Facing down terrorist bullies

The world has changed in the past decade so that wars are no longer full-blown military operations but hit-and-run hightech sorties which require just a shadowy handful of disaffected militants. The drone attack which damaged a part of Saudi Arabia’s oil wells is one such example. No country, however advanced its technology, can be in all the places at the same time. This is why co-operation, co-ordination and leadership is so vital in countering the terrorist wave. His Majesty King Hamad rightly called for a firm stance against the actions which negatively affect our regional security.

His Majesty pointed out that terrorism has become a major threat not only to security and stability in the region but also globally in view of their persistent violations of international treaties. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt have borne the brunt of the terrorist actions and the signal has been sent now that this blatant disruption of the peace and prosperity of the region shall not be tolerated. The three summits running almost parallel have sent out the message that our leaders are preparing new strategies to handle the new ways in which war crimes are perpetrated these days.

The leaders of the Islamic, Arab and GCC countries share similar political and spiritual values that lays the foundation for firm action against detractors. We can see that they are harnessing the psychological power of this shared heritage to forge a new front against the terrorists. His Majesty King Hamad led a determined delegation to the summits to lend Bahrain’s voice to this welcome move to protect our collective future. As always the Kingdom punches above it weight in the regional and global theatre and we thank the vision and wisdom of His Majesty for this.