The Origins and Evolution of Long-term Separatists, and Ethnic and Nationalistic Terrorism - Essay Example

The Origins and Evolution of Long-term Separatists, and Ethnic and Nationalistic Terrorism In a brief definition, long-term separatists, ethnic and nationalistic terrorists, are organized groups that seek the independence of the ethnic group they represent or those who share the same ideological or political beliefs by means of surreptitious and ruthless underhanded tactics against both civilian and military targets. As Stepanova (2008) posited: In the late 20th and early 21st centuries the prevailing types of terrorism practiced by organizations with a localized agenda was terrorism by nationalist groups, including ethno-confessional groups.

For radical nationalists, a local, or at most, regional context is the most natural level of activity. By definition, radical nationalist groups cannot be universalist or pursue global goals, regardless of the extent of their external links or their additional socio-political or confessional flavor (p.101). To most of the average citizens in the world today, the origins of such groups and terrorism started after the 1950’s ever since many Arab based extremist and fundamentalist groups resorted to unconventional terror tactics against the Western nations and other nations deemed as enemies to their cause.

Eventually, development of radical nationalistic and ethnic separatist movements also sprung up in various nations in Asia, Africa and Latin America as well. Due to the power of media exposure, nationalistic or ethnic terrorism has always been associated among various guerilla forces, freedom fighter groups or insurgent organizations. It should be noted, however, that the terrorist or insurgent groups of the 21st century were not the first in history to commit to unconventional and asymmetric means of war against a staggeringly larger and more powerful enemy.

Perhaps one notable example for such groups during the ancient times was the Nizari Ismaili Hashashin, which is where the word and term “assassin” was rooted from. The Hashashin were considered by many historians and scholars as the original model for nationalistic or ethnic separatist, or terrorist, organizations today, and there are certain characteristics that show this. The first characteristic is due to their cause. Prior to becoming the Hashashin, the Nizari Ismaili was a sect of Islamic religious mystics led by Hasan-i-Sabah and was based in Isfahan, or modern day Iran.

When the Nizam al-Mulk, the vizier of the Sultan Malik Shah, began to persecute the Nizari Ismaili, this prompted the persecuted group to take up a mostly covert act of war against the ruling powers. The second characteristic was the cunning methods and actions to achieve political victory. Greene (2006) cited that while Vizier Nizam al-Mulk was traveling from Isfahan to Baghdad, a Nizari Ismaili disguised as a Sufi monk approached the litter he was carried, pulled out a dagger from under his clothes, and stabbed the vizier to death (p.436). The last characteristic would be the resulting psychological impact to the population.

The death of Vizier Nizam al-Mulk caused the Isfahan rule to collapse quickly while the Nizari Ismaili continued to thrive and spread. After the assassination of Nizam al-Mulk, and other attempts after him, including the new Sultans Muhammad Tapar and later on Sanjar, Greene (2006) observed that a wave of fear spread throughout the empire’s hierarchy since it was impossible to tell who was an Ismaili (p.437). It was hard to tell who and where these assassins would come from and to catch them since they acted quickly, precisely and discreetly blended with the population easily.

The result of this would be total chaos and terror within the region, causing social and political destabilization. All these characteristics can be seen in modern day nationalistic terrorist or separatist groups. Today, there are various groups of modern day insurgency groups that follow the same characteristics but on a modern social and technological setting. Like Nizari Ismaili Hashashin before them, these many groups have similar objectives and methods to do their modus operandi. The only difference right now is that the advances in technology changed the way such terror tactics could be done and what new covert guerilla strategies could be used.

For example, the Philippines have two long-term separatist movements which have also been considered as nationalistic terrorist groups, which are the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the New People’s Army (NPA). The MNLF started after the Second World War with their goal as making the predominantly Muslim population in the island of Mindanao, one of the main islands in the Philippines, under their political sovereignty and to be free from government control. Robert and Lester Chapman (1980) observed that the MNLF engages in guerilla warfare and it kidnaps foreign officials and hijacks aircraft (p.52). These are their methods to garner attention to their cause.

The NPA, on the other hand, is a left-leaning ideological resistance group that fights for the poor farm folk and the seemingly oppressed population. Robert and Lester Chapman (1980) posited that the NPA is a guerilla army of the pro-Chinese Communist Party committed to rural revolution and is assassination is used as a terror tactic, such as in 1974 when three U.S Naval officers were killed near the navy base at Subic Bay (pp.52-53). On the other hand, as to hold up to its infamous and notorious activities, the Al-Qaeda is not considered as long-term separatist or an ethnic or nationalistic terrorist group.

It is what can be known as an international terrorist organization. Wilkinson (2005) stated that “it evolved in the 1990s under the leadership of Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman Zawahiri, and from an early stage in its development it was clear that it was not going to resemble traditional terrorist groups with their monolithic structures and centralized control: instead it was developed as a world-wide network of networks” (p.13). Al Qaeda is widely associated with local nationalistic terrorist groups, most specifically radical Islamic movements, but it is not considered like its associates for the sole reason that its objectives are of a more global scale than just merely localized or regional scope of objectives.

References Chapman, R.D and M.L. (1980). The crimson web of terror. Colorado: Paladin Press. Greene, Robert (2006). The 33 Strategies of War. New York: Penguin Group. Stepanova, Ekaterina (2008). Terrorism in asymmetrical conflict: ideological and structural aspects. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Wilkinson, Paul (2005). International terrorism: the changing threat and the EU’s response. Conde-sur-Noireau: EU Institute for Security Studies.