Terrorism.htm
TUFTS E-NEWS
September 16, 2005
Looking Back At Terrorism
Fletcher graduate Harout H. Semerdjian talks about the history of
international terrorism and urges world leaders to acknowledge and
learn from terror tragedies of the past.
Medford/Somerville, Mass. – While the attacks that took place on
September 11, 2001, introduced many Americans to the realities of
international terrorism, the West lags behind much of the world when
it comes to accepting it as a fact of life. In a recent opinion piece,
Fletcher graduate Harout H. Semerdjian explored the roots of
terrorism and urged global leaders to learn from terror tragedies that
their countries, and others, have endured in the past.
`The recent acts of international terrorism are a modern-day
demonstration of the deadly magnitude of terrorist objectives,
particularly as they transpire on North American and European soil,’
Semerdjian, a research associate at Harvard University’s Kennedy
School of Government, wrote in an op-ed in the Asia Times. `What we
are experiencing today, however, is not a new phenomenon in world
history.’
According to Semerdjian, terrorism, motivated by extreme religious
ideologies, has colored world history.
`For centuries, entire indigenous populations in the Middle East and
elsewhere have been exterminated in the name of religion,’ he
wrote. `While patterns of such events are not exactly the same as what
we are witnessing today in the form of Al-Qaeda-inspired violence, the
thought process behind the systematic and orchestrated murder of
innocents is.’ Semerdjian pointed out a modern-era example of the
devastating effects of terrorism in the name of religion: the 1915
massacre of Christian Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire, which
was ruled by the Muslim Turks.
`The outcome was one of the worst quantitative measures of terror and
genocide in human history, resulting in the massacre of 1.5 million
people and the destruction of an astounding 4,000 Christian churches
and monasteries,’ Semerdjian wrote. `An entire people was
systematically targeted and annihilated on the grounds of their
religion and what it represented in the confines of the Islamic
empire.’
Semerdjian added that, for the most part, the West ignored this act of
terror, which he considers `a calculated result of Turkish nationalism
and racist policies of Turkification.’ Today, in fact, Turkey is a
member of NATO and an ally of the United States in the Middle East, he
explained.
`It is in this very context of alliance that the United States should
expose this dark chapter in world history and require Turkey to own up
to its Ottoman past, and hence secure a more reliable partner in the
region,’ he said.
According to Semerdjian, it is incumbent upon world leaders, including
President George W. Bush, to examine the history of terrorism in order
to fight against it.
`The events of the last century and particularly in the last decade
should embolden the West’s commitment to fighting worldwide
terrorism. This, however, can not be done without careful
consideration of the historical development of today’s problems,’ he
stated.
While Bush is on the right track in terms of combating terrorism,
Semerdjian said, the president needs to `match that resolve with an
equal will to understand its real causes and to remedy some of its
most blatant manifestations through clear recognition.’
`We need to strengthen this effort by promoting education and
knowledge about historic and current issues of vital importance. The
key in countering current acts of violence lies in understanding and
absorbing lessons of history and helping to set the historical record
straight,’ he said. `Our fortitude and capacity to acknowledge past
acts of terror will assist our current efforts in countering
terrorism. Our global partners in this effort deserve our assistance
and support, as well as the chance to benefit from our own
introspection.’
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress