opinion In the longer run, the United States, and for that matter, those in Europe, should certainly ponder upon and remove the many root causes, remote or immediate, of terrorism, particularly the psychological wounds that they inflicted on the peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America since Nov 27, 1095, when Pope Urban launched the First Crusade in Clermont, France.

However, at the present moment and in the shorter run, the governments of the United States, Europe and indeed, the entire civilised world, should not be seen to be scholarly indecisive, reluctant and pusillanimous in taking up strategic and tactical options that would effectively assuage the fear of normal peoples around the world and, above all, teach terrorists and their sponsors lessons.

Only decisive, firm, effective and swift actions against the perpetrators of the cold-blooded mass murder in the US last week, could restore the faith and confidence of humankind in international law and global order.

Psychological fear

Terrorism, especially the kind that involves an intentional, calculated and organised mass murder of unarmed civilians as the world witnessed last week, is the most barbaric and despicable crime against humanity.

It differs from conventional, revolutionary and guerilla warfare because it cowardly and cold-bloodedly conspires to select civilian, not military, targets for violent attack to merely induce a psychological state of fear and vulnerability. The calculated and organised armed attack on unarmed civilians is not only forbidden in modern and secular international law, but also in the teachings of great religions on the ethics on the conduct of unavoidable armed resolution of conflicts.

Thus, even most of the revolutionary and guerrilla wars of national liberation in the Third World against Western colonialism and imperialism in the first half of the last century, such as the People's War of Liberation in China (1946-1949) against the corrupt regime of Kuomintang and the War of Independence in Indonesia (1945-1949) against the Dutch firmly rejected the use of intentional, calculated and organised armed attack on unarmed civilians, including Western civilians.

Even then, in genuine, just and honourable struggle of national liberation, such as that waged by the heroic people of Vietnam against French colonialism, armed operations were only resorted to after peaceful methods, such as diplomacy and negotiations, of achieving a clearly-defined and well-publicised just political goal have failed. Wars of national liberation were also conducted with the identities of the organisations and the names of some top leaders made known publicly.

Anti-humanity criminals

Seen in this historical and real perspective, it is clear that the cowardly and despicable attackers last week have no clearly-defined, well-publicised and justly-articulated cause. They, or their masterminds, dare not even claim responsibility after the attack.

They are therefore anti-humanity criminals, not honourable fighters of national liberation or any other just causes, secular or holy. What they have not claimed or demanded themselves, others should not speak on their behalf, or to attempt to normalise their despicably abnormal behaviour.

However, while the people and government of the US deserve worldwide solidarity and support for the realistic option of taking decisive, firm, effective and swift actions against the cowardly murderers and their sponsors, they must also be reminded that justice should also be tempered with mercy and prudence.

JAMES WONG WING ON, chief analyst of Strategic Analysis Malaysia, is a former Member of Parliament (1990-1995) and a former columnist for the Sin Chew Jit Poh Chinese daily. He read political science and economics at the Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. While in Sin Chew, he and a team of journalists won the top awards of Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) for 1998 and 1999.