Civil Society In Combating Terrorism And Extremism Politics Essay

Civil party In Combating Terrorism And Extremism Politics Essay1. The stalemate of terrorist act has ever been a threat to homophiles of this cosmea in mavin comprise or the some other, radiating from number of ca go fors much(prenominal) as insensitive ghostly emotions, sectarian divergences, disparity of power among leftist and rightist schools of thought, communism vs. capitalism, ontogeny of the ignorant and deprive ones and lust for acquisition of resources entailing in invasions and so on However, this worry emerged as a flash point later a sad incident of 9/11 which drew attention of world to fightds up finaliseing this crabby person by taking certain counter measures. Military solution, when crucial, leads its powers to some effect still hatful non fully figure out the intricacies of terrorist act without taking every(prenominal) the communities and landed e give tongue to onboard. This not only educates masses about issues in war a deliver the good sst terror but plays a key design in boosting morale of casts on frontlines. These have included the introduction of anti-terror righteousnesss changes in reporting requirements for well-bred hostel organizations and the increasing use of new border security technologies. In umteen countries, the impact of these measures on polite partnership and on citizens has been a source of great concern. The meaning of involving polite decree in a wide-ranging and multidimensional response to the threat of act of terrorist act has been stressed by divers(a) inter issue platforms.2. Civil society stands for a vast melt of kindly groups, interests, representations, inbuilt focuss and meshings. It is to the highest degree evident by a vagabond of voluntary associations including political parties, trade unions and professional bodies, private foundations, educational and look into institutions and think tanks, religious, faith- found, and community-based organizations, and wo mens, adult male rights, companion equal and environmental groups. A vibrant genteel society can play a strategic usage in protecting local communities, countering extremist ideologies, and dealing with political strength.3. Civil society gives a voice to contrastive social groups and causes, which provides a channel of facet for the marginalized and can promote a culture of tolerance and pluralism. On a more than(prenominal) practical level, well-manneredized society groups can play a significant role in building local abide for counter terrorist act by dint of education, lobbying goernment authorities to adopt a holistic response that prize human rights, monitoring applianceation of counter terrorist act measures, investigating and publicizing abuses committed in the name of fighting act of terrorist act, giving assistance and support to victims, promoting the importance of two-eyed violet and security, and providing capacity-building training. This paper beque ath address this aspect of countering the terrorism to check over where and how elegant society comes into action for countering terrorism.AIM4. To carry out an in-depth study of civil societys role in addressing terrorism, so as to identify the pitiablecomings hampering its efficacy with the visualize to enable a way forward in short and immense term perspectives to make it an effective tool for combating terrorism.SCOPE5. The paper willing focus on adjacent-a. To briefly highlight various terrorism facets for drawing their relevancy and genesis form civil societys standpoint.b. To ponder upon the essentials that the civil society can perform in developing its profile for treatment terrorism.c. To highlight the limitations that handicaps our civil societys efficacy in playing its due role in addressing terrorism.d. To train home an affect based approach rivet on present(prenominal) and long term actions to uplift our societys role against terrorism some(prenominal) in c ognitive and practical do of imports.PART I formation TERRORISM AND COUNTER TERRORISM6. The word Terrorism is very more renowned and perilous to the global world. The new-fashioned world has made a number of counter measures to face this menace. Before defining the role of civil society in combating terrorism and extremism effectively we must understand starting time about terrorism, its genesis types and causes. Since, solution to any occupation will hold in only by knowing its basis and objectives.7. What is Terrorism.1Terrorism is not new, and unconstipated though it has been used since the beginning of recorded history it can be relatively hard to define. Terrorism has been described variously as both a tactic and strategy a crime and a devoted duty a justified reaction to oppression and an inexcusable abomination. Obviously, a lot dep dismisss on whose point of thought is being represented. Terrorism has a good deal been an effective tactic for the weaker side in a counterpoint. As an irregular form of encroach, it confers coercive power with some of the advantages of military force at a fraction of the cost. receivable to the secretive nature and venial coat of terrorist organizations, they often offer foes no blow over organization to defend against or to deter.8. That is why pre-emption is being considered to be so master(prenominal). In some cases, terrorism has been a means to carry on a conflict without the adversary realizing the nature of the threat, mistaking terrorism for criminal activity. Because of these characteristics, terrorism has fabricate increasingly crude among those pursuing extreme goals end-to-end the world. But condescension its popularity, terrorism can be a nebulous concept. No universally authentic definition exists for the meaning of the word terrorism.Analysts examining the question have counted more than one hundred different definitions.2The lack of an agreed definition allows those in power to inte rpret the term for their own purposes. Political aceers often take advantage of the terms ambiguity to label their opponents terrorists. However, there argon certain definitions related to terrorism exist in the world with different connotation to its application used by different countries atomic number 18 as-a. United States Department of Defense. It defines terrorism as the calculated use of immoral violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate vexation intended to coerce or to intimidate presidential terms or societies in the following of goals that argon generally political, religious, or ideological. Within this definition, there atomic number 18 tether key elements violence, fear, and intimidation and each element produces terror in its victims.b. federal Bureau of Investigation (United State). States that, Terrorism is the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a political relation, the noncombatant race, or any segment thereof, in kick upstairsance of political or social objectives.c. United State Department of State. It defines terrorism to be consider politically-motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant tar set abouts by deputize-national groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to incline an audience.d. United Nations. United Nation produced this definition in 1992 An anxiety-inspiring method of tell ferocious action, employed by (semi-) clandestine individual, group or call forth actors, for idiosyncratic, criminal or political reasons, whereby in contrast to blackwash the drive targets of violence are not the main targets. The most commonly accepted academic definition starts with the U.N. definition quoted above, and adds two sentences nativeing other words on the end containing such verbose concepts as message generators and violence based communication processes. Less specific and considerably less(prenominal) verbose.e. British Government. The B ritish government definition of 1974 isthe use of violence for political ends, and includes any use of violence for the purpose of putting the public, or any section of the public, in fear.9. Terrorism is a criminal act that influences an audience beyond the immediate victim. The strategy of terrorists is to commit acts of violence that draws the attention of the local populace, the government, and the world to their cause. The terrorists picture their plan of attack to obtain the greatest publicity, choosing targets that symbolize what they oppose. The effectiveness of the terrorist act lies not in the act itself, but in the publics or governments reaction to the act. on that point are three perspectives of terrorism the terrorists, the victims, and the general publics. The phrase one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter is a scan terrorists themselves would accept. Terrorists do not grab themselves as evil. They believe they are legitimate combatants, fighting for w hat they believe in, by whatever means accomplishable. A victim of a terrorist act sees the terrorist as a criminal with no regard for human life. The general publics view is the most unstable. The terrorists take great pains to foster a robin Hood image in hope of swaying the general publics point of view toward their cause. This sympathetic view of terrorism has take an integral part of their mental warfare and needs to be countered vigorously.10. Historical Background of Terrorism. History of terrorism is as old as the human civilization. To overview the history of terrorism one will have to depend upon the history of violence that was given a new name in French revolution. In past time the terrorism manifested in the form of individual and tribal riots. Later the small states faced terrorist attacks by the bigger states as a foreign aggression. gentle history has witnessed countless furious wars in which millions of volume were massacred in terrible terrorist acts. The series of human subjugation is still visible even in 21st century. The violence which has been present in the human history throughout the ages has been given new name terrorism after French change in 1779. We see in the history that Alexander the great and other warriors continuously killed millions of people that can to a fault be termed as the terrorists of ancient human history. The Roman Empire likewise contested several good wars to establish their kingdom in the world. stock-still the people of God continue to fight with each other in the name of worship.11. We have the fount of crusades wars between the Islamic regimes and Romans which were fought to manipulating the name of religion. Those wars also resulted in the killing of gram of innocents just for the quest of power. The earlier organization that exhibited aspects of modern terrorist organization was the Zealots of Judea, know to the Roman as sicarii, or dagger-men. They carried on an underground campaign of ass assination of Roman occupation forces, as well as any Jews they matte had collaborated with the Romans. In ancient India many wars were fought among different groups or tribes. The European nations also fought wars with each other resulting in the deaths of several innocent people. The French subverter Governments coined the word terrorism by instituting systematic state terror against the population of French in the 1790s, killing thousands of people. In 20th Century the world witnessed World War I and II as big showdowns of terrorism to achieve the goals of superpower. Later the incident of atomic bombardment on japan and human conflict in Vietnam are big human desolation which shakes the conscious of the mankind. In the remnant decade of 20th Century the phenomenon of terrorism continued to occur in the world more prominently after the end of parky war. The incidents of September 11 and July 7 are the summit of terrorist acts. It shaped the world in the new directions. In mo dern clock we have seen the horrible wars in Persian Gulf, Middle East and Africa in which the violence was used to terrorize the opponent. The war between Iraq and Iran, Kuwait and Iraq and fiendishly killings in Rwanda, Zaire and Congo are the worst late examples of terrorism. Even these days in many countries of the world the deputy and guerrilla wars are harming and killing innocent and irrelevant people. In short, it can be hard said that terrorism was present throughout the human history but since few decades it has been given a new dimension. This phenomenon should alship canal be seen in historical perspective to understand the issue properly.12. Types of Terrorism. The phenomenon of the terrorism is very interlocking on the whole in all aspects. There is disagreement among the scholars over the types of the terrorism unlike its definition. Various attempts have been made to derive the most common types of terrorism. However, the type of terrorism must be seen in socio -historic and politician economic perspective. Encyclopedia of Britannica describes the following types of terrorisma. Revolutionary Terrorism. It is the most common form of terrorism to achieve certain political objectives radically. Practitioners of this type of terrorism seek the complete abolition of a political system and its fill-in with new structures. Modern instances of such activity include campaigns by the Italian Red Brigades, the German Red Faction (Baader Meinhof Gang), the Basque separatist group and the Peruvian Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso), each of which attempted to topple a national regime.b. Sub Revolutionary Terrorism. Sub revolutionary terrorism is rather less common. It is used not to overthrow an existing regime but to metamorphose the existing socio-political structure. Since this modification is often accomplished through the threats of deposing the existing regime, sub revolutionary groups are somewhat more difficult to identify. An example can be seen in the African National Congress (ANC) and its campaign to end apartheid in South Africa.c. Establishment Terrorism. The Soviet sexual union and its allies allegedly engaged in wide fan out support of international terrorism during the cold war in the 1980s the United States supported rebel groups in Africa that allegedly engaged in acts of terrorism, such as the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).These types are theoretical and promptly related with nation state. The typology of the terrorism is very broad subject it can be only classified on the basis of motives, methods and subjects. Let us have a glance of some other types of terrorism for further sagacity.d. Nationalist Terrorism. The resolve of the nationalist terrorism is to establish a separate state or homeland for the certain ethnic, religious or tribal groups. This sort of terrorism has been popular among the most successful at winning international kindness and concessions. It is very difficult to define terrorism because many practitioners of it claim to be the freedom fighters. They use violence to draw attention of the world to gain sympathy for their national cause. The most relevant examples of this type are the driving force run by Irish republican Army in UK (IRA) and paradise liberation organization (PLO) in Palestine. However, it is interesting fact that both of the groups renounced terrorism in 1990s and adopted the political means of conflict resolution.e. spectral Terrorism. Religious terrorism comes from many major(ip) faiths, as well as from small cults. This type of terrorism is growing rapidly and is discussed widely on the international media. Religious terrorists seek to use violence to further what they see as divinely commanded purposes, often targeting broad categories of foes in an attempt to bring about sweeping changes.f. State-Sponsored Terrorism. State-sponsored terrorism is one of the most controversial types of terrorism. In this ca tegory the state uses hidden groups to break down anti state or anti government elements in the country. State-sponsored terrorist groups are deliberately used by radical states as foreign indemnity tools as Hoffman puts it, as a cost-effective way of waging war covertly, through the use of surrogate warriors or guns for hire. State sponsored terrorism is normally executed by autocratic to suppress the political opponents. The state sponsor terrorist groups are more effective, efficient and diligent rather than any group because of having moral, political and logistic support of the government or state.g. Inter-State or International Terrorism. This type of terrorism became evident in 20th century. Last century witnessed the events of insurgency and terrorism between two big powers in the guise of cold war. Although both the USSR and USA neer confronted directly but no one can deny the proxy wars of these two powers in different parts of the world. Palestine is very clear examp le of the international terrorism where America supported Israel and USSR was giving support to Al-Fateh a militant arm of Palestinian liberation organization (PLO).h. conclave Terrorism. It occurs on the formation of various groups for common objectives in the society. Such groups are based on sectarian, linguistic, ethnic and tribal bases. When these groups work for the establishment of the triumph and superiority for their own agenda it ultimately causes tension and clash with opponent groups. For example, Catholic and protestant conflict in Ireland, black white tension in US and South Africa etc.13. Causes of Terrorism. To understand and solve the problem of terrorism it is essential for all to realize and identify the causes of terrorism. The terrorism is a complex phenomenon which has several reasons such as social, economic, religious and political etc. all these factors post in the enhancement and flourishing the terrorist activities. This global phenomenon has various causes and some of them are being spelled out briefly for the better understanding of the issue. This is also notable that the causes of terrorism may be different in various societies due to its religious, ethnic and political nature.a. Helplessness and Hopelessness. Helplessness which leads to desperation is the psychological state that enhances terrorism in the society. The society in which the people are ignored and have to suffer from socioeconomic and political injury provide conducive environment to promote terrorism. When the people and their problem are neglected or kept aloof they ultimately express their insolence in the form of violent behavior to attract the attention of the state and the people. We can witness that in the long standing political disputes such as Palestine and Kashmir etc where the aspirations of the people were not heeded some of them started militant movements. Similarly, in communist regimes where the people were not given their socio-political ri ghts they brought about even foul revolution.b. Political and Economic Deprivation. Political and Economic deficiencys are the main root causes of terrorism. When the political and economic rights of the certain groups are not granted it chooses the suitable method of terrorism to show their anger. This deprivation encourages the effected groups to adopt the violent ways to get their aspirations fulfilled. For example we can see that in Union states of India such as Assam, Nagaland, and West Bengal etc. the communists started guerilla war against the Indian Government. Charles Kegley while discussing the contemporary terrorism presents a root cause school of thought which asserts that political and economic deprivation are the main causes of terrorism. He views the advocates of Root Causes Theory propel that politically oppressed and economically take people are more prone to violent and terrorist behavior. They are deprived of their basic needs and this condition forces them to change their fate by glom or crook.c. Influence of Communist Regimes. At the end of cold war the influence of communist regimes inspired by Marxist and Leninist theories made a cause of escalation of terrorism in the world. Being influenced by such regimes many freedom movements adopted violence. We see in Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka communists and Tamales started violent movements in the last two decades of twentieth century for their freedom.d. Poverty and Economic Exploitation. In the society where there is illiteracy, hunger and economic disparity the terrorism flourishes rapidly. All these factors lead to increase in poverty which itself is the mother of terrorism. Famous philosopher Aristotle had agreed on the assertion stating that Poverty is mother of Terrorism and Revolution. We see for example in Muslim countries there is a huge amount of poverty and that is why, it becomes easier for the terrorist groups to surface the interested persons due to their poor economic cond itions. Daniel Pipes (2002) says that As long as there is poverty, inequality, injustice and repressive political systems, militant Islamic tendencies will grow in the worlde. well-heeled Access to Weapons and Modern Technology. Due to incredible advancement in weapons technology and human knowledge it has become easy for the terrorists to get them easily. Hugh quantity of information about the arms manufacturing has been spread by internet which has made the access of the terrorists easy and they use weapons to get quick results the act of terrorism.f. Sheer Success of Terrorism. Terrorism is a short cut tactic for the terrorists to achieve their goals quickly. It is more result orientated rather than peaceful movement. That is why the terrorist groups adopt this for getting more results in shorter time. Easy access to weapons and widespread information of the arms technology is the cause of escalation of terrorism in modern times.g. drop of Democracy and Dictatorship. Lack of De mocracy is the main cause of terrorism in present times. The dictators and autocrat governments frighten opponents. They do it to create the fear among the masses to suppress any opposition against their governments. In undemocratic circumstances the people do not hold ways to express their disagreement and as a result some of them exhaust to the violent means to submit their expression. We can see in many autocrat and communist states in Latin America and Africa the massive force was used against the political opponents such as in Cuba Zambia and Congo etc.h. Religious Extremism. There is a school of thought which considers that the religious extremism is the major cause of terrorism. Mark Juergensmeyer says that The religion is crucial for these acts since it gives moral justifications for the killing and provides images of cosmic war that allows activists to believe that they are waging spiritual scenarios. It does not mean that the religion causes terrorism but it does mean th at the religion often provides symbols that make possible bloodshed even catastrophic acts of terrorism. As evidence we can come across that the majority of the terrorist movements are inspired by the religion or at-least it is claimed.i. biological and Social Elements. Other than above mentioned causes sociologists have another point of view. A man is violent by nature. The sociologists present three hypotheses biological instinctual, social learning, and frustration aggression. Sigmund Freuds says that Man is embodied with an instinctive urge and appetite of contend and subjugating others. It means that naturally human beings try to divert towards violence and terrorism by nature. The second point is that the social learning of the person also convinces him/her towards terrorism. If one grows and develops in the oppressed society one can be easily attracted towards violence and terrorism. Jean Jacques Rousseau presents the theory of social learning he says that human mind is lik e a blank sheet and whatever his society likes, paints on it. If one lives in violent society he/she would remain motivated towards terrorism. Theory of frustration aggression was coined by the psychologists of Yale University in 1939. They viewed that the aggressive behavior of a man reveals the existence of frustration in him. It means frustration produces the aggression and it is not sui genres. All above countersign does not encompass the causes of terrorism but provides view for the laymen. However, it is the common right of all the stakeholders to contemplate on the issue to understand the phenomenon of the terrorism in religo-cultural and socio- economic perspective. In short, a sense of deprivation, sense of being ill-used and sense of being cheated are important factors escalating terrorism in this modern era. Other than above discussion I would like to mention the causes of terrorism in the context of Pakistan as highlighted by the Gen. Pervez Musharraf President of Pak istan. He, while addressing in international seminar on Global Terrorism on August 29-2007 unionized by institute of Regional studies (IRS) Islamabad pin pointed some illustrious causes of terrorism in Pakistani and global perspective. He described following causes which deserve due attention by the international community. Political deprivation and alienation are an arch cause of terrorism. This leads to hopelessness. The sense of powerlessness, which then leads to these terrorist acts. Lack of education and poverty are equally responsible for the increasing in terrorist activities. The illiterate are do byly given the hope to go directly in to the heaven if he/she commits terrorist act for God or religion. Thus, in circumstance where there is lack of education and poverty it becomes easier for the master minds of the terrorist groups to found the offences at the cost of the socio-economic compulsion and ignorance of the poor masses. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has rightly i ndicated that the wrong understanding and misinterpretation of the religion is the important cause of terrorism. He asserts that in Pakistan there are many clerics who have limited knowledge of the teachings and value of the Islam. They misguide the people for their vested interests in the name of religion.14. Counter Terrorism. Counter terrorism is also a contested concept. The term embodies a wide sphere of measures with differing impacts, which can be loosely characterized as the good, the bad, and the vile. In the bad and ugly categories are Counter Terrorism Measures (CTMs) that overemphasize security and distort training and aid priorities, and that lead to extrajudicial killings, greater state repression, and increased human rights abuse. Overly restrictive counterterrorism measures constrain the social, political, and operational capacity of civil society actors and impede the work of groups promoting improvements in governance, human rights, and development. These are al l important elements for reducing conditions, such as political marginalization, repression, and despair that can sack grievances and lead to expressions of political violence. On the cocksure side are accommodative nonmilitary measures that enhance the capacity of governments to thwart terrorist attacks while promoting and protecting human rights. Also in the good category are policies that encourage support for sustainable development and good governance, as recommended in the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.15. The proposed mixture is figurative and not meant to suggest absolute judgments about special policies. The be adrift of counterterrorism measures is extremely wide, and specific policies can have differing impacts in varying conditions and settings. alter law enforcement efforts are good when they prevent attacks and bring perpetrators to justice, but these said(prenominal) measures can be bad if they lead to abuses and increased repression. Efforts to prevent the financial backing of terrorism are positive, yet programs intended to interdict such backup often have negative implications for nongovernmental groups and charities seeking to overcome oppression. The evaluation of particular counterterrorism measures depends greatly on context and the way in which specific actors implement policies. Judgments about particular policies should be based on the degree to which they contribute to genuine security and democratic governance, while also upholding the rule of law and protecting the work of peace builders and human rights defenders.16. Counterterrorism measures are usually plodding toward the executive branch of government, with little attention to enhancing judicial independence, legislative oversight, and citizen involvement. extremity measures passed in the name of fighting terrorism have had the effect of undermining civil liberties, restricting the ability of civil society groups to operate, and impeding development and etern al sleep activities in marginalized communities. Repressive CTMs have reversed progress achieved in recent years toward the integration of human rights and accountable governance into development policy. individual rights and political freedoms have eroded as states have accumulated greater security powers. The nongovernmental monitoring organization Freedom House has reported an shocking erosion of global political freedom in recent years. In its 2010 annual survey the organization noted intensified repression against human rights defenders and polite activists and reported declines for political freedom in countries representing 20 percent of the worlds total polities. The last few years have witnessed the longest continuous outcome of decline for global freedom in the organizations nearly 40-year history of print annual ratings.3In 2011 Freedom House noted a further decline in political freedom and a reduction in the number of countries defined as politically free. The repor t highlighted the continued poor performance of countries of the Middle East and North Africa, although this trend may be partially reversed if the democratic revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia, and other countries produce freer societies and more representative governments.PART IIESSENTIAL ROLE OF CIVIL nine17. Civil society can play a significant role in helping states increase awareness of the threat and the impact of an attack on local communities, and in deepening public support for government action to address it, which is an essential component of any effective long-run strategy. Terrorism is obviously the state of extreme in human conflict that occurs when the violence enters in the matter. The terrorism is the result of failure in conflict resolution which can occur anywhere in the world. It is the crucial social problem of the society as well. Every stakeholder should play its due role in combating the terrorism. In combating terrorism the role of the civil society is inevit able. The in the main classified and interrelated roles of civil society in regards to preventing and reduction of terrorism are as follows-a. Advisory and Educational Role.b. Community Services.c. Advocacy and Research.d. sub judice Aspects.Advisory and Educational Role18. Civil society organizations can play a significant advisory and educational role. They can provide policy advice and expertise on aspects of preventing terrorism that is often not available within government. Equally importantly, civil society experts may provide alternative capture language and terminology to public officials in addressing issues related to terrorism and security. In order to strengthen their co-operation with governments and civil society may also find it appropriate to acknowledge positive steps or measures taken by law enforcement officials and government where they occur. In addition, they may have a positive advisory role in providing concrete alternatives to counter-terrorism policies and measures that they consider to be ill-conceived. It is important to recognize, however, that the non-state sector needs to be given relevant information in order to understand the real extent of the threat and to be able to provide adequate suggestions of a response4