Short answer response formats and academic applications

Terrorist Organizations

What sort of policies could the U.S. implement to prevent terrorist cells from forming in Africa? Do you believe that the U.S. should intervene, or should the problems of Africa be eliminated from within the individual countries? Why?

This is a thorny question, because U.S. intervention can often backfire, making other countries resent us for being "bullies" or for meddling in their affairs. However, we know that many of these African organizations receive at least some funding and support from groups like Al Qaeda, so we need to do something to monitor them or intervene if they become too dangerous. It would be nice to leave the intervention to the individual countries, but many of them are so corrupt or underfunded that they have little recourse on their own, and they need help from someone stronger and more powerful if they want to eliminate these groups from their area.

In some cases, when there is no other alternative, the U.S. should attempt to intervene and make a difference. However, if they can provide funding to the country's government, and it is not corrupt, the country should manage the project on their own. The fiasco in Somalia that the film "Black Hawk Down" portrayed is a good example of why intervention often does not work, and why the people themselves need to take on these extremist organizations and eliminate them on their own. That being said, if the organization poses a threat to our people on foreign soil or here at home, then it is our duty to keep our citizens safe, by just about any means possible. If that include intervention, especially if there is intelligence that the group is getting ready to attack, then it is justified, and keeping these organizations under control and eliminating them is simply an act of public safety in these cases. It would be impossible to intervene with each and every extremist organization, however, and that is another problem with this issue.

2. Using the terrorist organizations, what are some of the recurring themes surrounding the development of new terrorist organizations? Knowing this, can you think of any counterterrorist policies that may prevent the creation of new terrorist organizations, specifically in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Rim?

The development of new terrorist organizations depends on funding, support, and manpower. If the organizers have those things, they will form a new terrorist organization, even if others like it already exist. Often, some form of oppression or perceived oppression is the key to forming a new terrorist group -- they form when a group of people feel they are persecuted, wronged, or oppressed in some way. If this is the case, then it would not be hard to believe that new terrorist organizations would form around the world, especially in areas where there is known oppression and persecution.