Role of Globalization in International Terrorism - Essay Example

Globalization: effects on the international system and role in international terrorism The last few decades have witnessed a growing focus on the influence of globalization on the field of international relations. Globalization according to Mingst & Arreguin-Toft can be termed as “…the growing integration of the world in terms of politics, economics, and culture…” (331). Before the world became globalized, states were exclusively responsible for their economic, cultural, and political systems, meaning that the sovereignty of states was heavily safeguarded. As such, in as far as politics is concerned; globalization has led to the undermining of the power vested in individual states to control their own political systems. Individuals and groups beyond the state have gained the power to influence the political outcomes of the said state. Such influence has been particularly made possible by the proliferation of international media which disseminates information the world over. Accordingly, states have been forced to change their behavior so as to adhere to the standards set by various international actors in as far as political actions are concerned. Evils such as international crime, intrusive technologies, and ill-meant political revolutions have taken part in states which have failed to assert their sovereign authority from being too overwhelmed by globalization. On the economic front, globalization has forced states to integrate their financial markets with those of other states so as to keep up with developments in world economies (Mingst & Arreguin-Toft 333). In particular, multinational corporations have invaded the financial markets of individual states, taking over the production and consumption of goods and services. As such, states have been forced to give up most of the control they have over their economic policies and allow other international actors to dictate some of these policies. In terms of culture, globalization has led to the spread of different cultures across the world as people from different backgrounds are able to access the cultures of others. The media has played the most important role in the globalization of culture. Essentially, the media has ensured that people are able to access the same music, cinemas, and other cultural aspects without having to physically move to other places. People from different parts of the world are able to access different cultures outside their own and this has led to the homogenization of cultures. Fundamentally, prior to the onset of globalization, international relations were characterized by the sovereignty of states in as far as the control of their political, economic, and cultural policies were concerned. Previously, states were not pressurized by other actors and in fact, states only acted to protect their own interests without necessarily paying much attention to problems in territories beyond their own. Current international relations are all about relationships among states in such a way that these states are dependent on one another and on other actors. In this sense, events taking place in places that are outside the states can have huge impacts on these states. The usefulness of globalization as theory on the international system and order Globalization is not only a theory used to explain the current trends in international relations but has also been proven to be practical in shaping the world system and order. Since globalization began to gain prominence, individual states have been forced to share their power with other actors in the international arena. These actors include multinational corporations, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations. Considering the necessity by states to cooperate with other states, intergovernmental organizations have been formed to facilitate these processes. According to Mingst & Arreguin-Toft, these organizations moderate state behavior, provide a framework for interactions…and punishing the uncooperative, and facilitate transparency for state actions (411). Most of these organizations are political in nature in that they serve to ensure peace and cooperation among countries. Organizations like the United Nations have been at the forefront in maintaining international peace and order. In other cases, there are intergovernmental organizations that deal with the economic impacts of globalization. Organizations such as the world trade organization are responsible for making sure that the economic policies of individual states do not violate the rights of other states (415). Therefore, these organizations have changed the international system in that individual states are no longer at liberty to act according to their own interests but are rather forced to comply by the standards set by these organizations. As far as multinational corporations are concerned, considering that these corporations make direct investments in foreign countries, the world economic system is dependent on them. According to Mingst & Arreguin-Toft, “…multinational corporations would play a major role in stimulating growth….and expand the possibilities for international financial transactions…” (595). Prior to globalization, states were more concerned with trying to maintain their national economies by concentrating their economic efforts on sustaining corporations within their countries. Currently, multinational corporations have taken over the world market in terms of production and consumption. Consumer goods are no longer designed to meet the needs of a state but rather to meet global dimensions. Multinational corporations have thus changed the international system by enabling the production and consumption of goods on a global scale. Non-governmental organizations have also elucidated eh role played by globalization in changing the world order. These organizations have served to encourage citizens in individual states to be bold and be leaders of the change they would desire to see in their countries. Since not everyone can join a political party, non-governmental organizations have enabled the ordinary citizen to air their opinion and participate towards governance. As such, the world order has changed in that national governments are no longer at liberty to govern with an iron fist. Citizens have, with the help of non-governmental organizations, come to play a key role in governance, during this globalization period. Challenging globalization through terrorism Terrorism has gained prominence in international affairs over the years in the same period as globalization became the major international system. According to Karacasculu, since the 1980s, terrorism has become more common because with the growing interdependence among states, national borders became almost obsolete and states became less capable of controlling their security (3). Essentially, globalization has forced nation states to lower their security policies so as to allow people from outside to enter their territory. As such international terrorism had taken advantage of these security loopholes to invade countries and cause serious harm. Although there had been incidents of terrorist attacks around the world previously, the September 11 attacks on the United States exemplified the extent to which international terrorism had grown. Mingst & Arreguin-Toft write that that “…on September 11, 2001, the world witnessed deadly, psychologically disruptive, and economically devastating terrorist attacks organized and funded by Al Qaeda…” (160). Karacasculu writes that by targeting the United States, the al-Qaeda was waging a war against globalization considering that the United States is the leader of globalization (3). Karacasculu adds that “…the world trade center as one target in the united states symbolized economic dimension of globalization, while pentagon symbolized the political and military dimension…” (3). In addition, the fact that the terrorists targeted the world trade center and the pentagon shows that the globalization of economic and political policies has not been well received by everyone. In particular there are those groups which felt marginalize by globalization, especially because of the fact that more developed countries have the power to control the economic, cultural, and political aspects of less developed countries. As such, people in these less developed countries have become bitter opponents of globalization considering that this process has left them to the mercy of the developed countries. In an effort to gain political and economic power, some terrorist groups have been formed with the aim of attacking those countries they deem responsible for taking away their political, cultural, and economic power. Accordingly, when the Al-Qaeda attacked the United States, it was a form of rebellion against the United States’ interference in the manner in which Iraq was being governed. After the 9/11 attacks, the United States declared a war on terror and invaded Iraq supposedly to stamp out the al-Qaeda. Although the al-Qaeda was eventually crushed, there emerged the Islamic State of Iraq in Syria (ISIS), an even worse and more radical terrorist group in Iraq (Akbar 1). According to the report from the Online Mail, Akbar writes that in 2004, there were only 1,000 ISIS soldiers but by 2015, the number has grown to 30, 000 (1). The ISIS has been responsible for carrying out terrorist attacks on different countries, especially in the Middle East, including Libya and Pakistan. The ISIS aims to take control of the Middle East and shun globalization along with all western ideas. The ISIS portrays itself as a savior of Muslims but in essence the group is just hiding behind religion so as to gain political power (Akbar 1). In fact, the ISIS is no more a religious terrorist group than the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Founded in the late 1800s, the KKK is a terrorist group that advocates for the supremacy of the white, heterosexual Christian (Fraudberg 1). As such, the group, especially in its early years was responsible for the deaths of thousands of African Americans, especially after the latter were declared equal citizens. According to Fraudberg, the “…Confederate Army Veterans...resented the reconstruction era, when former slaves were now deemed to be citizens, and even accorded a constitutional right to vote…” (1). In the same fashion as the ISIS carries out executions, the KKK was responsible for carrying out public executions of those people they deemed as a threat to their supremacy. In truth, however, the group was just trying to hold on to the power previously held by white people over black people and were, therefore, using religion as an excuse. Countering terrorism Clearly, although globalization has brought about a lot of positive influence on the international system, the rise of terrorism is the greatest undoing of this process. The fact that globalization has led to less secure national borders and increased the probability for terrorist attacks means that a different process must be used to counter terrorism. Clearly, waging a war on a country that openly supports terrorism as proved futile considering that when ne terrorist group is crushed, another one emerges. In addition most countries are not very supportive of the tendency by developed countries to interfere with the politics of less developed ones. As Mingst & Arreguin-Toft write, many Asian and African countries are skeptical about humanitarian justifications for interventions by western countries (561). The deterrence theory as stated by Mingst & Arreguin-Toft, has, therefore, proved ineffective in combatting terrorism (563). Accordingly, Rineheart suggests a counterinsurgency method of dealing with terror, in which states use military, civilian, and political strategies (1). A direct counterinsurgency method would require a state to urge local populations not to support terrorists, while at the same time using military force to attack the terrorists. According to Rineheart, “…the goal of using both the insurgent and the counterinsurgent is promoting good governance and winning legitimacy in the eyes of the local population…” (1). Accordingly, by delegitimizing the terrorist in the eyes of the local populations, cooperative international governments would be able to effectually deal with the threat of international terrorism. Works Cited Akbar, Jay. “The Terrifying Rise Of ISIS: Map That Shows How Terror Group’s Tentacles Now Reach from Algeria to Afghanistan.” Mail Online 22 February, 2015. Fraudberg, David. “ISIS and the Ku Klux Klan”. The Huffington Post 17 September, 2014. Karacasulu, Nilüfer. “Security and Globalization in the Context of International Terrorism.” Uluslararası Hukuk Ve Politika, 5 (2006), 1-17. Print. Mingst, Kevin, & Arreguin-Toft, Ivan. Essentials of International Relations. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc. 2014. Print. Rineheart, Jason. “Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency.” Perspectives on Terrorism 4.5 (2010): n. pag. Web. 28 Apr. 2015. Read More