Terrorism
There are so many guided missiles today capable of reaching as far as anyone can desire, not to mention the age of the internet which has made information flow from one place to another very easy and fast. These and many other factors have greatly contributed to the threat to the security of the world in general and that of this country in particular. This paper analyses the security threat to this country, exploring the different factors that are thought to be responsible for a lapse of the nations security, among other issues like the emergence of terrorists groups all around the world. It particularly concerns itself with finding the causes behind the current security threats posed to the country, and how they can best be overcome.
Factors Inhibiting Government in the Prevention of Terror Attacks
The federal government has been very instrumental in its fight against world insecurity, with the main focus being on fighting terrorism. This fight against international terrorism has been inhibited by the lack of the relevant information that is critical to the identification and subsequent stopping of terror threats. Leaving other parts of the world for moment and concentrating on the events at home, there are a number of factors that have been responsible for this failure to win the war on terrorism and insecurity. First of all, there has been a lack of information concerning where the terror groups are likely to target. Terrorists, especially those who operate outside the country, are not easy to identify (AINA, 2010).
The fact that all people have the right documents and are free to travel wherever they need to go without undue restrictions has complicated the matter further. As long as one does not have any label on himher announcing that one is a terrorist, then it means that such a persons moves cannot be necessarily suspect (Mayer, 2009). Most terrorists are as discreet in their movements as their actions are. They meet in paces that can least be suspected, and usually have nothing that set them apart form other people. The targets they aim to hit are usually places where security agencies least expect. That aside, they arrange the attacks in such a way that if they are successful, it will very difficult for security forces to arrest anyone involved.
There is also a lack of information on the collaborators (Mayer, 2009). Most of the time, the people who carry out the attacks are not the ones who plan them. It has been noted that the terrorist groups are always seeking to expand their membership through constant recruitment of people especially in target countries. The federal government lacks the appropriate information on the location of such training camps, and even on the websites and other cyberspace channels used. The other vital area which the government has not paid much attention to is cyberspace security. Today, with the advancement of technology, cyberspace has become a leading medium through which terrorists communicate. They even go as far as getting to listen to intelligent communication (Mayer, 2009).
Most terrorists today are great IT specialists who have specialized in ways of using the internet without being caught. Cyberspace crime is on the rise in the country, yet the government has until now not been able to really pass strict legislation to deal with it. Through cyberspace, terrorists have managed to hack into sensitive security information and used this information to plan their attack. Because the government has often had no information regarding where to find these terrorists, it has been hard to prevent terrorists attacks (Mayer, 2009).
Christmas Failed Attack
The recent failed attack on an airliner over Detroit by a Nigerian man perhaps serves to illustrate the way in which the federal government has either failed to gather intelligence or its intelligence agencies are being outwitted by terror gangs (AINA, 2010). Although the plan failed to go ahead, it was an eye opener to the government - that terrorists are still keen on having their acts of terror carried out against American targets all over the world, and that they are ever-increasing in their wit and approach (Mayer, 2009). Since the attack is what can be described as successful even though it never did occur, it points to the terrible breakdown of intelligence. There has also been a failure by the federal government to come up with good antiterrorism policies that clearly give law enforcers the right to hold and interrogate terrorist suspects without the need to take them to court. This is a particularly controversial area which has been debated over and over again without a real remedy being reached (AINA, 2010).
For instance, the recent decision by the President Obama administration to close down Guantanamo Bay in Cuba where most of the terrorism suspects have been held might have scored him good political points as far as human rights are concerned but it is a disaster waiting to happen (Pillar, 2004). This is because the prisoners who have been locked at the prison will have to find alternative prisons to be held there, a process that will see some getting back to their own countries to serve their prison terms there, or being moved to American soil. This will only give them a chance to advance their terror activities as most of these terrorist suspects come form countries that support, openly or secretly, acts of terrorism and radicalism. The related issue is that of the recent release from a British prison of the terror suspect Al-Megrahi who is a key suspect of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing of the Pan Am airline in Scotland (Pillar, 2004).
This in itself has demonstrated how policy failure works to promote terrorism acts as opposed to hindering it. The man was released to a resoundingly heroic reception in his Libyan homeland, with the president himself - Muammar Gaddafi - being there personally to receive him back home. This is a lesson that this country ought to learn from. By closing up Guantanamo prison, the threat to the country has only increased. Little wonder, then, that a lot of information about intelligence and interrogation methods used by the FBI and the CIA are increasingly coming to the fore (Mayer, 2009).
Another policy level failure is the prohibiting of certain interrogation methods like waterboarding or simulated drowning means that the gathering of vital information about terrorists and other criminals has become hampered (Pillar, 2004). Interrogation must be done in all ways, and the security agencies ought to have retained the power to use any means available to them to get information from suspects of terror. The Department of Justice in the country ought to fight to retain the right to use those methods of interrogation especially on extrajudicial prisoners. As earlier indicated, terrorism thrives mostly on networking. Terror networks around the world can never be broken if suspects apprehended are made to go away or to go to prison with such vital information as who their accomplices are and in which locations are they likely to be found (Pillar, 2004).
Finally, the heart of terrorism in the world is in the Arab states of Asia and North Africa from where it has been spreading to other parts through radical teachings of Islamism. The War in Afghanistan and Iraq are actually wars on terror as they both came as a direct result of the 911 terror attacks on the World Trade center in New York and the Pentagon. As such, it will be a policy-level injustice to the fight against terrorism if either war is not fought to its conclusive end defeat for the Taliban and the insurgent groups in Iraq, especially those who were supporters of Saddam Hussein (Bjorgo, 2005). It is therefore not wise for the current Obama administration to propose a certain timeframe for the withdrawal of American forces from the region before this victory is attained.
The other major hindrance to the efforts by the federal government to prevent planned terror attacks is the countrys foreign policy that tends to portray it in the eyes of the world as one fighting a global war using a unilateral approach (Pillar, 2004). The fact that the country has continued to add more countries to its List of State Sponsors of Terrorism has meant that every new member to the list automatically becomes anti-American regardless of her former position in world political issues (Pillar, 2004). These countries, therefore, never really care the consequences to come but go ahead and even help terror groups to find safe hideouts in their countries from where they can carefully plan and carry out deadly attacks on targets inside and outside this country. If foreign policy was revised to be a little more accommodative of those states willing to support the War on Terror, then the likelihood that terrorists would be nabbed before they carry out their activities are likely to be higher (Pillar, 2004).
The Role of International Cooperation in Fighting Terrorism
Terrorism is in a way similar to most other forms of international crimes like human trafficking, drug peddling, and illegal trade in human organs which are only able to thrive through networking. Terrorists operate as groups located across the globe in different countries where they engage in their terror activities either full time or part time when they are least expected to (Gaines, 2007). As such, there is no country in the world which can effectively claim to be without a terrorist group, or individuals who are engaged in acts of terrorism - not even this country in spite of its vocal opposition to the issue. There are many Al-Qaeda cells in Arab places like Somalia, North Africa, the Middle East, and in Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, these are just the high potential areas, others being less prone to terror activities. These points to only one fact no nation in the world can fight and win the war against terrorism alone. Instead, these widespread terrorist networks can only be crushed through cooperation between states and nations especially those known to be safe havens for such terror groups like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Syria, and others (AINA, 2010).
Sharing of intelligence is a key component of this corporation. For instance, there are countries which are known to have many terrorist groups but are usually not very well advanced in technology to be able to effectively gather intelligence and go after the suspects in their hideouts, or to be in a position to prevent imminent attacks on potential targets. Such should be helped by the advanced ones (Pillar, 2004). The August 1998 bombing of the US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar-ees-Salaam, Tanzania, both in East Africa, perhaps best epitomizes what lack of international cooperation can bring about as far as terrorism and terrorists are concerned. At that time, the war on terror had not really intensified as it is now but the threat to this country and its interests all over the world was no less real (Pillar, 2004).
Prior to the attack, the Kenyan intelligence services apparently made a warning that there was a threat of attack on its facilities (Pillar, 2004). However, there were no measures put in place to prevent it, or any security alert issued, because the country did not have the real capacity to do more than keep its borders tight and prevent all foreigners from gaining entry without being thoroughly monitored (Pillar, 2004). The American government, which had its embassy located in an open area in the heart of Nairobi, failed to as much as take any precaution. So when on 8th the threats became real and among those in the targeted embassy were the then US ambassador to Kenya Ms Madeline Albright, it was a moment of regret and remorse. The Tanzanian attack, which followed the Nairobi one in quick succession, only served to show the US that although it might be safe at home, its interests abroad were not safe at all. There ought to have been working between the US and the two East African countries. This would have easily helped avert the attack (Pillar, 2004).
Still in the horn of Africa region, Somalia is a nation that has been without any government ever since Mohammed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991 (Pillar, 2004). All along, clans have taken up arms and ruled different enclaves as they saw it fit. The political climate there has allowed for the thriving of Islamist militant groups that are openly in support of Al-Qaeda and terrorism. The Islamic Courts Union and Al-Shabaab are typical examples. Efforts to set up a transitional government have been successful only because nations including the US and those allied to the African Union have chosen to work together having realized that this increased militancy could bring about great risks as far as terrorism is concerned (Pillar, 2004). The US, which has many interests in the region, ought to collaborate a lot more with the Somali Federal Transition Government as well as the AU and the UN to ensure that peace returns to Somalia and that there is no room for terror organizations to take over control of the nation. Unless this happens, then terrorism will become a great problem in the region just as piracy already is a menace there (Pillar, 2004).
Moving away from Africa to Asia, there are many terrorism acts being committed there. In fact, this is the heartland of the leading terror network in the world - Al- Qaeda (Weiss, 2004). There is more need for international cooperation here than any other part of the world because it is the home of terrorism (Weiss, 2004). The main countries embroiled in the mix are Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Iraq has in the recent time enjoyed some peaceful spells after the deposing of Saddam Hussein and the defeat of insurgency around the capital, Baghdad. However, there are still incidents of suicide attacks on allied forces and especially on the Iraqi forces that have been given charge over the security of certain parts of the country. The war was won partly because the US was able to work with nations like Australia, Britain, and other NATO member states that supported the invasion of Iraq (Weiss, 2004).
In Afghanistan and Pakistan, there is more need for international cooperation than in Iraq. The two countries share a border where the Taliban are known to be endemic (Weiss, 2004). The problem has always been that while Afghanistan is open to US and NATO forces, Pakistan does not necessarily allow foreign army incursions into its territory. The huge area around the common border including the Tribal Areas, the Swat Valley, and the South Waziristan region, are home to many Islamic militants most of who were among the once-ruling Taliban government before they were deposed by invading Allied Forces following the 911 incident (Weiss, 2004). Therefore, there is need for the US to work collaboratively with Pakistan and other nations in the region if the desire to defeat the Taliban is to be fulfilled. The drone attacks being implemented now by US forces are only adding fuel to the already burning fire of radicalism, increasing the resolve of the militants in the areas (Weiss, 2004). Instead, the government of Pakistan has to either allow for an incursion into its territory by the US and NATO forces in order to flush out the terrorists from this mountainous hideout, or to used its own means to ensure there are no terrorist activities taking place in the region (Weiss, 2004).
All along, tough, it has been hard for Pakistan to use military might against the militants as the area has many civilians who are opposed to foreign occupation of their country (Weiss, 2004). To this end, working with such a nation as this will greatly help in bringing about peace in the region as militancy can only then be reduced. To this extent, international cooperation can never be left out. However, such efforts are no guarantee that militants will surrender or agree to lay down their arms. In the Swat Valley, for instance, there have been witnessed cases where terrorist groups were giving conditions to the Pakistani government as an exchange for a ceasefire. In such circumstances, there ought to be the use of military might to force terrorists to surrender. This is because some of them are so much indoctrinated and radicalized that they are readily willing to put their lives on the line if only to keep their cause on track (Weiss, 2004).
The Value of intelligence from suspects
Suspects are very invaluable sources of intelligence that would have otherwise never have come to the fore (Weiss, 2004). In the fight against terrorism, therefore, it is very important to capture and detain as many suspects as possible as this could help in ensuring that they are able to help in the investigations (Weiss, 2004). Although the actual value that can be derived from intelligence suspects depends largely on how well this intelligence is extracted from the suspects, it remains a matter of great importance that security agencies try all in their power to obtain such information (Weiss, 2004). It has emerged in the recent days that the main suspect in the Christmas Day attempted attack on an airline over Detroit Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab has been giving security agents very critical information which is believed to be offering them the opportunity to follow up his accomplices. This incident is a unique one and the fact that Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab is in custody means that the likelihood that some of his accomplices in the plot will be found or known by the security agencies is higher (AINA, 2010).
Suspects can be very useful for their information about training centers, hideouts, and pseudo-civilian groups operating in areas where it is difficult for security agencies to find them or even suspect their activities as being illegal. In the case of Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, he has provided information which now has made the US security forces to have a reason to be wary of terrorist activities in West Africa (AINA, 2010). Initially, this region has been presumed more moderate as far as international terrorism is concerned. Now it is clear that it is one of the areas used by Al-Qaeda and other international terror groups to advance their illegal activities. It is on this basis that extra-judicial prisoners ought to be denied the right to contest their being withheld without trial. To enable this to happen, most of the extrajudicial prisoners ought to be held as ghost prisoners (AINA, 2010).
Causes of Terrorism
Owing to the nature and frequency of terrorist acts, it has remained a puzzle what drives certain people to engage in acts of terrorism. Here are a few causes and how they can be addressed.
Poverty and Economic Deprivation
Over a long period of time, it has keen noted that people will tend to rebel or to act in a manner contrary to the otherwise normal or generally accepted order if and when they are poor or economically deprived (Bjorgo, 2005). This has been seen as very common even in developed countries where those minority ethnic groups have resorted to mass action to push their governments to act. This is similar to terrorism, where those who engage in it are usually fed up with being neglected or overlooked by a section of people in the society. In the world today, the West has become a target for elimination by the rest of the world, especially the Arab World, partly because while the West is advanced and has virtually all it needs, the rest of the world is suffering from acute poverty and general economic deprivation (Bjorgo, 2005).
In spite of this, the West has done little to empower these nations. Instead, it has become its policy to continually seek to isolate them and attempt to rule over them. This has increased the opposition of the world to the West, especially the US, which has been at the forefront seeking to undermine and discredit other nations that are less powerful than itself. This has provoked a worldwide hatred for and enmity with the country to an extent it has become the dream of certain groups to exterminate the West and all it stands for (Bjorgo, 2005).
Remedies
There has to be deliberate efforts by the US government to ensure that economic inequalities are reduced among all people in the world. It ought to be a policy of government to ensure that economic imbalances that currently exist in nations all over the world, especially in Asia and Africa where most terror threats originate, are dealt with in order to make people to have access to some of the most basic requirements. If the gap between the rich and the poor in the world is reduced, then the incidence of terrorist acts will subsequently be lowered (Bjorgo, 2005).
Religion
In the recent past, terrorism has come to be more defined by religion than by any other factor (Durmaz, 2007). This is because all the terror suspects, save for a few, have been linked to one religion. It has remained to be concluded that certain religious teachings are known to encourage terrorism. While it cannot be a generalized conclusion that religion contributes to terrorism, it is a fact that terrorists have been known to use the name of religion to advance their agenda some claim it is in accordance to the teachings of their religion to defend the cause of their faith and they do this through such violent acts as terrorism and crime. Indoctrination and radicalization are closely associated with religion, and the two are the most common stages through which terrorists go through in their training. Radical religious groups have been known to champion the cause of terror (Bjorgo, 2005).
Remedies
While freedom of worship and democracy are ideal in the modern world, some of these liberties are being abused. There has to be strict monitoring of the activities of every religious grouping because some engage in promoting radical, anti-social sentiments that in turn promote acts of terror. While democracy and other freedoms like worship and association are necessary, the government ought to strictly regulate the extent to which such freedoms are taken (Bjorgo, 2005). Those found to be using religion to cause trouble must be made to account for their actions.
Conclusion
Terrorism is a problem that has affected the world in many negative ways, and there has to be a way of addressing it once and for all. The security of this country in particular and the world at large lies at stake because terrorist groups are too willing to see to it that their evil motives are carried out. The federal government, in its fight against terrorism, has been faced with hindrances which have greatly hampered its progress. Lack of intelligence, policy failure, new terrorists tactics, among other factors, have partly been responsible for the failure to effectively fight terrorism. That aside, there has to be a lot of international cooperation in this fight against terrorism because terrorists operate in cells that are networked. As such, only working together and not unilaterally can help end the problem.
Suspects of terrorism also ought to be made to give intelligence information to be used in the fight against terrorism. Finally, terrorism mentalities are as a result of factors like economic deprivation and religious affiliations, and as such the fight against terrorism cannot succeed unless these factors are addressed fully.
Categories:
0 comments:
Post a Comment