Did the end of the USSR empower the terrorists?

What the Arabic press is saying about the causes of terror attacks in Europe, featuring Al Hayat and Asharq Al Awsat.

The terminal at Brussels national airport was the target of a terror attack in March. Yorick Jansens / Reuters

The attacks that have afflicted Europe in recent weeks have all been perpetrated by the same author. First, terror struck in Paris, killing 130 people in what was described as the bloodiest attack since the end of second world war.

An attack in Brussels claimed the lives of 30 people and left 300 injured. Then on Bastille Day, a lorry ploughed into a crowd in Nice, leaving 84 people dead and hundreds more injured.

Germany then suffered five attacks. Most recently in France last week, a priest had his throat slit in a church in Normandy.

Salim Nassar, a columnist in the pan-Arab daily Al Hayat, wrote that the increasing number of casualties has prompted desperate attempts at explaining the ongoing terrorist attacks and uncover their root causes.

Nassar highlighted two of the many studies into this issue.

“The first study is based on the Chilcot Report, which laid the blame on former British prime minister Tony Blair and his ally, United States president George W Bush,” he noted.

According to this study, making up lies to legitimise the invasion on Iraq led to the creation of a group opposing neocolonialism. This group had deviated from its original path under the leadership of Saddam Hussein’s officers and has attracted militants from most Arab countries.”

Putting on trial the Iraqi officials responsible for a crime of this magnitude, alongside Mr Blair and Mr Bush, would “eliminate this scourge and perhaps this would give the injured parties some satisfaction”.

The second study blames the United States for its role in dissolving the USSR. Eliminating the checks and balances of terror and opening the way for jihadist groups to seek reprisal.

“International opposition used to be represented by small groups such as the Baader Meinhof gang in Germany, the Italian Red Brigades, the Japanese Red Army and Carlos the Jackal from Venezuela,” he added.

“This study claimed the absence of the USSR has left a huge political gap that could hardly be bridged by Vladimir Putin.”

Abdul Rahman Al Rashid, a columnist in the pan-Arab daily Asharq Al Awsat, described the attacks on Europe as hideous.

“France stood by the Syrian people against the Assad regime politically and supported Arab countries against Iran more than any other country,” he wrote.

“It’s the same for Germany, which welcomed one million refugees, most of them Muslim.

“We stand before a wide-scale war of terror that carries the signature of one party holding the banner of Islam. Rather than fixating on justifying individual crimes, we ought to stand by these wounded communities.

“After all, we are the partners of France, Germany and Belgium in their tragedies. We are suffering at the hands of the same group and should first pursue the perpetrators who are none other than promoters of radicalism and their advocates.”

The phase of denial and excuses should end, he added, because the world is fed up with justifications that only contribute to covering up for the perpetrators.

“Most of those involved in the attacks were intellectually mature at the time of joining the terror group. They did not master radicalism at the hands of ISIL, whose leadership in Raqqa merely lists the targets,” he added.

“That is if we suppose the online correspondents are actually affiliated to ISIL or Al Qaeda. But nobody knows whether they are really from Raqqa, Tehran or elsewhere and, to be honest, it does not matter much because the crime would have reached its final stage.

“It is only when instigators and promoters of takfir and jihad cease their calls or are curbed that online recruiters will no longer find recruits to wear their explosive belts.”