Few Signs of Terrorism After Reconstruction

March 24, 2004

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0324/p01s01-woeu.html

On March 24, 2004 The Christian Science Monitor reported on the lack of terrorism in Bosnia after reconstruction from the 1992-95 war: "While world attention has been focused on Iraq and the Middle East, the international reconstruction effort in Bosnia has begun to bear fruit, and not just for Bosnians. As the country's infrastructure, border patrol services, and national governing institutions have been rebuilt, experts say it has become a less attractive potential host for global terrorist networks like Al Qaeda, which seek out "weak states" with porous borders, ineffective governments, and sympathetic locals. 'If I were a terrorist group member I would think twice about coming to this country,' says Senad Slatina, an analyst for the International Crisis Group, a conflict- resolution organization based in Brussels, noting the presence of 10,000 NATO peacekeepers in Bosnia. 'On top of that, Bosnian Muslims are so European that the radical form of Islam has absolutely no chance of spreading here'...Western officials here say that Bosnian officials - including Bosniaks - have been extremely cooperative in monitoring and investigating individuals and groups suspected of terrorist links. Most of the suspicious charities have been shut down, they say, while Bosnian authorities and NATO peacekeepers keep close tabs on mujahideen, many of whom have married Bosnian women and settled in rural areas."

See also: Islam, International