Students, professors and other guests traded ideas about
terrorism and security with Spain’s former secretary of state
for foreign affairs Monday, turning a speaker event into a lively
debate on those subjects.
Ramon Gil-Casares, Spanish secretary of state for foreign
affairs from July 2002 to April 2004, said the international
community must work in harmony to destroy terrorist organizations.
But audience members preferred to talk about the roots of extremism
and why politicians often refuse to address them, leading to a
50-minute discussion after Gil-Casares had finished speaking.
Gil-Casares began his talk saying the first step in solving the
problem of terrorism is acknowledging it as a real threat.
“It is understandable and human to not want to see a
problem that exists … because we don’t know how to deal
with it,” he said.
“My name is Ramon Gil-Casares,” he said.
“I’m a terrorist target, and so are you.”
He said he shared President Bush’s belief that the war in
Iraq shows governments around the world are serious about halting
extremist attacks.
Gil-Casares conceded his view was likely to be unpopular on this
campus, and guests pounded the former minister with questions about
why governments don’t work harder to address
terrorism’s causes.
The question-and-answer session quickly became a friendly but
serious back-and-forth between the former diplomat and the
audience, with UCLA extension student Inago Lazarre spurring much
of the conversation.
She asked Gil-Casares why he and other politicians appear
reluctant to discuss the social situations that lead groups to make
demands and to commit extremist acts when those demands
aren’t met.
“I actually felt insulted by his speech,” Lazarre
said. “We know the background. We wanted a little more
analysis.”
Responding to Lazarre’s lengthy inquiry and similar ones
made by other guests, Gil-Casares said considering
terrorists’ requests can be dangerous.
Giving weight to complaints could indirectly promote the use of
terrorism by unfairly prioritizing the needs and wants of militant
organizations over those who use peaceful means of protest, he
said.
Sam Conedera, a graduate student in history, said he was
surprised by the feistiness of the audience and felt Gil-Casares
made his points well.
The former diplomat’s visit came at a time when political
tensions are rising over the issue of terrorism in his nation. The
Financial Times reported that demonstrators “roughed
up” Spain’s Socialist defense minister Saturday,
protesting what they perceive to be clement treatment under his
party of prisoners from the violent Basque separatist group
ETA.
Gil-Casares said Spain’s success in recent years in
suppressing extremist ETA acts shows using harsh measures against
terrorist groups can yield results.
He said after speaking in both Spain and the United States, his
impression of Monday’s crowd was favorable.
His party lost national elections last year after some linked
the March 11 terrorist bombing of Madrid’s subway with
Spain’s collaboration with the United States in the Iraq war.
Gil-Casares said terrorists began planning those attacks prior to
the start of combat in Iraq, a fact that didn’t seem to sway
public opinion.
He said the UCLA audience was well-mannered, and that he came
expecting a challenge.
“I’m sort of used to it,” he said. “My
position’s not very popular.”