The war against global terrorism - Essay Example

Can the war against global terrorism be won? It is not easy to answer whether the war against terrorism can be won or not. There is no black and white answer to it. Terrorism has been haunting the human being throughout history when it is the creation of its nature. ‘Terrorism’ is a very broad term. Pharmaceutical companies infecting people only to sell them the cure later also falls under terrorism. Acquiring weapons, territories, religious glory, money, power, authority are some of the purposes that compel terrorists to pursue their goals.

These are abstract concepts. There is never enough money, weapons, divine glory, or power to satisfy human greed. So, no, the war against terrorism can never be won in absolute terms.For instance if religious fanaticism is analyzed, the emotional and spiritual motives can push a person to take lives, even their own. The course book lists beliefs and perceptions (Kegley & Wittkopf 177) that become an excuse for religious radicals to do anything in setting the world straight on the correct path.

If they find any government secular or not religious friendly, they can start an open war with them. The problem is that it is not a conventional war to stop or destroy an advancing enemy. It is an ideological war. The terrorists will certainly score great sympathy from common people and regional power brokers, because they are the ones showing them the path of righteousness. Killing the leaders of these terror campaigns create martyrs, and the remaining lot almost worships them as their heroes.

This only strengthens their cause. One doesn’t need to study ancient war history to understand this plague. Chapter 7 of the book paints brief history of the twenty first century so far. The World Trade Centre incident, Afghanistan War, Iraq’s invasion, Madrid Bombing (2004), London Bombing (2005), Israel’s bombing in Lebanon (2006) and many other incidents demolishing any hopes for a peaceful century (Kegley & Wittkopf 197). The same paragraph also mentions the 2011 Arab demonstration for democratization as a ray of hope.

This is highly debatable. The case of Egypt is enough to understand that terrorism can never be defeated in absolute terms. Despite the Arab Spring and powerful (bloody) protests against dictatorships, Egypt still yearns to see democracy in its true form. One needs to ask this question; have the Egyptian demonstrators been successful in achieving their goal? Toppling a dictatorship was just one part of it, true democracy is their destination? Is Egypt a true democracy today? If only military deals decide the fate of nations then there is not much hope for a long lasting peace.

The course book is absolutely right in mentioning the Prussian strategist Karl von Clausewitz (Kegley & Wittkopf 197). His book On War mentions that war is merely an extension of diplomacy (Kegley & Wittkopf 197). War is most probably inevitable. It is a tool that transnational actors use to resolve conflicts. This purpose for engaging in war blurs a clear definition of terrorism. What might be ‘just cause’ by one state would be considered oppression or state terrorism by the other. The most frequent cause of conflict is territorial, which is more likely to engage nations in wars (Kegley & Wittkopf 200).

This complex nature of war is evidence that terrorism can never be completely defeated. ReferenceKegley, Charles W., and Eugene R. Wittkopf. World Politics: Trend and Transformation. New York: St. Martins, 1995. Print.