By Jacquelyn S. Porth
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington – The chief of U.S. intelligence says al-Qaida and affiliated organizations are menacing U.S. and allied interests in an unprecedented way and calls for nations to work together to undermine the terrorists’ agenda. Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte says the main thrust of intelligence efforts is to stop terrorists from carrying out attacks and to thwart attempts “to take over or destabilize entire nations” such as Iraq or Afghanistan. In an April 24 speech to the 28th national leadership conference of the Anti-Defamation League, he said that collective intelligence efforts also are focused on preventing terrorists from acquiring dangerous nuclear and biological weapons as well as ensuring that rogue states like North Korea and Iran do not circumvent international law. (See related article.) Nations that are working with the United States to carry out a prominent leadership role in this collective pursuit must be prepared to prevent countries from dissolving into disorder in regions such as Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, the intelligence official said, because “nation states remain the building blocks for world order.” He also said Russia, India and China are a high priority for the intelligence community, not because they might collapse strategically or fall prey to a demagogue, but because “they represent burgeoning geopolitical and economic interests that are going to grow in the 21st century.” TERRORISTS PROMOTE HEINOUS VIOLENCE, RELIGIOUS DISTORTION Negroponte talked about how today’s terrorism “stems from the growth and spread of an exclusionist radical ideology espoused by militants that inflames commonly held grievances among Muslim majority communities.” He said those promoting this ideology distort religious interpretations and justify “heinous” violence to achieve their agenda. Even though al-Qaida is the primary proponent of this ideology and of the creation of repressive regimes like the deposed Taliban in Afghanistan, Negroponte said promoting an anti-Western agenda is not broadly popular. But that has not stopped al-Qaida and its affiliates from trying to entice mainstream Muslims into embracing their ideology on an individual and national basis, he said. The United States and its allies support a completely different worldview, the intelligence chief said, by protecting freedom of speech, congregation and worship and respecting the rights of individuals regardless of race, religion, gender or residence. Negroponte, without trying to minimize Muslim anger toward certain U.S. policies, said terrorists take advantage of burning resentments to sell their notion that the West is to blame for every regional problem. He said terrorists are exploiting limited economic and political opportunities and racism in Muslim diaspora communities to sell a solution that would prevent pluralism, free elections, minority protections, free speech, centralized economies and freedom of religious interpretation. OUTREACH TO MUSLIM MODERATES Negroponte said the antidote to the terrorists’ vision is to engage mainstream Muslim opinion leaders, including clerics and their affiliate organizations, to counter terrorist ideology. The cycle of jihadist recruitment can be broken, he said, only “by undermining the legitimacy of the message as well as the messengers” and by supporting Muslim communities that reject violent extremism and embrace peaceful, constructive political processes. But it will take a long time to expose the empty promises the jihadists extol, he added. Already there are signs of success against the terrorists, the official said, pointing to greater pluralistic practices in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia as well as evidence that some governments are countering extremists because that is what their citizens now expect. “We are starting to hear more voices among Muslims challenge the jihadist message of ignorance and hate,” he said. Muslims and non-Muslims who embrace tolerance, justice, respect and compassion will achieve a better world, Negroponte said, than those who would try to pervert the great religion of Islam and call for the death of anyone holding contrary views. For more information, see International Security and Response to Terrorism. |
