US using ‘War on Terror’ to maintain hegemony: Scholar

The United States has launched the so-called War on Terror in an attempt to maintain its global hegemony and counter the rise of a multi-polar world led by Russia and China, an American scholar and political analyst says.

Dennis Etler, professor of Anthropology at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV when asked to comment on a new poll which shows the percentage of people in the United States who are concerned about terrorism has risen to the level it was in the weeks following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Nearly 80 percent of Americans say a terrorist attack is "very or somewhat likely in the next few months," according to the New York Times/ CBS News poll released Thursday. It was 78 percent in late September 2001.

Professor Etler said the “War on Terrorism” has been “pursued without interruption since the late 1990s when the first al-Qaeda attacks occurred against US targets. It was framed as the foundation of US foreign policy by the George W. Bush administration even before the 9/11 attacks that brought down the World Trade Center in New York City and served as an excuse to invade one nation after another.”

“The ‘War on Terrorism’ has been used as justification for the invasions of both Afghanistan and Iraq and their subsequent occupation by Western forces led by the US and NATO. Although the Obama administration was elected on a platform of ending the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan they have continued with US involvement. The ‘War on Terrorism’ is still a central tenant of US foreign policy and has spread to Syria, Yemen, Pakistan and areas in the Horn of Africa and the sub-Saharan region where US troops and advisers have been deployed to combat terrorist activities,” he added.   

“Besides military conflict the ‘War on Terrorism’ has also led to a string of major terrorist attacks in the homelands of US allies. These include deadly attacks against civilian targets in London, Madrid, Paris, and the US besides elsewhere. The most recent slaughter in San Bernardino, California has revived fears of further terrorist attacks within the US, with polls showing that nearly 80 percent expect another attack as likely within the next few months. This level of fear and anxiety has not been seen since the 9/11 attacks over a decade ago,” the analyst stated.

Who benefits from terrorist acts?

Professor Etler said, “It can legitimately be asked, ‘who benefits from these attacks and the hysteria they generate?’ The clear answer is those in the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the other [Persian] Gulf States and Turkey who want to see the defeat and destruction of anti-imperialist nations, be they secularly or religiously motivated, they are the chief beneficiaries of the chaos that has engulfed the Middle East and other regions of the world.”

“The US wants to maintain its position of global hegemony and counter the rise of a multi-polar world led by Russia and China. One way of doing this is to fan the flames of war and instability on their borders, hoping that the destabilizing effects will spill over and threaten them at home,” he pointed out.

“Israel hopes to use the chaos to consolidate its hold on Palestinian lands and allow them to conduct terror campaigns of their own in Gaza and the West Bank in the name of the ‘War on Terrorism.’

“Turkey under the leadership of the Pan-Turkic Erdogan wants to use the ‘War on Terrorism’ to expand its influence into Turkic lands in Central Asia, including China's Xinjiang. Saudi Arabia and the [Persian] Gulf states wish to use their Salafist clients in order to extend their influence throughout the Middle Eat in contention with Iran and its allies.”

Willing pawns or autonomous actors, does it matter?

Professor Etler said the “War on Terrorism” “thus serves the purposes and interests of those who most loudly speak of conducting it, while the real victims, including the nations that have been dismembered or destabilized by terrorism are maligned as contributing to its rise by their own actions.

“It thus matters little as to whether the terrorists are willing pawns of the imperialists, their dupes or autonomous actors with their own agenda. It doesn't make one whit of difference as to whether the terrorist attacks on civilians are ‘false flag operations,’ ‘set-up jobs,’ or simply attacks motivated by a malignant ideology. In any case the attacks serve the interests of the cabal of imperialists commanded by the US which includes a motley assortment of Zionists, Salafists, and Panturkists.

“Homeland terrorist attacks play into the hands of those who want to continue to wage war against those who are the primary victims of the terrorists that the US and its allies train, fund and supply directly and indirectly. It is the perfect example of a thief yelling 'Catch the thief,’” the scholar concluded. 

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