How Might Globalization Produce Terrorism - Coursework Example

When we start to speak about Terrorism and globalization, the foremost thought that comes to the mind is that what the most credible definition of terrorism is. The most classic interpretation has always been that ‘one man’s hero is another man’s terrorist.’ The United Nations and its agencies have been debating terrorism for decades, but so far have not come to an agreement on the definition of terrorism. The perception about terrorism by groups opposing it is diametrically opposite to the perception of the group supporting it. The former call it the worst type of criminality, while the latter view it a fight for liberation. But the fact that there is no consensus about the definition of terrorism is not a hurdle to study of terrorism and how it is spreading its tentacles acroos the globe and the political, social, economic and ethnic factors that have given rise to terrorism. Terrorism creates a psychological stste of extreme fear and anxiety totally out of proportion to the physical damage it causes in terms of loss of life and property. The total number of casulties as a result of terrorist acts or through counter-terrorist operations by the forces is only a fraction of what could be caused during a conventional war, even in one fought between two small powers or a civil war. A terrorist act is able to achieve this kind of impact because of its surprise and shock tactics: surprise because the victim has little or no chance to take defensive measures or to react, and shock because the target often is totally innocent. In Western countries, particularly in Britain and the USA, most comparative research on the psychology of terrorists have come to the conclusion that terrorists do not have major elements of psychopathology in their personality. According to Martha Cranshaw,”the outstanding common characteristic of terrorists is their normality”. Heskin, a well known researcher on the subject did not find members of the Irish Republican Army(IRA) to be emotionally disturbed. There can be varied reasons for the spread of terrorist activities in different parts of the world. The use of terrorism by factions against regimes is probably as old as the repressive terror of rulers. As early as the First century the Jewish Sicarii and Zealot movements employed it as one of their tactics in a protracted gureilla war against the Romans. Perhaps the first clear example of a movement employing terrorism as a major weapon and as propaganda of the deed internationally is the Assassin Sect of the eleventh and twelfth centuries that sent its agentson their missions of murder throughout the Moslem world. Intrestingly it was also from the Middle East that the major impetus to the contemporary wave of international terrorism arose in the late 1960s. In the 1950s and early 1960s there were, on average, less than a dozen terrorist attacks each year involving foreign citizens or targets, though there was a flurry of terrorist activity in Latin America in the wake of the Cuban revolution. But it was the fanatical Palestinia movements, frustrated and desperate to avenge the arab defeat in the six fay war of June 1967, who made the fateful decision to use international terrorism as their major weapon against Israel and its western allies. This campaign ushered in a new age of terrorism as one movement after another emulated the publicity-catching tactics of hijackings, bombings and shootings. The effectiveness of LTTE in Sri Lanka was very largely due to their ability to motivate their young cadres for making the supreme sacrifice. In Italy, terrorism grew out of political anarchy. Terrorism in West Germany began in the 1960s with the radical student movement(RAF). By the late 1980s, a more extremist organization called the RZ seemed to have taken its place. Its main aim was to destroy the bastions of the exploitative class and it targeted major industralists. More recently, terrorism in India started in the mid eighties from the state of Punjab with scessionaist movement backed by India’s immediate neighbour Pakistan gaining ground. The terrorists were demanding a separate nation for Sikhs. Though the demand was not backed by popular mandate of the people. Eventually the terrorist movement died down due to some stern measures taken by the government. Terrorist activities in the name of Islamic jihad and ethnic cleansing are still being encouraged in India by its immediate neighbour. If we see globally then the major change in worlds outlook towards terrorism came from two major incidents. The September 11th terrorist attack on the World Trade Towers left the entire world spell bound and made many nations who till date have had no brush with hard core terrorist activities sit up and take notice. The second incident was the Train bombings in London. Even the Madrid Bombings and the bombings of US embassies during the same period didn’t go un-noticed. Although London was not a stranger to terrorist activities but as everybody noticed that a new sweep was taking place across the globe in the name of jihad and religious terrorism backed by some rogue nations and splinter thug groups of motivated people from countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Morrocco etc. The co-relation between globalization is not that far-fetched to understand, the pattern of terrorist activities since last few years globally very clearly indicates that the time of terrorist activities due to unfulfilled local aspirations in any part of the world is slowly being replaced by global terrorism in the name of religious bigotry and instigation of impressionable young minds in the name of ethnic cleansing. Terrorism in the name of Islamic jihad is gaining ground. Recently Al-Queda a very prominent terrorist organization gave a call to its cadres to act against China for its repression of muslims in its north-western province. There can be no better example of global terrorism than this, China that had so far remained clear of the terrorist activities that had affected almost every other nation also came in the grip of the menace that terrorism creates. The World has become such a small place just because of technological advancements in almost every field that we call it as a Global village. Similarly the style of terrorist activities are bound to change and in fact is changing by the day. Apart from physical violence that terrorists across the globe indulge in to, the terrorist organizations are recruting well read and educated proffessionals among their ranks and have started indulging in cyber terrorism. If unleashed it can in the future cripple a nation or economy for days. The migration of people from one part of the world to other has changed the profile of terrorists completely. They run proper web-sites that has loads of material on the flawed ideology of these organizationas. Media though has very important role to play in a free society but the terrorist organizations manipulates with impunity often to get their message across and to uplift the sagging morale of their cadres. Who can forget the messages of Osama-bin-laden when it was claimed that he has died on the Tv station Al-Jajeera. The Internet, E-mail, mobile phones, satellite phones have given the terrorists a true global reach. Encrypted messages are often exchanged between different members of a terrorist organization who are sitting in different parts of the world. It is a proven fact that even though a particular terrorist organization might be based in any part of the World but its sympathasizers can be based in any corner of the World and from there they send funds through hawala for the spread of terrorist activities.There is also the threat of nuclear terrorism that I will address later on in the essay. It is sometimes claimed that the figures show that the costs of terrorism in terms of human life are low. Obviously they do not match the level of casulities in major civil or international wars, but is hardly sensible to compare them, for international terrorism is quite obviously a form of low-intensity violence. Yet it would be a grave mistake to underestimate the deadly destructiveness of its effects. The fact is that any large modern industrial society would regard such a level of violence as intolerable; but in areas of major terrorist campaigns such as Ulster, the Basque country in Spain and parts of Lebanon, death stalks the streets every day and hardly a family remains unscathed. It is also clear that certain nationalities are particularly at risk as targets of international terrorism. The USA is regarded in the terrorist ideology of most of the neo-marxist revolutionary groups as the arch-enemy, the emodiment of “capitalist imperialism”, and more recently even the Islamic terrorists take USA and the western world as their enemy no.1 and hence its representatives, businessmen and citizens are seen to be appropriate targets. Between 1968 and 1977 more than 200 US diplomats and more than 500 US private citizens and businessmen were victims of terrorist incidents abroad. Fifty americans were assasinated. Islamic terrorism or jihad takes it as a fight for survival. They indoctrinate the young cadres in such a manner that they start thinking anybody not adhering to the principles of Islam is an enemy. Although it is quite ironical that even the so called self annoited protectors of the religion do not adhere to the basic tenets of their own religion by indulging in mindless violence and butchering innocent people for publicity and narrow ends. Globally Terrorism clearly threatens and violates the fundamental human right “ to life, liberty and the security of person” proclaimed in Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The preamble to that declaration(proclaimed by the UN General Assembly resolution 217A (III) of 10 December 1948) condemns “disregard and contempt for human rights” which “ have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind”, and the achievement of a world in which all human beings shall enjoy freedom from fear is one of its explicit aims. Yet terrorists, by attempting to exploit the weapon of fear and intimidation, are systematically destroying human rights across the globe by bomb and bullet. It is a particular irony that a high proportion of terrorist incidents has occurred within the liberal democratic states of Western Europe where both formal recognition and implementation of human rights are most advanced. First and foremost then, global terrorism is a serious world problem not because of sheer amount of violence involved but because it constitutes a threat to innocent life and rights. Not only does it challenge the concept of international rule of law, it also directly attacks the national legal systems. Acts of terrorism constitute crimes under the codes of practically every State. In many countries (such as Turkey, Italy, Northern Ireland, India) the activities of terrorist gangs present a serious obstacle to the rule of law and judicial process. Recently, a new worry has enveloped the international community about the fear of nuclear weapons going in to the hands of rogue terrorist organizations. Facts bear testimony to this fact. In recent years the nuclear program of North Korea, Iran and Pakistan and even the pilferage of nuclear technology from the breakaway nations from the erstwhile Soviet Union has caused fear among the international community that it might go in to the hands of terrorist organizations. The current state of instable Pakistan has raised some genuine concerns amongst the international comity of nations. There has been credible intelligence inputs from the CIA and other intelligence agencies that if the state of Pakistan goes kaput then within hours terrorist organizations like Al-Queda and Lashkar-e-toiba will have access to its nuclear weapons. Although it can be said that the meddling of with the affairs of some middle east nations in the name of international stability and sometimes in the garb of United Nations by some western powers is very much responsible for the terrorist mess that the whole world is facing. But in the same breath the ways and tactics of terrorist organizations can never be justified. Now the biggest question arises that how to counter the growing phantom of global terrorist activities. It is clear, therefore, that the international and national problems of response to terrorist threats are interwoven. To be effective, action against terrorists must be synchronized at both levels. By tolerating the terrorists capacity to provoke international war the international community is playing with fire. And we have seen that terrorists confront liberal democracies internally with a ruthless challenge against the safety oftheir citizens, the security of the state, and the rule of law. Liberal democratic governments have to decide how to react to terrorist violence, and they have to carry their citizens with them behind their policy. Foremost, the issue of economic disparity between regions should be addressed by the global community. Lack of adequate oppurtunities leads to unemployment and that leads to Poverty that leads to lack of education and it in turn leads to influencing the uneducated and famished youth with the prospect of money and martyrdom by the radical elements. Secondly, the meddling in the affairs of other nations by some powerful western nations should be stopped. They install puppet regime and unfit leaders over a already anxious populace that leads to further resentment and producing conducive conditions for the exploitation of the impressionable minds. Secondly, counter terrorist measures by adopting a soft line as well as hardline approach by nations should be undertaken. There should be complete coordination among nations on this issue. Intelligence should be shared and no nation should allow its land to be used for terrorist activities against other nation. Care should also be taken that in this process human rights are not trampelled as it can lead to producing more terrorists than eradicating the menace completely. In the same vein it can be said that the democratically elected governments must proclaim a determination to uphold the rule of law and constitutional authority, and must demonstrate this political will in its actions. There must be no resort to general indiscriminate repression and racial profiling should be avoided at all costs. The government must be seen to doing all in its power to defend the life and limb of its citizens and there must be a clear cut and constient policy with unanimity amongst the global community of refusing to make any concessions to terrorist blackmail. Sudden vacillations in security policy should be avoided as it encourages the terrorists to exploit the situation to their advantage. Most importantly the global community should go all the hog to counter terrorist proaganda through media. I must emphasize that the above general principles are not meant to be comprehensive. Much qualification and elaboration is needed to relate these ground rules to the actual problems of conducting anti-terrorist operations globally. References Regis Debray, Revolution in the Revolution, Hardmondsworth:Penguin Books Quebec: The Challenge from within(Conflict Studies No.20) Robert Moss, Urban Guerrillas, London :Temple Smith Frank Kitson, Low Intensity Operations: Subversion, Insurgency and Peacekeeping, London : Faber and Faber. Ved Marwah, Uncivil Wars(Pathology of Terrorism), Harper Collins. Clive C. Aston, Terrorism: International Dimensions, Institute of Conflict Studies. PK Ghosh, In the shadow of fear, The Asian Age Paul Wilkinson, Terrorism and the Liberal State, Macmillan Press. Richard Schultz, Conceptualizing Political Terrorism: A Typology, Journal of International Affairs. Charles A. Russell, Profile of a Terrorist, Terrorism: An International Journal. P.O’Connell, International Law, London : Stevens and Son. William Gutteridge, Contemporary Terrorism, New York : Facts on File Publications. Yonah Alexander, Terrorism and the Law, Transnational Publishers. Cronin, A.K. How Terrorism Ends, Princeton University Press. Nagendra Singh, International Law,Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Central Law Agency Read More