THE MENACE TERRORISM : A GLOBAL AFFAIR
The Pathankot attack on 2nd Jan
2016 is highly monstrous and cowardice. In the attack India India and Pakistan as several evidence was found linking
the attackers to Pakistan Paris attack, Twin
Tower attack in USA
Terrorism is something which all over the
world is a major problem at the moment. Its effects are very much that it can
ruin a country's economy and can cause between the countries. Terrorists were
not born but they were made in the name of religion. None of the religion preaches
terrorism nor ask the followers to take the lives of other people but it was
preached by wrong leaders and innocent people fall as a prey and lose their
lives and kill other people as well.
Terrorism is an International issue. Terrorism has become a global phenomenon and a kind of
global awakening and enlightenment against terrorism has been created .Terrorism
contains four elements. The first is a threat of violence or an act of
violence. Next is a political objective. Third is that violence and threat of
violence is a direct attack on civilians making civilians a primary target.
Lastly, it is perpetrated by a supporting a nation or nations of
terrorism. The terrorist attacks in France
and Denmark and the sharp
rise in terrorist activity in the countries of North Africa and the Middle East have focused the international community’s
efforts on areas beyond fighting the terrorist activities of organizations like
Al-Qaeda. The ongoing flow of foreign fighters from many countries into Syria
and Iraq, and the threat to their countries of origin upon their return, in
combination with the globalization of the threat of the violent extremism of
the Islamic State (ISIL), have centred discussions in the European
institutional organs and internationally on issues having to do with prevention
of terrorism, including deterring the radicalization and recruitment of young
terrorists, confronting violent extremism, and intercepting the financial flows
fuelling terrorism.
In spite of the extensive legal and political
debates, spanning decades, the question still remains: ''What is terrorism?''
With no common international legal definition, on what grounds do countries
establish and pursue a terrorist entity? And could this void in definition
provide a smokescreen for governments to orchestrate state sponsored terrorism
by clamping down on legitimate political movements - both domestic and foreign?
Countries across the world are being terrorised and ravaged by extremism; both
territory and minds conquered by a militant and ideological crusade. Right or
wrong, the mere mention of the word “terrorism” conjures up images of bearded
Muslim men – holding AK 47 - intent on eradicating any thought, person or
object which runs contrary to their narrow fundamentalist ideology. Terrorism
did not begin with the attacks of September 11th, 2001 in New
York City and Washington DC , or in April 1995 with the bombing in Oklahoma City Soviet Union after World
War I. Nor has terrorism been restricted to activities by groups from the Middle East or those parts of the world with large Muslim
populations. Terrorism has been a nearly universal phenomenon. There is no doubt
that extremist Muslims are a driving force behind terrorism in the Middle East
and South Asia , but the problem is clearly a
much wider one. Ignoring this fact is to jeopardise our ability to
comprehensively tackle the scourge that is terrorism.
In recent years , terrorist networks have
evolved , moving away from a dependency on state sponsorship , many of the most
dangerous groups and individuals now operate as nonstate players. Taking
advantage of porous borders and interconnected international systems-finance,
communications and transit-terrorists groups can reach every corner of the
globe. While some remain focused on local or national political dynamics,
others seek to affect global change.
The international counterterrorism regime
continues to suffer from three main weaknesses. First, lack of a universal
agreement over what constitutes terrorism weakens efforts to formulate a
concerted global response. Second, multilateral action suffers from inadequate
compliance and enforcement of existing instruments. Third, although
counterradicalization and deradicalization initiatives have gained some
attention over the last five years, progress is lacking, particularly in states
with limited resources and expertise. Presently
the counterterrorism regime lacks a central global body dedicated to terrorist
prevention and response. The landscape for counterterrorism activity thus lacks
coherence. It is multilayered-ranging from legally binding instruments and
strategic guidelines, to multilateral institutions and regional
frameworks.
Terrorism is a global problem but also a
relatively localized one. Last year, 82 percent of terrorist attacks counted by
the GTI occurred in just six countries: Iraq ,
India Afghanistan, Pakistan ,
Nigeria , and Syria ISIS , and various affiliates of al-Qaida. While these six countries dominate global terrorism, the
report also notes that there were nine additional countries last year that had
more than 50 terrorism deaths, bringing the total number to 24-the highest in
14 years. These were: Algeria ,
Central African Republic , China , Egypt ,
Lebanon , Libya , Mali ,
Sudan , and South
Sudan .
There are the 3 main factors associated with
terrorism:
Greater social hostilities between different
ethnic, religious and linguistic groups, lack of intergroup cohesion and high
levels of group grievances. Presence of state sponsored violence such as
extrajudicial killings, political terror and gross human rights abuses. Higher
levels of other forms of violence including deaths from organized conflict,
likelihood of violent demonstrations, levels of violent crime and perceptions
of criminality.
Is there any business behind terrorism? When
Al-Qaida first began to form under Osama Bin Laden, members of the organization
wre recruited from communities that already had a large presence in the
organization. They were then taught and essentially radicalized in the infamous
madrasas, partnered with a mentor, and eventually worked their way up in the
ranks of the organization.
Today, terrorist organizations including ISIS rely heavily on Twitter and Facebook to reach out to
potential recruits -- those who are friends or family with someone already
affiliated with the organization. From most of the terrorism research
available, Abrahms said, those who join terrorist groups like ISIS are the most "ignorant people with respect to
religion and they are generally the newest members to the religion."
Terrorist leaders are deadly sadistic
psychopath to the humanitarian to the idealistic driven. Dozens of young men - neighbours,
sons, friends, from places like London and Minnesota ISIS by the need to “belong to something special and got
a purpose for the Higher Calling.” Do terrorists have their reasons for
committing atrocities? Sometimes people do what they do for the reasons
they profess. Sometimes not, because what they do is motivated by reasons that
are too dark, shameful, or bizarre to be openly acknowledged. Sometimes people
do things that are so morally contentious that when called to account they are
liable to justify, rather than to explain, their actions. They are highly
motivated. Terrorism scholar John Horgan opined, “The most valuable interviews
I’ve conducted [with former terrorists] have been ones in which the interviewees
conceded, ‘To be honest, I don’t really know,’’ he writes. “Motivation is a
very complicated issue. To explain why any of us does anything is a challenge.”
It’s a challenge further compounded by the fact that some actions are informed
by multiple motives, and even if these can be reliably identified it is often
difficult to disentangle them and calculate their respective causal weight. “
According to anthropologist Scott Atran ,
who has dedicated his career to studying the psychology behind terrorism,
with a recent emphasis on ISIS and how they
radicalize youth. Atran has interviewed terrorists in the days leading up
to their executions, rifled through terrorist training manuals and formed a
broad understanding of what is going through the mind of a terrorist before,
after and during an attack. “None of the ISIS
fighters we interviewed in Iraq Europe , the average terrorist is a
different breed. Foreigners join ISIS for the camaraderie, but are otherwise
educated, emotionally stable people who, “fall within the mid-ranges of what
social scientists call ‘the normal distribution’ in terms of psychological
attributes like empathy, compassion, idealism, and wanting mostly to help
rather than hurt other people,” Atran writes. “They are mostly youth looking
for a new family of friends and fellow travellers with whom they can
find significance.” Atran says, the youth
are exceedingly easy to radicalize. What inspires kids to join ISIS , “is not so much the Qur’an or religious
teachings,” Atran writes. “It’s a thrilling cause that promises glory and
esteem. Jihad is an egalitarian, equal-opportunity employer: fraternal,
fast-breaking, glorious, cool and persuasive.” As more
anthropologists and psychologists begin chipping away at what makes terrorists
tick, perhaps a real understanding of what drives terror will help us combat it
in the future, and prevent these unspeakable tragedies.” The first step to
combating terrorism is to understand it,” Atran writes. “We have yet to do so.”
How does one get out of this vicious circle?
Of course it is not easy, and even a lot of the “peace movement” struggle on
this answer, but perhaps if more voice was given in the media to these broader
views, then alternative thoughts could be considered. True, more on
peace-related alternatives are discussed in TV forums and debates, but when it
comes to the actual reporting and one-on-one discussion and analysis, the
context is limited to the current actions and options. The discussions are
therefore within those confines, mostly.
Honestly, I don’t find any conclusion. Whatever
the conclusion - it is still guessing.
Siddhartha
Shankar Mishra
The
Writer is a Lawyer ( Human Rights & Socio-Legal Awareness )
