Chapter 1112 Undercurrent
2002 will go down in history as the International Anti-Terrorism Year. The international terrorism and anti-terrorism struggles have deepened step by step, affecting the development and evolution of all aspects of the international situation. Against the backdrop of the terrorism and anti-terrorism struggles, the world is in chaos, but there is stability in the chaos and changes in the chaos.
The international anti-terrorism struggle in 2002 was led by the United States, coordinated by major powers, and participated by most countries. International anti-terrorism cooperation has gradually deepened, including global cooperation, regional cooperation, multilateral cooperation, and bilateral cooperation. Cooperation at all levels has developed to varying degrees. A strong anti-terrorism atmosphere has been formed internationally. Terrorism can be said to have become an international rat and is despised by mainstream countries.
All countries are increasing their investment in social security to maintain social stability, and forming anti-terrorism special forces to deal with terrorist incidents.
Even China has strengthened border patrols, customs inspections, and security checks at subway stations, railway stations, airports, and bus stations. The police have strengthened social security, including the household registration system, and cracked down on illegal immigrants. People also generally participate and call the police immediately when they see special situations.
Strengthened public security has made it difficult for thugs to move in China. Guns are not easy to get, and materials for making explosives are also difficult to get.
They were crushed several times.
China has strengthened cooperation with ASEAN, strengthened cooperation in politics, economy, military, culture, and technology, and jointly sought development.
According to this year's ASEAN 10+1 meeting, the two sides will strive to realize the ASEAN+China Free Trade Zone in 2010.
In Europe and the United States, more than 3,900 terrorist incidents occurred throughout 2002, causing more than 100,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of casualties, which made European and American countries suffer in this regard.
The people of European and American countries have been calling for a ban on guns, but on the contrary, European and American countries have tacitly relaxed all of them. Countries that originally had gun bans have also abolished the laws and allowed gun ownership.
Even in Europe and the United States, many scholars have shouted that they must coexist with guns!
It is really that the investment in social security is too large, so large that the national strength of many European and American countries cannot bear it at all.
In addition, the sharp rise in oil prices has basically caused great harm to European and American countries. Inflation has risen, and economic development in Europe and the United States has weakened. The United States has relied on issuing a large amount of US dollars and US bonds to stimulate the economy.
Inflation in European countries has risen sharply, and coupled with economic weakness, the people are quite dissatisfied. In addition, for example, delayed retirement and cuts in social welfare have caused dissatisfaction among the people of various countries.
In addition, while military counter-terrorism is the main means, hegemony is involved. From a certain perspective, the United States is using military counter-terrorism to promote its own hegemony.
In 2001, the United States announced a war against Afghanistan on the grounds that Afghanistan supported the "Al-Qaeda" organization and was suspected of participating in the September 11 tragedy in the United States.
But by 2002, basically no one thought that the United States' purpose would be so simple. This must have involved considerations for the promotion of US hegemony.
This year, many people criticized military counter-terrorism for treating the symptoms but not the root cause, and promoting hegemony is not desirable.
Even if the United States supported the Afghan interim government, the Afghan interim government was unable to fight the guerrillas, and the joint forces led by the United States still had to fight the guerrillas.
Everyone has seen that the United States has inserted its own agenda into the fight against terrorism, such as seeking to expand its geopolitical influence, taking the opportunity to increase its control over the Middle East and Caspian oil and its transportation channels, and giving equal weight to anti-proliferation and anti-terrorism. In short, everyone has seen that the United States' hegemony consciousness has surpassed its anti-terrorism invitation, which has complicated the anti-terrorism situation.
The war in Afghanistan launched by the United States is no longer as widely supported as it was at the beginning in 2001.
Now even the United States, Britain and other countries have voices against the war.
Throughout 2002, the coalition led by the United States lost more than 20,000 people in Afghanistan and injured more than 100,000 people. The government forces of the Afghan interim government lost more than 30,000 people and more than 60,000 people were injured.
The news that the Australian army massacred civilians in Afghanistan caused an uproar in the world's public opinion, and all parties criticized the Australian army's behavior.
Although the outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian war was defined and reported by European and American media as the "Israeli-Palestinian conflict" or the "Israeli-Palestinian war", this was the real sixth Middle East war, and media outside Europe and the United States reported it as the "Sixth Middle East War".
Both sides suffered heavy losses and both were hurt. If the United States had not shown a tough attitude, I am afraid Israel would no longer exist.
However, Israel's image as the "little bully in the Middle East" was completely destroyed and no longer existed.
You should know that in this sixth Middle East war, only four Arab countries appeared, namely Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan. Arab countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, etc. did not send troops to the battlefield.
The Arab coalition forces are also responsible for calming the situation.
Now the Palestinian-Israeli issue has not been resolved, and the two sides have not even signed a ceasefire agreement. It can be said that the war may break out again at any time.
This makes international peace-loving people worried, after all, the world is not peaceful now.
The African continent is still in the midst of war. After the French forces were driven out, various forces are scrambling for territory. I don't know when peace will return to the African continent.
In the Middle East, looking at the US's statement and troop deployment, everyone knows that the US will use troops in the Middle East.
The United States combines geopolitical interests, energy competition and anti-terrorism, and combines short-term anti-terrorism with long-term hegemony. In particular, this year's massive expansion has deployed troops around Iraq, preparing to attack Iraq and overthrow Saddam with force, which has raised questions about the justice of the anti-terrorism war.
So far, people from all over the world have criticized the Americans for this approach, believing that the Americans' global deployment of force will only aggravate tensions and is of no benefit to anti-terrorism.
Under the coercion of the United States, Japan had to send a large number of Self-Defense Forces to the battlefield in Afghanistan. In 2002 alone, the number of Japanese Self-Defense Forces killed in Afghanistan reached 3,500, and more than 10,000 were injured, allowing the Japanese to experience the terrifying power of guerrilla warfare again after more than half a century.
And now, Japan has to send a large number of Self-Defense Forces to join the joint forces formed by the United States to participate in the Iraq War.
However, Japan's gains are few. In addition to the United States relaxing restrictions on Japan in some areas, Japan's competitiveness in industry has declined significantly. For example, in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, the lost decade has changed a generation of Japanese people.
Many Japanese companies have gone bankrupt in the past decade. Now Japan is dominated by chaebols and there is no innovation at all.
High oil prices have made Japan's economy even more sluggish. If it weren't for Japan's lucrative overseas investment, Japan would be in a worse situation now.
With its strength declining significantly, Japan's overseas ambitions have greatly decreased, and its international influence has declined significantly.