Students who found themselves struggling to comprehend the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 were given an opportunity to learn about the history behind these events yesterday and their possible repercussions.
An informative panel of four speakers presented the "Colloquium on Regional Repercussions of an American War on Terrorism" Tuesday afternoon in Nelson Auditorium. Tufts professors Jeffrey Taliaferro from political science and Ayesha Jalal from history were joined by Professor Thomas Barfield from the department of anthropology at Boston University and Professor Thomas Phillip, faculty of political science at the University of Erlangen in Germany.
Taliaferro spoke about the national security implications for the US in the aftermath of the attacks. This "war" is different than any other America has fought, he said, because there is "no defined enemy." Taliaferro noted that the US would have a "hard time sending ground troops" into Afghanistan, as the country is land-locked and mountainous.
In terms of other major world powers, Taliaferro said that China is extremely anxious about an American military presence in Central Asia, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to "cooperate with the US and allow them to use [Russia's] airbases." But Taliaferro sees "potential friction" with Russia, as Russia has disagreed with a few recent US policies like NATO expansion and a missile defense system. Although the Europe-US NATO treaty implies that "an attack on one is an attack on all," Taliaferro is unsure of a French, German, or British ground-troop presence in Afghanistan. But, he believes the British navy may get involved.
Taliaferro stated that the main risk in this situation is the lack of "unanimity on using military force against Afghanistan or any other state." In the short run, the US can use its power to coerce its allies into helping militarily; but in the long run, "belligerent diplomacy" is a bad idea.
Barfield gave a short synopsis of Afghanistan's difficult history, from British and Russian occupations of the country, militant religious factions, to the more than ten years of civil war before the Taliban government came to power during anarchy in 1996. Soon after, the government alienated all its surrounding countries in various ways.
Taliban's control is based on "an unstable alliance- people [of Afghanistan] look out for self-interest, not ideolgy," Barfield said.
Jalal presented Pakistan's role in the crisis as a "quandary." She discussed Pakistan's "precarious relationship with the US," religious extremism, and refugee problem.
The US has historically "distanced itself" from Pakistan, although Pakistani President Musharraf has "pledged support of the US" at this point.
This move has angered the ulema, or religious leaders, in Pakistan, who say "the US can't use Pakistan to get to bin Laden." bin Laden is a "hero to some" in the country who "don't want the US in the Middle East and South Asia."
There are also currently "2.5 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan," according to Jalal, and "1.5 million Afghan child refugees will be in danger [of starvation] as the winter approaches."
Jalal concluded by saying that the militant factions in Pakistan are certainly deserving of our attention, but "just as dangerous are those [members of society] who silently harbor doubts and suspicions about the US"
Phillip, who is currently a visiting professor of international politics at the Fletcher School, discussed "Arabic Perspectives" but touched mainly on the fact that the world, and the US in particular, now regard the militant factions as "religious," when the keyword used to be "Arab fanaticism." He pointed out that this new term is advantageous for terrorists, as "you can use religion as a weapon [for anything]. In the last twenty years [religion] has become an excuse for terrorism."
At the end of the presentations, faculty and students were given time for questions. Taliaferro summed up the complexity and difficulty of the situation when he responded to a student by saying that the US is not at war with another country, but "with a person, and with radical terrorism."
The colloquium was sponsored by the International Relations program, the Middle Eastern Studies program, and the Center for South Asia.
