Bogomolova I.I.

D. Mendeleyev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, Moscow

POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS TERRORISM

Abstract: This article covers the general issues related to political and religious terrorism, which appears to be the most urgent and demanding problem of modern history. The reasons and consequences of this phenomenon are scrutinized.

Key words: terrorism; global problem; international security; human rights; threat.

The September 11 attacks not only killed thousands of people and ruined the World Trade Center in New York. This unexpected terrorist assault crashed hopes of many nations, who believed that this world had become safe and secure after the end of the cold war. Maybe for the first time in history, politicians from many countries understood that fighting against terrorism had to be global task, and worldwide cooperation in opposing this new threat became the most critical objective in international security. Later it became a basis for united military efforts of the countries previously divided by political and economical differences.

Terrorism can be effective in achieving political ends and this is why the world has faced it for so many years and in so many different circumstances. By cleverly combining justifiable political methods with the calculated use of violence, terrorist groups may succeed in getting far more public support than they deserve.

The perception of what constitutes ‘terrorism’ is closely connected with the political circumstances of the viewer. Most definitions are based on ‘deliberate violence against civilians for political purposes’. Yet political leaders from Nelson Mandela to Ariel Sharon have sometimes approved of violent means to achieve a greater good — «freedom from apartheid, or national liberation of Israel». But to argue that terrorism is justified when oppression is overwhelming is to travel on a slippery slope.

Defeating terrorism is primarily a security issue. Taking out the leaders and main activists can succeed in ending the threat. But it may return if the political conditions, which gave rise to it, are not addressed.

The al-Qaeda network presents a new threat, being the first attempt to convert Islamist ideas into a worldwide movement to destroy the West — and giving detailed instructions on using bombs, chemicals, germs, etc. in an 11-volume Encyclopedia of Jihad. All 22 of the FBI’s “Most Wanted Terrorists” in December 2001 were Muslims — with Osama Laden at the top of the list. But if western security forces treat all Muslims as “Islamists” — and nothing is done to address systematic Muslim grievances, including the Palestinian problem — the ‘war on terrorism’ could turn into a violent clash of civilizations.

Negotiations with terrorists are rarely productive and never ‘ethical’. Concessions to extremists tend to generate new demands. Groups such as ETA («Basque Homeland and Freedom») or Tamil Tigers reject all conclusions except their own. In some situations, however, negotiations can be conducted through political front parties. In some cases, a terrorist group itself converts into a political party as Hezbollah is trying to do now in Lebanon.

Some people argue that poverty in the Third World is a major cause of terrorism, but such a view is hard to support by facts. While the ‘foot soldiers’ in terrorist campaigns are sometimes the poor and uneducated, the leaders tend to be middle-class and well-schooled. Though poor living conditions, such as those in refugee camps or Third World shanty towns, cause some people to attack, the most successful terror operations have required careful planning and specific skills, such as knowledge of telecommunications, engineering or science. Terrorism is never mindless, though the minds involved may be twisted.

Political terror has a rational base and may be fought with negotiation. Religious terror is based on apocalyptic or messianic beliefs. It is much harder to deal with.

Many people are susceptible to charismatic leadership. Ordinary men and women have sometimes been turned into murderers by the oratory of hate practiced by leaders such as Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. Religious and ethic intolerance, based on emotion not reason, have been primary causes of terrorism through the ages.

Religious extremism frequently turns to violence. While Islamist terrorism is much in the news these days, other religions have also had their assassins and suicide bombers. It was a Jewish religious extremist who killed Israel’s prime minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995. Acts of terrorism have been committed by Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, by Hindus against Muslims in India, and even by Buddhists against their oppressors in Tibet and Myanmar.

Terrorist efforts involve not only physical destruction, but also media campaign. The most successful groups have understood the importance of public relations. The Internet has made it possible for even small groups to reach a worldwide audience. Two nationalist causes — a Palestinian state and Tamil separatism in Sri Lanka — have been a source of continuing terrorism over decades. Neither battle shows any sign of ending. In the meantime, a fierce propaganda war spreads alongside the almost daily acts of violence and security force reaction.

The Internet has provided a new valuable resource for terrorists of all kinds. You can find a detailed manual on arson, provided by the Earth Liberation Front, an Organization dedicated to ‘ecotage’, i.e. sabotage aimed at protecting nature from industrial society. The manual shows exactly how to burn down different types of building, what materials to use and where to place them, how to create a remote-controlled timer, etc. More worrying are works which are available on the Internet and which provide guidance on nuclear, chemical and bio weapons.

Military measures alone are rarely enough to defeat terrorism. Such a strategy can only succeed if it is accompanied by measures to ‘drain swamp’ where terrorists breed — in other words to deal with the political, social or economic injustices which fuel extreme discontent. This was the combined British strategy which eventually prevented the terrorist threat in, for example, Kenya and Malaysia in the 1950s and Northern Ireland in the 1990s. The problem with a strong security pressure is that many innocents get hurt. There is a risk of sowing the ‘dragon’s teeth’ of future terrorist armies.

One of the goals of terrorism is to force governments to take such draconian measures that it alienates its own citizens — increasing the chances of revolution or chaos.

Sometimes terrorism can be eradicated by forceful military action to arrest or kill the ring-leaders. Authoritarian regimes tend to suffer relatively little terrorism because they can act ruthlessly to press down any opposition. In a world where terrorists might get access to weapons of mass destruction, democracies may also be forced to take drastic measures — undermining the libertarian principles which support a free society.

Terrorist groups such as the Red Hand Defenders (RHD) in Northern Ireland have narrow sectarian goals. Other groups identify with much wider aims. Sympathy for the poor conditions of the oppressed can lead some people to accept terrorism, even transferring the blame to governments. Thus the Irish Republican Army (IRA) used to apologize for killing civilians but say the real fault lay with the British authorities who were provoking nationalists by keeping an army of occupation in Northern Ireland.

Defeating terrorism without undermining human rights and stifling democracy presents the World with a major test of its civilization. Liberty probably means tolerating the risk of occasional terrorism.

Governments are much irritated by the ‘oxygen of publicity‘ which terrorists get from the media. This can present a serious problem for democratic countries with a free press. From the media’s point of view, violent action makes good television while peace and harmony are boring. The murder of a few westerners is likely to get far more coverage than a massacre in the Third World.

As the US Congressional Digest noted, “Efforts on fighting against terrorism are also complicated by a global trend towards deregulation, open borders and expanded commerce”. September 11 threw a cloud over the business vision of free international movement of goods, capital and people. Border controls, especially over the movement of people, seem bound to get much stronger, adding to the frustrations of political and economic migrants and refugees.

Nowadays we see terrorism spreading over borders of many countries, sometimes causing dangerous threats to their existence and sovereignty (Syria, Iraq, and Libya). ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham) has become the first self-proclaimed state. It has been founded on the principles of terrorism and uses terrorist methods in achieving political, military and moral goals. Surprisingly it has proved its ability to resist to combat operations of the most powerful military forces ever used in Middle East. So without any doubts we can acknowledge the terrorism to be the most urgent global problem of the post cold war era.

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