London Bombings: What's the Big Idea? (Terrorism)

Member Name: marandina

Product:	Terrorism
Date:	23/07/05 (357 review reads)
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The dictionary definition of terrorism might be “The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence against people or property to coerce or intimidate governments or societies, often to achieve political, religious, or ideological objectives” depending on which source you use. Thrown into the spotlight by the horrific bombings in London of the 7th July, once again we debate what and why these events happen. If there's one serial constant over a long period of time it's violence being used to win a point. It happens in homes, pubs and clubs all over the world and is man's oldest tactic to exert power, decide an argument or to simply revel in one of our basest instincts.

Terrorism is hardly new. Where one force far outnumbers another then there will always be a temptation to adopt guerrilla tactics to even the score. The Romans often fell foul of rebellious tribal warlords who could not compete with Roman armies but could irritate and de-stabilise their foe by making raids on small outposts. For centuries, Scottish clans have waged war on one another whilst successive English kings have been the victims of guerrilla campaigns as a form of resistance to their rule. In each case, one man's terrorist has been another man's freedom fighter. Of course you could be tempted to say that today's version is far more insidious than days gone by but the distinction between civilian and armed forces was disregarded then every bit as much as it is now.

Terrorists over recent decades have taken on different causes in different ways. In the 1970s, the Bader-Meinhof gang waged a kind of intellectual terrorism railing against the bourgeoisie. Their tactics of kidnap and blackmail shocked the world and I remember the cold shiver the very mention of their name sent down my spine as a child. The IRA has committed many atrocities with the pub bombings of the 1970s standing out for me. I've been in both the Mulberry Bush and The Tavern in the Town that was on many occasions and the carnage of that infamous night in 1974 still resonates amongst the Second City today. The IRA is no stranger to attacks on London either. Who can forget the nail bomb attacks in the capital or the devastating destruction of a hotel in Brighton? The IRA says that it is are fighting for a united Ireland but the political agenda created by the absorption of Sinn Fein into mainstream politics suggests that simply uniting Ireland may be only one of the aims of the newly respectable Irish politicians.

In Spain Basque separatists fight for independence and were even temporarily credited with the Madrid train bombings in error by the Spanish government. So against this backdrop of a world-wide problem just where does the threat from Al Qaeda sit? You would suspect that the ordinary man on the street is no more aware of what Al Qaeda actually wants than your average Jade Goody knows where Essex is. A mistaken majority will assume it's all about Iraq and the allegedly unlawful occupation of its land. The truth is that Al Qaeda has been active for a long time prior to the incidents in Iraq whether you believe that the invasion was just or not. A string of atrocities including the 9/11 abominations have all gone to perpetuate the Al Qaeda cause, which is founded on the notion that Western ideals are utterly corrupt. At the heart of the radical Islamic movement is the idea that Western society has become corrupted and that strict interpretation of Islam including the application of Sharia is the only answer to group salvation. If you look at the practices of the Taleban in Afghanistan then you start to get a feel for what this is all about. This is religious extremism have no doubt about that. Women relegated to second class citizens, harsh penalties meted out for the most innocuous of crimes and an approach to life reminiscent of the darkest days of Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century before his death in 1658 leading to a popular reprieve from the Puritan movement.

Ideology is hard to fight. In the case of Al Qaeda it's an idea that pervades a myriad of sympathetic groups and cells that flare up in support of their iconic leaders. You can kill a man but ideas are so much harder to put down. Christianity was founded on an idea and millions have died for it over the centuries. So it doesn't look good for the future does it? Only today at least 88 people appear to have been killed in Sharm-al-Sheikh, Egypt whilst London continues to be on terror alert with attacks seemingly daily jut now. So how can we begin to unravel this spiral of death and destruction?

Terrorism feeds on publicity. The notorious beheadings in Iraq where brought right into people's home via the power of the Internet as the new breed of terrorist took up the world wide web as a method of psychological warfare. Very effective it was too with millions across the world given access to the most gruesome of ritualistic killings. The British government have tried in the past to quell publicity for terrorists in Northern Ireland but with today's all seeing media this is now virtually impossible. So if you want to make a point it's nigh on impossible to hush it up now. So do you negotiate? Most governments will have a stated policy of not negotiating with terrorists. After all, why should we give in to threats? It's an interesting interpretation of when force is just and when it isn't. The Arabic world in general sees America as an aggressor that simply crushes disagreement by force. Many see the occupation of Iraq as illegal and yet US policy appears to be heading towards the inevitable expansion of military solutions to the perceived threats from Iran and North Korea. It's difficult for us in the Western World to comprehend how people in the Middle East see us but it will be very different to the way we perceive being perceived. There is a natural leaning towards a halo effect that we are only trying to help and protect others even when they haven't necessarily asked for help. It's almost akin to the mentality of the Crusades in the Middle Ages with ironically similar consequences. Negotiation and mediation seems to be solving the Irish question albeit very slowly. However, in this case there does appear to be common ground that can be exploited however slowly. When it comes to radical Islamic beliefs then the common ground disappears. After all, if Al Qaeda believe that Western governments are inherently corrupt and that the general population will overthrow them if they can be made to see this point then it's difficult to see how this can ever be resolved. There's an element of anarchist belief in that the general population is basically good and by being freed from misguided directions from above, that generic goodness will naturally assert itself.

One of the most sinister aspects of recent events in this country is the sudden departure from the contractual view of the host country being considered immune to attacks from its own people. The suicide bombers of July 7th were all British despite their radical beliefs and actions. The thought that a resident of this country is prepared to strap a bomb to him/herself and kill other people is a chilling change in direction to the war on terrorism. The most obvious solution is to find the perpetrators as quickly as possible to stop them doing anything else assuming they haven't blown themselves to pieces already, of course. Local communities must know who these people are and it's critical that ruthless killers like this are found and prosecuted. As for a longer-term solution then this will depend on how effectively the government can tackle the radical ideologies at work. It seems staggering that we adopt such a liberal stance to radical speakers inciting its members to take up an armed struggle whether here or abroad when other countries are so much stricter. I can't help thinking that this is sympathetic of a laissez faire approach to our own borders that has gone on for far too long now. We cannot possibly protect our own people if we aren't more astute about who comes into the country and the reasons they are coming here for. Only now is the government waking up to this fact with the rest of us hoping that this particular horse hasn't bolted from its metaphorical stable.

I fear that the present climate of global unrest is here to stay for some time. Whilst the world is no stranger to terrorism, the events in London add an unsavoury twist to a grim business. I can't help thinking that a small part of me died in London on the 7th July. A small part of our way of life may have died too.

Your thoughts and comments are welcomed.

Thanks for reading

Marandina

Summary: Overview of terrorism today