With the end of the US military presence in Afghanistan, the future strategic focus of the Biden administration, the development of US-China relations, and the possible cooperation between the two countries in resolving the Afghan issue have gradually become the new focus of attention of all parties. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Overseas Chinese Daily interviewed William C. Jones, director of the Washington Office of Global Strategic Information.
On the night of September 10, local time, looking out over Manhattan from a steamship sailing on the Hudson River in New York, the United States, two blue pillars of light symbolizing the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were being tested. After dawn, New York will celebrate the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Photo by Liao Pan, a reporter from China News Service
As a long-time American expert on China and Eurasia, Mr. Jones believes that the impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on future generations is extremely far-reaching, even 20 years later, the reflections on the international order, the roots of terrorist extremism and global regional poverty are still endless.
"The real cause of the 9/11 attacks remains an unsolved mystery to this day, including whether foreign governments were involved and whether the U.S. government could stop them before they happened," Jones said. But at the same time, it has sparked reflection on a range of issues that have long been overlooked by Westerners, including changes in the international order and regional poverty. It can be said that after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, many of the ideas of Westerners were completely changed overnight. ”
Looking back at the U.S. war on terror and related operations around the world over the past 20 years, Jones said that the united States has cooperated not only with its traditional allies, but also with China, including the identification of the terrorist organization "East Turkistan Islamic Movement" ("ETIM"), but these two consensus was rejected by the Trump administration in the later stages of the war on terror.
Deeply analyzing the root causes of terror and extremism, Jones believes that only by addressing the problem of extreme poverty in the region can the cancer of terrorism be completely eradicated. In Afghanistan, for example, the United States has continued to crack down on terrorist organizations in the region for the past 20 years, but the military presence has not solved Afghanistan's economic and livelihood problems, which is the main reason why the United States still "failed to leave" after paying a huge price in the Afghan war.
Jones pointed out that the ability to restart the Afghan economy and solve the problem of extreme poverty in the region will be an important factor in whether terrorist groups in the region such as ISIS-K will once again adopt a "radical strategy" after the Taliban have come to power for the second time. China's Belt and Road Initiative, a neighbor of Afghanistan, may be more effective than the U.S. approach over the past 20 years.
"After the United States withdraws its troops from Afghanistan, it has become inevitable that the United States will choose to cooperate with China in resolving regional issues, and Americans should not repeat the mistakes made in Afghanistan in the past 20 years," Jones said. At its root, tackling poverty is more effective than fighting terrorism by political and military means, and that's exactly what China's Belt and Road Initiative can do. ”
Jones pointed out that by extending China's "Belt and Road" initiative, the improvement of infrastructure such as roads in Afghanistan will play a significant role in improving the economy and people's livelihood, and the country is expected to establish closer economic ties with neighboring countries including China, India and Uzbekistan, and better integrate into Central Asia and even the world economic circle. This will not only restore hope for the future of this war-torn country and people, but also completely deprive the region of terror and extremism of its breeding grounds.
Jones concluded by stressing: "The U.S. policy toward Afghanistan over the past 20 years has been a complete failure, and if the United States wants to see a truly stable Afghanistan, then they must cooperate with China, and the investment in infrastructure and economic promotion of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by the Chinese side is clearly what Afghanistan needs most urgently at present." ”
Source: China News Network