Dimensions of war on terror

The US-led war on terror has come a long way since its rationale of 9/11 and has, along the way, gathered several new strands that either did not belong to it initially or were at least dormant.

There is little doubt left that Washington's purpose is not confined to the defeat of terrorist outfits and its adherents. The acquisition of energy resources of the Middle East and Central Asia and the spread of influence with physical presence appear in hindsight as its primary aim. Otherwise, Baghdad would not have been a casualty; President Saddam Hussein posed a challenge to the supremacy of Israel, the US outpost assigned to safeguard its interests in the region, and, therefore, was regarded as a big stumbling block to the unimpeded flow of oil, the fast depleting energy resource that makes the present-day life avail the benefits of science and technology and has, as a consequence, become a coveted object for all nations, big and small.

For the reasons the hanged Iraqi leader had become the target, Tehran with its outspoken, anti-imperialist President Ahmadinejad is at present being reviled in a sustained campaign. The tussle between the West, led by the US, and Iran comes down to just one point: Iran's desperate attempt at breaking loose from the stranglehold of Western influence and assert its independence is coming up against an iron wall of resistance from the presently entrenched forces.

Besides, the widespread distrust and humiliating treatment of Muslims in general and attributing the philosophy of terrorism to Islam without any basis by the Western world have added another dimension to the war on terror.