Under the background of anti-terrorism, the United States' global strategy

Author: Institute of Modern International Relations of China, Center for US-Europe Studies
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: Analyzes the core components of the US global strategy, opens a new perspective for re-evaluating the US's power status, explores the US's strategic intentions toward China in the post-9/11 era, and provides an insightful look into the new dynamics of counter-terrorism and US grand strategy! From the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, USA, in 2001, to the 3/11 attacks in Madrid, Spain, in 2004—was it a coincidence, or a meticulously planned interval of exactly 911 days? In these 911 days, amidst the shifting tides of terrorism and counter-terrorism, the climate of international security underwent dramatic changes. The waves of terror crashed against the shores of global security. The coastline of international security, battered by the collision of global terrorist activities "base-ified" and the US global security strategy, was left in a state of confusion, with tensions escalating.
From 9/11 to 3/11, over the span of two and a half years, international terrorist forces exhibited a "headquarters economy" phenomenon in their ideological guidance. Terrorist organizations underwent significant transformations in motivation, structure, methods, types, regions, and composition, showing a tendency to converge toward, emulate, and align with the "Al-Qaeda" headquarters.
### I. Globalization of Terrorist Activities
After the "myth of security" in the US homeland shattered and Asia became a "hotbed of terrorism," Europe's defenses were further breached by terrorists. The US, Europe, and Asia now face the risk of comprehensive terrorist attacks, with France, Germany, and the UK on high alert. Japan and South Korea have raised their vigilance levels, while the anniversary of the Iraq War has become a major "festival" for terrorist activities. In Baghdad and Madrid, truck bombs were replaced by backpack bombs, and the threat of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons attacks grew increasingly imminent. Compared to the strategic significance of attack targets, terrorist organizations place greater emphasis on the bloody scenes of their acts. From Moscow, Jakarta, Istanbul, Casablanca to Madrid, the methods of committing crimes often mirror the indiscriminate massacres by the "Al-Qaeda schools."
### II. "Base-ification" of Terrorist Organizations
If the US-Iraq war was like stirring a hornet's nest, creating a surge of terrorists, then one year after the war, "Al-Qaeda" has become a "dispersed nebula." Traditional terrorist activities, which once confined themselves to specific boundaries or targeted neighborhoods, have been replaced by the concept of "global jihad." From the notorious Southeast Asian "Jemaah Islamiah" to the emerging "Moroccan Combatant Brigade," the verb may have changed, but the subject remains the same. "Global jihad" has become a cloud carrying rain, with global terrorist forces, led by "Al-Qaeda," seeking "operational sites" worldwide in a team-like, bundled manner. European counter-terrorism experts analyze that "Al-Qaeda" is currently active on three levels: the founding members of "Al-Qaeda," or the "Afghan Arabs" who participated in the anti-Soviet jihad in the 1980s; local organizations authorized by "Al-Qaeda," which retain full initiative at the grassroots level in line with the patterns of the global "jihad movement"; and new "converts" who serve as the key link between the grassroots and local organizations.
### III. Major Adjustments to the International Counter-Terrorism Alliance After 9/11 Due to 3/11
The transatlantic relationship, or the "transatlantic-trilateral" relationship between the US and "new" and "old" Europe, as well as the transpacific relationship, may face a new round of shifts. This is because, on one hand, 9/11 weakened the US, leading to a tougher anti-terrorism stance and a pursuit of hegemony through counter-terrorism; and on the other hand, 3/11 awakened Europe, prompting adjustments in its security strategy. The EU's 15 member states will soon establish a unified intelligence center, command center, and action center, narrowing the "generation gap" between "new" and "old" Europe. The US and Europe will engage in "position-taking" to consider each other's security situations.
### IV. 3/11 as a Political "Explosion" in Europe
Faced with terrorism, European countries have exposed new critical weaknesses. Terrorists have been "playing politics," using bloody attacks to influence voting intentions and undermine the political cohesion of Wall Street, Downing Street, and the Kantei. The Madrid "massacre" led to a "terrorist evolution" in Spain's political landscape. 2004 is an election year, and whether "regime change" and "terrorist evolution" could escalate into a "terrorist flu" affecting Tokyo, Seoul, Canberra, Rome, Warsaw, The Hague, and London has become a serious issue that people must confront.
Studying a mature embryo is far easier than studying a mature cell. By climbing the ladder of the 2001 "October 7th" Afghanistan War and the 2003 "March 20th" regime change war, people can gain a deeper understanding of the US's global strategy in the post-9/11 era, the relationship between counter-terrorism and hegemony, the connection between counter-terrorism and geopolitical strategy, and the interplay between diplomacy and domestic politics.
In the latter half of the 20th century, "containing the Soviet Union" was the soul of the US's global strategy. In the first half of the 21st century, "counter-terrorism" may become the core component of the US's global strategy, marking the beginning of a "new era" in its grand strategy.
The Institute of Modern International Relations of China, renowned both domestically and internationally for its close monitoring of developments and accurate forecasting of trends, has timely provided a platform for 30 young and middle-aged experts on international issues, bringing together a thought-provoking work brimming with intellectual sparks. The book covers the interplay between the international landscape, national security strategy, regional strategy, and domestic and foreign policies of the US in the context of counter-terrorism. It is characterized by originality in conception, depth in perspective, rigor in argumentation, and a fresh writing style, making it a new work that helps stimulate in-depth thinking among researchers of international issues about the US.