There can be no better time to address the issue of terrorism than now. The term terrorism is now a household word on the lips of even street kids. If there is any word widely used recently it is terrorism. This is because of its latest exploit which is still fresh are the minds of all, that the mere memory of it makes the heart shudder and cry for its erasure.
Terrorism is the use of unlawful illegal and violent means by a small group of people usually motivated by an ideology which is either political, racial, religions or anarchistic. The basic aim of terrorism is to induce fear and discomfort in the minds of the perceived enemies often as a way of forcing that enemy to yield ground or grant concession to the terrorist group. Its main element is the use of the weapon of fear to instill fear in the minds of the specified target usually a government or an authority such that the authority will advance the aims and objectives of the terrorist group.
The use of terrorism is a phenomenon of the modern age . by modern age, I mean towards the end of the 19th century into the 20th century and now the 21st century. Terrorism was one of the activities that led to the first world war, terrorism featured in the old Russian empire. Pangs of terrorism took place during the second world war but in more modern times, terrorism has taken a new look and dimension that the list of terrorist attacks and the feats achieved, worries any sane mind. In the past, the target of terrorist attacks were military installation and diplomatic missions or their likes but recently they have expanded their list to so-called soft targets, such as mass transport systems sporting events busy urban location hotels and tourist sites. Before I go on I would like to list a few recent terrorist attacks and their effects, on April 19,1995 in Oklahoma City Unified States, a truck bomb exploded at a federal building killing 168 people with more than 500 injured. On January 31 1996 in Colombo Srilanka, ethnic terrorists rammed a truck laden with explosive into a bank killing 90 people with more than 1,400 injured . On August 7th 1998. U.S embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed killing 250 people with over 5,500 injured. On 9th and 13th September 1999 in Moscow. Russia, two huge explosions ripped through two apartment buildings killing 212 people with over 300 injured. Lastly, the most recent and perhaps most fatal till date, on the 14th of September 2001, two hijacked planes crashed into the world trade centre and the Pentagon building. The casualties of the latest attack can only be estimated; little wonder that survivors are still being sought a month after the attack.
Having discussed terrorism in general and its gruesome effects, the most likely questions that would come to mind are “what is the cause of terrorism? Why terrorism? Why would people consent to suicide bombs attacks?. Ordinarily, terrorism is a form of protest or attack on a structure that one detest. According to Louis J Freech of the U.S Federal Bureau of investigation “terrorism… is fueled by Hatred” “Those who harbor such hatred live in a world that is colored by bigotry shaded by conspiracy, and framed by ignorance” Oppression is another cause of terrorism. Stephen Bownan in his book “when the eagle screams” Opines “To be sure, there are leaders of groups and countries whose irrational goals are the annihilation of other cultures. But it is also clear that in great deal of terrorism is born of despair” The editor of Urban book of terrorism states “In many cases… the primary motivation for a terrorist is a genuine frustration with seemingly intractable political social and economic forces”. Terrorism is a symptom of a problem, not the actual cause” remarks Michael Shimoff in his paper. “The policy of terrorism”. He continues: “ our long-term goal should be to eliminate the underlying social and political causes of terrorism---paralleling our actions against terrorism, we must have equally vigorous efforts to enhance freedom, dignity justice and humanitarian values. Only when those vigorous efforts are effective, will we able to dismantle our counter- terrorism and anti-terrorism operations”.
The causes of terrorism are many; apart from state- sponsored terrorism common in the past, the new trend is that of cause-sponsored terrorism. These ‘causes’ are varied according to individual or group state of mind or dissatisfaction. The state of mind of the terrorist is one in which the terrorist is given to do anything, he does not analyze the world the way we see the world. He is ready to pay the supreme price for what he believes in. according to Dr. Obi Cyril “They are people who have given up on the system, they are protesting the system. They--- think there is nothing that they can gain from the existing system so even if they die trying to destroy the system they have nothing to benefit from they would have done something in trying to mate it better. It is that feeling that they have died to achieve a particular cause that drives the mind of the terrorist to commit suicide ?”.
What are the tools of the 21st century terrorist? The tools of the terrorist are ordinarily all weapons of mass destruction. However, the recent trend in development has created a more sophisticated terrorist, making people Coin words such as “cyberterrorism” “bioterrorism” and “ecoterrorism”. The 21st century terrorist belongs to a global network. Our global village has thrown up new scenarios in that new computer and communication technology have made terrorism something more of a leisure game. According to frank J. Cllifor director of the information warfare task force of the centre for strategic and international studies (CSIS)” in essence we ‘ve created a global village without a police department” Robert kupperman, senior adviser to (CSIS) stated that if terrorists choose to use high-tech methods ”no government agency currently exist to cope with the repercussions of their attack. Not long ago, a hacker from Sweden invaded a computer system in Florida and put an emergency -service system out of commission for an hour, impeding the responses of police, fire and ambulance services. Such is the level of sophisticated tools brandished be terrorist.
Another potent tool in the hands of modern day terrorist are chemicals and germs in a subway in Tokyo in 1995, a cult released sarin nerve gas killing twelve people and injuring more than 5,000. The relative ease with which biological weapons could be prepared makes the task of the terrorist easy to achieve. The recent use of Anthrax against Americens points to this fact Anthrax is such an effective bidogical weapon because it is easy to culture and highly resistant. It would take several days before the victims would experience the first symptom a flulike malaise and fatigue. A cough and mild chest discomfort follows. Then comes severe respiratory distress shock and , within hour denth. What the terrorist can achieve with the use of nuclear weapons or radioactive materials is better left to the imagination because of it monstrous effects however, no terrorist group have used the twin weapon of destruction. Perhaps another salient but silent tool of the terrorist is the mass media. “ Publicity has been at once a primary goal and a weapon of those who use terrorist against innocent people to advance political causes or to simply cause chaos “says Terry Anderson a journalist who was held in captivity for nearly sever years by terrorist in Lebanon. “The very reporting of a political kidnapping an as assassination or a deadly bombing is a first victory for the terrorist. Without the world’s attention those acts of viciousness are pointless.”
What are the consequences of terrorism? The tragic loss of human life is the most obvious result of terrorism. But there are broader implications. Terrorism can destroy or delay the peace process in trouble spots on the planet. It provokes, prolongs, or entrenches conflicts, and it accelerates the cycle of violence. Terrorism can also have an impact on national economies. Governments have been forced to spend enormous amounts of time and resources to combat it. For example, in the United States alone antiterrorism spending was budgeted at more than ten billion dollars for the year 2000. Whether we notice it or not, terrorism us all. It influences the way we travel and the choices we make when we travel. It forces countries around the world to spend huge amounts of tax money to protect public figures, vital installations and citizens.
What are the remedies for terrorism? We now know what terror ism is all about, the causes of terrorism and the tools of the terrorist. Hence, to find remedies for terrorism is, the best attitude to adopt would be that of eliminating the causes that gear the terrorist on and ensuring that his basic tools are far from his reach. The causes of terrorism are one and the same whether of cause sponsored terrorism or state sponsored; which in later years seems to have phased out due to the strategies adopted; in the first post - cold war world. typical examples are of lraq and Libia.
Perhaps the most important issue to tackle would be to understand the terrorist himself there is need to deal with the socio-psychological roots, or socio psychological origins of such individuals that seek to destroy society. Some of this socio psychological trauma emanate from individual experiences within the family. Some times they emanate from backgrounds of squalor, racism, deprivation and marginalisation such social form of exclusion and lack of justice throw up some individuals who psychologically can no longer function in the system and once they opt out of the system, they decide to destroy the system. There is no gain saying that terrorist are people with impaired mind who analyses the world in a way different the way normal people do. If not why would Timothy Mcveigh the culprit of the Oklahoma bombing. Express his hatred for the American Federal Government and love for individual freedom by infringing on the right of other people by sending them prematurely to the world beyond?
Maybe if there were limited gaps in the world; gaps between prosperity and poverty, gaps between justice and injustice; gaps between the powerful and the weak; gaps between the developed and underdeveloped, the terrorist would not have seen himself fit to reconcile these gaps. What the terrorist does is to borrow from what they consider to be the advanced to destroy what is the advanced ,because as for as they are convinced that which is advanced does not take care of their people and they are no longer patient, they do not see the need for dialogue or to operate within organized institutions.
There is a need to curb wide coverage granted terrorism by the mass media because that would most certainly reduce the ego of the terrorist which is easily hart when ignored. Mores, it is hightime governments the world over start taking terrorist serious. The envogue policy of governments not taking terrorist serious seems to worsen situations. A million mass destruction civil support terms would not eliminate terrorism. They would be too late, save to pick bones and extract dead bodies from debris. In fact, there is need to adopt the attitude of an uncle towards a mischief kid (the terrorist) perhaps, if an agency can be established were terrorist could present their grievances prior to attack. Such an agency should be independent of the government and answerable to the people because in the final analysis, it is the unsuspecting commoner who gets killed.
Institutions of global governance like United Nations, world bank and international monetary fund (I.M.F) should make more result oriented efforts towards poverty alleviation. They should try to abridge the digital and equity gap in the world today.
All this solutions proffered will be useless if the mental poison administered by manipulators the world over is not eliminated. In the final analysis the terrorist is an individual and it is he/she who takes the decisions to act in the way he/she does. But there is a need to free them from the mental poison administered by their overlords. The part played by inferiority and superiority complexes is to too big to ignore. If not, why must one individual at one end do the suicide bombing while are the other end is an individual who ordered the act alive and healthy? What is the belief about one having achieved a cost after one’s death?.How do they know they are appreciated or that their efforts did help? There is need to protect our method of reasoning from manipulative individuals.
It is America today, perhaps, tomorrow it will be Nigeria. Or more aptly it is already Nigeria; Jos, Tiv, et al. Terrorism may not be eliminated totally, but as least we can reduce its attractiveness by painting it as black as devil, thus, discouraging would be terrorist.