Faisal Alshammeri

Among many topics that are at the forefront of discussion in the global community today is the threat of terrorism. No part of the world has suffered more from terrorism that The Middle East. Although images of New York, Washington, London, Madrid, and Paris are prominent examples The Middle East in particular has known a level of threat and suffered on an even greater scale. Many wonder what are the origins of this and why it was able to grow to the scale it has. When one takes a close look at the origins of modern-day terrorism there is a common thread: (1) The beginnings of this were incubated in States that were closely allied with The Soviet Union during The Cold War, and thus (2) because of this Nation-State model was adapted for considerable amount of time the lack of economic output and opportunity created a resentment that still exists to this day. Terrorism from Libya in the 1970’s & 1980’s? Libya was a Soviet client state. The emergence of Sayid Qutb, The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood that turned to terrorism using people such as Ayman Al Zawahiri to kill President Sadat and subsequently producing Abu Hafs Al Masri who along with Al Zawahiri would later rise to prominence in the 1990’s? From the end of World War II to the middle of President Sadat’s regime, Egypt was a model Soviet client state. And even if one looks at the emergence of ISIS in both Syria and Iraq, one can again see that the core leadership of their group is former Iraqi Baathist in Saddam Hussein’s Intelligence Services. And Syria and Iraq were aligned to whom in The Cold War? Soviet Russia. The grievance of the Sunni community in Syria? Although the French favored the Alawites it was a Syria allied to Soviet Russia that made this a more or less permanent state of affairs. The international community was somewhat powerless to stop the razing of Hama and Homs under Hafez Assad. And today? One could argue, legitimately, that the current coalition under the leadership of The United States could certainly exert more effort, but the key intransigence in this is not a Soviet Russia but a Russia led today by a President who served with great capability in The Soviet Intelligence Services. And what of Tehran? Tehran feels confident not only because of their asymmetrical capabilities, which are of tremendous quality, throughout the region in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen but because who helps them with their nuclear program which threatens to destabilize the region even more? Russia. Who helps Tehran in easing the impacts of international isolation and economic sanctions? Russia. Who helps Tehran with uranium enrichment? Ballistic missile capabilities? Russia.

Who threatens to send one of the best surface-to-air anti-aircraft systems to protect Iranian nuclear facilities and potential targets? Russia. When one takes a careful look one will see Russian fingerprints as the origins to this odious, cancerous plague that is ravaging The Middle East and also presenting threats to places outside the region such as Afghanistan, Europe and North Africa. The following will try to explain the two listed points above and show the connection between Soviet Russia, their client states during The Cold War, and the emergence of today’s modern-day terrorism matrix as it exists today.

  Writer and Political analyst *

@Mr_Alshammeri