Terrorism as a Global Problem
Controversial issue is a special sphere of education and social life that is necessary for our intellectual development. It gives us a possibility to get acquainted with significant problems of the modern world and even help to solve them. The number of problems such as international terrorism, discrimination, religion and science conflicts, nuclear weapons and others are of crucial importance and their solution is necessary to preserve the national policy.
Terrorism is the global problem nowadays that endanger life of every person on the earth. The primary purpose of all governments should encourage and enable people to join their forces against terrorism and win it by common efforts . The government should recognize the paramount importance of this problem and the political activity should be subservient to that major consideration.
To solve the problem of global terrorism, we must try to find the roots of it, to analyze the actions of countries taken against terrorism, social attitude to this phenomenon. I would say that current policy isn’t able not just to stop the march of terrorism but even to miniaturize it. Mass media leads active struggle against terrorism but very often this process isn’t connected with definite well-known terrorists. They blame whole nations without any division. The consequences of such actions are predictable: people begin to hate not terrorists as a whole but correlate terrorists with definite nationalities, Arabic, for example. Terrorism as a national phenomenon is a great problem and its understanding can help us to find the way out.
Terrorism needs serious and responsible public attitude, but sometimes hiding after the generous aims of the liquidation of terrorism, politicians limited civil liberties of some nationalities. Internet sites and mass media can abuse position of some social and ethnic groups and give false information about them.
All these and many other facts only promote terrorism. Aggressive attitude to the Arabic people and their religion causes fits of anger in Arabic countries and can even lead to acts of terrorism. To avoid these national hatred we must get aquatinted with Arabic culture, traditions and religion, to understand that not all people in these countries support terrorism and that their religion doesn’t propagate to kill people of other religions. So, the first step is to take under rigid control mass media and Internet. Information about terrorism and terrorists must be objective and factual. Real facts are necessary for the correct understanding of the situation. Then it’s necessary to give children and teenagers the real facts as they represent the future generation to rule the country. Subjective understanding of the matter should be minimized as subjective opinion causes emotional reaction while to solve this problem we must be guided only by common sense.
The knowing of the definition of terrorism is necessary to take strong measures to overcome this global trouble. The definition is rather controversial and that is why very often its different interpretations can be used in the own interests of some individuals. As a whole terrorism means aggressive actions with the use of violence against ordinary civilians aimed to intimidate politicians. Term “terrorism” is often used to show that the actions taken by a group of people are violent, unlawful and immoral.
The official beginning of terrorism is connected with the 19th century, although violent aggressive actions of certain groups of people were noticed much earlier. The term appeared for the first time during the Reign of Terror (1793-1794). In 1867 the Iris Republic Brotherhood attacked England and after then acts of terror have become recurrent phenomena.
The victims by the year 1985 counted 816 people, in 2001 the number of deaths rose to 3,295 because of the attacks on the 11th of September, 2001. More than 1,000 people died because of acts of terror in 2003.
The answer to the events of September 11, 2001 was the so-called “War on terror” proclaimed by George W. Bush. The main aim of which was to unit huge number of people and stop acts of terror not just in the USA but al over the world. However, to exterminate the evil by another evil is impossible, and taking united aggressive actions against acts of terror can do noting. "The word terror activates your fear. The war on terror is not about stopping you from being afraid, it 's about making you afraid.". Another point of view says that: "Reviewing the background to US sponsored Argentinian and Israeli terrorism reveals how the fictional "war on terror" is just another pretext for the pillage of Latin America by the US government and its favoured multinational corporations.".
Aiming to get rid of terrorism, the war just lighted the fire of hatred between different nationalities. Former Australian minister, Gareth Evans so voices his concerns: "The unhappy truth is that the net result of the war on terror, so far at least, has been more war and more terror".
To blame Islam in the existence of terrorism and to consider all Arabic people terrorists is silly and nonsensical. The name Islam means “peace” translated from the Arabic language. Examining Arabic Belief system we find that aggressive actions have no place in it. To take a life that Allah gave a trust to the human is a great sin in the Islamic world. Suicide bombing, which takes people’s lives is forbidden:"...If anyone killed a person not in retaliation for murder or to spread mischief in the land, it would be as if he killed the whole of mankind. And (likewise) if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the whole of mankind" [4, Surah Al-Maaida 5:32]
Terrorism being a global problem needs special attention and careful attitude. Exploring the roots of this phenomenon is necessary to find ways out. A special organization must be created. It’s main aim would be to inform population about all acts of terror, to make them aquatinted with Arabic and other cultures whose representatives have been terrorists, to get rid of national hatred. This organization would spend special meetings in colleges, universities and at schools where global problems could be discussed. It would form objective independent opinion that would help people to get together and overcome this trouble that endanger all lives.
While the military power still retains significance in relations among states, an ever greater role is being played by economic, political, scientific and technological, ecological, and information factors. As the main components of a national power of a state are its intellectual, information and communications capabilities, the well-being and education level of the population, the degree of combining of scientific and production resources, and concentration of financial capital and diversification of economic ties. A lot of states are set on trade market methods of managing the economy and democratic values. The major breakthrough in a number of key areas of scientific and technological progress leading to the formation of worldwide information environment. The deepening and diversification of international economic leads to interdependence of states.
At the same time, new challenges and threats are emerging in the international sphere:
· There is a growing trend towards the establishment of a unipolar structure of the world with the economic and power domination of the United States.
· In solving principal questions of international security, the stakes are being placed on western institutions and on weakening the role of the U.N. Security Council.
· Globalization of the world economy gives rise to new dangers, especially for economically weak states, and increases the probability of large-scale financial and economic crises. There is a growing risk of dependence of the economic system and information environment on outside impact;
· There is an intensification of the role of international institutions and mechanisms in world economics and politics ("Group of 8", the IMF, the World Bank and others).
· Integrated associations are acquiring an ever greater importance in the world economy, and are becoming a significant factor of regional and sub-regional security and peacemaking. Attempts to belittle the role of a sovereign state as the fundamental element of international relations generate a threat of interference in internal affairs.
· The problem of proliferation of the weapons of mass destruction and means of their delivery is acquiring serious dimensions. Unregulated or potential regional and local armed conflicts are threat to international peace and security.
· The growth of international terrorism, transnational organized crime, as well as illegal trafficking in drugs and weapons are beginning to influence on global and regional stability.
The world order of the XXI century must be based on mechanisms of collective resolution of key problems, on the priority of law and broad democratization of international relations.
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM is the Activities that involve violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of any State, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of any State; appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or to affect the conduct of a government by assassination or kidnapping; and occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S., or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished
Effects of Illegal Drug Trade on Societies
The countries of illegal drug production, which are usually developing countries, have been seen as the worst affected by global drug trade. The youth of countries like Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, where drugs like heroin are produced, see drugs as a point of contact with the West. To them the use of drugs represents modernity and is associated with the glitz and glam of developed nations, such as fancy cars and big houses. The drugs are seen as a doorway to a better life; while in reality drugs produce long term consequences and problems in societies, such as health problems (spread of HIV/AIDS), and further socio-economic and political instability.
Unfortunately drug abuse often affects the youth turning a source of vibrant productivity into a burden on society.[9] Many countries in the developing world have large numbers of homeless children, this is a result of widespread poverty, urban migration, and breakdowns in the social service sector following structural adjustments. In large Indian cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, and New Delhi it is estimated that there are over 100,000 street children, many of whom are involved in drug use.[10] In recent years, similar patterns have developed in Southeast Asia and Cambodia. Laos and Vietnam now have “substantial populations of street children [involved in] consuming drugs, living precariously with little or no family support or guardians”. These homeless children receive no education or training that would allow them to participate in national development.
Nuclear proliferation is a term now used to describe the spread of nuclear weapons, fissile material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information, to nations which are not recognized as "Nuclear Weapon States" by the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also known as the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
Proliferation has been opposed by many nations with and without nuclear weapons, the governments of which fear that more countries with nuclear weapons may increase the possibility of nuclear warfare, de-stabilize international or regional relations, or infringe upon the national sovereignty of states.
Four nations, none of which signed or ratified the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, have acquired, or are presumed to have acquired, nuclear weapons: India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel. One critique of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty is that it is discriminatory in recognizing the as nuclear weapon states only those counties that tested nuclear weapons before 1968 and requiring all other states joining the treaty to forswear nuclear weapons.
The world order of the XXI century must be based on mechanisms of collective resolution of key problems, on the priority of law and broad democratization of international relations.
Resulting “War on Terror”
The terrible events of September 11 saw the considerable quieting of what was until then growing domestic and international criticism of the Bush Administration. The September 11 events resulted in a “war on terror” which saw support for Bush and his popularity soar at the time.
Up to September 11, 2001, the Bush administration was being criticized around the world for its stances on various issues domestically and internationally. Even European and other allies were very critical of positions on numerous global issues.
But even before the Bush Administration, throughout the world, many nations and groups of people had expressed their frustrations at how U.S. foreign policies had affected them on all sorts of issues, ranging from economic/globalization issues that have deepened poverty and/or inequality for most people around the world; geopolitics/arms/missile defense; environmental issues and so on. Protests either directly, or indirectly at U.S. policies have occurred all around the world—especially on globalization issues—as mentioned on this web site. (See the section on global protests for more on that, for example).
Yet that cannot be an excuse for the atrocity of September 11 as it killed many innocent people. At the same time, people have correctly pointed out that when other regions around the world have faced similar terrorist attacks, the outpouring of concern and condemnation has not been as much. The Washington Post (September 12, 2001) even dared to admit this at such a sensative time shortly after the attacks. (Their article is no longer online.)
However, behind the unity of the American people in the shock of September 11, a heightened sense of security has resulted with concerns reverberating throughout the world, which of course affects all citizens. Many are concerned about the crackdown of freedoms and civil liberties in various nations that has resulted because of this. Many are concerned that various countries around the world can also use this “war on terror” as an excuse to pursue more aggressive options or other policies that affect the rights of citizens.
For example, consider the concerns Amnesty International raised in October 2001, shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks: “In the name of fighting ‘international terrorism’, governments have rushed to introduce draconian new measures that threaten the human rights of their own citizens, immigrants and refugees…. Governments have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their citizens, but measures taken must not undermine fundamental human rights standards. It appears that some of the initiatives currently being discussed or implemented may be used to curb basic human rights and to suppress internal opposition. Some of the definitions of ‘terrorism’ under discussion are so broad that they could be used to criminalize anyone out of favour with those in power and criminalize legitimate peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression and association. They could also put at risk the right to privacy and threaten the rights of minorities and asylum-seekers.”
In May 2003, Amnesty International charged, “The ‘war on terror’, far from making the world a safer place, has made it more dangerous by curtailing human rights, undermining the rule of international law and shielding governments from scrutiny. It has deepened divisions among people of different faiths and origins, sowing the seeds for more conflict. The overwhelming impact of all this is genuine fear—among the affluent as well as the poor.”