Terror begins to take

increasingly heavy toll worldwide

October 1, 2014
IRAQ, - : A handout picture received from Britains
Ministry of Defence on September !, "!#$ sho%s s screen shot of a stri&e
on an Is'amic State armed pic&-up truc&, usin( a Brimstone missi'e )circ'ed
in red by MoD before impact*, in an undisc'osed 'ocation in Ira+ durin( an
armed mission in support of ,p Shader- British fi(hter .ets bombed an
arti''ery post and an armed truc& used by the Is'amic State (roup in Ira+ in
the Roya' Air /orces first stri&es in the 0S-'ed air campai(n-AFP
1he b'oodshed s%eepin( the Midd'e 2ast and parts of Asia, tri((ered
main'y by 3ihadist mi'itants and their a''ies, shou'd, perhaps, compe' both
specia'ist and non-specia'ist observers of internationa' po'itics to revisit
some of those (round-brea&in( studies of terrorism of yesteryear- ,ne
such investi(ation of note %as 4estern .ourna'ist Robert 1abers 54ar of
the /'ea6 the findin(s of %hich seem to possess a va'idity that transcends
the decades-
It %as 1aber %ho dre% on the (raphic and evocative comparison bet%een
the f'ea and the (uerri''a for the purpose of revea'in( the true nature of
insurrectionist vio'ence in the 1hird 4or'd- 1he f'ea, %hich is undetectab'e,
tiny and s%ift, %ears out the do( on %hich it feeds throu(h re'ent'ess
b'oodsuc&in(- By attac&in( the do( interminab'y and merci'ess'y, the f'ea
reduces its seemin('y mi(hty tar(et to a %orn-out, %a'&in( s&e'eton, %hich
eventua''y succumbs to a state of dysfunction and death-
1aber %as %ritin( a(ainst the bac&drop of and
main'y in reference to the anti-co'onia' %ars of the
1hird 4or'd of the fifties and the si7ties of the 'ast
century, but the principa' effects of (uerri''a
%arfare, as out'ined by him, are continuin( to be
true of even the anti-4estern 3ihadic vio'ence
current'y ra(in( in the Midd'e 2ast and outside-
,f note are the psycho'o(ica' and po'itica' conse+uences of 5terrorism,
hi(h'i(hted by 1aber- Inasmuch as the (uerri''as in their anti-co'onia'
stru(('es tri((ered fear in their enemies and induced in them a state of
inner para'ysis, scores of Asian (overnments are today torn apart by
di'emmas and doubts in the conte7t of the 0S-'ed anti-3ihadic %ar and the
actions of the mi'itants-
Shou'd or shou'dnt these (overnments .oin the 0S-'ed coa'ition a(ainst
Is'amic State 5terror8 4ou'dnt they rouse the %rath of the e7tremists by
doin( so8 1his is a troub'in( poser of the first ma(nitude of the
psycho'o(ica' &ind- 1hey are a'so reported'y fearfu' of enra(in( pro-3ihadist
opinion at home by .oinin( the fi(ht a(ainst the IS- 4ou'dnt they be 'osin(
domestic support by .oinin( the anti-IS coa'ition8 In other %ords, the Asian
(overnments apprehensions are reducin( them to a near state of
he'p'essness in the face of ruth'ess 3ihadic vio'ence- 1o the e7tent to %hich
these (overnments are rendered ineffective, to the same de(ree are the
3ihadists succeedin( in their 5terror campai(n-
,n the po'itica' front, the issues are e+ua''y comp'e7 and %orrisome- 1he
0S is en(a(ed in %hat seems to be a devastatin( air attac& on IS tar(ets
in Syria and Ira+, but +uestions are bein( raised about its effectiveness-
A'ready, the 0S 9resident is on record that the 0S has underestimated the
stren(th of the IS forces- 1hat is, fi(htin( the IS is not provin( easy- 1he
IS fi(hters are no sittin( duc&s in the 4estern bombin( campai(n- By
imp'ication, the mi'itary capabi'ity of the 4est cou'd very %e'' be
increasin('y +uestioned by sections of %or'd opinion- Besides, the 0S is
bein( e7posed as 'ac&in( the re+uired mi'itary capabi'ity and 'eadership
pro%ess- 1his amounts to a cripp'in( b'o% to 0S presti(e and inf'uence
%or'd%ide-
,nce a(ain, to the e7tent to %hich these observations are provin( to be
true, to the same measure is the 4estern mi'itary campai(n bein( e7posed
as ineffective and the 'eadership provided by the 0S, in this conte7t, bein(
sho%n as 'eavin( very much to be desired-
1he po'itica' fa''out of the coa'ition %ar a(ainst 5terror is comp'icated
further by the uncertainty as to %hether po%ers such as Russia and :hina
%ou'd thro% their %ei(ht behind the 4est in this campai(n- 1hus far, such
support has not sho%n c'ear si(ns of emer(in(- ;eed'ess to say, this
serious 'imitation in the coa'ition campai(n %i'' prove a boon to the IS and
its bac&ers- 1he (reater the divisions in the 4estern camp, the more
advanta(eous %ou'd it be for the e7tremists-
Moreover, %ide ran(in( bac&in( on the part of the Arab %or'd for the
4estern coa'ition does not seem to be easi'y forthcomin( either- It may be
noticed that the ma.ority of Arab and Midd'e 2astern states supportin( the
coa'ition are conservative and authoritarian in nature- 1his feature %ou'd
enab'e the 3ihadists to c'aim that the coa'ition that has been cobb'ed
to(ether by the 4est is repressive and into'erant in character- 1hus, does
the coa'ition suffer further debi'itation-
1he need to fi(ht 5terror shou'd, from a theoretica' vie%point, brin( the
ma.or states of the %or'd to(ether in the anti-IS coa'ition- Russia, no 'ess
than :hina, is up a(ainst terrorism on the domestic front- India too has
(rounds to ma&e common cause %ith the 4est on this score- But a pure'y
'a%-and-order approach to mana(in( 5terror is certain to prove counter-
productive- <avin( contained 5terror by mi'itary means, the foremost
po%ers %ou'd need to ne7t thin& in terms of empo%erin( communities and
cu'tures by democratic and po'itica' means if ('oba' peace and stabi'ity is
to be ushered even to a de(ree- 1his is a principa' cha''en(e for the future-
But is the %or'd (eared to ta&e on this fa=in( cha''en(e8 As even the
fore(oin( comments %e'' brin( to 'i(ht, the current ('oba' po'itica' order is
poc&-mar&ed by too many divisions to ma&e the visua'i=ation of substantia'
bi( po%er unity a rea'istic proposition at present- If there is to be a
meetin( of minds on fi(htin( anti-democratic po'itica' forces, po%er
contests amon( the principa' states need to be brou(ht to an end, even
temporari'y- 1hat is, princip'ed po'itics need to ta&e the p'ace of Rea'po'itic
amon( the ma.or states-
It is to the e7tent to %hich confrontationa' po'itics are cast aside by the
ma.or po%ers and (roups supportin( them that the prospects of usherin( a
more peacefu' %or'd %ou'd prove bri(hter- 1he means need to be e7p'ored
of ma&in( the principa' 0; or(ans, venues %here constructive debate on
%or'd peace, amon( the bi( po%ers, cou'd be conducted- 1he mechanisms
for this purpose need to be increasin('y introduced and fine-honed-
Democratic va'ues and norms shou'd be fresh'y underscored as bein( the
'ife-b'ood of the 0; system-
1he 4est needs to focus, mean%hi'e, on the reasons %hy 5terror is
increasin('y assertin( itse'f in inter-state as %e'' intrastate po'itics- It
shou'd rea'i=e that this has nothin( to do %ith this or that 5civi'i=ation,
cu'ture or ethnicity- It has more to do %ith the indiscreet and i''e(itimate
use of force and po%er in inter-state re'ations as %e'' as in intrastate
po'itics- In other %ords, democratic methods need to ta&e the p'ace of
coercion in these spheres of human activity-
Posted by Thavam