The document provides a comprehensive analysis of terrorism, defining it as a violent act targeting non-combatants for political or non-political goals. It outlines the historical context, causes, and sustaining conditions of terrorism, including political marginalization and identity crises, while also discussing various terrorist organizations and their motivations. Strategies for curbing terrorism emphasize long-term solutions addressing root causes and promoting cooperation among international stakeholders.

1. Shahid Hussain Raja
Author/Consultant
www.shahidhussainraja.com

2.  Introduction
 Terrorism Defined
 Terrorism-Historical Background
 Causes of Terrorism-Initiating Conditions
◦ Pull Factors
◦ Push Factors
 Causes of Terrorism-Sustaining Conditions
◦ Marginalisation
◦ Identity Politics
◦ Foreign Policy Decisions
◦ Betrayal Syndrome
◦ Lack of Political Empowerment
 Strategy to Curb Terrorism
 Conclusion

3.  Terrorism is an historical as well as a universal phenomenon; very few countries can
claim not to have been affected by this menace which is on the rise.
 Has been practiced by every type of organisation, religious or non-religious, right-wing
or left-wing Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus even the so-called most peaceful
Buddhists have engaged in terrorist attacks,
 Consequently, the reasons for the terrorist activity and the identity of those who carry
out these acts are always subject to the context, time and place.
 As per Global Terrorism Database, more than 61,000 incidents of non-state terrorism
claiming over 140,000 lives have been recorded from 2000 to 2014 while in 2016 OECD
countries experienced the most deaths from terrorism since the September 11 attacks.
 Middle East, Asia, and Africa were most affected by terrorist attacks with Syria,
Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Egypt, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan being the
worst affected

4.  Unfortunately, there is no consensus on its accurate definition
 More than one hundred definitions in the field; one country’s
terrorists are other country’s freedom fighters
 However, for this presentation, we can define, "terrorism" as
“any violent act of intentional targeting of non-combatants by a
person or a group to create panic among the public with the aim of
getting tactical or strategic concessions from the policy makers for
the accomplishment of their political or nonpolitical goals.”

5.  Zealots: Historically, Jewish Zealots could be the counted as the
first organized terrorists whose acts of violence against the
Romans resulted in their banishment from Israel 2000 years ago.
 Assassins: Followers of Hasan bin Sabah(10th century) can also be
described as terrorists for the violence perpetrated by them on the
order of their spiritual leader.
 Thugs: Members of secret Indian cult, both Muslims and Hindus,
worshipped Mother Kali,goddess of destruction, operated as gangs
of highway robbers, tricking and later strangling their victims with
handkerchief or noose. They would then rob and bury their victims.

6.  Jacobins: Radical revolutionaries who coined term “terrorism”
during French Revolution, killed more than 35,000 people to terrify
French people into submission to their ideas
 Anarchists: Pioneers of modern terrorism at global level, started in
1880s in Russia, later spread to Europe/North America. Using
extremes acts of violence as their main strategy to achieve their
objectives, assassinated several world leaders/bombed buildings
 Nationalist/anti-colonial Terrorism: Terror groups that operated in
Asia, Africa, and elsewhere during last phase of colonialism and
continued up to 1980sa. Also the Zionist underground terrorist
organization Irgun used these very tactics, including the notorious act
of bombing of the King David Hotel on Monday July 22, 1946

7.  1970s/80s Terrorists: Irish Republican Army, ETA in Spain and PLO/Black
September in the Middle East to press for the acceptance of their respective
political demands. Tamil Tiger in Sri Lanka popularized suicide bombing
and women suicide bombers, successfully copied by the Jihadist terror
organizations in the Middle East and Europe
 Leftist Romantics: Those who took part in 1968 street demonstrations in Paris,
London and other European capitals became disillusioned taking armed
struggle as a strategy to begin a communist revolution by force. Inspired by the
success of Chinese and Vietnamese guerrillas, they espoused pseudo-Marxist
ideologies and wreaked havoc with the help of modern technology.
 Italy's Red Brigades hijacked Italian prime minister's plane and executed him.
Germany's Baader-Meinhof group carried out acts of violence in association
with the Palestine Liberation Organization.

8.  Pre-9/11 Terrorists: Trained by CIA during Soviet Afghan War of 1980s,
these radicalized Muslims took arms against oppressive, un-Islamic
governments of Middle East and their sponsors for implementing true
Islam.
 One such resistance group was Al-Qaida led by Osama Bin Laden started
a global Jihad against the West after the deployment of American/NATO
forces in the Middle East during the First1990 Gulf War.
 Post 9/11 Terrorists: Terrorist activities carried out after the actions
taken by the USA after it launched War on Terrorism.
 One such group is IS asserting that only way to progress for Muslims is
to follow the original religious principles of Islam practiced during
golden period of Islamic Caliphate, a 7th century empire led by Islam's
founding generations.

9.  Terrorism is a complex phenomenon, a specific kind of political violence
committed by people who do not have legitimate army at their disposal.
 Rather than seeking the causes of terrorism itself, a better approach is to
determine the conditions that make terror possible or likely.
 Barring few Lone Wolf cases, most of these conditions have to do with
the circumstances such as political, social repression, or economic strife.
 There are two sets of conditions which make violence against civilians
seem like a reasonable and even necessary option;
◦ Conditions facilitating Start of Terrorism-Pull Factors vs Push Factors
◦ Conditions facilitating Survival of Terrorism-4 Ss Model

10.  Pull factor-something appealing in the ideology, person or the organization
 Maybe Intellectual underpinnings of organization/idea, promises of salvation in
hereafter, sheer charismatic personality of person behind ideology/ organisation.
 Personal quest, a sense of belonging to a cause, ideology or social network,
friendship and kinship ties/compulsions could also motivate a person to resort to
join an extremist outfit.
 Sheer excitement of enjoying power and control, adventure and the possibility of
heroism/ personal redemption are also strong pull factors for attracting the rich.
 For poor persons, it may be the financial benefits of joining such organizations.
 Lastly, members of mafia join such organizations for protection from the state
agencies.

11.  Push factors-reasons which force a person to become extremist or
join a terrorist organization and start an armed struggle against
those whom he thinks responsible for his grievances.
 Five main reasons for a group of people to resort to acts of
violence and ultimately terrorism are;
◦ Marginalization
◦ Identity Politics
◦ Foreign Occupation/Interventions
◦ Betrayal Syndrome
◦ Lack of Political Empowerment

12.  Socioeconomic deprivation and political marginalisation of significant
minority in a country for any reason, actual or perceived, create feelings
of hatred against the institutions of the state
 Repression and injustice provide justification for terrorists to mobilise
people for protest, converts these groups in violent outfits and even
militant if their grievances are not redressed.
 To get support of silent majority of their group, they resort to their
emotional manipulation by using cards of race, religion, caste, colour etc
 These feelings of economic injustice and socio-political marginalization
are then used by the vested interests, local or foreign, state or non-
state, for furtherance of their foreign policy or domestic agenda.

13.  Popularised by Francis Fukuyama, identity crises relate to cultural
marginalisation, which produces alienation and a lack of belonging
to either home or the parents’ society.
 According to him, the second generation of Muslim migrants to
Europe are facing this identity crises as they are not owned by the
people of their respective host countries while their links to the
parent’s country are not so strong.
 Consequently, this sociocultural isolation reinforces their religious
solidarity with Muslims around the world; any issue of the greater
Muslim Ummah is internalised by these isolated youths prompting
them to turn extremist

14.  Foreign occupation or the foreign policy decisions of powerful countries against
the weaker countries arouse the feelings of injustice and nationalism which is
then exploited by others
 Domestic grievances are framed around victimhood against Western foreign
policy and military intervention. The central core of this narrative is that the
‘West is at war with Islam’, which creates a narrative of ‘them and us’.
 Conflicts are filtered through this core narrative: Bosnia; Chechnya; Iraq; Syria;
Somalia and Palestine, etc. These conflicts and events can become a focal point
for mobilisation.
 The ban on the Muslim veil; the cartoon crises and other contentious issues are
all evidence that the West is at war with Muslim communities. There is a keen
sense of alienation and injustice which is reinforced by Islamophobia,
xenophobia and discrimination.

15.  Every global and regional power creates/supports militant groups
in their areas of respective interests for the furtherance of their
foreign policy agenda.
 Once used, these militants are abandoned by their erstwhile
sponsors; they in turn become their nemeses-a “disposal
problem”.
 ‘After every covert war there is an unintended disposal problem.
We steered and encouraged these people. Then we dropped them.
Now we’ve got a disposal problem. When you motivate people to
fight for a cause – jihad – the problem is, how do you shut them
off?’-Jack Blum

16.  Majority of the terrorists are now coming out of the Middle East where
dictatorial regimes are the norm rather than exception. Whatever the cause, the
lack of democracy has left the Middle East vulnerable to radical recruitment:
 Globalization with increasing integration of economics, communications, and
cultures across national boundaries is affecting, directly as well as indirectly,
the governance structures, processes and the cultural fabric in every country.
 It is stoking the aspirations of middle classes for better quality of life with
greater say in the socio-political decision making. However, political
establishment in most of ME countries, historically governed by authoritarian
elites, are not providing them adequate channels of expression/empowerment.
 Consequently, these countries are increasingly witnessing the outbursts of
popular resentment against the status quo which is then exploited by the
regional and global hegemons as well as the non-state violent actors.

17.  Irrespective of the fact how they are defined or what is their
cause of action, a terrorist organisation ultimately needs four
things to survive and be successful
◦ Slogan/Cause
◦ Support of People
◦ Space for Operations
◦ Sponsors-Finance and Armaments

18.  Terrorism must have a cause, how unachievable or absurd it may
seem to be.
 It could be an armed struggle against occupation forces (i.e.
Taliban fighting against NATO forces in Afghanistan) or foreign
policy decisions of outside states adversely affecting those
resorting to terrorism (i.e. 9/11 or the. terrorist acts in Europe).
 Similarly, a vocal group of minority facing oppression at the hands
of state or by the majority may take up arms and carry out acts of
terrorism against those whom they think responsible for their
grievances. (i.e. Moros in Philippines/ Rohingyas in Myanmar).

19.  Terrorists need the shelter, support and sympathy of the people
they think they are fighting for.
 If they think that they are not being supported by public, they start
terrorist activities against them to force them to support them.
 See the acts of terrorism by the Muslim militias against their own
people in this context.
 As Peter Neumann, the director of the International Centre for the
Study of Radicalization, puts it: "Terrorism is not necessarily about
the number of people you kill; it's about the terror you create."

20.  Terrorist organisation must have an area of operation for their
terrorist activities.
 Their main aim is to create panic among the public and awe
the law enforcement agencies and other organs of the state
by performing high visibility, maximum casualty acts of
terrorism to create maximum impact.
 For this they need some space-urban or rural.

21.  Whether they spring up spontaneously or created by some agency
for specific objectives, every terrorist organisation ultimately needs
and gets a foreign sponsor.
 There is no dearth of such sponsors in modern days. It could be a
global power, a regional aspirant for hegemony or any disgruntled
neighbour interested to achieve its national interests.
 It provides them finances, arms, training and strategic/tactical
advice. Tamil Tigers, Mukti Bahini, Moros, Uyghurs, Hezbollah, IRA,
Taliban, I SIS-all were are being sponsored by outside forces for
the advancement of their respective foreign policy agenda.

22.  Stopping violence is rarely simple or easy. Only time and
commitment by a majority of the parties involved can resolve​
a conflict.
 Keeping in view the multidimensional nature of terrorism, we
must adopt a long term holistic and comprehensive approach
for its eradication.
 While the Pull and Push causes of terrorism need long term
policies, the sources of survival of terrorism can be choked
even in the short term. Some of the measures are as follows;

23. 1. Formulation of long-term Vision/Legal Framework
2. Use of Force-legitimate but adequate
3. Countering 4Ss-Slogan,Support,Space,Sponsors
4. Plugging in the sources- Discrimination, Poverty, Inequality etc
5. Improving Criminal Justice System
6. Regional and Global Cooperation and Coordination
7. Mainstreaming Ex-Terrorists/Returning Foreign Fighters

24.  Urgent need for comprehensive framework for tackling terrorism, implemented in letter
and spirit with more emphasis on intelligence gathering and better coordination among
all the agencies involved in counter-terrorism at the provincial and federal level.
 Carrot and stick strategy to announce amnesty for those who voluntarily renounce
terrorism and severe punishment to those captured during counter-terrorism operations
 Divide and eliminate strategy to divide the terrorist by infiltrating professional spies
inside their ranks and create dissention among their ranks.
 Hearts and mind strategy to win over those segments of population who hold
sympathies for these groups and provide them material, financial and logistical support
through systematic information campaign
 Living document and should be revised in accordance with the requirements and
incorporating the lessons learned.

25.  Using force to protect its territory and people from foreign aggression
and internal subversion is the right of every state
 Four point strategy to counter terrorism through use of force
◦ 1.Do not kill the political head of the terrorist organisation-his death results in
formation of splinter groups difficult to trace and eliminate. Secondly, we need
him when finally negotiations are to be held
◦ 2.Do no spare the second tier of terrorist outfit. Being the planners, these are the
most dangerous persons in the organisation
◦ 3. Co-opt the third tier (field operators) of these terrorist organisation through
every means possible-these are very helpful in locating the second tier leadership
◦ 4.Win over the people living in the terror prone area by carrying out the
development activities to ensure life is going on normal

26.  Slogan: Counter the narrative they use to incite people and get their
support with better narrative with facts, logic and emotions. Use opinion
makers-religious scholars, media persons, official spokespersons etc
 Support: Find and choke the channels of material and financial support
to the terrorist outfits
 Space: Keep on limiting the space terrorists use to carry out terrorist
activity by utilising all the technological and human intelligence
 Sponsors: Similarly, take all measures, physical and diplomatic to
restrain the access of terrorists to foreign sources of funds and arms

27.  Improve the investigating and prosecution branches of judicial system so
that even the hardened criminals and terrorists are convicted and
sentenced with due process of law.
 Selection and appointment of all police personnel and prosecution
officers strictly on merit and their constant capacity building in
accordance with modern techniques of investigation and prosecution.
 Similarly, judges need to be appointed on merit and provided maximum
security so that they can dispense justice without any fear or favour.
 High security prisons to confine the hardcore terrorists to ensure they do
not have contacts with the outfield commanders

28.  Poverty Reduction: Extreme poverty and widespread inequality
create environment of resentment and estrangement facilitating
recruitment of terrorists. Government must accelerate the growth
but also selective attack on worst form of poverty through
appropriate social safety nets.
 Discrimination: Another important source and driver of terrorism
which needs to be prudently tackled through legislative measures,
financial support and development effort
 Hate Literature: Control the spread of hate material against a
group on the basis of caste, creed or colour or ethnicity. In these
days of technological connectivity, rumours spread like wildfire.

29.  While using full legitimate force, state should keep the window open for those who
renounce terrorism and surrender. Their systematic re- absorption should be tackled by
a special agency who should also keep an eye for possible double dealing
 Foreign fighters who travelled to Syria, are returning as ISIS is finally defeated on the
ground with ideas and intentions to replicate ISIS model collectively or as lone wolves.
 Not all returnees present the same degree of threat, treating all former fighters as high
risk may radicalise them further through unwarranted persecution.
 Some ex-terrorists could become powerful voices against the groups they once joined.
 Government should thoroughly screen these returnees to identify the more dangerous
among them as well as to select credible and trustworthy individuals who could counter
recruitment narratives.

30.  Renunciation by all states not to use terrorist outfits as their proxies for the
achievement of their narrow national interests
 Formulation of comprehensive strategy by involving all the regional and concerned
global stakeholders to combat the threats posed by the non-state actors in the region-
Intelligence sharing/Money Laundering/Apprehending criminals
 Marshall Plan style development of springboards of terrorism (Middle East, Africa,
Afghanistan/Pakistan etc) as a region by providing easier connectivity and inter-
dependent projects
 Peaceful resolution of longterm simmering disputes i.e, Palestine, Kashmir solving which
there cannot be any long-term peace in these regions
 Promotion of good governance/Human development of Middle East as a priority by UN

31.  Despite ambiguity of definition, terrorism is a global and
historical phenomenon with multiple sets of causes
 As such tackling it requires multidimensional and internally as
well as externally coordinated approach
 However, all our counter-terrorism measures must be in
conformity with the accepted norms of ethics and morality
with due respect to fundamental human rights

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33. Thanks