THE ANTICLIMATIC END on Wednesday to the dramatic standoff between the rebellious pro-Misuari MNLF members, who had grabbed 81 civilian hostages as human shields in Zamboanga City on Tuesday, and government troops seemed to be indicative of life post-Sept. 11. All the hostages were released and the MNLF fighters rode out of the city defiantly with their weapons, waving them at cameras, while residents screamed, "You’ll pay for this!"

To say that events were moving at lightning speed in Mindanao this past week would not be an exaggeration. After leading a bloody attack on army posts in Jolo last week, Nur Misuari disappeared only to resurface in Sabah, Malaysia, where he was promptly arrested. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad wasn’t in a kind mood, and promised to hand him over to Manila as soon as he faced Malaysian charges of entering that country illegally. Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, perhaps glad to be rid of a troublemaker when Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) elections were taking place on Monday, told the press that Malaysia could take all the time it wanted in deporting Misuari back to Manila.

While the taking of so many hostages in the middle of a Christian stronghold in the South, (indeed the military’s Southern Command is headquartered in Zamboanga City) was a slap on the faces of Mayor Maria Clara Lobregat and the president, its swift resolution also showed how much has changed in the world after the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and the Pentagon. A distaste for terrorism of any kind, especially violence undertaken in the name of Islamic causes, has permeated the world and now even Malaysia and other Muslim nations are no longer prepared to support the violent route to conflict resolution.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference has asked Malaysia to allow Misuari to go into exile in Dubai, but this is most probably more out of the old friendship between Misuari and the OIC than anything else. For sure, Misuari is now a spent force, especially after his economic and political failures as ARMM governor, and after Malacanang Palace adopted a smart divide-and-rule policy by backing Misuari’s rivals within ARMM.

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A future without violence

FILIPINO MUSLIMS will have to face the new global realities that America is now the sole superpower and that civilian populations everywhere are fed up with ideologically fueled violence and struggle. After years of battling government troops in Mindanao, what do the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have to show for it? Not much! The Muslim areas of Mindanao continue to be some of the most underdeveloped and poorest regions in the country.

An emotionally gripping story that The Associated Press ran this week about Filipino Muslims living peacefully in Malaysia’s Sabah province brought home the message that endless violence destroys people’s lives. None of those interviewed said they wanted to return to the Philippines. The peaceful way of life in Malaysia, where they could walk around unarmed and not fear for their lives, was a thousand times better than what they had left behind in strife-torn Mindanao.

Already the Abu Sayyaf group has been accused by the US of having links to Osama Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda group. This is perhaps an ominous signal that the United States is thinking of committing some ground troops to Mindanao to help finish off the Abu Sayyaf.

Although many claim that the Abu Sayyaf is the creation of the Philippine military and the US Central Intelligence Agency (just like Bin Laden and the Afghan Mujahedeen), it has clearly turned on its original masters and bitten them squarely on the face.

Ahmad Azam Abdul Rahman, president of the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia, said he was saddened by Misuari’s rebellion, fearing that this would give the US an excuse to intervene in Mindanao.

"We call upon Manila to keep Americans out of the region. The entry of American forces may open the floodgates of ASEAN instability," warned Ahmad.

Ahmad’s plea may be too late. President Arroyo admitted recently on her trip to the United States that the Philippines had signed an agreement with the US allowing the temporary transit of US troops on Philippine soil for unlimited periods of time. As many critics angrily pointed out, this is practically like having the US troops back that were thrown out in 1992 when the bases agreement was not renewed by the Philippines, closing down US bases in Subic Bay and Clark.

I long ago predicted that the US military would find a way back into the Philippines, because of its strategic position in Asia, its friendly English-speaking population, and the fact that the Philippines remains the only former colony the United States ever had.

Nevertheless, I seriously doubt that American ground troops would ever be dispatched to Mindanao, since the Americans have already experienced first-hand the tenacity of Moro fighters decades ago. Even so, the presence of US military might in Luzon could be enough backing-up that any administration in Manila would need to get the Moro fighters to heed the drumbeats of peace. Let’s hope so.