Introduction
Countries in the Middle East are prone to terrorist attacks rendering it one of the unsafest regions in the world. Many people have lost their lives, families, and property; they are now languishing under challenging circumstances and in dire need of humanitarian assistance. With the help of the West and other concerned states, governments from the affected countries have joined hands to fight in taming and eradicating these ill-intent organizations. The motives of these terrorist attacks include punishing non-Islam believers and those who participate in fights against terror and foreign influence; however, there are prevention measures, such as a global framework against terror and direct response, to curb further attacks.
Importance and Aim
The importance of this study is to understand the purpose of terrorist attacks in the Middle East. This plays a critical role in unraveling the terror trigger factors and how carrying out attacks brings contentment and fulfills a specific requirement or achievement. On the other hand, this study aims to understand the various strategies to counter these terrorist activities. This is important in understanding the root cause of terrorism, appropriate prevention measures, and informed policy formulation against possible attacks in the future.
Literature Review
Jihad is an inspiration behind some terrorist attacks in the Middle East. Jihadists believe attacking non-believers is spiritual warfare of fighting for Allah (Sirgy et al., 2017). Some countries are vulnerable to these attacks because of their tough stands against terror-related activities. Terrorists perceive this as a threat, thus carrying out deadly attacks without hesitating (Christie, 2018). The foreign invasion also provokes the militia groups to stage retaliatory attacks. They believe this jeopardizes their sovereignty, religion, and culture (Kattelman, 2019). They resort to attacking them together with their local collaborators.
On the other hand, global frameworks, such as sanctions, play a crucial role in curbing terrorism. This move cuts access to finances and ammunition, rendering them helpless to fight (Shostak, 2017). Moreover, direct response in the form of attack is used against these terror groups; this not only claims their lives but also destroys their operation bases and ammunition (Fisher & Becker, 2019). However, anti-terror forces destroyed infrastructure and social amenities to cut supplies to the militia and ended up affecting the ordinary people resulting in an ethical conflict (Zulfqar, 2018). This became another burden on top of terrorism in the Middle East.
Research and Design
This is a qualitative research method since it is a naturalistic form of inquiry seeking to unravel the reasons for terror attacks in the Middle East and the prevention strategies to mitigate such occurrences. The research is based on documents, case studies, interviews, and questionnaires through direct involvement with participants and the researcher. This research uses a qualitative design, specifically a case study, to describe why the rampant terrorist attacks in Middle East countries. The two techniques are appropriate for this research since the issues and information in the process are common to all the affected countries.
Conclusion
This research sought the reasons for terrorist attacks in the Middle East and the prevention strategies to curb future occurrences. Jihad appeared as one of the sources of inspiration behind the rampant terrorist attacks in the Middle East. The countries participating in anti-terror activities are targeted as well as those embracing presence of foreign forces within their territories. Global frameworks, such as sanctions, aim to reduce terrorists’ access to financial and ammunition support. Direct response in the form of attacks is also a critical prevention measure. The research employed the use of a qualitative research method and qualitative design.
References
Christie, K. (2018). Terrorism and jihad.Politics, Religion & Ideology, 19(2), 250–254. Web.
Fisher, D., & Becker, M. H. (2019). The heterogeneous repercussions of killing Osama bin Laden on global terrorism patterns. European Journal of Criminology, 18(3), 301–324. Web.
Kattelman, K. T. (2019). Assessing success of the Global War on Terror: Terrorist Attack Frequency and the backlash effect.Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict, 13(1), 67–86. Web.
Shostak, A. (2017). Striking at their core: De-funding the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Journal of Terrorism Research, 8(1), 43.
Sirgy, M. J., Estes, R. J., & Rahtz, D. R. (2017). Combatting jihadist terrorism: A quality-of-life perspective.Applied Research in Quality of Life, 13(4), 813–837. Web.
Zulfqar, S. (2018). Competing Interests of Major Powers in the Middle East: The Case Study of Syria and Its Implications for Regional Stability.PERCEPTIONS: Journal of International Affairs, 23 (1), 121-147. Web.