Terrorism: Definition, Causes, and Responses - Essay Example

To come up with a useful definition of terrorism, Shimko (298) gives various components that are basic to the phenomenon. The first component is the use of violence or the involvement of threats. Albeit the modern world has recorded the emergence of cyberterrorism where information and communication systems would be employed, physical violence remains a definitive feature of terrorism. Secondly, violence should be a quest for social or political objectives. Finally, terrorism would not be aimed at any particular individual since the aim would be to cause psychological harm beyond the immediate objects or victims of the attack. This randomness aims at creating fear. Thus, a useful definition would outline terrorism as the random use of violence or threats by an organized group in pursuance of political or social objectives. Examples of groupings that have met these features and are thus considered as terrorists include Al-Qaeda, the Irish Republican Army, IRA, and Aum Shinrikyo.

Various reasons would cause a group to launch a terrorist attack. Political motivations have been reported over years. The traditional Irish Republican Army gives an appropriate example of a terrorist group with modest political objectives which fought what it considered as outside domination. Theirs involved small-scale bomb attacks resulting in dozens of casualties to attract the attention of the world but not to a large extent alienate members of their community. Internationally, the dominance of few nations having massive political, economic and military power encourages acts of terrorism. Giving an example of Al-Qaeda, Shimko (299) argues on social and political goals motivated by specific forms of religious fundamentalism as probable causes of terrorism. The surges in terrorists that are religiously motivated have been on the increase since 1991. By 1995, they comprised more than half the recognized active international terrorist groups.

The magnitude of the September 11 US terrorist attacks makes it unique. Considering it as war would limit action against perpetrators to military action thus the adoption of terrorism-specific responses (Shimko, 302). In case of an attack, an international tribunal operating under international law that would have the powers to seek out, arrest or extradite and try the culprits should be constituted. This could adopt the model of the tribunal constituted to deal with the former Yugoslavia war human rights violations. But to have a long-term solution, the root causes of terrorism should be addressed. Because of the intertwining between economic and political forces in the modern world, it would be effective to handle both issues simultaneously. Governments should encourage democracy and respect for human rights. Carr (50) argues on the need for citizens to align their relationships and conduct businesses with security taking top priority before profits and credible hegemony.

Despite the elusive definition of terrorism, it has been largely appreciated as having distinctive features that identify it: use of violence or threat, pursuance of political or social objectives, and randomness in attacks. It could be traced to political, economic, and social motivators though religiously motivating factors have emerged in the recent past. These factors should be addressed to curb terrorism. In case of occurrence of such attacks, international tribunals guided by international laws should be constituted to try the culprits.