TERRORIST ATTACKS

Mar 24, 2017 Editorial, Features / Columnists

In the United States and other countries, the threat of terrorist attacks has regularly dominated the news headlines, especially with the long lines at airport security checks where once innocuous items such as drinks, baby milk, shoes, belts etc. have become the tools for deadly attacks on innocent citizens.
It is clear that the threat of terrorism has traumatized people all over the world. Terrorism is at the top of the national security agenda in the United States, Britain and France and in other countries around the world. Terrorism is widely considered to be the greatest security threat in today’s world.
Terrorism is endemic and is an international menace. The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States; the March 11, 2004, terrorist attack in Spain; and the July 7, 2005, terrorist attack in Britain are unlikely one-time events. In fact, these countries have been attacked many times after and they, along with many other Western democracies, can expect more terrorist attacks in the future.
The most recent attack occurred in Britain on Tuesday. It claimed the lives of five people and injured several others. The perpetrator of the attack has been identified as an Islamic State soldier, Khalid Masood, a British born citizen who was praised by ISIS.
The truth is, it is very difficult to prevent terrorist attacks, the reason being the command and control of terrorist groups. The recruitment and training are taking place in different countries, therefore counter-terrorism measures will not be effective unless all nations agree to cooperate. It would be a step towards universal cooperation in the prevention of terrorism.
However, attempts by the United Nations to get universal agreement after the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre were unsuccessful. Some African, Asian and the Middle East nations were unwilling to label groups as terrorists, especially if they sympathized with their aims. The West has also sympathized with groups which have committed terrorist activities. For example, the United States supported the Nicaraguan Contras and there was Western support for the African National Congress in South Africa in the 1980s when the actions of both groups were deemed to be terrorists. Terrorists are terrorists, no matter what their goals are or whatever they are trying to achieve, they should not be supported by governments.
The consequences of terrorism often go far beyond the deaths of people and the destruction of property. They are wide-ranging and far-reaching. Terrorism is a form of psychological warfare against a society. It is designed to strike fear into the hearts of people, and it generally succeeds in doing so. The fear of terrorism is widespread in most societies, including the United States. It does not, however, affect everyone to an equal degree.
Peoples’ fear of terrorism is both rational and irrational. It is rational in that there is an ever-present threat of a terrorist attack being perpetrated, but irrational in the probability assigned to that potential event. Many tend to overestimate their chances of being a victim to terrorism.
However, the greater the number of attacks and the more lethal those attacks are, the more people will be psychologically affected by them.
Terrorist attacks have had a devastating effect on nearly all the targeted country’s economy. Not only has terrorist attacks led to the loss of lives, but they have also caused severe damage to property. The destruction of the twin towers in New York which costs US$27 billion is a case in point. Terrorist attacks on a country could also affect its tourism industry and make it unattractive to foreign tourists which can make an economy unstable, which in turn could lead to a decline of foreign direct investment in the targeted country.
Terrorist attacks have led to changes in people’s lives, beliefs and attitudes. Terrorism has also influenced the political process due to changes in public opinion, which governments must take into account when formulating their policies.
Governments must do all they can to protect their citizens. The failure to prevent future terrorist attacks due to inaction can be fatal to governments.

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TERRORIST ATTACKS

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