422 • 21 THE WAR ON TERRORISM"state-sponsored terrorism," acts that have been ordered and paid for by
established governments. But can a government itself commit a terrorist
act? If a bomb set off in a school, marketplace, or car constitutes terrorism,
what about a bomb dropped from a plane or fired by a distant launcher?
Both are deliberate choices. Both have unintended consequences. Do you
have to see your victims to be called a terrorist? Can terrorist acts be com¬
mitted by a soldier, sailor, or pilot wearing his or her country's uniform?
Can an attack on a uniformed soldier, sailor, or pilot ever be called "terror¬
istic"? We think so, but do you?
How do you conduct a war on terrorism, as both US and Israeli officials
claim to have done for many years? In Chapter 19 we discussed the two
approaches to ending terrorism: solving the causes of terrorism, and at¬
tacking terrorists directly. Most Westerners now believe that a government
cannot fight terrorism by simply educating people, eliminating poverty, or
correcting injustice. But is the struggle one of law enforcement, clandes¬
tine counterterrorist measures, or traditional military confrontation? In
other words, do you defeat terrorism with police, secret agents, or uni¬
formed troops, who themselves might act like terrorists? These are not
easy questions.
We put them aside, for our main job is to write this chapter about the
Middle East in the twenty-first century. Let us examine political, economic,
and social conditions in its various countries, as we ask why some people
commit violent acts and how both local and foreign governments respond
to them. We also discuss the consequences of violence, resistance, self-
sacrifice, and terrorism.
Turkey
Geographically if not culturally, Turkey is the country that can best claim
to be a bridge between Europe and Asia. A pioneer in westernizing reform
from above, it lives uneasily with the legacy of the Tanzimat and Kemal
Ataturk. However, its government since 2002 has been a coalition led by an
Islamist party and prime minister, and a growing number of Turkish citi¬
zens would like to restore Islamic customs and laws. It has close cultural
ties with the Arab countries, and yet it also has a de facto strategic alliance
with Israel against Syria, largely because it controls the sources of the Tigris
and Euphrates Rivers. It also has growing economic ties with Europe and
may soon be admitted to the European Union if it amends its laws impact¬
ing human rights. One stumbling block has been its struggle with a Kur¬
dish separatist movement. Since 1984 Turkey has faced in its southeastern
provinces a Kurdish rebellion which, if successful, would threaten its terri-