Terrorism – a Serious Threat to World Peace
In recent times, there has been an increase in terrorist attacks on Western European locations. This has galvanized the European population, and many angry and frightened citizens have been quite direct when expressing their opinion on the matter. The feeling of safety in an integral part of human well-being, which terrorism threatens. Consequently, the reactions have been tangible, and currently there is an important ongoing debate on the matter of how terrorism can be prevented. Answering this question can be vital to achieving future world peace.
Terrorism is frequently defined as sending a political message through the use of violent acts. It is often not about the violence itself, but rather the aftermath. Nevertheless, the terrorist attacks recently seen in Europe have taken the lives of hundreds of innocent people. Terrorists normally utilize machine guns and bombs in their attacks, striking in exposed areas like airplane stations and concert halls. An example is a recent attack carried out in the capital of Belgium, Brussels, where many civilians were killed. The attacks were issued in a train station and in an airplane station, both locations were bombed. Later, the radical Islamic terrorist organization ISIS took the blame. They have also been responsible for several previous attacks, and it seems as though Islamic extremists have been the ones to carry out terrorist attacks on European targets in recent times. What measures can be taken to fight terrorism?
One possible solution, which already has been widely used, is mass government surveillance. The 9/11 attacks created an upheaval in the American society, and many actions were taken to prevent future terrorist attacks, one of them being surveillance. In 2013, whistleblower Edward Snowdon revealed on the internet site WikiLeaks that the NSA had been spying on US citizens. This created an up heated debate on whether or not the American people should have their private lives sacrificed in order to improve safety. This also raised the issue of racial profiling, as it was discovered that people from the Arab world had occasionally been questioned and treated differently in control stations when entering the US. Another issue frequently brought up with government surveillance is that terrorists will have their wish granted: Influence and control. Some people believe that by limiting private life, the terrorists have won, as this prompts people to change their lifestyles drastically. There is also widespread disagreement on whether or not surveillance actually makes the society safer, as some of the terrorists who participated in the recent attacks against Europe were already under FBI investigation.
When looking at the causes of the recent terrorist attacks, the refugee crisis is a topic that is often brought up. A large number of people are currently attempting to make their way into Europe, and many have already arrived. These people will soon have to adapt to a new culture and society, and how this is done could be of great importance. Experts have said that poor integration is detrimental to the society, as they think it creates what is sometimes referred to as ghettos. These are areas where people who are originally from other countries than the one they live in, live together, sometimes almost separated from the rest of the society. It is said that this creates a divergence, and many of these people do not fully participate in the society, one reason being struggling with acquiring a job. Additionally, it has occurred that some of these grow a hatred towards the native population, as they are often exposed to racism and unfair treatment. It is evident that this detestation could over time cause problems, and in the extreme even terrorism. Consequently, taking action to ensure effective integration policies is often pointed out as essential in the fight against terrorism.
The issue of how to prevent terrorism is a complex one, with no simple answers. Although much has been attempted, terrorist attacks have still occurred recently, and are likely to occur again in the future. The answer to the problem may lie in how the refugee crisis is handled. It is not only important to properly integrate refugees, but to correctly solve the refugee crisis in Europe, as this will send a message to the rest of the world, which could be just as important. Government surveillance is a possible solution that has already been widely tested, however with poor results thus far. Additionally, there are many negative repercussions to mass surveillance, such as the compromise of private life, as well as the inevitable issue of racial profiling. It has been said that as long as there are differences in the world, there will be terrorism. Perhaps the solution is to equal out these differences. That is no simple task, however.
Sources:
(Author not stated)(2015) Mass surveillance isn’t the answer to fighting terrorism http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/18/opinion/mass-surveillance-isnt-the-answer-to-fighting-terrorism.html?_r=0 (downloaded 18.04.2016)
(Author not stated)(Last updated 22 February 2016) Migrant and refugee crisis in Europe http://www.unicef.org/emergencies/index_85510.html (downloaded 18.04.2016)