International Relations Essay 2 ONLY ONTIME

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The Globalization of World Politics (6e)

23. Terrorism and globalization

Baylis, Smith & Owens

Baylis, Smith & Owens: The Globalization of World Politics 6e

Understanding terrorism

• Terrorism is characterized, first and foremost, by the use of violence

• Historically, the term described state violence against citizens during the French Revolution

• Some view terrorist acts as legitimate only if they meet the criteria associated with revisionist interpretations of the just war tradition, e.g. just cause, proportional use of violence and the use of force as a last resort

Baylis, Smith & Owens: The Globalization of World Politics 6e

Understanding terrorism

• Terrorism is the weakest form of irregular warfare because such groups rarely possess a broad support of the population

• The idea is often to inspire fear and/or provoke responses that will disaffect public opinion, increase support for the cause, and eventually effect political change

• Technologies associated with globalization have increased terrorist capabilities

Baylis, Smith & Owens: The Globalization of World Politics 6e

Terrorism: from transnational to global phenomenon

• Traditionally, terrorism has rarely had an impact beyond national borders

• Factors leading to the birth of transnational terrorism: – Expansion of commercial air travel – Availability of televised news coverage – Broad political and ideological interests among

extremists that intersected around a common cause – Initial acquiescence on the part of states to terrorist

demands

Baylis, Smith & Owens: The Globalization of World Politics 6e

Terrorism: from transnational to global phenomenon

• Al Qaeda (‘the Base’) received widespread recognition after its 9/11 attacks

• Al Qaeda losses in the ‘war against terrorism’ have turned it into a global movement configured as a loose network of franchised cells or groups, bound together by its religious ideas

Baylis, Smith & Owens: The Globalization of World Politics 6e

• For some terrorists, violence is seen as the only method of preserving traditions and values against Western ‘cultural incursions’ that follow globalization

• Samuel Huntington has famously argued that a major fault line exists between Western and Islamic civilisations

• Critics argue that such a view ascribes a non- existing homogeneity to the Islamic world

Terrorism and globalization: cultural explanations

Baylis, Smith & Owens: The Globalization of World Politics 6e

• Globalization has benefited the West in ways that radicalists can opt to perceive as a form of Western economic imperialism

• Political decisions to deregulate or privatize industries may lead to significant social and economic upheaval

• Some argue that terrorist violence is motivated by inequalities of the global economy

Terrorism and globalization: economic explanations

Baylis, Smith & Owens: The Globalization of World Politics 6e

• Global jihad is viewed by some as a reaction to the perceived oppression of Muslims worldwide, and the spiritual bankruptcy of the West

• Viewed thus, Muslims face a choice in a more interconnected world: accept Western beliefs to better integrate, or preserve spiritual purity by rebelling

• Differences in value structures make deterrence of religious terrorism difficult

Terrorism and globalization: religion and ‘new’ terrorism

Baylis, Smith & Owens: The Globalization of World Politics 6e

• States have traditionally had an advantage in their ability to control information flows

• The Internet has changed this dynamic – Fighters can be immortalized in the virtual sphere – Dissemination of propaganda is made far easier – The common and ubiquitous infrastructure can be used

to coordinate attacks and other actions – Encrypted communication provides security

Globalisation, technology, and terrorism

Baylis, Smith & Owens: The Globalization of World Politics 6e

• National law and international conventions have been established to combat terrorism

• One idea is for the global North to improve the capabilities of much of the global South, to make these countries better able to act forcefully against groups within their own borders

• Global strike tech (e.g. drones) make technologically advanced states able to carry out surveillance or project power abroad

Combating terrorism

Baylis, Smith & Owens: The Globalization of World Politics 6e

• Disagreements exist over how best to deal with terrorism philosophically

• Pragmatically, the largest problems reside in locating terrorists and isolating them from their means of support

• States’ bureaucracies can impede or negate technical and resource advantages over terrorist groups

Combating terrorism

Baylis, Smith & Owens: The Globalization of World Politics 6e

• On 26 November 2008, a group of terrorists attacked public areas, attractions, hotels and a Jewish outreach centre

• The terrorist teams took hostages, barricaded themselves inside the buildings, and communicated with negotiators and media outlets, before Indian police forces stormed the buildings

Case study 2: Terrorist attacks in Mumbai

Baylis, Smith & Owens: The Globalization of World Politics 6e

Case study 2: Terrorist attacks in Mumbai

• Several globalization-enabling technologies were evident in the attack and the response operations: – Modern intercontinental travelling – GPS receivers and maps developed from

Google maps – Commercial satellite and cellphones – Identification by police forensic teams of some

terrorist coordinators by voice pattern recognition