Yash Singh
Introduction:-
Terrorism is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as “the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims[1]”. It is used in this regard primarily to refer to violence during peacetime or in the context of war against non-combatants (mostly civilians and neutral military personnel)[2]. The terms “terrorist” and “terrorism” originated during the French Revolution of the late 18th century[3]but gained mainstream popularity in the 1970s during the conflicts of Northern Ireland, the Basque Country and Palestine. The increased use of suicide attacks from the 1980s onwards was typified by the September 11 attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. in 2001.
The Global Terrorism Database, maintained by the University of Maryland, College Park, has recorded more than 61,000 incidents of non-state terrorism, resulting in at least 140,000 deaths, between 2000 and 2014[4].
The criteria for terrorism:-
The Global Terrorism Database (GTD),defines terrorism as “acts of violence by non-state actors, perpetrated against civilian populations, intended to cause fear, in order to achieve a political objective”[5].
To be considered an act of terrorism, an action must be violent, or threaten violence. As such, political dissent, activism, and nonviolent resistance do not constitute terrorism.Terrorist actions must be also conducted either by an organization with an identifiable chain of command or conspiratorial cell structure, or by individuals or a small collection of individuals directly influenced by the logical aims.
How many people affected by terrorists worldwide?
In 2017, an estimated 26,445 people died from terrorism globally. Over the previous decade the average number of annual deaths was 21,000. However, there can be significant year-to-year variability. Over this decade the global death toll ranged from its lowest of 7,827 in 2010 to the highest year of 44,490 in 2014.The global economic impact of terrorism was $33 billion in 2018, 38% lower than in 2017. The countries which are suffered by terrorism at its maximum are- Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Syria, Pakistan, Somalia, India, Yemen, Philippines and Congo.
Types of terrorism:-
The Task Force defines terrorism as “a tactic or technique by means of which a violent act or the threat thereof is used for the prime purpose of creating overwhelming fear for coercive purposes”. It classified disorders and terrorism into six categories[6]
- Civil disorder – A form of collective violence interfering with the peace, security, and normal functioning of the community.
- Political terrorism – Violent criminal behavior designed primarily to generate fear in the community, or substantial segment of it, for political purposes.
- Non-Political terrorism – Terrorism that is not aimed at political purposes but which exhibits “conscious design to create and maintain a high degree of fear for coercive purposes, but the end is individual or collective gain rather than the achievement of a political objective”.
- Quasi-terrorism – The activities incidental to the commission of crimes of violence that are similar in form and method to genuine terrorism but which nevertheless lack its essential ingredient. It is not the main purpose of the quasi-terrorists to induce terror in the immediate victim as in the case of genuine terrorism, but the quasi-terrorist uses the modalities and techniques of the genuine terrorist and produces similar consequences and reaction.For example, the fleeing felon who takes hostages is a quasi-terrorist, whose methods are similar to those of the genuine terrorist but whose purposes are quite different.
- Limited political terrorism – Genuine political terrorism is characterized by a revolutionary approach; limited political terrorism refers to “acts of terrorism which are committed for ideological or political motives but which are not part of a concerted campaign to capture control of the state”.
- Official or state terrorism – “referring to nations whose rule is based upon fear and oppression that reach similar to terrorism or such proportions”. It may be referred to as Structural Terrorism defined broadly as terrorist acts carried out by governments in pursuit of political objectives, often as part of their foreign policy.
Causes motivating terrorism:-
There are many issues which motivate terrorism:-
- Independence or separatist movements
- Adoption of a particular political philosophy, such as socialism (left-wing terrorism), anarchism, or fascism (possibly through a coup or as an ideology of an independence or separatist movement)
- Supremacism of a particular group
- Spread or dominance of a particular religion – religious terrorism
- Ending perceived government oppression
- Responding to a violent act (for example, tit-for-tat attacks in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, in The Troubles in Northern Ireland, or Timothy McVeigh’s revenge for the Waco siege and Ruby Ridge incident)
- Identity, including affiliation with a particular culture, ethnicity, or religion
From where the money comes:-
State sponsors have constituted a major form of funding; for example, Palestine Liberation Organization, Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and other groups considered to be terrorist organizations, were funded by the Soviet Union7[7]. The Stern Gang received funding from Italian Fascist officers in Beirut to undermine the British Mandate for Palestine.
“Revolutionary tax” is another major form of funding, and essentially a euphemism for “protection money”. Revolutionary taxes “play a secondary role as one other means of intimidating the target population”,Other major sources of funding include kidnapping for ransoms, smuggling (including wildlife smuggling), fraud, and robbery. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant has reportedly received funding “via private donations from the Gulf states”.
Tactics used by terrorists:-
Terrorist attacks are often targeted to maximize fear and publicity, usually using explosives. Terrorist groups usually plan attacks in advance, and may train participants, plant undercover agents, and raise money from supporters or through organized crime. Communications occur through modern telecommunications, or through old-fashioned methods such as couriers.There is concern about terrorist attacks employing weapons of mass destruction
Terrorism is a form of asymmetric warfare, and is more common when direct conventional warfare will not be effective because opposing forces vary greatly in power.
International agreements:-
One of the agreements that promote the international legal anti-terror framework is the Code of Conduct towards Achieving a World Free of Terrorism that was adopted at the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2018. The Code of Conduct was initiated by Kazakhstan President NursultanNazarbayev. Its main goal is to implement a wide range of international commitments to counter terrorism and establish a broad global coalition towards achieving a world free of terrorism by 2045. The Code was signed by more than 70 countries.
Conclusion:-
Terrorism is just like a termite which eats the whole country from inside. It is spreaded in all over the world. It is required to make sure that this will be erased off from the world by hook or by crook. Strong federation is required by support of all the countries in the world to remove this scar of terrorism from the face of the world.
[1]Teichman J. (1989), how to define terrorism
[2]Wisnewski, torture, terrorism and use of violence
[3]Oxford Dictionary of English
[4]the global terrorism database
[5]The British journal of criminology
[6]National Advisory Committee on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals
[7]U.S. National Credit Union Administration (NCUA)
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