Gen. Soleimani’s military brilliance in fighting terrorists ‘unparalleled': American professor

Nader Entessar, who is a professor emeritus of political science from the University of South Alabama, praises General Qassem Soleimani’s acumen in devising asymmetrical “warfare strategies” against terrorist groups, calling his military genius “unmatched”.
“His military acumen, ability to devise asymmetrical
anti-terrorism warfare strategies, and bringing together unruly groups to work
together were unmatched,” Entessar said.
“The United States has now ‘weaponized’ the term (terrorism)
in pursuit of its foreign policy goals.
That is, practically any person, institution, or country that actively
opposes Washington's global hegemony is labeled as a “terrorist” thus making it
difficult to tackle the problem of terrorism in a meaningful way.” he also says
that Iran has been at the “forefront” of the war against ISIS and other
terrorist groups to protect the country’s security.
“In general, Iran has been at the forefront of fighting
regional terrorist groups such as Daesh (ISIS) and others that carry terrorist
acts against Iran's security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” he
added.
The following is the entire text of the interview conducted
and published by the Tehran Times:
“Q: In 1972, a specialized Committee on Terrorism was set up
at the United Nations, and member states made great efforts to provide
appropriate definitions of international terrorism, but due to intense
political differences, the actual definition of international terrorism and
comprehensive conventions in practice was impossible. Security Council
Resolution 1373 was the most serious attempt to define terrorism after 9/11,
which evolved into UN Security Council Resolution 1535. Despite providing a
definition of terrorism, countries approach it differently. What is the reason?
A: The definition of the term “terrorism” provided by the UN
is a minimalist one designed to satisfy conflicting views on this topic. Terrorism is first and foremost a political
term that does to easily lend itself to a universally accepted legal
definition. One country's “terrorist”
can be viewed as a “freedom fighter” by another country. Furthermore, the United States has now
"weaponized" the term in pursuit of its foreign policy goals. That is, practically any person, institution,
or country that actively opposes Washington's global hegemony is labeled as a
“terrorist” thus making it difficult to tackle the problem of terrorism in a
meaningful way.
Q: How do you assess the role and position of Iran in the
fight against terrorism in the region?
A: In general, Iran has been at the forefront of fighting
regional terrorist groups such as Daesh (ISIS) and others that carry terrorist
acts against Iran's security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. However, as attacks against major
institutions/infrastructures and the assassination of some prominent Iranian
officials in recent years have shown, a lot of work needs to be done to thwart
similar foreign-assisted and foreign-funded terrorist acts. It has now become clear that Iran's enemies
have taken advantage of existing vulnerabilities and holes to carry out their
terrorist acts against the country. I am
not sure exactly where the problem lies, but Iran needs to seriously
re-evaluate its counterterrorism, intelligence, and counterintelligence
structures.
“In general, Iran has been at the forefront of fighting regional terrorist groups such as Daesh (ISIS) and others that carry terrorist acts against Iran's security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.”
Q: How do
you assess the role and position of General Soleimani in the fight against
terrorism, particularly ISIS, in the region?
A: General Soleimani's focus was primarily on fighting
anti-Iran terrorism in the region. This
was clearly evident in General Soleimani's indispensable role in creating the
necessary environment and conditions in containing and fighting Daesh (ISIS).
General Soleimani's role as perhaps the single most important person in
fighting anti-Iran terrorist groups should be emphasized. His military acumen, ability to devise
asymmetrical anti-terrorism warfare strategies, and bringing together unruly
groups to work together were unmatched.
Q: Given the conflict of interests of different countries,
can we see the same action by countries against terrorism? What mechanism can
equalize the performance of countries against terrorism?
A: As I alluded in my answer to the first question, getting
countries to see eye-to-eye when it comes to combating terrorism is akin to
forcing a square peg in a round hole.
Perhaps in a very broad definitional term, countries can agree on
fighting terrorism, but in practical terms, it is a herculean task to expect
countries to work together on this issue.
Terrorism has already become weaponized, and countries will continue to
rely on this weapon to confront and contain each other in today's polarized
world of international relations.”
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