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Coalition should use political, social tools in ISIS battle
V Navaratnam
Published: 4:03 AM, October 22, 2014
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has welcomed the formation of a global coalition to combat the threat posed by the Islamic State, also referred to as ISIS. (“S’pore seriously considering how to help fight Islamic State: PM”: Oct 18)
He said that while it was necessary to contain and weaken ISIS, there was no purely military solution.
Among ordinary people in parts of the Islamic world, there may be a perception that the fight against ISIS is a fight against Islam.
Former United States President George W Bush’s reckless use of the word “crusade” in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks could have contributed to this. The global coalition must prove this wrong.
The US can help erase this misconception by diverting funds from wasteful wars to building hospitals and schools, and improving the living conditions of people in the Middle East. And the coalition must find a long-term political solution to the ISIS menace.
Experts on both sides of the divide agree that the East-West crisis has “little to do with religion and everything to do with political and cultural friction”, land and oil interests, power rivalries and propaganda (from the book A World Without Islam).
To rally support for its agenda, ISIS is misusing Islam, a strategy also common in a few other religions. The West should understand that, with or without Islam, the East-West crisis will still exist.
A might-is-right policy by the US would antagonise the Muslim world. The global coalition must persuade the US to use moral authority as a champion of human rights, rather than military superiority.
The West’s support for pro-Western dictators in the Islamic world must also stop, so that the people can decide on the government they want. If they want Islamic parties in power, so be it; if a party does not deliver, it would soon be discredited.
The global coalition must win over the hearts and minds of peace-loving Muslims by addressing one of the worst human tragedies of our time: The plight of Palestinians forced out of their homes en masse and confined to living in refugee camps for more than six decades.
Its carte blanche support for Israel has lost the US its moral authority to effect an agreement between the warring parties. The coalition as a collective body, with America as one of its key players, must play the role of an honest broker.
With the Palestinian problem solved, ISIS may lose its mass appeal. As the US think-tank Rand Corporation stated in a 2008 report, political accommodation and policing are more effective than military might in combating terrorism.
http://www.todayonline.com/voices/coalition-should-use-political-social-tools-isis-battle
V Navaratnam
Published: 4:03 AM, October 22, 2014
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has welcomed the formation of a global coalition to combat the threat posed by the Islamic State, also referred to as ISIS. (“S’pore seriously considering how to help fight Islamic State: PM”: Oct 18)
He said that while it was necessary to contain and weaken ISIS, there was no purely military solution.
Among ordinary people in parts of the Islamic world, there may be a perception that the fight against ISIS is a fight against Islam.
Former United States President George W Bush’s reckless use of the word “crusade” in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks could have contributed to this. The global coalition must prove this wrong.
The US can help erase this misconception by diverting funds from wasteful wars to building hospitals and schools, and improving the living conditions of people in the Middle East. And the coalition must find a long-term political solution to the ISIS menace.
Experts on both sides of the divide agree that the East-West crisis has “little to do with religion and everything to do with political and cultural friction”, land and oil interests, power rivalries and propaganda (from the book A World Without Islam).
To rally support for its agenda, ISIS is misusing Islam, a strategy also common in a few other religions. The West should understand that, with or without Islam, the East-West crisis will still exist.
A might-is-right policy by the US would antagonise the Muslim world. The global coalition must persuade the US to use moral authority as a champion of human rights, rather than military superiority.
The West’s support for pro-Western dictators in the Islamic world must also stop, so that the people can decide on the government they want. If they want Islamic parties in power, so be it; if a party does not deliver, it would soon be discredited.
The global coalition must win over the hearts and minds of peace-loving Muslims by addressing one of the worst human tragedies of our time: The plight of Palestinians forced out of their homes en masse and confined to living in refugee camps for more than six decades.
Its carte blanche support for Israel has lost the US its moral authority to effect an agreement between the warring parties. The coalition as a collective body, with America as one of its key players, must play the role of an honest broker.
With the Palestinian problem solved, ISIS may lose its mass appeal. As the US think-tank Rand Corporation stated in a 2008 report, political accommodation and policing are more effective than military might in combating terrorism.
http://www.todayonline.com/voices/coalition-should-use-political-social-tools-isis-battle
