the invasion of Iraq mean that not many people feel the same way; the concern over al-Qaida is now almost equalled by the anger felt at America and its allies. However, one thing from that day which has remained is an almost unquestioned belief that international terrorism is one of, if not the, greatest threats to security that we face. For example, an unexpected outcome of the build-up to the US presidential election in 2004 was the rebirth of the long dead Committee on the Present Danger (CPD). First formed in 1950, the committee focused on convincing the American public and politicians of the grave danger posed by the Soviet Union. Following the end of theCold War, the committee slipped back into the shadows. However, in July 2004 it re-formed to face what it considers another clear and present danger to the United States: international Islamic terrorism. The organisation's website, which flashes up photos of terrorist attacks in New York, Madrid and London, asserts that the organisation is dedicated to 'protecting and expanding democracy by winning the global war against terrorism and the movements and ideologies that drive it'.2 The committee is co-chaired by former CIA director James Woolsey, who is well known to consider the fight against what the CPD calls 'global radical Islamist and fascist terrorist movements' to be World War Four (with World War Three having been the Cold War). They, and others like them, have replaced 'red under the bed' with 'terrorist at the gate' complete with the paranoia and climate of fear associated with such a mind-set. This climate sets the context for the claim that 'terrorism is the greatest twenty-first-century threat'. This claim has become a mantra of Western leaders, and has been stamped on the public consciousness by constant press and media hype. However, is international terrorism really the single greatest threat to world security? If not, how can the 'war on terror' help us deal with the real threats we face? Identifying Trends Contemporary threats are often interconnected. Led, in large part, by the United Nations, there is growing international awareness that problems such as international terrorism or armed conflict cannot be dealt with in isolation from those of extreme poverty or environmental degradation.4 These are all global issues, which threaten human security as well as state security, and they recognise no national borders. 9/11 demonstrated in the most dramatic way that rich Western countries cannot insulate themselves from developments taking place elsewhere. It also illustrated the way that the different societies that make up humanity are interconnected and interdependent today as never before: according to the World Bank, the economic consequences of the attacks probably led to tens of thousands more children dying worldwide and millions more people living below the poverty line.5 So only by working together will countries be able to overcome the threats they fSloboda, John is the author of 'Beyond Terror: The Truth About the Real Threats to Our World' with ISBN 9781846040702 and ISBN 1846040701.