U.S. campaign against terrorism is just a farce

TEHRAN,April 30(MNA)--The recent terrorist incident in the city of Boston once again reminded U.S. residents that they are living in an extremely unsafe country where the government’s interests are often threatened in ways that expose them to great danger. Even the most sophisticated measures taken since September 11, 2001 have failed to prevent terrorist attacks in the United States. According to the news reports, the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing are Chechens who were raised in Dagestan and Kyrgyzstan before immigrating to the United States. Over the years, the U.S. government has been one of the main supporters of the guerrillas in Chechnya, and along with Britain and its other European allies, it has provided a safe haven to the main elements of the separatist groups, despite Russia’s repeated requests for their extradition. This again proves the theory that the U.S. created and supported groups that gradually became serious threats to its own national security. And U.S. citizens have repeatedly paid the price for their government’s ill-advised policy of supporting groups like the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and the Chechen guerillas. In fact, Washington’s policy of supporting dissident movements and trends in various countries, under the banner of democracy and human rights, has ruined the lives of millions of people around the world. It has also created a great deal of anti-U.S. sentiment in a number of countries, and many individuals and groups are looking for any opportunity to harm U.S. interests inside and outside the country. The killing of the U.S. ambassador to Libya, the massacres of innocent students at schools and universities, the attacks against various ethnic and minority groups, the destruction of their holy sites, and the bombings in crowded locations clearly show that civilians, and even U.S. officials, are victims of Washington’s hypocritical policy of supporting dissident movements in other parts of the world. The recent attacks in Boston will increase the pressure on U.S. citizens, since they will become subject to stricter government measures, allegedly to prevent similar terrorist incidents. This was the case after 9/11, and for years now, many U.S. residents have been subjected to invasive surveillance programs that have greatly infringed on their civil liberties. However, Washington’s intensification of its anti-terrorist measures will only be successful if it stops interfering in the internal affairs of other countries. Otherwise, the campaign against terrorism will continue to be a farce since it is not focused on the real causes of terrorism. Ali Abolfath is a political analyst and expert on the United States based in Tehran. (By Ali Abolfath)