The Evolution of Terrorism on the World Stage Research Paper

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Introduction

Terrorism refers to deliberate actions or threats of such against people aimed at causing fear or coercing the people to do what the terrorists require or refrain from doing something (Global Focus para. 1). The main emerging reason for terrorism in the world today is to send out a political, ideological, and religious message with the underlying effect of instilling fear. Such acts are perpetuated by groups formed to promote an agenda or by criminals who want to have their way more easily a good example being drug traffickers. Most terrorist groups announce their arrival with an attack and therefore this brings about an unpredictability of sorts which enhances its effectiveness in putting the message across

Acts of terrorism include bombing murder, kidnapping, hijacking, and forced occupation. The desired effect is to have the citizens of a particular country or region feel vulnerable by doubting their own personal security due to the threat of imminent attack at any time. Authorities governing such citizens are therefore subjected to intense pressure to either combat such a group and when this fails, they are encouraged to bow to their demands. While it has been in use for quite a long time, it has of late gained prominence primarily due to the scale of the attacks.

Types of terrorism

Due to its effectiveness, terrorism can be an effective tool in sending clear messages, and thus, it varies in type. The factors influencing the types of terrorism are; the methods used, the agenda fronted, and the target group or location. Most of these types arise from the classifications of the groups which perpetrate terrorist acts. The main types of terrorism are, state-sponsored terrorism, political terrorism, right-wing terrorism, left-wing, religious terrorism, nationalist terrorism, and emerging cyber-terrorism (Zalman para2-5). Some of the common methods used by terrorists are violent attacks, annexation, economic stifling and intimidation.

The evolution of terrorism is evident through its use to further other agendas, primarily the business of illegal hard drugs. South American countries like Mexico and Columbia are prime examples of such a phenomenon where drug cartels are terrorizing the citizens through kidnappings and murder. Such actions are prompted by crackdowns by authorities on the drug cartels. The cartels in turn retaliate by sporadic attacks on civilians in a bid to try and scare the authorities into easing crackdowns on their activities.

Effects of terrorism

These range from the obvious such as the loss of lives, to others like loss of investment in the affected regions. Violent acts destroy lives and undermine the security of an area perceived to be a terror hotspot. A direct consequence of terror attacks is war. Such combat is brought about when authorities or influential countries like the United States retaliate to attacks by pursuing terror groups and organizations. Such retaliation is responsible for the invasion of countries like Afghanistan and Iraq (Ignatieff para. 1-4). Destruction of property and infrastructure together with the loss of jobs are just some of the ways through which the economy may suffer as a result of terrorism.

Countries on the receiving end of invasions as mentioned above also suffer economically since their resources are lost and thus, they cannot trade effectively. Investment in these countries is almost impossible since the conditions for doing business are nowhere near suitable nor are, they attractive. The invading countries are also forced to cough up vast amounts of cash to sustain their troops and thus lose out economically. Due to people living in constant fear of attack, terrorism to some point also affects people psychologically.

Combative steps taken

Over the past few decades as terrorism has evolved so have the methods and steps taken to combat it also changed. Countries have realized that the vice requires new and innovative measures to prevent and curb. Preventive measures are widely used to prevent terror attacks that on the whole, are characteristically unpredictable (Sageman pp. 29-56). Screening at transit points like airports is nowadays a necessity due to the ingenious methods of attacks and transport of attack materials deployed by terrorists.

Groups of countries, whose administration is showing signs of possible terror attacks, can be countered by having their source of funding cut off. This may be done through trade sanctions and a ban on goods from the suspected regions. Another method adopted to curb the vice is the attack of terror suspect groups by Special Forces or the armies of countries (Ignatieff para. 1-4). Such a violent move may prove successful or worsen the situation through a full-scale war that may destabilize the area. In combating terrorism nothing at present could beat intelligence services which remain a crucial component of the struggle.

Conclusion

Terrorism in some way has replaced war as a major world concern. It gives the impression of deliberate killing and destruction of livelihoods behind an agenda. Religious extremists and radicals are responsible for giving the issue prominence. In view of the fact that all human life is valuable and that all humans have basic rights that should not be infringed, the use of killing to further an agenda or retaliate inexcusably.

Terrorism also goes a long way in illustrating the fact that it continues to be a struggle for different cultures and societies to co-exist without friction. Tolerance should be encouraged instead of violent retaliation even when wronged.

Works cited

Global Focus. “International Terrorism: Cause, Effect, and the search for solutions.” 2009. Web.

Ignatieff, Michael. New York Times. 2003.

Sageman, Marc. Understanding Terror Networks. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004.

Zalman, Amy. “Types of Terrorism: A Guide to Different Types of Terrorism.” 2010. Web.

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IvyPanda. 2022. "The Evolution of Terrorism on the World Stage." January 2, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-evolution-of-terrorism-on-the-world-stage/.

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