Abstract
Although it is rather sad fact to admit, the modern world is highly preoccupied with the threat of terrorism which has recently emerged in the modern society. Such is the situation that the numerous terrorist acts have caused people to panic over their endangered future. Since everyone can remember the tragic events of 2001 and less known but nonetheless terrible accidents that have been caused by terrorists, it is quite understood why the modern world has frozen in anticipation of the inevitable to happen.
Because of the growing anxiety of the uncertain future, people started making assumptions of what the terrorist acts could lead to and if the safety is at high risks now. Instead of looking for the facts carefully, people start believing rumors and the suppositions that were not based either on logic, or on the events that did take place.
As a result, the population of Europe and the USA has been scared stiff and cannot think of the Arabic world in other way than of a world where cool-blooded murders and troublemakers live. Still such statements have nothing to do with the reality. One of the chief goals of the government must be the one of clarifying the issues of terrorism with people to help them to know more about the danger that they are exposed to, because those forewarned are forearmed.
The Roots of the Terrorism: Where the Evil Began
Because of the fact that the modern world has faced the danger of being involved into a terrorist act accidentally, there has been a major concern about the phenomenon and its roots. Although the issue does not suggest broad discussion, it is still important to know what the grounds of the terrorists are.
The research on the reasons for terrorism, the people who commit it and the events that trigger this splash of violence are important fro the further preventive measures which have to be taken in order to save the lives of thousands of people. In case these measures are successful, there is hope that people will no longer suffer from the fear of a dreadful death.
The Reasons for the Savage Actions
As a rule, nothing happens out of a sudden, and every single event in a human’s life is triggered by the action that has been undertaken before. The same goes for terrorism, as the actions of the people who have been given a reason to act against the rest of the world. It would be a useful practice to trace the events that lead to the aggression from the Muslim world with its dangerous idea of revenge.
It cannot be doubted that the dangerous people have been influenced by the by the growing power of the leading countries. The influence of theirs, together with the economical and military power have added to the uncertainty of the world of the Muslim people, and the most daring ones started showing their protests to the actions of the world leaders, yet in their own way.
The terrorist acts that have occurred so far seem to have been inspired by the threat that the East thought the world leaders to pose to the eastern well-being and their traditions and customs. Te ingenuity of their life was the clue of the Eastern culture and the idea that it is so vulnerable and subjected to the influence of the West was unbearable for the Islamic people.
The Prerequisites of the Terrorism
Like many other historical tragedies, terrorist acts did not appear out of nowhere, but had certain prerequisites which could have been foreseen. Since the political reasons for the terrorist acts to occur are predominating, it seems that those responsible for the tragic events are the people who are in charge of the political safety of the country. Indeed, there are no other pretexts but the economical and cultural ones that can trigger such calamity and result in a bloodbath.
However, it cannot be stated that the leaders of the countries that are suffering from the terrorist acts occurring constantly have nothing to be blamed fro. The recent survey shows that there have been the elements of malpractice in the politics of the state during the recent years. Such political issues of rather doubtful nature have been emerging constantly over the past years. The politicians that do not compete fair for the parliament chair or the post of the president have proved o use the most indecent methods and means to achieve their goals:
So-called negative, or comparative, political advertising has been used increasingly in recent years. It conveys or seeks to evoke a basically unfavorable view of the opposing candidate or party, often by means of comparison with the sponsoring candidate. (Coleman 2000, p. 16)
The Right to Live – Or to Die?
According to the existing human rights, the right to live is one of the prior rights of a free person in the modern world. It is quite understood that the people all over the world cannot feel safe at the moment, regarding the international situation that is most tense nowadays. Together with the threat of terrorism, it makes people’s lives unbearable. However, the UNO has recently come up with something that can be considered an attempt protect people, their freedom and their rights.
There has been also discovered the link between the threat of terrorism and the political instability of the country. Rooting from the people losing the trust in the government, this issue has a great impact on the further development on the country and can result in continuous regress. As Davis (2004) put it,
At low levels of trust in the government, those who have great concern about another terrorist attack differ little in their support for civil liberties from those who have little or no concern about another terrorist attack; but among those who have some or a lot of trust in the government, greater concern about another attack is associated with a sharply lower support for civil liberties. (p. 40)
The Most Notorious Terrorism Acts
Because of the dreadful consequences and the deaths that a terrorist act triggers, it is impossible to say which of them was the most terrible one; yet it is possible to calculate the damage that they have caused and to figure out which of the acts of terrorism has been the one of the biggest damage and the most desperate and mournful cries.
It can be said with certainty that the terrorist act that the whole wide world ahs seen and will probably remember for good is the accident that took place on September, 11 in 2000. The planes driven by the terrorists have taken hundreds of lives with them, and it was the most terrible event that the USA has ever witnessed since the day it was founded. The cruelty and the aggression of the terrorists was indescribable, since they aimed not on the government only, but also on the innocent people which did not do practically nothing bad.
It can be said that the terrorists have hit the head – the house of Pentagon – and the heart – the so-called Twins – of the United States. If the first act can be described as a political crime, an unlucky assassination the second is no doubt, the most cruel and inhumane action that could have ever be done to a country and the people that are living there.
Taking innocent lives with them has never bothered terrorists, but there is still something worth mentioning, namely that the idea of killing the other people for the sake of the idea can be a rather precise description of the terrorists’ military actions. The way Al-Qaeda operates leaves no room for mercy, but merely cool-blooded reflections on the results which the acts will trigger.
The 11th of September: They Hit U.S. in the Head and in the Heart
Although the tragedy occurred long time ago, there are still the things that remind of the tragic events. Because of the controversial facts that have been presented to the public, there are still heated debates concerning the question of the “authorship” of the crime. The most popular answer is that this is the deed of the Al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden.
However, there are still certain doubts concerning this mysterious personality. There is no doubt that he exists, but the place where he is concealing from justice now is unidentified and it seem that it never will be, regarding what has been learned about his whereabouts at the moment.
The whereabouts of the headquarters of the terrorists are no secret to the international police and the governmental bodies, but the danger that the states will dispose themselves into as they approach the root of the terrorism is immense and thus the governments cannot risk the well-being and peace all over the world.
One of the main problems which the international police have encountered on its way to fighting terrorism is its unpredictability. Since walking the tightrope is not what the international police are fond of, they do not haste to take steps towards elimination of the headquarters.
According to the principle of transparency that Obama provided, nowadays people can find out more about the reasons that made the terrorists attack the U. S., yet there is a tint of some things unsaid, in order to keep the people calm and to hush down the fear of the terrorists assaulting the United States citizen once again:
Many of the Bush administration’s most controversial national security policies – the warrantless wiretapping program, the torture program, the rendition program – were conceived, developed, and authorized in secret. The American public found out about these policies long after they were put into place, and after a great deal of damage had already been done. (Establishing a New National Security, Establishing a New Normal, 2010, p. 4)
The Problem That Is Yet to Be Solved
The Residence of the Evil: Terrorists’ Headquarters
Nowadays probably everyone knows the way the terrorists’ headquarters is called and where it is situated. Al-Qaeda is considered one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations because of its being highly organized, which is posing a certain threat to the society. Disregarding the fact that this is t one and only terrorist organization that is known all over the world, it is still necessary to admit that it has certain power and it uses the power possessed aiming at the opponents’ life values.
It hits the most vulnerable spot on the body of a country that is straight against Al Qaeda, and there is no stopping to the awful acts of the people who are in charge of it. Formed by Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in 1988 (Katzman 2005, 1), it is posing a deadly threat to the world safety.
Yet there is one more body of ever greater influence that has begun the continuous fight which is going on even at present, though the battle ahs been hushed down for a while. The name of the force that is ever greater than the one of the terrorists and their organization is the regime of Saudi Arabia. According to Yamani (2008), the abovementioned formation was the first to be blamed for the Islamic aggression that took place shortly after the regime began to take its toll over the political situation:
The Saudi Arabian regime, aided by oil money and custodianship of Islam’s holiest sites, has in recent years emerged as one of the most active and creative diplomatic players in the Middle East. It was a key covert supporter of the United States’ decision to invade Iraq, of efforts to achieve a comprehensive negotiated settlement of the Israeli–Palestinian dispute, and especially of efforts to counter Iran’s hegemonic ambitions. (p. 143)
Taking into consideration the above-mentioned, it can be suggested that the war that was started between the West and the terrorists was due to the political reasons, namely the reason of money and the economical profit. Since oil is rather valuable substance, there is no doubt that the battle was started only to obtain the right to behold the source of everlasting richness.
The case when the concern for their own future and the easy money have prevailed over the spirit of neighborliness is, unfortunately, not so rare. Anyway, the war was started and millions of innocent people were involved into the deadly process.
One of the most notorious questions is whether the people who were involved into the terrorist acts were persuading specifics goals or if the very act was the result of their inner tenseness and the desire to change things so that the country could live again without the invaders and the people who would make them get adjusted to the new ideas that were so foreign to their own ones.
Anyway, the day when Al-Qaeda officially started opposing the rest of the world is considered September, 1st (Leahy 2009) – the notorious and mournful day when hundreds of people perished in the building suddenly attacked by two planes.
The Way the Government Sees It
There is no need to tell that the government pursues the goals of the nation safety and the political stability. Unfortunately, it is not always that the two are compatible. However, in case when the government is threatened with an assault that has been successful and taken away several lives, there is a reason for a deep concern.
It might be useful to reconsider the means that the government uses to enhance its political strength and to find a way out of the complicated situation that the leaders have been trapped in. Whenever there are some political arguments, it is always better to listen to the opponent and to draw necessary conclusions rather than to oppose the rival directly and cause undesirable results.
In spite of the fact that the threat of terrorism is on of the most notorious ones in the modern world, the USA does not hesitate to take immigrants from the other countries. It is clear that the control in the airports has been enhanced, but that does not explain the carelessness of the U. S. government. As Chishti (2003) claimed,
The government’s major successes in apprehending terrorists have not come from post-Sept. 11 immigration initiatives but from other efforts, such as international intelligence activities, law enforcement cooperation and information provided by arrests made abroad (p. 7)
However, it must be admitted that the government did take the necessary precautions as they came to the conclusion that the safety of the nation must be the prior concern of the state:
Shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, President Bush authorized a highly secretive National Security Agency (NSA) program to eavesdrop on electronic communications involving U.S. persons without a warrant and outside of the process set forth in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). (Keiber, 2006)
Conclusion
In spite of the fact that the modern politics insist on the terrorist danger as something that has already been overcome and that has to be remembered as the tragic remainder of the past, there are still some roots of it left somewhere deep inside people’s minds, and in the politics’ craving for more influence and power.
Yet it must be understood that, despite the threat of terrorist acts occurring, there must be no prejudice against Muslims, as well as their culture, belief and traditions. It must be remembered that there are no right and wrong in the war and international conflict, for these are both opponents that are being misled. Wong (2006) was completely right saying:
The Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) is a challenge unprecedented in American history. It dictates a reexamination of the balance between national security and civil liberties to accomplish the dual goals of preventing future attacks and maintaining our commitment to the U.S. Constitution. (2)
It is necessary to understand that Wong is speaking about the war on terrorism, not on the people. Emphasizing the necessity to maintain peace, he admits that there must be some military actions undertaken, but the peaceful citizen must not suffer. Instead of constant conflicts between the nations, there must be some common decision that the nations must come to.
That concerns the Asian countries as well, since they cannot be called as the conflicting ones at all. A few people who are constantly causing calamity and making the government undertake military actions to calm down the rebellions are not the reason to judge the whole nation.
The reasons for the Asian countries to conflict with the rest must be understood as well. Taking into consideration the economical and political tenseness in the abovementioned countries, it can be easily understood why those people display such aggression towards the unknown world. What the western countries must do is to take time and wait until the leaders of these conflicting countries are ready for a constructive dialogue.
While military actions can only make the situation worse, a civilized approach can help the nations become friendlier to each other and build the relationship based on mutual trust and understanding. With a humane approach to the opponents, it is possible that the war will be won without a single shot. Yet the question of how much time it will take for the leaders of the Asian countries to build partner relationships wit the western states.
References
Chishti MA et al. American’s Challenge: Domestic Securities, Civil Liberties, and National Unity after September 11. Migration Policy Institute (MPI): Washington, DC, USA, 2003. 5-20. Print.
Davis DW et al. Civil Liberties vs. Security: Public Opinion in the Context of the Terrorist Attack on America. American Journal of Political Science (AJPS), 48(1); 2004. 28-46. Print.
Establishing a New Normal: National Security, Civil Liberties, and Human Rights Under the Obama Administration; an 18 Months review. American Civil Liberty Union, 2010. 1-22. Print.
Katzman, K. CRS Report for Congress: Al Qaeda: Profile and Threat Assessment. Congressional Research Service, the Library of the Congress, 2005. 1-6. Print.
Keiber, J. National Security and Civil Liberties; Director of Studies Strategy. 2 (3) Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2006.
Leahy, P. J., and B. L. Cardin et al. Protecting National Security and Civil Liberties: Strategies for Terrorism Information Sharing; Hearing before Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security of the Committee of the Judiciary; United States Senate. One Hundred Eleven Congress, first session, 2009. 1-95. Print.
Wong, L. et al. Homeland Security and Civil Liberties. Strategic Studies Institute; Conference Brief, 2006. 1-4. Print.
Yamani, M. The Two Faces of Saudi Arabia. Survival: 50(1), 2008. 142-156. Print.