Table of Contents
TERRORISM
Terrorism is one of the most contested definitions in the field of international relations. There are many definitions of terrorism, but it still becomes a challenge to agree upon what classifies a terrorist and acts of terror. Scholars have and continue to debate what is terrorism, as well as what causes terrorism. It can however be defined as the use of violence and intimidation to achieve an objective that is usually but not always political. The targets may be a member of government or an organization who are known to be antagonists to the terrorists cause. It is a technique through which groups seek to provoke a military or political response as a form of recognition. Terrorism may also seek to demoralize the citizens of a state and so undermine support for the regimes they oppose.
OLD AND NEW TERRORIM
In terms of targeting, many of the tactical means and methods of modern terrorism have, until relatively recently, followed those utilized between States in their armed conflicts inter se (UNODC, 2018). This has been described or often referred to by scholars as “old” terrorism, where by terrorist codes on targeting victims closely resembled professional military codes, meaning that they respected the distinction between soldiers and officials and innocent civilians. The term “new” terrorism was coined however to refer to or in order to describe what is believed to be fundamentally new ways for terrorists to operate and express their violence (Neumann, 2008). It is argued that the ‘new terrorism’ had resulted from the forces of late modernity and, in particular, globalization, which had manifested themselves in three areas.
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The first being terrorist groups continue to be relatively small organizations, but their structures have become more diffuse and their reach has extended into transnational space (Neumann, 2008). These groups are often referred to as terrorist groups are often described as networks, because hierarchies have been replaced with personal relationships. Peter R. Neumann (2008) contends that the second area in which significant change has taken place is that of terrorists aims and ideologies and that ideologically, the rise of religiously inspired terrorism can be traced back to the so called ‘religious revival’ which began in the 1970s. Third and lastly, terrorism has evolved as a method. It used to be that terrorists often killed civilians and occasionally their operations were aimed at producing large numbers of casualties, however in the new era of terrorism mass-casualty attacks against civilian populations mass seem to be the aim rather than a mistake.
FORMS AND NATURE OF TERRORIST GROUPS
There are a number of terrorist group’s categories and terrorism in general. They include Religious, Separatists, Ethnocentric, Nationalistic, Revolutionary, Political, Social, Domestic, and International or Transnational. People are mostly familiar with the religious terrorism category due to the widespread media coverage of Islamic extremism. The major danger with religious terrorist groups lies in the rigidity of their beliefs. Religiously motivated terrorists see their objectives as holy and therefore infallible and non-negotiable (ONAMU, 2013).
There is International and Transnational terrorism, terms which more describes the operational influence, reach, and support of these groups. International groups operate in multiple countries, but usually focus on a specific geographical region for their activities whereas transnational terrorists operate and focus on multiple countries. Hezbollah is considered to be an international terrorist group in that they are primarily concerned with ongoing events in Lebanon and Israel, whereas Al Qaeda could be considered a transnational terrorist group (Razaaq, 2003).
CONCEPT OF COLLECTIVE SECURITY
Collective Security is a device of crisis management which postulates a commitment on the part of all the nations to collectively meet an aggression that may be committed by any state against another. The concept of collective security rests on the assumption that all nations share a primary interest in maintaining peace (Matseketsa & Mapolisa, 2013). According to the researchers , In order for collective security to operate, peace must be viewed as indivisible and threats to peace anywhere must be treated as the concern of all members of the international system and once the aggressor is established then an overwhelming opposition from all other members of the system will respond such that peace will be restored. This Idealism has led to the formation of collective security organizations such as the UN. There are several strides that the organization has made in trying to promote international peace and security but it has been less successful to eradicate terrorism as evidenced by the continued terrorist attacks that have continued to cause great suffering and defied international peace and security initiatives (Matseketsa & Mapolisa, 2013).
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND TERRORISM
Terrorism is an advanced stage of a failed political process that begins with inequities and injustice, and moves from frustrated attempts at reform that breed fear and anger, to political confrontation that erupts in violence, which can be exploited to rationalize the use of any form of violence against any target (Matseketsa & Mapolisa, 2013). The human cost of terrorism has been felt in virtually every corner of the globe. The United Nations family has itself suffered tragic human loss as a result of violent terrorist acts. The attack on its offices in Baghdad on 19 August 2003 claimed the lives of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and 21 other men and women, and injured over 150 others, some very seriously (UNODC, 2018). In addition to these individual costs, terrorism can destabilize Governments, undermine civil society, jeopardize peace and security, and threaten social and economic development.
The Middle East
Ultimately, the war in Iraq is less about oil and more about influencing the course of events in the Middle East. The United States has historically been forced to try to influence events in the region from the “outside”—relying on diplomacy to deal with subjects such as the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the Kurdish question. This will change once Saddam is overthrown. The United States will become the dominant military power in the region and will seek to influence events through direct action, as well as through diplomacy. This could result in a more meaningful impact on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, the resolution of which could, in turn, hold the key to a changed view of the United States in the Muslim world.
The impact of the change in international relations in the region that is likely to result from U.S.-led regime change in Iraq will be profound. Iran will be flanked by a pro-U.S. Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait. Syria will be surrounded by a pro-U.S. Iraq, Israel, and Turkey. Once the Iraq war is over, Iran and Syria will find it more difficult to pursue policies that support international terrorist organizations. In Iran’s case, continued pursuit of its nuclear ambitions could elicit a strong response from the United States. A question mark hangs over the future of bilateral relations between the United States and these two countries. Other countries, such as Saudi Arabia, will be under increasing pressure to revise their method of governing, whether from emboldened domestic political sources or from direct pressure applied from a pro-U.S./anti-terror alliance of countries.
