Indian Defence Review

Condemnation should ring out loud and clear against the recent reign of Islamic terror spread by Boko Haram in Nigeria that killed 40 innocent school students and left over 18 wounded. This is not an isolated incident of religious violence . A few days ago Somali terrorist left 67 people killed in a Kenyan shopping mall. Al Qaeda affiliated religious terror outfit Al-Shabaab was involved in this act. On the other hand, the recent skirmishes between the Chinese security forces and the separatist Uygur Muslims in the Xinjiang province have once again created vulnerable ground for serious ethnic crisis in China. Earlier in 2009 the province has already witnessed deadly ethnic conflict between the Uygurs ( Sunni Muslims of Turkish roots ) and the natives Hans. The roots of conflict lies in the historical and religiously related inner dynamics of China.

Similarly, the recent upsurge in attacks by suspected Chechen rebels has spoilt further chances of reconciliation between Chechnya and Russia: the north Caucasus of Russia and particularly Dagestan and Chechnya have become major dens of separatist activities. It is possible to frame a strategy about terrorist attack but there is still confusion over whether such a mechanism is successful in dealing with terrorists driven by fundamentalism. Gradually, religion is becoming the main motivating force for terrorism across the globe. During the mid 90s in the nerve gas attack on Tokyo subway, police suspected the hand of apocalyptic sect Aum Shinrikyo. Few Years earlier, Moscow intensified its efforts to set up “Troika” alliance to drive away the spectre of Islamic militants. The problem of Refugees who have fled due to disturbances in Afghanistan, Kyrghizstan and Uzbekistan has added a new dimension to the existing problem. Whether terrorism is unleashed at local, regional national or international level it cannot survive for long without international support and collaboration. There is a growing nexus between terrorists and internationally organized crime networks.

Mr. Alison Jamieson, a British analyst on organized crime and political violence commented that a distinction between terrorism and organized crime has become very blurred recently. Italian organised crime expert Professor Ernesto says “the goal is different. The terrorist’s goal is an ideological one, while organized crime’s goal is financial, but the instrument is same. They both need money and arms”. In Sri Lanka, the Tamil Tigers engage in drug trafficking to finance their struggle, in north-eastern India guerrillas kidnap tea planters and hold them to ransom to help fund their fight for independence. In Chechnya, the secessionists were heavily involved in drug distribution.

Over the years terrorism has found its niche in the political scene across the globe. International terrorism, though comparatively less in volume than the domestic variety ,has crossed all limitations despite increased government efforts to combat it. Much blood if not ink has flowed since terrorists struck a shocking sequence of plane attacks and bombing at the World Trade Centre and Pentagon in the U.S. This followed by tremendous upsurge in terrorist activities across the globe. These attacks have not only exposed the pitfalls of the security and intelligence network but also robbed the confidence of modern nations in controlling the menace of terrorism .Whether terrorism is unleashed at local, regional national or international level it cannot survive for long without international support and collaboration .There are many terrorist groups operating across the globe and creating an atmosphere of fear and anxiety.

Although violence in itself is condemnable, very rarely, terrorist violence is a nihilistic act bereft of any deeper undercurrents. And the structure of violence is more often than not, located in society and social conditions which not only create them but also nourish and reinforce them. Recurrence of violence is symptomatic of a society’s body politic, torn asunder by varied threats and tensions. Very often, the social conditions that generate conflict (and the cause for violence) have external coordinates. In a globalised world, the matrices of power turn on the highly visible, in-egalitarian structure of international economy and as such inter-relations between socio-economic conditions in different parts of the world are becoming more and more obvious day by day. At another level the post-cold-war international political-economic order is still a victim of the power game that was trust on the world by the then Big Powers. The power-network woven by the US and its allies in the entire West Asian region has provoked the ire of the opposition forces in almost every state where US has had an interest-based relation-ship. Thus, as the societies globalise and the curtains of opacity are raised through increased inter-societal inter-action at the international level, people in the underdeveloped countries are holding the Big Powers responsible for their inferior socio-economic positions.

These days terrorists are more confident than ever before of their access to the vulnerable points before carrying out any of their attack and they plan their attack in a heroic manner for the justification and fulfillment of a cause which they think is just. Thus, they attempt, by their acts, to inspire and manipulate fear to achieve a variety of purposes. Therefore, jostling crowds, busy hotels, crowded trains, high-ways, country side an rural area are increasingly becoming targets of terrorism.

For effective administrative measures, various sources of terrorism must be found first. There is a need for truly effective preparedness programme at the government level. First of all we must know about the people involved in terrorist activities and their motivation. The relationship dealing with terrorist incident and mitigating its consequences need to be carefully thought out. Sufficient data about the area within which the event is unfolding could be of immense use. This is simple work of good intelligence and police. The intelligence should be able to provide the information about terrorist’s targets, timings and sites in advance. But government alone cannot do much to stop it. Individuals and groups can make a significant contribution towards improving the general security environment.

On the other hand, there is a need for the sophisticated security procedures which can go all the way from airport screening to the border area. Some kind of positive programmes which can replace the frustration of terrorists can prove effective. There is also a need to promote open institutions, including political institution to absorb the ethnic, religious and political pressure and allow them (the terrorists) to vent their feelings in a proper way. This will change their mind and thus encourage them to settle their differences in some peaceful way.

Since the present day terrorists are very well organised and more professional than their counterparts a decade ago, new conceptions of safety and security should arise. A vigilant and assertive police and paramilitary network should replace the old one. Many of the important suggestions and recommendations of the various committees are not in tune with the exiting circumstances. There is an apprehension that with the availability of biological and chemical weapons the terrorists will start their campaign with renewed vigour and pursue their mission of destruction which will be virtually unstoppable.

European nations alone have witnessed more than 7.500 terrorist incidents since 2009, representing about 27 per cent of the total incidents. The rise of modern terrorism with frightening ramifications has resulted in a demand for strengthening the national law and order machinery. Of late, the pressure on the police and security agencies has been mounting. But the existing laws still pose many problems. The use of police and paramilitary forces for combating terrorism has created an apprehension that it might lead to the oppression of the general populace. Surprisingly, a proper legal definition of terrorism is yet to be found.

The widening gap between the various governments regarding evolving common strategy for suppression of terrorism needs to be viewed in the context of the potential for threat that it holds. Even the European convention on suppression of terrorism is restricted by Article 5 and Article 13, which refuse the extradition of a terrorist on many grounds. In an environment where terrorist violence is endemic and the world stands hopelessly divided on various laws, all countries should shun their national prerogatives for dealing with terrorism. Many efforts have been made by a number of nations to control state-sponsored terrorism, such as through economic sanctions, but so far they have not reached a consensus either at the national or international level. During the last two decades, the increasing drug smuggling and the obnoxious nexus between drug smugglers and terrorists have posed a serious problem to the internal state-security networks and compelled various nations to organise themselves and wage a relentless war against such a nexus. But mere implementation of vigorous drug laws cannot become effective unless the judicial procedure is modified for ensuring speedy trials.

The continuing uncertainties with regard to terrorism have encouraged various countries to launch psychological warfare against terrorism. A few years ago an international conference was organised in Washington by the Jonathan Institute . Some consensus began to emerge among the various scholars, politicians and decision-makers the world over. Some of the important suggestions were: the concept that one man’s terrorist can be another man’s freedom fighter must be done away with; local populace should cooperate with law enforcement machinery even at the cost of personal misery; prompt and strict decisions should be undertaken by various nations for controlling terrorist psychologically.

The London Economic Summit Conference organised by NATO States and Japan proved to be another landmark for the eradication of terrorism which decided that unless we attack the roots of terrorism, only superficial relief could be seen but terrorism would increase in the total quantum of its impact. Creation of general awareness and organisation of public support against terrorist acts could be of immense use. While it is desirable to allow police and the armed forces to employ better informed judgement about the local problems, there is of course a danger that this attempt of the government could dilute the benefits to those deemed deserving and, thus, any possibility of peace and negotiation.

Many governments across the world have formulated reform measures to improve the situation. But terrorists interpret these steps as a surrender by the state to international criticism. In such a situation, the role of the military and the security forces has become crucial because most of their operations in terrorist-affected areas require a multi-layered approach. Although military actions have normally been accorded the highest priority for the maintenance of security, sometimes such action damages the deep layers of social and individual interests. For example, the role of the security forces in tackling the problem of terrorism in Punjab, Kashmir and the North-East has opened a controversial debate. This creats a dilemma. Is this merely a work of simple Police and Paramilitary network or that of a special force trained for counter-terrorist activities? The deployment of special forces in countering terrorist activities has become a reality in many countries. In this regard, the experience of different countries can help. For Example the way the West German Police defeated terrorist faction, the way the French Army took measures to improve their anti-terrorist capabilities. The Italian Police too had to combat large-scale terrorist violence from new-fascist groups and the left wing challenges of the Red Brigades.

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No civilised political system can progress until terrorism is wiped out, but terrorism cannot be eliminated unless there is a political solution. The need of the hour is the political will to solve the problems that generate terrorism. The states affected by terrorism should open the avenues for negotiated settlement of disputes and exhibit genuine willingness to resolve long festering problems. The efforts of the state to maintain security on the face of terrorist threats should go hand in hand with increased devolution of power to the people and greater democratization of the system of power and administration. This threat can be encountered by training and development of a new mechanism bolstered up of a multidimensional and multi-layered approach based on checks and balances.