US reaction to 9/11 destabilizes world: Lobelog Director

New York, Sept 11, IRNA – The director of Lobelog told IRNA that Washington’s reaction to the 9/11 attacks destabilized the Middle East and prolonged it on Iraq and Afghanistan. Jim Lobe made the remarks when answering a question about the changes that has taken place in the past 19 years after the attacks which killed about 2,000 people. Lobe is an American journalist and the Washington Bureau Chief of the international news agency Inter Press Service. Lobe said, “The Middle East was destabilized by 9/11 and the U.S. response to, particularly the invasion and occupation of Iraq, and the region remains highly unstable.” He added, “That instability has in turn created huge refugee flows that have moved European politics to the right and permitted the emergence of a far right through most of the continent that has weakened EU influence in global affairs.” The journalist went on to note that “Washington's manifest failure to stabilize Afghanistan and ­Iraq, despite having the world's most powerful armed forces, has weakened its influence around the world and spurred a nationalist and isolationist reaction at home.” "Meanwhile, Washington's preoccupation with the Middle East has distracted it from dealing with other pressing global issues, including climate change and global health," Lobe added. “These are a few of the changes that have taken place over the last 19 years.” In response to another question whether the US has reached its goals, especially in fighting terrorism, he said, “No, the U.S. has not been able to achieve virtually any of its objectives, particularly with respect to its "Global War on Terrorism" in part because it hasn't seriously addressed the root causes of radicalization, including corruption, authoritarianism, lack of development that offers good jobs to educated youth, etc.” “This is due primarily to its overreliance on the military, its failure to understand local social and political dynamics, and its lack of resources to invest in long-term development in countries that need it,” he stressed. In the attacks of 11 September 2001, nine members of al-Qaeda terrorist groups with Saudi affiliations and financial support hijacked 4 passenger planes. They hit two of them to the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and one to the Pentagon. One plane was shot down in Pennsylvania. Consequently, the US attacked Afghanistan and removed Taliban from power. However, they have recently started to negotiate with the group. Then, they attacked Iraq and after 17 years, the country is still unstable and even terrorist groups such as Daesh (the ISIS) emerged.