The Link between Terrorism and Globalisation - Coursework Example

Running header: Globalisation and terrorism Student’s name: Instructor’s name: Subject code: Date of submission: Contents Contents 2 Introduction 3 Globalisation 4 Terrorism 7 The link between globalisation and terror 11 Globalisation, terrorism and the police 11 The UK police 12 Conclusion 13 References: 14 Introduction The issue of terrorism and the principles of globalisation and anti-globalisation are greatly interconnected. The continuing advancement in technology has done much in facilitating globalisation and the world today is in fact a global village. As the world continues to become a globalised society, so has terrorism activities intensified across the globe. In fact, terrorism has become an important and complex issue facing most countries whether great or small and has almost replaced globalisation in world forum discussions. Following the September 11th 2001 bombings on the world trade centre and the London bombings later in 2005, nations have come up with many policies that militate against terrorism acts. In addition, nations have enacted new laws such as the Terrorism act 2000 of the UK which has greatly affected implementation and delivery of public services (Notions of Security, 2007). As such, terrorism is a great talk in the world today and despite many conflicts and struggles arising from terrorism, governments across the globe continue to allocate huge billions towards the fight against terror. Similarly, the world has become more globalised today and is almost a global village. Globalisation refers to the greater connectivity across the world where nations get free flow of people, goods, capital and ideas across boarders. This has been facilitated by the continuous advancement in technology which is gradually eliminating the physical boundaries that exist between nations. Although globalisation has had very many advantages, it can also be argued that it has facilitated terrorism. This is because terrorist networks are increasingly using the technological tools of globalisation to perpetuate their acts of terror beyond their countries’ boundaries. The rise of both globalisation and terrorism has greatly affected the role of public service especially as regards policing. While terrorism has made provision of security more difficult, globalisation facilitates the police in the provision of security and hence fight against terror. The addition of the fight against terror as a new role of the police has in no doubt made them more accountable despite its being more challenging. This paper critically looks at terrorism and its impacts across the world and how it is related to and affected by globalisation. In addition, the paper looks at how the role of the police has been affected by the rise of terrorism and globalisation. Globalisation Definition The world has been continuously advancing towards become a global village as the political boundaries that exist between nations continue to loose meaning. This has been referred to as globalisation. Albright, (2005) defines globalisation as the integration of economies markets, industries policy making and cultures across the world. He sees as the process through which national as well as regional economies, cultures and societies are integrated through the global network of communication, transportation, immigration and trade. On the other hand, David, (2010) sees globalisation as the set of processes that transform the spatial organisation of social transactions and relations leading to intercontinental and interregional networks and flows of power, activity and interaction. As such, globalisation results in four types of changes which include stretching of political and social economic activities across boarders , increasing interconnectedness and trade flows, finance, migration, culture and investments, evolution of global communication and transportation systems hence increasing the velocity with which ideas, goods, people , capital and information diffuse around the globe as well as the continued blurring of the boundaries between global and domestic matters. Jeffrey (2009) similarly defines globalisation as the process that enables financial and investment markets to operate globally due to deregulation and improvement in communication. Based on the above definitions we can refer to globalisation as the intensification, widening, speeding up as well as the growing impact of global interconnectedness. Historical background Although globalisation is not a new phenomenon and dates back to the initial movement of people from Africa into the rest of the world, the first phase of rapid globalisation dates back to 16th century and marked the end of pre-modern localism. It was characterised by improvements in maritime technology marking the great age of maritime exploration, mercantilism and discovery, European renaissance and emergence of modern nation states. It was also marked by the spread of French and American Revolution ideals from the 18th century. The second globalisation phase was marked by the spread of industrial revolution and great improvements in technology, productivity and demand leading to massive production of goods as well as movement of goods and people across boarders, colonialism and European imperial expansion and investment leading to global trade (Albright, 2005). This eventually led to the current globalisation phase that is majorly characterised by great technological advancement and blurring of boarders between nations. The establishment of the United Nations organisation and similar organisations further boosted globalisation by abolishing trade barriers and encouraging global interdependence. As such, globalisation is a historical process although it has been greatly boosted by technological advancement. No wonder about 200 years ago, Immanuel Kant said that we are unavoidably side by side thus suggesting an interconnected world. This vulnerability and interconnectedness has rapidly increased over the years leading to a world that is no longer inhabited by discrete national communities but that of overlapping communities of fate where the trajectories of all nations are deeply enmeshed with each other. The people of the world are not only linked together across borders by violent exception but by the very nature of daily living of beliefs, money , work and trade as well as the earth’s environment, finance and communication all of which connect us in multiple ways and with increasing intensity (Hobsbawm, 2007). Through these, we have progressively established closer contacts over the years although the pace has dramatically increased with the advancement in technology. The emergence of mobile telephones, aeroplanes, computers and emails, instant capital inflows, huge oceangoing vessels among others has helped to make the world more interdependent than ever before. Multinationals now manufacture products in many countries and sell them to customers across the world while money, technology and raw materials, finance, cultures and ideas nowadays move freely and rapidly across boarders. This has resulted in economies, laws and social movements forming at the international arena thus creating a more connected world. Globalisation and the UK As stated above, the world is becoming more and more interconnected through globalisation. The UK being a part of the global village has not been left behind. The world is now better connected through better transport and communication systems thus making trade between nations easier. Globalisation has increased competition thus leading to provision of better quality products in our markets. This is because as our local companies try to fight out foreign competition, they are compelled to produce better quality products for their customers. Globalisation has also led to increased employment in the UK as more and more foreign companies invest in the UK. Furthermore, our companies also invest outside UK and some of our citizens get employed in the companies. However, despite the many benefits that UK has gained from globalisation, it has resulted in some negative effects. As trade and culture continues to be globalised, so has terrorism become. Terrorism has become more accessible and more sophisticated with globalisation. Terrorists are now able to reach other terrorists through social networks such as face books and Skype. Furthermore, they can now be able to hack into the security systems of our police force thus making the police’ duty to fight terrorism even more complicated. However, the police have even become more prepared to deal with terrorism more than ever before through combination of technology and information. Furthermore, limited jurisdiction is no longer a hindrance for the police to hunt down terrorists. Due to globalisation hence international cooperation as well as the existence of international courts, the UK police are now able to hunt down terrorists wherever they are. Terrorists are no longer able to seek asylum in foreign countries as there is cooperation between local and international police assisted with free flow of information. This coupled with improved police and military technology has seen incidences of terrorism greatly reduce not only in the UK but also globally. In fact, there has not been major terrorists attack since the 2005 London bombings although many terrorist attacks have been thwarted by the UK police in collaboration with police from other countries. Terrorism Terrorism is not a new term but dates back to 1790s where systematic state terror was used by French revolutionary government against those viewed as opposing it leading to massive deaths of citizens. This was when the then French leader Jacobin resulted to executing those who he viewed as opposed to his rule through Guillotine an event that came to be known as reign of terror. However, modern terrorism differs a lot from past terrorism in terms of the magnitude of violence unleashed on the victims of terror. As the name suggests, terrorism has been referred to as the systematic use of terror that is violent as a means of coercing the civilians in a bid to forcefully subject them to the terrorists’ preferred political, religious or related inclination. A similar definition is given by Willie, (2012) who defines terrorism as calculated application of unlawful violence and/threat of intended application of unlawful violence in a bid to instil fear with an aim of coercing and/or intimidating societies or governments in pursuing the terrorist’s political , ideological or social objectives. This means that terrorism aims at weakening the state and the law through violent acts which intimidate and influence a greater audience beyond its immediate victims. As a result of the September 11th 2001 terrorists’ attacks in the US, terrorism has been given greater coverage in the media and has even become a global disaster owing to the importance that world leaders have attached to it (Jeffrey, 2009). This kind of attention has made the world more aware of terrorism than ever before despite the fact that terrorism has existed for millennia as suggested above. Many factors including globalisation have collaborated to cause the resent rise in terrorism acts. These factors include technological advancement, social economic and political factors. The advancement of weaponry technology and the rise of computer age hence sophisticating communication though enabling free flow of information has also served to make terrorism more advanced and sophisticated. On the other, the increased media coverage of acts of terror has made the world more aware while putting governments on their toes and hence triggering more activity geared towards fighting terror and hence ensuring civilian safety against terror. The increasing awareness of the purpose and effects of terror has unfortunately triggered the rise of smaller terror groups that want to be noticed and listened to. In other words, terrorism has become the means through which weak groups are forcefully attaining what they want from their powerful targets (Weinberg, 2005, pg 18). Recently, terrorism has metamorphosed to a new form where civilians are using acts of terror to force change of unpopular governments in their countries. Recent examples of this include the overthrowing of various governments in Africa by civilians e.g. in Egypt and Libya as well as the civil unrests currently going on in Syria. Acts of terrorism have been on the rise over the last 20 years for religious and political reasons. Political reasons include ideological differences where a terror group may want to impose itself and overthrow a legitimate government or where the group may want to oppose a dictatorial regime. On the other hand, religious reasons may include religious fundamentalism where religious extremists may want to oppose secular governments and oppose any legal systems not based on their religious beliefs. The most significant terrorist attack remains the September 11th 2001 attack on both the world trade centre and the pentagon by terrorists leading to massive deaths of innocent people. However, following the attacks, the war against terrorism was declared not just in America but also globally (Weinberg, 2005). This has seen major changes implemented in terms of Polices and security world wide. A major development/change has been in security at local, national and global level to counter terrorism. As stated by James, (2006), the terrorist uses his acts of terror to influence a greater audience beyond the real victim of the act. B y so doing, the terrorist draws the attention of the government or the civilians and the entire world towards his cause. As such, the main aim of the terrorist is to obtain publicity through attack on targets symbolising what he is opposing in the hope that the concerned authorities will meet the terrorist’s desires. This happens when the concerned governments take measures aimed at alienating fear among the public by boosting security .In essence, this is terrifying to achieve a desired goal. Terrorists groups also aim at getting media publicity towards their cause. For instance, the 1972 Munich Olympics bombing despite killing the 11 Israelis reached the targeted 1 billion viewers of the televised event. This is the same strategy that has been used by terror groups such as al-Qaida and Taliban’s who attack strategic places that in no doubt give them a lot of publicity. The adverse effects of terrorism have seen the UK government adopt measures aimed at fighting it. Terrorism usually has adverse effects on our economy, businesses and industries despite creating religious strife especially between Christians and Muslims. The tourism industry has been worst hit by terrorism as tourists avoid areas that are terror prone (Home Office). It is now common for the UK government to issue travel advisories for UK citizens to avoid touring terror prone areas. In addition, the airline industry and tourism industry suffered a great deal when the world trade centre was bombed in 2001.Terrorism has also resulted in governments coming up with new policies to address terror and hence assure their citizens of their security. Such policies include having a police force that is better equipped to deal with terror as well as increased cooperation among nations in the fight against terror. The link between globalisation and terror With globalisation, internationalised linkages have emerged through the ideals of free market liberalisation. This has in turn facilitated the emergence of multinational organisations with networks connected through global communication networks and the internet (Notions of Security, 2007). This interconnectedness however has also had its dark side in that terrorism has also been globalised and terrorists take advantage of this connectivity to recruit across boarders while being close to Diaspora communities which support them logically and financially. In addition, globalisation is seen as being led by the US and her allies such as the UK. As such, the emergence of modern terrorists in the name of jihadists is not only an expression of globalisation but also a symptom of globalisation publicised through the modern media and the internet as these religious extremists try to rebel against the so called westernisation of the world (Gould and Klor, 2010). This is the reason why the world has seen an increased amount of what is referred to as sacred terror where religious extremists mainly Muslim based terror groups such as the al-Qaida whose main goal is the overthrow of the US and her allies such as the UK as well as containment of the disconnection from the globalised world (Chatham House). In this globalised world, terrorism causes stem from economic , technological and political problems which are interconnected while tools of globalisation such as the media, the internet and increased movement of goods and people help to publicise and promote terror acts. Globalisation, terrorism and the police Terrorism exposes governments and nations which drive globalisation to a great sense of insecurity thus compelling them to assert their sovereignty. The fear that liberalisation is the force behind terrorism has caused the UK government to enact laws that authorise the police to control trans-boarder movements and transactions (David, 2010). In addition, the police have put up security measures aimed at preventing terrorirsts from transferring resources which has led to greater scrutiny at banks while additional security measures have also slowed down flow of capital. In addition, the fear that free trans-boarder movement facilitates terrorism in the UK has seen the government enact laws that have empowered the police intensify their boarder patrol activities while VISA regulations have been tightened and foreign travellers are now closely monitored (Weinberg, 2005). This has seen new security measures at the airport implemented thus raising the cost of travel thus affecting the industry’s profitability. In an effort to monitor flow of people, information and finance across boarders, the UK police has increased cooperation with their counterparts abroad. This cooperation has enabled the fight against terror to also be globalised and terrorists are now hunted by all and apprehended by all. The UK police The police in the UK have played a great role in the fight against terror as part of their responsibility of maintaining public safety. This has been facilitated by the government which has ensured that the force is adequately equipped and trained in preparing them to tackle terrorism. The CONTEST strategy of 2003 aiming to counter terrorism through four strands namely: Prevent Pursue, Protect and Prepare (HM Government, 2006) is a clear indication of the government’s efforts to help the police fight terror. Similar strategies include the national security strategy of 2008 and the 2009 CONTEST strategy all of which sought to adequately equip the police in their fight against terror. Since the September 11 attacks, the government has significantly increased funding for the police department. A 2011 report by policy exchange notes the following changes in UK policing since 2001. Police expenditure increased by 56% between 2001-2 and 2009-10 reaching more than £14.5 billion – up 25% in real terms Taxpayers spent from £395 per year in 2001 to £614 in 2010 for Policing 73% increase in the number of civilian staff (made up of Police staff, PCSO’s, Designated Officers and Traffic Wardens) from 57,140 to 98,801 over the decade If the Police were a single company, they would be a significantly bigger employer than Tesco Plc (Tesco Plc employ 196,604 FTE in 2010, the Police employed 240,432 FTE). (Policy Exchange, 2011, pg 6-7). The above improvements in policing have not been in vain but have borne some fruits as far as the fight against terror is concerned. For instance, there has not been any other terrorist attack since the London Bombing of 2005 owing to intensification of security measures in public places as well as improved surveillance by the police. The fact that there have been 2050 terror related arrests during the same period highlights the kind of danger we would have been exposed to be it not for the effort by the police. Conclusion It has been established that globalisation has facilitated terrorism through increased publicity, ability to recruit internationally and igniting resistance to westernisation by some extremists among other ways. It is an ironic fact that such a desirable phenomenon as globalisation could facilitate terrorism which has indeed become its biggest challenge. However, it is a fact that global terrorism is highly dependent on globalisation and has indeed become a facet of the global culture that has resulted from globalisation (Skills for Justice, 2010). This however does not imply that globalisation has to stop if we are to fight terrorism. As we have become globalised, so has the fight against terrorism globalised and we can now hunt terrorists from all fronts. As such, governments need to intensify the fight against terror while improving cooperation among nations in the fight against terror. The police force world over also need to take advantage of globalisation in order to bring the fight against terror to the global front. This way, the world can still be a safer and more globalised place while still becoming less and less prone to terrorists attack. References: Books Albright, D2005, West and the rest: Globalisation and terrorism, Rutledge: London. David, B2010, Terrorism and future of globalisation, Oxford University press: oxford. 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Home Office, Cutting Crime: A New Partnership 2008-11, (online) Available at: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100413151441/http://homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/crime-strategy-07/crime-strategy-072835.pdf?view=Binary (Accessed 26 March 2013). Notions of Security, 2007. Shifting Concepts and Perspectives, (online) Available at: http://www.iripaz.org/list_vert/08/Notions%20Security%20Transnational%20Terrorism.pdf (Accessed 6 April 2012). Read More