Rethink needed over ‘failed’ war on terror, says Kirkburton academic

Nov 30 2009 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

More efforts must be made to provide third world debt relief, bring about fairer international trade and give direct help to the world’s poorest countries to encourage sustainable development.

He says: “The experience of the last eight years is hugely relevant to the future.

“In the original 9/11 attacks, a small number of determined people turned passenger jets into weapons.

“In Iraq, just a few thousand insurgents tied down over 200,000 of the world’s best equipped and best trained armed forces for nearly six years.

“In Afghanistan the insurgents are probably no greater in number yet are gaining ground after more than eight years of conflict.

“The war on terror has been a classic example of what might be termed ‘liddism’ – keeping the lid on security threats without recognising, still less understanding, the underlying reasons for insecurity.

“Such an approach – the determined effort to maintain control – fails to recognise the interconnected nature of today’s globalised world.

“The castle gates simply cannot be closed.”