Guns Kill Terrorists, But Not Terrorism
Terrorism is the most dangerous phenomenon the world has been facing for the last three decades. It poses a threat to every corner of the globe in one form or another. It has repercussions beyond national borders, and states are on the brink of destruction, civil war, sectarianism, and foreign occupation. There have been thousands of civilian deaths, along with numerous injuries, migrations, and displacements. Social norms and cultural ethos have been disrupted and broken down. The evil has changed the world order in the sense that terrorists are the enemies of all. They recognise no limitations or boundaries. They don’t care for states’ sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Several great powers, including the United States of America, China, and Russia, have made significant efforts to curb and eradicate the menace. They have launched several military operations and tested various soft and hard strategies in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Latin America, but their efforts have been unsuccessful. They have invested trillions of dollars in countermeasures. All efforts were a zero-sum game. To date, there has been no complete elimination of terrorism in its true sense; it has reemerged in various forms, intensities, and natures.
Now, questions arise: Where do the fault lines lie? Do we, as a global village, fail to understand the phenomenon of terrorism? Is there any gap in the existing strategies?
Being hailing from the war torn area, our understanding of terrorism is that the world never understood what it is. America and its allied partners believed that their military and economic might could aid them in defeating terrorists, viewing every move as a display of strength. For them, guns are enough to wipe out terrorism. They gave little attention to the other side of the picture. They missed the other dimensions of terrorism.
No one can deny the fact that terrorism is not a static phenomenon; it is something dynamic. It changes its dimensions and takes different shapes. In the seventeen-year-long war against terrorism, thousands of terrorists were killed, and hundreds of their networks were crushed. Their leaders got eliminated, and the social fabric of many societies fragmented. However, terrorism is still the biggest threat to the globe. Today, terrorists have more groups and hideouts around the world, and they are more active, vigilant, and dangerous. It gave birth to various offshoots and small organisations, which were more lethal in their activities. The case of Pakistan is highly relevant.
The second thing that makes terrorism unique is that it has evolved into an ideology. It has its contours and principles. It has its own teachings and curriculum. This ideology has followers all around the world. The demagogues of this ideology quote various divine scriptures to inculcate dogmatic values and teachings and mould them accordingly. They are using them for their own ideological, political, and social interests. The believers will never hesitate to carry out actions for promised rewards. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan(TTP) is an example of this commitment.
The third most important factor is that, until today, scholars, experts, and world leaders have failed to provide a clear definition and conceptualization of terrorism. It always remains a debatable and controversial topic. It’s a different thing for different people. Everyone defines it the way that suits them. Things are so diffused and intermingled that one can’t differentiate between freedom fighters and terrorists. It is said that “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.. Terrorists, you may be my freedom fighters and a war hero, and vice versa. Therefore, when you fight those who seek identity and self-determination by considering them terrorists, it will have consequences. For example, when India killed Burhan Wani in Kashmir by alleging him to be involved in terrorism, it turned out to be disastrous for India: more and more people stood against the latter, and war in Kashmir took a new direction.
To wrap up the whole discussion, it is pertinent to mention that terrorism has become a complex and multidimensional phenomenon. It has multiple perspectives and dogmatic connotations, and it is very hard, if not impossible, to eliminate terrorism in the true sense. It has the potential to spread its roots to various parts of the world. Therefore, the world needs to see the dilemma through a different lens. We cannot eradicate the ideological roots of terrorism. We can mitigate its intensity through dialogue and talks. The world has to accept and accommodate the deviants within the formulated rules. Force can’t give you everything. Killing terrorists is always easy, but eradicating terrorism is difficult.
One can eliminate the followers of any ideology, but ideology itself is permanent and will breed more and more admirers. Ideological orientations, poverty, illiteracy, discrimination on the basis of caste, colour and creed, gender inequality, unfair distribution of wealth and resources are the issues of the core concern, and the world has to place them under their counter-terrorism policies.
The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Spine Times.
The author is the founder of The Spine Times. His areas of interest include terrorism, erstwhile FATA, China, and global politics.
Fatima Ibrar
The writer is a law student at Islamia College University, Peshawar.
