G20 Summit overshadowed by terrorism and war
- By Heiko Khoo
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E-mail China.org.cn, November 18, 2015
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Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the first session of the 10th summit of the Group of Twenty (G20) major economies in Antalya, Turkey, November 15 (XINHUA) |
Economic growth and climate change were supposed to be the focus of the G20 summit, but the terrorist attacks in Paris changed the agenda. At the heavily guarded summit in Antalya, Turkey, leaders pledged to renew their efforts to fight the Islamic State (IS) terrorist network and also discussed ways to deal with the on-going refugee crisis.
The Paris massacre left 132 people dead and over 350 others injured, 99 of them seriously.The IS claimed responsibility for this attack as well as for last Thursday's bomb attack that killed 43 people in Beirut.
The dramatic nature of the Paris attacks may have been designed to provoke an escalation of Western military participation in Syria. If so, it succeeded. France has teamed up more closely with the United States to launch multiple airstrikes against IS targets.
France's more active and aggressive approach to "hitting back" will inevitably produce higher civilian casualties as target selection and bombing inevitably are imprecise, with all the attendant "collateral damage," mainly due to the lack of intelligence from inside IS-controlled territory.
IS has proven an effective fighting force despite its arcane views and brutal methods. The terrorists are able to pinpoint strategic weaknesses and appeal to determined fighters from around the world to rally to the cause. Iraq's military and security forces lack matching high morale because their country has been decimated by war and constant insurgency from 2003 onwards.
The United States, France and Britain support the opposition to Syrian President Assad, but seem unable to galvanise sufficient strength to overthrow him. After more than four years of conflict, he appears to retain a solid support-base.
Within the Syrian opposition, IS forces emerged as the most militant and determined fighters. Their caliphate has control over oil revenue and sophisticated U.S. weaponry - mainly seized in their victories over Iraqi forces. The war in Syria also caused millions to flee country and seek a safe refuge.
Russia's President Putin believes fighting the IS requires support for President Assad, whereas the U.S. favors those fighting against both Assad and IS forces. The big problem with this, is that the dividing line between the IS and other anti-Assad forces is like shifting sand.
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