1) Terrorism targets powerful individuals to philosophically "cannibalize" their power and force a reexamination of a government's policies. 2) Globalization and the transitional nature of power and groups causes tensions that can lead to terrorism as normative acts come into conflict with hegemonic views of democracy. 3) The paradox for countries like the US is how to project strength abroad while addressing poverty and failing to reduce it due to a lack of moral obligation from partner governments.

1. Terrorist infiltration through
conflict migration
Jon Nakapalau, CHSO, CPO

2. All civilizations throughout history have come to a point where
they find that they are in conflict from within or without (or
both) due to tensions which often create ideological rifts.
How they react to this conflict is instrumental in determining
what actions will be taken to ensure the continued existence of
the civilization and to what ends the actions taken to insure their
continued existence will shape their future.

3. Terrorism targeted powerful individuals in the past. Terrorist were trying
to accomplish a kind of philosophical endophagy; by killing a leader the
state cannibalized the power that was held by the assassinated
individual and caused the state to reexamine the distributive allocation
of power once controlled by the ancien régime. Terrorism was a
focused act which sought to change the policy of a government by
elimination of the individual who was the manifestation of that policy.
The Cronus paradox

4. Globalization will force us to look at
the transitional nature of power which
is beyond the control of any group of
nations.
Because of perception we often fail to
see the transitional nature of the
different categories as there is
convergence and change within society.
Yet it is the tension between such
groups that often can be cited as one of
the root causes that lead to terrorism.

5. The central question becomes one in which normative acts fit into a
hegemonistic picture of what we define as democracy. Can there be a
democratic definition of what democracy is or is the definition defined by (and
only by) the West?
This question will continue to be asked as new countries lend their definitional
perspective to their aspirations. Only time will tell if we all agree on a given
definition or if we will need to redefine the contextual nature of democracy.

6. The paradox that the US will continue to have to address around the world is
how do you project strength and justice at the same time? How does the US
address philosopher Thomas Pogge’s observation when he points out that
there is a difference between causing poverty and failing to reduce it.
There is a further distinction to be made when you fail to reduce poverty
because the government you are working with does not feel the moral
obligation to do so.

7. The starting point of terrorism is not resistance on the part of one state against
another state, but on the part of a (usually small) group that has decided to break
away from the state. There is no question as to the power of resistance the state
will bring to bear on this group. The question is will the group be able to fight
the means and will of the state to destroy them.
Hence Mao’s apt analogy and the correlation between the movement and the
support of the people:
“The guerilla must live amongst the people as the fish lives in the water.”

8. Terrorists/narco-guerrillas now use many tactics
[transitional nature] to confuse the delineation
between freedom fighter, soldier and political
insurgent which increasingly becomes blurred;
actors hiding behind a curtain were they can
change costumes quickly.
Once behind this curtain the terrorists/narco-
guerrillas understands that there will be another
act in which to play another part.

9. Often when a rapid political shifts occurs there are areas and groups in a
given geographic location that find they are no longer able to fit into a
the wider society and contract into semi-autonomous groups who seek
to self-govern small areas as a refuge to the change that is happening all
around them. This often leads to violence and hatred that terrorists and
organized crime take advantage of.
Though this be
madness, yet there is
method in't.

10. As we look to the future it is also
important to look to the past. The nature of
conflict has changed little from the time
our ancestors fought over hunting grounds.
Man is by nature territorial and will
continue to be. This does not excuse the
fact that we must try to settle our
differences before we opt for armed
conflict. What has changed is the way we
define who we are in relation to our
perception of who “they” are.
When the method is madness, the mad get to make all the rules…