NATO ADAPTATION AND TERRORISM, AL-QAIDA SECURITY IMPLICATION TO THE BALKAN REGION

Abstract

Although the Cold War ended without a major war, post-Cold War period started with regional wars in Balkans and Middle East. These wars cost to the not only human causalities and suffers but also collateral, environmental damages. One of its results was terrorism as global wide. The wars in Balkan and Middle East also raised the question of the “Ability of the UN and NATO” to keep and achieve the global peace and justice in the world. It is also a must to analyze the changing terminology of the “Self Defence Right (Article 51) and its new interpretations by the Bush administration. We need to find answers to following questions: • Whether NATO has completed its adaptation process from cold War structure to the new World Order. • How the post 9-11 Security Strategy of the US affected the NATO’s concept and global Security Environments? • What are the main characteristics of the contemporary terror? • What will be the role of the NATO in the context of the “War on Terror”. • What is the cognitive bias on the “terror” and its connection with Islam and Al-Qaida? It is a clear reality and results of the recent Gulf Wars and Balkan Wars that they caused a serious crack and end lead to the lack of confidence between western and Islamic civilizations. Today Al-Qaide is the most dangerous result of the Second Gulf War at 2003. This article will assess the main rationales behind the “War on Terror by the West” and “War on Religion by the Al- Qaida”. The main source and reference for the assessment will be based on the “Manuel of the Al-Qaida”, Official Statements of the US statesmen and my own experiences and observations during my military service at the main Hq. of the Coalition Forces (2003-2004) at Baghdad-Iraq. In the last part of the article; lessons learned from the Gulf war and War on Terror will be analyzed and suggestions will be provided for the Balkans.