Azerbaijani politicians comment on September 11, 2001 events - SURVEY

On the morning of September 11, 2001, nineteen terrorists, supposedly  having links with  Al-Qaeda, divided into four groups and seized four scheduled passenger airliner in the United States.

The act of terrorism claimed 2,974 lives 9 (excluding 19 terrorists); 246 passengers and crew members of planes, 2,603 people in New York, in the WTC buildings and land, 125 in the Pentagon. U.S. citizens and that of 91 states were killed including 96 citizens and immigrants from the former USSR. As many as 24 people are listed as missing.

Vafa Guluzade:

I want to say that now attitude to the events of September 11, 2001 has changed. On one hand, the George Bush administration encouraged people to patriotism in the United States and urged to fights Islamic terrorism on the other. The Bush administration selected ‘September 11’ in a bid to define image of an external enemy who disappeared after collapse of the Soviet Union.

Evidently, the American military theorists decided that it would be Islam - the Muslim world. It is obvious what consequences it had. U.S. rating plummeted throughout the Islamic world. The campaign against the United States, especially in Muslim countries, intensified.

This led to success neither in the U.S. nor in Iraq and Afghanistan. On the contrary, the Muslim world saw the U.S. as its enemy. Now Barack Obama administration makes efforts to change the situation. Barack Obama rejects the use of expressions such as “Islamic terrorism” and prefers not to associate terrorism with Islam. He prefers to mark September 11 as a day of obedience, by various musical concerts and memorial talk shows.

Fikrat Sadigov:

From conceptual viewpoint, almost nothing has changed in the world after September 11, 2001.  But from practical point of view, of course, the world, all civilized community realized the danger posed by terrorism, its consequences and aggressive separatism. They came to a definite conclusion that terrorism must be fought comprehensively, not separately, but in general, creating alliances, coalitions and peacekeeping force.

Unfortunately, theoretical ideas that creation of alliances and invasion of other countries will put an end to terrorism were not justified. Because the methods of their implementation turned out to be absolutely useless, and this, unfortunately, had an impact on our region and on relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Because of the mistakes that were made by the Bush administration in fight against terrorism revealed the fact that the methods of implementation, the control mechanisms are far from what is called a true fight against terrorism.

The events in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries testify to it. Of course, Azerbaijan has participated and continues to participate in peacekeeping operations, because we are united in the fight against extremism, terrorism and aggressive separatism.

But, unfortunately, the world has not yet fully realized what notion of aggressive separatism implies and what conclusions to draw from what consequences it may have.

Tofiq Abbasov:

After September 11, 2001, little has changed in world in terms of escalation of violence, and I believe that the Sept. 11 prompted moderate forces to more active use of force. Because under the cover of fight against international terrorism world powers themselves headed by the United States expanded front of war and dragged into this orbit some opposition forces that were far from the idea of using weapon in the struggle against their ideological opponents.

The fight against terrorism in general recalls the struggle against shadows, because there is no clearly defined enemy. That is, terrorism is so common and collective image of enemy that it's not clear where the main front line is.

Americans have identified Iraq and Afghanistan as the main site  of war on terrorism. Later the list also included Pakistan as well. When  unmanned air planes bomb civilian population centers causing immeasurable civilian loss, this again leads to involvement of new forces, and as a consequence, losses and casualties increase.

It seems to me that the fight against terrorism is a distinct tinge of farce. Because some places that are considered to be hot spots were completely peaceful. Suddenly there was tension ... Artificial zones of instability appeared this way.

Rasim Agayev:

Eight years have passed since then and now after the events in Afghanistan Europe’s faith in the omnipotence of the United States has weakened. But after the events in Afghanistan, America has made another fatal mistake by invading Iraq without adequate justification. Once horrifying pictures of U.S. attacks on peaceful cities of Iraq surfaced on television screens, the U.S. lost
moral and political credbility worldwide and image of an omnipotent superpower. This means that new rules for the new world order will be set soon.  

After the events of September 11,  2001 it turned out that only one force is unable to overthrow and to suppress phenomenon of terrorism. Terrorism is a serious, profound socio-economic and political framework. The international community must take political power methods to combat this phenomenon. No state can say that it is able alone to fight terrorism. This is a global problem which needs be solved together.

As to Azerbaijan’s role in a fight against terrorism, the country took part and joined the support to the U.S. in a fight against terrorism and also joined the international peace contingent. I think this is a right move.

By participating in peacekeeping operations, Azerbaijan acquires experience to combat terrorism which is also relevant in the Caucasus. I believe that Azerbaijan, taking advantage of such developments, must have dew global attention to what is happening in the Caucasus, since Azerbaijan for many years has suffered from Armenian terrorism and occupation of its territories.

/Day.Az/