There is no agreed definition of terrorism, but it can be said to be an act that involves violence and threat of violence. This is not a precise definition because violence and the act of violence can also be experienced in war, coercive diplomacy, and any other violent situations. Terrorism is regarded as a violation of the criminal laws of a country or a state. The goals/reasons that should compel the terrorist to result to such acts may include:
- When they want to influence the policy of a government by intimidation and applying excessive force.
- When they want to coerce the civilian population to act in the manner they want.
- When they decide to distort the conduct of the government by mass destruction, killing of prominent people, as well as kidnapping them.
Though it is believed that improvement in democracy will stop generating terrorism, this is mere fiction because there is no evidence that democracy reduces terrorism. Terrorism can affect democracy by forcing the government to change its policies and governing strategies. It has also hindered the wave of democracy in the states. In the United States after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, “Washington overlooked the important need for stability and protection of humanity in the region that is more vital than the need of democracy.” (David A. 1994). Another example is the Marriot Hotel terrorist operation in Pakistan, whereby the victims that have fallen for the sake of democracy were not considered. This shows that democracy has been defeated because, as a state, it was awakened by the terrorist though no one can be able to predict the future happenings. It is quite unfortunate that research shows that Americans are prepared to renounce some of their valued democratic civil rights in order to ensure greater security.
The undemocratic Patriot Act was approved and was aimed at frightening and intimidating the innocent general public into supporting the government way, notwithstanding the undemocratic actions. (Heymann, 2003) Due to the effects of terrorism, democracies should make sure there is more peaceful interaction between different countries. However, it cannot be clearly stated that promoting democracy will reduce or completely eradicate the act of violence or threats. It has been noted that some foreign policy decisions made to create stable democracies sometimes result in to increase in terrorism. Therefore the state needs to scrutinize how democracy promotion will affect terrorism in the long run. Security of the state should not come at the price of liberties. The state should not compromise the security of the individuals by promoting democracy with the aim of curbing terrorist attacks. Citizens need to be protected as much as possible regardless of the occurrence of terrorist attacks. United States government has come up with restrictions that impose obligations to the individuals involved in the terrorist attacks and prevent or restrict their further involvement in such activities. The United States should impose a ban or restrict movements to, from, or within its territories at a specified time and in specific areas. An individual involved in terrorism should be required to surrender his passport or anything that is in his possession for a period not exceeding the time in which the order remains. An individual should be arrested and detained in a place where the constable considers most appropriate. In conclusion, terrorism is an act that has brought negative consequences to the state, and any control measures need to be put in place to prevent the occurrence of such activities.
References
David A. Charters (1994), The Deadly Sin of Terrorism New York: Harvard University Press.
Phillip B. Heymann (2003), Terrorism, Freedom and Security: Winning without war. Cambridge: MIT press.