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TERRORISM

Terrorism is one of the most serious threats and challenges that the world faces today. It is a war against democracy and a crime against humanity. It has crossed national boundaries and also has international ramifications. It is a new variant of genocide, which threatens national unity and sovereignty. Terrorism, in a way, is a new challenge to humanity in the 21st century.

Terrorism is violence used by a few against fellow human beings. Terrorists have total disregard for human lives including their own. They are ruthless, heartless and senseless criminals. They commit crimes and cause bloodshed without any sense of guilt. Their self-made ideology is the only justification for their limitless crimes.

To them, their cause is everything and others are either for or against it.

Violence is an essential part of terrorism. Terrorism is a systematic use of violence or the threat of violence to achieve specific political goals. It attempts to use violence to cause widespread panic, fear or terror to achieve its ultimate political aim. In this sense, the fusion of crime and politics gives birth to terrorism.

In every country it is the government, which has the exclusive authority over the legal use of force. Terrorism constitutes an organized challenge to this authority. Terrorism is a total negation of the democratic principles of resolving disputes through peaceful means. It has utter disregard for democracy. It believes in the cult of ‘bullet against ballot’. It has become a tool to blackmail, coerce and impose the minority decision over the majority will.

All terrorists profess to have a laudable cause for which the constitutional means are not effective. Their missionary zeal and commitment operate under the assumption that sooner or later a majority of the people will surrender to or support their cause that is everything to them. Hence, they are blind to see reason. So, they justify violent, undemocratic and even immoral means to achieve their desired goals.

Terrorists use violence to demoralize the government and ultimately push them to a situation of counter violence. In the violence of either side, it is the civilian population that suffers the most —physically, mentally, economically or otherwise. Terrorists kill one to frighten many. It is a technique of psychological warfare. Their violence against foreigners or foreign targets is also aimed to internationalize their cause. They kill leaders, blast institutions and attack armed forces as they are the symbols of state authority. By fostering a sense of mass insecurity, they try to hasten a collapse of state machinery.

Insurgency and terrorism — there is a very minute difference between insurgency and terrorism. Insurgency is confined within the national boundary and it is directed against one’s own constitutional government. But terrorism can cross over the national boundaries and it may be directed against one’s own or other countries. Insurgency is operated with the support of a section of the local people, whereas terrorism may or may not have that support.

When terrorism crosses borders, incidents like the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11 2001 will become more and more frequent. The future generation will face bigger challenges. Due to the improvements in science and technology, inflicting terror will become much easier for these cruel minded people. To stop them will be a real challenge.

After reading the above passage,

• Describe the author’s views on terrorism.
• Discuss your views on terrorism.