Causes of Terrorism - Essay Example

In recent years, the term “terrorism” has been frequently employed to explain the use of force to violate human rights. Terrorists are largely connected through networks spread all over the world and the activities they involve have long-lasting impacts not only on one nation but on several others that are directly or indirectly associated with the act of terrorism. Terrorists cause harm to individuals they do not even know, yet they do it because their actions will be identified and cause upset in society.

A lot of examples have been available in the history to support this. For example, the Sep 11 attack on the twin towers in the US was a well-planned act of terrorism and had its influence on the relationships of many nations in addition to the immediate loss it caused. 3031 people lost their lives as a result of the attack and the direct and indirect costs incurred by the US were estimated to be $27.2 billion and $500 billion respectively (Looney, 2002 cited in Morag, 2006). The initial response offered to the incident of September 11, 2001, was that it was expected to change the world forever apart from the instant horror and shock it caused.

It was thought that “the world will never be the same again” (Kegley, 2003, p. 84). Because of those attacks, the security and defense concerns in the US have been of prime importance (Zalman, 2010) and the US policies regarding immigration, visa policy, and other everyday matters have gone an altogether change. The incident of 21 Sep 2001 has had huge sociological impacts both within the US and outside the US. Likewise, the “Los Angeles Times building” was blown away with dynamite on 1st October 1910, and the “New York City’s Wall Street” was destroyed by a bomb explosion on 16th September 1920.

(Combs, 2011, p. 35). An in-depth analysis of the acts of terrorism from the past suggests that they are directed to cause a social change and the concern is much more than to achieve the psychological satisfaction of any particular individual.