Analyse the complexity and intensity of terrorism, its causes, linkages and obnoxious nexus. Also suggest measures required to be taken to eradicate the menace of terrorism. UPSC IAS Mains 2021 General Studies (Paper – 3)
Terrorism can be defined as the calculated use of violence or the threat of violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.
Causes of terrorism:
- Lack of political legitimacy and continuity, as well as a lack of integration for the political fringes, encourages ideological terrorism.
- Perceptions of deprivation and inequality, especially amongst culturally defined groups. This can lead to civil violence, of which terrorism may be a part.
- Terrorist tactics are used not out of a random desire to fire rockets at civilians but to leverage violence to gain specific concessions.
- Socio-economic explanations of terrorism suggest that various forms of deprivation drive people to terrorism, or that they are more susceptible to recruitment by organisations using terrorist tactics. Poverty, lack of education or lack of political freedom are a few examples.
- Extreme ideologies may sometime result in hatred towards other sections of society and may lead to terrorism. Examples of terrorist groups motivated by ideology include the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamal Eelam (LTTE).
The linkages and obnoxious nexus of terrorism include:
- Terrorism and organised crime aid each other to thrive and survive. The financial proceeds of organised crime such as extortion/kidnapping are made legal through money laundering and then used to fund terrorist activities.
- Terrorist groups levy taxes on drug traffickers to provide security to criminals in their controlled area.
- Terrorist groups act as proxies of enemy governments which in turn provide them funding and shelter.
The measures undertaken to combat terrorism are:
- Adoption of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.
- Strengthening national coordination mechanisms to promote inter-agency participation and information exchange, facilitating joint monitoring, threat assessment.
- Updating national legislation to ensure that terrorist and organised crime offences are precisely defined.
- Awareness generation and deradicalization of the youth to wean them away from the clutches of their influencers.
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