The Impact of Globalization on Terrorism Research Report

¶ … Globalization on Terrorism

The Impact of Globalization on Terrorism: Research Report

Terrorism has been a serious global concern for decades, with researchers now warning that globalization has had a hand in fueling terrorist activities in the recent past. This text is intent on examining the impact of globalization on terrorism. It begins with a definition of terrorism, its drivers, and reasons for its increased incidence.

The Impact of Terrorism through Globalization

9/11 remains one of the darkest days in American history. On that day, two commercial passenger jets were hijacked by suicide bombers and flown into the World Trade Center in New York, killing thousands of innocent citizens. Multiple attacks of a similar nature have occurred in different countries across the world, with the most famous ones being the bombing of the American Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, and more recently, the killing of 130 innocent citizens in a series of coordinated attacks in Paris in November, 2015. These attacks have aroused indignation by the nations of the world, and have got them coordinating efforts to react not only against the perpetrators or sponsors of such activities, but against international terrorism as a whole. The success of these efforts will, however, depend on how well the nations of the world understand the concept of terrorism, its motivations, and the trends in terrorist activities. A lot of research has already been conducted in these specific areas. This report brings together findings from a set of selected studies to provide insight on the impact of globalization on terrorism. It examines the definition of terrorism, its causes and drivers, evolution and trends, and ways through which it could be addressed.

What is Terrorism?

There currently is no standard definition for the term 'terrorism' (Cronin, 2003; Guillaume, 2004). The difficulty in developing a standard definition arises in part because terrorist activities, and their drivers and motivations keep evolving (Cronin, 2003). Researchers, however, concur that acts of terror usually have a set of common characteristics that, when brought together, could give a definitive idea of what terrorism is.

These characteristics are: a) the acts are of a political nature; b) the perpetrators use violence against seemingly innocent actors; c) the acts are aimed at causing death or at least severe physical injury; d) the perpetrator's main objective is to create terror among members of the target group; and e) the acts are planned and executed in a coordinated, organized manner by either an individual or a collective enterprise of individuals (Cronin, 2003: 33; Guillaume, 2004: 540).

Based on these characteristics, one could define terrorism as the use of random violence against innocents, with the aim of causing terror and achieve a pre-determined political goal. When such an act involves institutions, victims, targets or perpetrators of another country, it is referred to as transnational terrorism (Li & Schaub, 2004:231). The 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center are an example of a transnational terrorist event (Li & Schaub, 2004: 231).

Drivers of Terrorism

Researchers have sought to understand the specific factors that drive terrorism activities; or rather, those factors that motivate terrorists to commit acts of terror. According to Cronin (2003), terrorist groups have different sources of motivation -- economic, religious or political - and it is these motivations that determine how they are categorized, and how they execute their operations. The author identifies four different types of terrorists, with different sources of motivation: right-wing terrorists, left-wing terrorists, ethno-nationalist terrorists, and religious terrorists. It would be prudent to mention that these categories are not perfect because most terrorist groups have multiple motivating ideologies; however, in as much as this is the case, one motivation usually dominates (Cronin, 2003: 39).

Left-wing terrorists are driven by idealist or liberal political concepts, and often prefer anti-materialistic, antiauthoritarian, and revolutionary agendas (Cronin, 2003: 40). They tend to engage in criminal-type behavior such as arson, bombing, murder, and kidnapping directed at elite targets (Cronin, 2003: 40). Their main aim is to overthrow capitalist democracies and replace them with communist/socialist governments (Grothaus, 2011). Examples of left-wing terrorist groups include the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC), the 17 November in Greece, and the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front in Turkey (Grothaus, 2011).

Right-wing terrorist groups are more impetuous and less cohesive than their left-wing counterparts (Cronin, 2003: 40). Their main aim is to preserve traditional societies and combat liberal governments (Grothaus, 2011). They are often racially-motivated (targets widely determined by race) and seek to marginalize minorities within a region (Grothaus, 2011; Cronin, 2003). The Klu Klux Klan is a perfect example of a modern-day right-wing terrorist group (Grothaus, 2011).

Separatist/ethno-nationalist terrorists are usually driven by clear territorial or political aims (Cronin, 2003: 40). Their focus is often on establishing an ethnic identity or controlling a certain piece of land or territory (Cronin, 2003).

Finally, there is the religious group of terrorists, who are motivated by religious grievances and ideologies (Grothaus, 2011). These terrorists are particularly dangerous because they often feel engaged in a struggle of good versus evil, leading them to develop an open-ended set of targets that includes anyone who is not a member of their religion or sect (Cronin, 2003: 41). Nonmembers are considered evil, apostates or infidels and are often punished brutally -- as Cronin (2003: 41) points out, the Al-Qaeda operatives who took part in the 9/11 bombings may have viewed the Muslims who were killed therein in this manner (Cronin, 2003: 41). Religious terrorists are often willing to sacrifice themselves for their cause (Grothaus, 2011). Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, Al-Shabab, and Taliban are perfect examples of religiously-motivated terrorist groups.

The Increasing Incidence of Terrorism

Researchers have provided a number of reasons for why the rate of terrorism has been on the rise in recent decades. Cronin (2003: 42), for instance, argues that the increase is due to the increase in the prevalence and strength of religiously-motivated terrorist groups. A report by the St. Andrews University Chronology of International Terrorism indicates that in 1968, none of the operational terrorist groups across the world could be categorized as 'religious'; in 1980, 2 of the 64 groups qualified as 'religious terrorist organizations', and by 1995, the number had risen to 25 (out of 58) (Cronin, 2003: 42). These groups have become not only more prevalent, but also stronger because they enjoy the support of the civil society (Cronin, 2003: 42). Al-Qaeda offers a perfect example in this regard -- with the support of Muslim non-governmental foundations such as the International Islamic Relief Organization, and the Al Haramain Islamic Foundation, the group has been able to operate as a global network (Cronin, 2003:42; Gomez, 2010).

Technology has been identified as another fundamental reason for the increase in the incidence of terrorism. Information technologies such as instant messaging, mobile phones, and the internet have increased the reach of terrorist groups, making it easier for them to coordinate attacks, recruit members, identify targets, and attract sympathizers (Cronin, 2003: 46). It has emerged, for instance, that the deadly 9/11 attacks were facilitated by information technologies -- the perpetrators communicated through Yahoo mail; cell members conducted research on the chemical-dispersing abilities of crop dusters online; and Mohammed Atta, the leader of the operation, made all his reservations online (Cronin, 2003: 47). Information needed to build WMD and other CBNR weapons is readily available on the internet, making it possible for terrorist groups to increase their effectiveness and the lethality of their attacks (Cronin, 2003: 47). Cronin (2003) acknowledges that the attacks on the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 would not have reached the scales they did without information technology.

A third reason that has been put forth to explain the rising incidence of terrorism is the increased role and profile of the United States in the global scene (Cronin, 2003: 43). This has particularly caused an increase in the number of attacks targeting American citizens (Cronin, 2003: 43). The percentage of international terrorist attacks targeted at U.S. nationals, for instance, rose consistently over the 1990s, hitting about 50% in 2000, compared to 20% between 1993 and 1995 (Cronin, 2003: 43).

Terrorism and Globalization

Existing literature indicates some form of consensus that globalization has had an effect on terrorism (Cronin, 2003: 48; Todd, 2007: 2; Li & Schaub, 2004). The dropping of barriers and border restrictions through such blocs as the European Union and the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) has facilitated the smooth flow of terrorist group cell members across countries (Cronin, 2003: 48). For this reason, groups such as Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah have been able to expand their reach and establish cells in different countries throughout the world (Todd, 2007; Cronin, 2003).

In his article, Todd (2007) explains how the elimination of barriers with the aim of increasing the degree of trade between Canada and the U.S. across the U.S.-Canada border has facilitated the infiltration of terrorist groups. The author depicts numerous instances of how terrorists have been able to take advantage of the weaknesses in the border security systems to make their way into the U. S, across the said border. In 1999, for instance, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist, Ahmed Ressam, was arrested trying to cross into the U.S. through the U.S. -- Canada border in possession of bomb-making materials meant for executing an attack in the United States (Todd, 2007: 4). It has since emerged, moreover, that the bombers in the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center had entered the country from the same border, and were planning to use it as their escape route (Todd, 2007: 4).

Terrorist organizations have taken advantage of globalization and the friendly relationships between countries to expand their international operations and unleash transnational terror (Shola, 2015). The increased permeability of the international system has enhanced the ability of terrorist organizations to connect and work with other groups in other countries to establish a global network (Cronin, 2003: 48). A perfect example of such a group is Boko Haram in Nigeria (Shola, 2015). The group began as a domestic terrorist organization operating in Nigeria only; it has, however, since grown into one of the largest international terrorist groups of the 21st century (Shola, 2015). They have been able to grow beyond domestic terrorism by connecting and forming relations with established terrorist groups in other countries such as al-Shabab in Somalia and Al-Qaeda in the Middle East (Shola, 2015). Reports indicate that Boko Haram works together with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which has its headquarters in Algeria (Shola, 2015). The two groups work together, with the former receiving training and support from the latter (Shola, 2015). Just as business has been globalized, terrorist groups have also globalized their operations, with most working together in an interconnected network (Shola, 2015).

Globalization also fosters terrorist activities through the fact that it makes it easier for terrorists to evade capture and persecution (Cronin, 2003: 49). States have varying laws in relation to terrorism and terrorist activities, and this makes the prosecution of transnational terrorists a rather challenging affair (Cronin, 2003: 49).

Other researchers have, however, come out strongly to criticize the notion that globalization and economic integration have increased the incidence of global terrorism. In their analysis for instance,, Li and Schaub (2004: 248) found no support for the argument that globalization and economic integration increase the incidence of terrorism within a country's border -- the results were found to be insignificant. On the contrary, the researchers were able to show that economic integration minimizes the incidence of transnational terrorism. In their view, integration promotes economic development in the countries with which a country trades, and this reduces the incentive for foreign terrorists from those partner countries to attack the country (Li & Schaub, 2004: 248).

Potential Solutions to the Issue of Global Terrorism

Researchers propose a number of solutions to the problem of global terrorism. First, the international community needs to employ a balanced assortment of instruments to address the inherent threat of the terrorist themselves (Cronin, 2003: 55). The response needs to include both short-term military action, informed by long-term in-depth sophisticated analysis. The response this far has been focused almost entirely on the former, with very little of the latter (Cronin, 2003: 55). Coordination is key -- terrorism is a complex issue, and all parties interested in addressing the problem need to work together in order for success to be realized (Wanandi, 2002). There is need to back up our agile and trained lethal forces with greater intelligence, including HUMINT supported by individuals with cultural training and language skills (Cronin, 2003: 56).