A brief review of its implications on society
Introduction
- Thesis statement: Terrorists and assassins are driven by their beliefs and ideals that are in conflict with those, with whom they fight against.
- Intellectual roots of terrorism
Assassination as an aspect of terrorism
- Major reasons for assassinations
- Notable assassinations in history
Methodology and target identification
- Personalities and infrastructures identified as symbols of opposition
- Important landmarks and cascading effects of attack
- Access and use of sophisticated technologies
- Advantages of terrorists over law enforcement personnel
Major forms of terrorism
- Suicide terrorism
- Cyber terrorism
Effects of terrorism in society
- Both short term and long term effects
- Hampers developmental activity
- Law and order problems
- Alteration of values and beliefs among people
Difficulties in law enforcement
- Jurisdiction and extradition agreements
- Intelligence gathering
Introduction:
Terrorists and assassins have been in existence since recorded history. They are driven by their beliefs and ideals that are in conflict with those, with whom they fight against. Terrorists and assassins see themselves as legitimate fighters with a moral or sacred duty, and do not perceive themselves as evil. While some see the acts of terrorists and assassins as a crime and abomination, there are some sections who perceive these as a holy duty or patriotism. Terrorism that affects most nations of the world today ironically has its intellectual roots in three philosophical ideals of the western world. These include popular sovereignty, self-determination and ethical consequentialism. A sense of political responsibility arising from popular sovereignty, the consideration of the right to own state and a decline in human rights values, have together fostered an intellectual climate for terrorism (Phillips, 1986). Therefore someone described as a terrorist, maybe called a freedom fighter or a protector, by some others. Terrorism is being increasingly sought by rebel and fanatic groups to achieve their diverse goals.
Assassination is an aspect of terrorism, which is the killing of prominent personalities, as against random shootings. Assassinations can be described as an old and simple terrorist method. Assassins who are very determined have no concerns of their own safety. Notable assassinations by terrorist organizations include the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat by the Islamic Jihad who were against the President’s efforts to normalize relations with Israel (About.com, 2013). Another prominent assassination by terrorists is the 1995 killing of the Israeli Prime minister Rabin by an orthodox Jew Yigal Amir.Terrorists. Terrorists may resort to assassinations for two main reasons. First to attract attention of the media, for instance by killing a monarch or a political leader. The attention here is to create a hype that no one is safe and thus heighten the fear of terrorism. The second reason for assassinations by terrorists is to add value to their efforts. Such type of assassinations could include a political party chief or a president who opposes them, or a police chief who is hunting down the terrorists. Occasionally assassinations like that of Lord Louis by the Irish Republican Army in 1979, could serve both the ideals (Antill, 2004).
Terrorism and assassinations are commonly perceived as tactics undertaken by a weaker side of the conflict. The general methodology adopted by terrorists and assassins is to attack targets, which are representative of what they oppose. They plan their acts of violence to draw the attention of the people, the government and probably the world, to their viewpoint (ITSR). The organizations and outfits using terrorists and assassins are normally small and very secretive in their working that the government or enforcement agencies cannot attack or defend straight away. An important aspect of terrorism is that they are sometimes mistaken for criminal activity. Terrorists are constantly in the lookout for innovative and unsuspecting ways of attacks which could even be bizarre and gruesome at times. These in turn have demanding requirements on the security enforcement personnel to not only be abreast of the capabilities of the terrorists, but also be able to outdo them. While terrorists have no laws or concerns to address, the enforcement people are handicapped by laws and regulations, and have no free run. For instance, a suicide terrorist has nothing to worry about, when he is fully prepared to die. Another new trend in terrorism is the use of new technologies and the increasing ability of the terrorists to access and deploy them. Having access to sophisticated communication and explosives technology together with experienced personnel, these terrorists have a large playing ground. The need to police terrorism is thus reflected in the policies of all countries (Olga, 2003).
There are several potential targets for the terrorists; elementary schools, chemical plants, medical care systems and bio-attacks – are among the innumerable primary vulnerabilities, the country is exposed to. These are only some of the many unprotected targets in our country. The virus causing the foot and mouth disease can be easily brought into the country to affect a large scale of livestock population, which can significantly affect food related businesses, employment and economy. While important landmarks or infrastructure are mostly the targets, anything and everything are potential targets. The nature of the target attacked is greatly associated with the consequences and devastation intended. In many cases, it can trigger sequential damages. For instance an attack on a building would have a bearing on that building only, while an attack on a nuclear plant would have greater consequences, beyond the limits of the plant. The Committee on Science and Technology for Countering Terrorism has identified nine areas, which can be used as potential targets. In many of these cases, terrorists can use the targets itself as vehicles of attack (National Research Council 2002). The nine areas identified are nuclear and radiological installations, human and agricultural health systems, toxic chemicals and explosive materials, information technology, energy systems, transportation systems, cities and structural infrastructure, the response of people to terrorism, and the complex and independent systems.
One of the terrorists’ methods and probably a recent inclusion is suicide killings. All suicide bombers, like the other terrorists believe they are patriots or warriors fighting their just cause. They are convinced that their sacrifice is necessary for the struggle of their religion or nation and that they would someday be remembered as martyrs. Contemporary suicide terrorism began in April 1983 in Lebanon and soon followed in Sri Lanka. Suicide terrorism was an important aspect of the Tamil Tigers fighting the Singhalese government in Sri Lanka. Honor at death was an important value upheld by the Tigers. The brave mother who, for the sake of liberation, sacrifices her family was greatly reverend. Among the Tigers engaged in suicide missions, about 30% are women, which is in contrast to Muslim suicide terrorism. In the Muslim world, there is considerable debate on the status of suicide terrorism. A general consensus is that the Koran holds suicide as a sin, and those committing suicide would have no place in paradise (Laqueur, 2004). However, there is also considerable support for suicide terrorists, who are interpreted as ‘being engaged in holy war or jihad’ and ‘fighting in defense of Islam’. Muslim suicide missions use younger people, of around fifteen to eighteen years of age, as bombers. These bombers are more likely to have received less training and their attacks causing less causality.
A lesser-known and a recent aspect of terrorism is cyber terrorism where terrorists use the cyber space to attack and cause damages. The growth and easy access to the Internet has also helped the terrorists immensely. Terrorists are tempted to use the Internet as it is not only easy to access, but also is unregulated, involving huge audiences and enabling a quick flow of information. Almost all terrorist outfits have established their presence on the Internet. There are several hundred websites that serve terrorists’ organizations and their supporters (Weimann, 2004). Most of these sites appear suddenly and also disappear quickly. In several cases their online address is kept changing, while retaining the content throughout. Such terrorist websites generally target supporters including prospective supporters, international public opinion and their enemies. The terrorists use the Internet for several requirements including fundraising, recruitment, coordination of activities and for psychological warfare. Sometimes the Internet is also used for hiding instructions, manuals etc., in the form of coded messages or encrypted files. Publicity and propaganda are perhaps one of the best uses of Internet.
With terrorists resorting to cyber attacks, they can even take control of vital information infrastructures of a nation, and put them under their disposal. Nations like the US are particularly prone to cyber attacks targeting critical infrastructure. Today most nations are infrastructure-reliant and a successful attack on vital infrastructure could have severe and consequential effects for a nation. The information infrastructure of any developing nation has five components:
- Communication networks like that for phones and satellites
- Equipment used for providing information like those for television and radios
- Information resources including educational or medical programs or relevant databases
- Applications like those used for e-commerce or digital libraries, and
- the people
It is therefore not surprising as to why terrorists are often in the lookout for infrastructure attacks, given the large sale economic and operational damages resulting from a major breakdown (Taylor et al., 2006). The previous US administration under President Clinton had identified vital infrastructures which it saw as the ‘virtual national life support system’. These include banking and finance, telecommunications, electric power, water supply, transportation, oil and gas distribution and storage, emergency services, and government services. An attack on one could cause serious disruptions in several others.
Terrorism involves serious law and order problems for the society apart from the risk of societal disintegration. Life becomes uncertain when there is fear, panic, torture, kidnapping and murder all around. The potential targeted people include unarmed civilians, children, and women. The adverse effects on the society can have both, short and long term effects. The short term effects include the declining morale of the society, particularly those who have been directly affected by it. It also lowers the morale of the security forces responsible for maintaining peace. More resources and thus costs are required for maintaining law and order. There are also possibilities for a loss of confidence on the administration and the division of the society. The long-term effects include the hampering of developmental activity and progress, economic growth, availability and distribution of public services. This is because considerable funds that are earmarked for development need to be invested in maintaining or restoring the damaged infrastructure (Gangadaran, 2007). In the long term other social problems like unemployment and corruption too crop up, which could alter the values and beliefs in people. Life gradually becomes an increasing burden that could even rigger mass exodus.
The law enforcement agencies in democratic societies of today have little freedom, with too many formalities and accountability in their efforts to tackle terrorism. For instance, the state payments to terrorist insiders and informers require to be approved by several officers which can delay payments and thus hamper intelligence inputs. Extradition of terrorists is also another problem with regard to international terrorism, involving jurisdictions, bilateral, and international agreements. Sometimes governments may hesitate to extradite terrorists due to fear of retaliation or may extradite only those who are not influential or important among the terrorists. For the law enforcement personnel to successfully meet the threat of terrorists, they need to adopt radical changes in their approach. Radical reforms are necessary as the old methods of formal, permissions and approved actions are no longer effective in a quick and fast paced world of today.
Terrorism alert is a never-ending project where procedures and rules are constantly established or reviewed and new technology is deployed. Fighting terrorism and ensuring a secure homeland is a task where, ‘well done’ or ‘mission accomplished’ is not relevant. However this should not be perceived as being in a state of constant war. Some important principles in the quest for homeland security are Jenkins (2007):
- Security must not only be directed at detecting and preventing possible terrorist attacks, but also at being prepared to sufficiently respond in case of an attack.
- Resources need to be allocated according to perceived risks. Here chances of attack and the corresponding scale of consequences need to be considered.
- Security and liberty need to be balanced optimally, without compromise of security. We need to be willing to give up some of our freedom for eliminating risks.
- Acknowledge that total prevention of terrorist attack is not possible. We can only improve our detection ability and make it difficult for terrorists, thus making them look for less attractive targets.
- Emphasize on the development of local level capability than concentrating on federal programs. However vital installations need to be covered by federal agencies.
- Encourage creativity in technology to enhance the effectiveness of security measures and processes. Whenever new systems are developed, these need to be quickly tested and urgently deployed nationwide.
Conclusion:
Terrorists and assassins are driven by their ideologies from which they can hardly be retracted. The fear of a terrorist attack itself has implications on our lives. For instance post 9/11, there has been an increased scrutiny and security procedures at transit points, international border etc. While terrorists and assassins hardly have any reason to be concerned, the law enforcement people do not have a similar free hand. They are under obligations and are accountable for their actions. There are several forms of terrorisms, each having varied potentials of harm and destruction. Although it is difficult to rule out all terrorist activities, terrorism can be effectively reduced by adopting several security measures.
References
Antill, P. (2004), Assassination, http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/concepts_assassination.html
About.com (2013) Terrorism issues: Assassination http://terrorism.about.com/od/tacticsandweapons/g/Assassination.htm
Phillips, R. L (1986) The roots of terrorism. Christian Century, April 9. 1986, p. 355.
Gangadharan P.T (2007) Terrorism and its impact on Society http://www.indiarightsonline.com/Sabrang/ethnic4.nsf/38b852a8345861dd65256a980059289d/48173fb6ba91c0d8e52572ae0025832c?OpenDocument
Jenkins B. M (2007) Testimony. Basic Principles for Homeland Security. Rand Corporation
NCTC (2010) The National Counterterrorism Center. [Electronic Version] Retrieved online on 22nd March 2013 from http://www.nctc.gov/about_us/about_nctc.html
National Research Council (2002), The role of Science and Technology in Countering Terrorism. The National Academic Press. Washington D.C
Weimann (2004) Special Report-www.terror.net. How modern terrorism uses the Internet. United States Institute of Peace
Taylor R.W et al. (2006) Digital crime and digital terrorism (pp 23-25). New Jersey. Pearson Prentice Hall
Olga. Z (2003) Saratov State University. Defining international terrorism. First Annual SIIS/IDL Conference Yaroslavl, Russia October 15-18, 2003
Laqueur. W (2004). No End to War. Continuum International Publishing Group. New York
