Terrorism has become one of the keywords in the geopolitical scenario of the twenty-first century. It can be defined in many ways. Simply speaking, it is the organized use of violence for political ends. Normally it is used in the case of activities relating to non-state groups. In this context, this article is an attempt to discuss various factors which give rise to terrorism and motivate people to join extremist groups.
If we dive deep into the various reasons which give rise to terrorism, scholars like Jessica Stern throw light mainly on individual mobilization along with the psychological and social aspects that motivate youngsters to join terrorist groups.
Taking a liberal stand, Stern thinks the rise of terrorism is a response to malfunctioning government as well as conditions of socio-political, economic injustice. In my view, the people or youth who slowly nurture the sense of injustice move towards violence to change the condition of their apathy.
In recent times, very often if governments fail to improve social injustice and are unable to provide basic amenities, they will attract the anger of the indignant. Further, the scholars also focus on the influence of groups around an individual or fight within communities. If the government favors one of the groups, then it becomes the target.
Terrorist leaders fulfill the ambition for personal significance in misguided individuals apart from material benefits.
If we take the case of Islamic extremism, a new angle of nation-building comes forward. There were been efforts at political reconstruction and democracy imposition by the US in Iraq in recent times, but it may not be the best way to fight extremism.
There may be resistance from minority sections from within, as with a new system some minorities may feel alienated. This can further lead to an increase in violence and terror. The state may be prompted to act against the groups to sustain law and order. This will create a vicious cycle of terror and violence.
Further, the case of ISIS is a very interesting one. The recruited terrorists operated for a long time and terror evolved further with people joining through social media platforms.
Most of the new entrants were Sunni Muslims who felt rejected under their regimes in Syria and Iraq and found involvement in terror activities as best fit activity for them as they were paid very well with all types of benefits including free housing.
Apart from protection, the sense of satisfaction and reclamation they achieved in the process was one of the main guiding forces in the process. A more alarming reason for the rise in cadres of these terrorist organizations, seen from a liberal view, is that many Muslim youths in Europe and the West became disenchanted with their governments due to disproportionate behavior. They saw terror activities as a means of self-actualization.
Moving ahead, if we focus on the views of scholars like Robert Pape on suicide terrorism, this gives a good account of a new variant of terrorism. I think what makes these attacks more efficient is their strike rate and effectiveness in terms of coercive power. There has been a significant rise in their number in the last two decades as they have been producing the desired results of coercing the opponents and gaining supporters.
At the core of their success lies a well-planned strategy to achieve specific goals rather than sheer fanaticism. Islamic fanaticism is not the core reason for the rise in terrorism as we can see organizations like LTTE which created troubles for the Sri Lankan government for many years.
Suicide terrorists have been in pursuit of achieving their specific territorial goals (like maintaining self-determination) and forcing the enemy to withdraw from an area that they see as their homeland.
This strategy can be seen from Kashmir to Israel. The most striking reason for the rise in suicide terrorism is its blackmailing power as it pays. We can take the examples of Turkish autonomy to the Kurds in the late 1990s or forcing the Sri Lankan government to form a separate Tamil Eelam(state). Although terrorists were not successful in completely achieving their demands, some success was achieved, and in the process, they gained more confidence in their abilities to conduct such operations. The training which these terrorists get removes the fear of death from their minds. The attackers may appear irrational, but their leadership uses it as a tool of financial or political marshaling.
Taking the views of some prominent scholars into consideration I think terrorism cannot be explained by taking a unique standpoint, namely, that it is the venality of government that forces people to take extreme action. Considering its scale and scope we must understand that terrorism is a social disorder that will happen irrespective of the type of government, which is in power as governments be it democratic, autocratic, or theocratic cannot make everyone happy.
There can be a new angle to spur in terrorist activities like the role of international politics in which violence or terror can be prompted by one state in other states from within.
The writer is an incoming candidate at the London School of Economics. He is an alumnus of Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and Indian Institute of Management Ranchi.
