While Al-Qaida's culpability about the crimes committed on nine-eleven is incontrovertible, the authorship of the Madrid massacre remains shrouded in mystery despite the arrests of a few Moroccan nationals as alleged perpetrators of the crime. US based Centre for Defence Information(CDI) in a recent report cast doubt on the claim of responsibility for the bombing by Abu Hafsat Misri Brigades, a group reportedly linked with Al-Qaida. According to CDI the group not only lacks credibility having falsely claiming that it was behind the power outage in North America last year but also because Al-Qaida is generally slower in claiming responsibility for terrorist acts. Besides, reports of Arabic Quranic tapes being found with detonators in a stolen car appears to be childish tradecraft to steer the course of investigation , and no less importantly the justifiable anger of the people in a different direction.

It should not smack of anti-Semitism to remind ourselves that late last year the Euro barometer poll described Israel as the biggest threat to international peace which prompted the Israeli government to warn the European Union " to stop the rampant brain washing against and demonisation of Israel before Europe deteriorates once again to dark sections of its past". Clearly the Israeli government was anxious not too lose any further European support to its genocidal activities in Palestine.

While these are early days to conclusively arrive at an indictment as to the authorship of Madrid bombing, the just defeated Aznar government had initially blamed Basque separatists Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) for the carnage. There were good reasons for their suspicion. The Madrid bombing did fit with ETA's recent activities with two suspected members of the group being arrested barely two weeks before 11th March along with one thousand pounds of explosives believed to have been destined for Madrid. Besides the explosives used in Madrid bombing were reportedly of a type previously used by ETA. Another ETA-style feature was using remote detonation instead of suicide bombers favoured by Islamic extremists. Additionally the banning of Batasuna, the political arm of ETA in March last year, arrest of many suspected ETA members, outlawing of ETA-linked newspapers in concert with graduated American steps to designating ETA as a Foreign Terrorist Organization(FTO) to Specially Designated Global Terrorist(SDGT) further vitiated the confrontational relationship between ETA and the Spanish government.

The defeat of Aznar government in the just held elections was partly due to dithering in placing the blame for the Madrid massacre first on ETA and then shifting the blame to Islamic terrorists. One must also remember that Jose Aznar's unqualified support for the Iraq invasion, described as a "disaster" and the occupation of Iraq as a 'fiasco' by Jose Rodriquez Zapatero, the Prime Minister-elect, was hugely unpopular among the Spaniards.

Understandably the Madrid bombing has been strongly condemned by President Bush who on March 12th conveyed to the Spanish ambassador in Washington his appreciation "so very much your government's strong stand against terrorism and terrorist organisations like ETA". Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern as the current President of the European Council has pledged that EU would "not be deflected from pursuit of democracy and justice by these desperate acts (and) to combat all forms of terrorism in accordance with the provisions on the Charter of the United Nations". Pointing out that the European Security Strategy adopted by the European Council last December which identified terrorism as one of the key threats to EU interests, Bertie Ahern has appealed to EU members to assume obligations contained in the Solidarity Clause which provides for member states to come to the assistance of each other in response to new threats, arising from terrorist and non-State entities, directed against civilian population and democratic institutions in the EU.

Similarly the just concluded counter-terrorism meeting in its Vienna Declaration, inter-alia, reaffirmed the central role to be played by the UNSC Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) in the global efforts to combat terrorism. Even the New York Times editorialised (on 12th March) in the following words: "At a time like this trans-Atlantic squabbling about the nature of terrorist threats and how to fight it seems tragically misplaced. Terrorism threatens all of us. Terrorists respect no national boundaries, political systems, ideologies or religion. The fight against them must be just as multi-national".

Despite the gradual American realisation, as perceived among others by Joseph Nye Jr( The Paradox of American Power) that any retreat to a traditional policy focus on unipolarity, hegemony, sovereignty, and unilateralism would fail to produce the right outcome; it is difficult for Americans to move away from their unshakeable belief, encapsulated by Henry Kissinger among others, that for the entire post-war period the security of free people anywhere has depended upon America's willingness to defend them. Therefore, argues Kissinger, if America fails to react on an attack on its own territory the whole structure of security of post-war world will disintegrate even for those people who are critical of the US. Kissinger ridicules those circles in American society who before nine-eleven found it fashionable to speak of the end of history(a clear allusion to Francis Fukuyama's thesis posited in his book The End of History and the Last Man) , and of those in Europe who seek European identity in distinction of the US and NATO( The Ruttenberg Lectures 2001).

A more extreme view has been advocated till recently by the Chairman of US Defence Board Richard Perle(An end to evil: how to win the war on terror) calling for a fundamental reorientation of US foreign policy, bureaucratic structure and domestic security policy mounting an implacable campaign to oppose terrorism. Perle (and David Frum) suggests that the US should have no compunction than a police sharp shooter feels to eliminate dictators when it serves the American interests. The expansive approach advocated by the likes of Richard Perle evades a basic question posed by many. Would, for example, a policy fomenting revolution in Iran, blockading North Korea, encouraging disintegration of Saudi Arabia, and refusing the Palestinians statehood be a better way to enhance US security? The neo-cons prescription would help convert the already controversial Bush doctrine into Brezhnev doctrine and NATO into Warsaw Pact where the most powerful member would dictate policies devoid of legitimacy and support of other members of the alliance.

Another strand of thought has been put forward by retired General Wesley Clark, till recently a contender for the Democratic Party nomination for the US Presidency. In his book Winning Modern Wars General Clark argues that the Bush administration instead of widening the war on terror should have adopted a "targeted" approach i.e. the Iraq war was a strategic mistake and the US focus should have been on the total destruction of Al-Qaida network. This argument gathers force if the most recent result of the investigation by the Spanish authorities points to the involvement of an Al-Qaida supported Moroccan Islamist outfit in the Madrid bombing. Clark also criticises Bush administration of alienating allies and distancing the US from the UN and NATO in its war on terror.

In the same vein Senator Ted Kennedy recently accused President Bush of capitalising on the fear of the Americans following the nine-eleven events to put a "spin" on the truth to justify a war that could well become one of the worst blunders in the history of the United States. Yet regardless of individual likes or dislikes throughout history American muscularity has been displayed on many occasions mostly for the good of mankind. As Madeline Albright puts it America's economic, military and technological prowess endows it with indispensability.

Another Secretary of State George Schultz giving a personal account of his years in the Reagan administration wrote that the use of force and credible use of force were legitimate instruments of national policy and should be viewed as such. He added that it would be "better to use force when you should than when you must". Clinton administration, however, broke the nexus between power and diplomacy which shocked the neo-conservatives. Clintonian "deficiency" was more than made up by the Bush doctrine of preemption the application of which produced more support rather than reduce the Islamist agenda relating to the US. Ignoring the internecine struggle within the Islamic world for the possession of its essence Bush administration fueled western construction of Islam as a cultural whole and as a monolith. The vast range of Islamic cultures, political systems and religious beliefs were totally obscured.

Though it is now universally recognised that the likes of monstrosity wrought in Madrid can not have any justification, yet it may be instructive to find out the root causes of terrorism wherever it may occur. Dialogue between civilisations and different faiths are essential to achieve socialisation and syncretisation of economic and political power. As it the Muslim diaspora in the West is suffering from progressive alienation from the mainstream of western society. The West must try to understand that the values the Muslims have are different from theirs. It is also necessary to realise that in the course of western exuberance to usher in democracy, say in Iraq with the expectation of domino effect throughout greater Middle East , the west has to consider Henry Kissinger's warning " that an attempt to bring about in a very brief period of time the evolution that took centuries in the west is more likely to produce chaos than democracy".

In conclusion one must say unequivocally that the perpetrators who caused the death of more than two hundred innocent people and wounded many more must be brought to account. If they prove to be Islamist extremists then the entire Muslim world should condemn their actions because these murderers are doing no good to Islam and the Muslims. If they turn out to be ETA then Spain has to put its own house in order. But under no circumstances terrorists should be allowed to relish victory which they most certainly would have if the international unity and will to fight terrorism is fractured.

Kazi Anwarul Masud is a former Secretary and Ambassador.