Commentary: Counter-terrorism battleground is no wrestling ring for big power rivalry

The agreement reached Friday in Munich among major powers on a cessation of hostilities to be implemented soon in Syria was encouraging progress that could boost global anti-terrorism efforts.

However, despite the progress made so far, there is still an obvious lack of synergy and coordination in the global war on terror, as some big powers involved are busy calculating their own geo-political interests in the fight.

Instead of cooperating with each other in a genuine manner and striving to establish a united global front against terror, some of them are still indulging in the game of "finger-pointing," trying to obtain maximum strategic gains at minimum cost.

The most recent charges came from the United States. Washington has taken the lead over the past week in accusing Moscow of derailing the Syrian peace efforts, claiming that Russia's air strikes are actually benefiting the Islamic State (IS) group.

But the United States is far from irreproachable itself. Since the country has achieved little in fighting the IS, many countries and analysts accused Washington of only using the war on the IS to overthrow the Bashar al-Assad regime.

Actually, the rise of the IS, which is running rampant and wreaking havoc around the globe, is dramatic and abrupt, as its name was largely unheard of until mid-2014.

Turbulence in the Middle East has made the region a hotbed for violence and extremism, but the most significant driving force behind the rapid rise of the IS comes from abroad: rivalry of big powers. For them, the war on terror is sometimes no other than a tool to achieve their own political goals, to eliminate their respective enemies, and to secure a better strategic position and maximum geo-political interests in the region.

Due to its geographic significance and abundant oil reserves, the Middle East region has long been a "big-power battleground," where a seemingly local conflict may fit into a much larger geo-political rivalry between major countries in the world. The conflict in Syria is no exception.

But fighting terrorism with selfish motives is dangerous and could jeopardize the establishment of a united front, therefore giving terrorist groups an opportunity to expand rapidly.

An anti-terror alliance with serious internal conflicts and divergences could never win the war against terrorism. The spread of terror in recent years has posed a grave security challenge not just to an individual state, but to all countries, since terrorists recognize no national borders.

The fight against terrorism is a long-term battle. To stem the scourge of terrorism, countries worldwide need to make concerted efforts, show their sincerity for cooperation and abandon the selfish calculations of their own. Endi