Theories Of Political Violence And Terrorism Politics Essay

Theories Of Political Violence And Terrorism Politics Essay The September 11-tragedy at the World Trade Center, which was considered as the most destructive terrorist attack recorded in world history, only proves that terrorism is continuously becoming a serious threat in international peace and security. Terrorism in the form of murder, kidnapping, bombing and hijacking has been on the rise for the past several years amidst the different policies and measures that have been implementing by the international cooperation between the governments, the law enforcement agencies and military forces. There is an estimate of 400 terrorist groups which are engaged in insurgency and terrorism in the world  [1]  . Among these most powerful revolutionary organizations which marked crucial terrorism threats across the globe included the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Ireland and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka. Both these terrorist groups have significantly terrorized the people and the government in their respective area of operations for several years despite the concerted efforts on various peace talks and ceasefire policies. The governments and authorities of these two terrorist organizations had employed some of the same counter-terrorism strategies but had varying results. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was founded by Velupillai Prabhakaran in May 1976. It is the most advanced and most fearful terrorist group in South Asia and had been considered by the US Department of State as the most powerful Tamil group in Sri Lanka  [2]  . The Sri Lankan intelligence believed that the LTTE was responsible for the deaths of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa, 700 members of rival Tamil groups, four cabinet ministers, 27 parliamentarians, 26 government officials and thousands of civilians. At present, the terrorist group is considered as an organization with semi-conventional fighting capability which has gained the control of most regions in the north and the sections of territory along the eastern seaboard  [3]  . The efforts of the authorities in Sri Lanka remain useless since the terrorist group is still active, despite its defeat as a conventional organization in 2009. The group continues t o become the strongest militant nationalist group in Sri Lanka because of their aggressive use of suicide terrorism  [4]  . The use of suicide bombers and the legacy of mass bombing have raised the LTTEs profile as an international terrorist group. The group, furthermore, is involved in money laundering, human trafficking and light weapons trade which serve as source of revenue for its operation  [5]  . In fact, being an active separatist organization, the LTTE caused the creation of a separate Tamil state in the north and east parts of Sri Lanka. Another well known terrorist group, the Irish Republican Army (IRA), began to emerge in 1916 to advocate Irish sovereignty and freedom against the British rule which marked the brutal treatment and harsh discrimination of the native Irish Catholics  [6]  . The terrorist acts of the IRA arouse because of the desire of its members to take over Northern Ireland, which is constitutionally part of the United Kingdom but geographically located on the island of Ireland  [7]  . Unlike the LTTE which only terrorizes for a political and economic agenda, the IRA has been organized to fight the long history of oppression and discrimination against the Catholics during the British rule. Notwithstanding its violent and controversial tactics in achieving its goal, the militant group has been able to encourage loyal allegiance from the urban businessmen, rural farmers, men, women, old and young citizens of the area. IRA members who were armed with weapons were willing to die to attain their political aspirations and defend their community from the abusive ruler  [8]  . At first, the government of the country, with the help of other international law enforcement agencies, had unsuccessfully put the conflict on IRA terrorism to an end. There were seven attempts to restore peace in Northern Ireland, but these attempts were considered as failures as shown in many events such as the 1974 workers strike, the feeling of threat of minority parties, and the lack of sustained initiative and power-sharing  [9]  . But in the end, the government solved the conflict brought about by the IRA because of the strategic and effective peace talks and ceasefire policies. The cases of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) have been resolved by strategic interventions from the governments of the said countries. However, the two cases had different results in the end of the long peace talks and ceasefire policies initiated by the authorities. The interventions done by the government with regards to the problems of the LTTEs terrorism acts were considered as a failure since the terrorist group was not eradicated. The failure was due to the conflicting international interests between the country and corrupt officials as well as the use of terror to force terror out of Sri Lanka  [10]  . The efforts of the Sri Lankan government to counter the movement of the LTTE before 1994 were considered to be essentially domestic initiatives  [11]  . Military measures were merely based on the provisions of the 1979 Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). During the administration of the three successive presidents of the Uni ted National Party (UNP), which include JR Jayewardene (1977-1988), Ranasinghe Premasada (1989-1993) and DB Wijetunga (1993-1994), the government was considered to be a failure in acknowledging and responding to minority grievances and human rights violations. This was due to the effort of the government to manage and solve the conflicts of the LTTE terrorism in a minimal and economical way. During the administration of Chandrika Bandaranaike of the Peoples Alliance (PA) in 1994, the government initiated unconditional talks with the LTTE to minimize the problem of corruption. It is believed that the conflict with the LTTE was prolonged because of the corruption done by the politicians and service commanders. Since then, the Sri Lankan government pursued a four pronged strategy to solve the problem on the terrorism acts of the LTTE. These strategies included regaining control of the LTTE dominated areas, offering a devolution package which could form the basis for a negotiated settle ment, restoring normalcy, providing humanitarian assistance to the areas affected, and pursuing a politico-diplomatic propaganda to deny the LTTE international sympathy  [12]  . At the multilateral level, the Sri Lankan government adopted the UN Declaration on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism in 1994. In addition, the UN Ad Hoc Committee on Terrorism was set up two years later. Moreover, as a country based measure, the terrorist group was declared as an unlawful association in 1992 after the death of Rajiv Gandhi. This act forced India, the country who initially armed, trained and gave refuge to the LTTE, to ban the terrorist group and withdraw its support to the group in terms of training, weaponry and other military needs  [13]  . In addition to these measures were the peace talks and ceasefire policies initiated by the Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi  [14]  . Nevertheless, despite these measures following the 1987 ethnic riots, the case on the LTTE ter rorism acts was not totally resolved because of the use of terrorism to eradicate terrorism itself. Sri Lankan police had shown violence to the suspected members of the terrorist group which caused the increase of LTTE recruitment. Since innocent people were experiencing great violence from the authorities, they were left with the option to join the force of terror in order to avoid the terror done by the authorities themselves. This particular related to the fact that individuals of any social status may engage in violent activities  [15]  . In contrast to the LTTE, the concerted peace talks and ceasefire policies in the case of the IRA became successful because of the cooperation and mutual interest of the parties involved in the problem. The 1994 and 1997 ceasefires and peace talks were considered to be the result of many factors. The effort to re-energize governmental initiatives to solve the Northern Ireland settlement was initiated by John Major (British Prime Minister 1991-1997) and Albert Reynolds (Irish Taoiseach 1992-1994)  [16]  . Unlike the case of the LTTE, the British rulers did not use terror to eradicate the threat of terrorism in Northern Ireland. In fact, the British and Irish governments launched the Downing Street Declaration in December 1993, wherein the British government recognized that Ireland should be for the Irish people alone. This decision made by the British ruler showed that anti-terrorist interventions, such as peace talks and ceasefire policies, would only become effective if both part ies are willing and dedicated to solve the issue for the mutual benefit of the involved parties. This is thus the reason why the problems of this terrorist group were solved peacefully and effectively. In total, the Sri Lankan government had been considered to waste several opportunities to take control over the LTTE terrorism acts due to party interests taking precedence over the national interest  [17]  . Through the case of the LTTE, it was proven that international action, which is considered as a necessary condition in grappling the problems of terrorism, is not enough to solve the conflicts of the LTTE, if the engaged parties are not willing to engage in negotiations. The creation of effective and efficient policies to eliminate and solve the problem of the LTTE terrorism acts has not been compensated by the ceasefire policy and peace talks since 2002  [18]  . In this sense, Sri Lankas government had no effective measures implemented with regards to the problem on LTTE terrorism. In contrast, the peace talks and ceasefires in the case of the IRA became successful because of the willingness of both parties to resolve the issue between the government and the terrorist g roup. The IRAs case has been resolved at its earliest stage since there was no conflict on the interests of the government and the terrorist group. Unlike the LTTE case which was prolonged because of the intervention done by the corrupt government officials who gained from weapons trade, the case of IRA was not tainted by the political propaganda of some abusive authorities. The British governments declaration which acknowledged the rights and privileges of the Irish people to their own land was indeed very helpful for the resolution of the issue. Through the cases of the LTTE and the IRA, it can be concluded that peace talks and ceasefire policies are to be considered positive and effective ways to eliminate and eradicate terrorism acts in the world if both are willing to resolve the main root of the problem. The use of terrorism to force out terrorism acts is not the effective and best way to cease the problems of terrorism. Terrorism only becomes more serious and destructive in the presence of greedy interventions done by corrupt officials and businessmen who are gaining from manufacturing and trading weapons used for terrorizing the world. The best way to eradicate terrorism in the world still lies in peaceful interventions, such as peace talks and ceasefires. After all, war against something does not always signify using of destructive means such as guns, weaponry and violence.

Hurricanes Essay -- essays research papers

Hurricanes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A natural hazard is when extreme events which cause great loss of life and or property and create severe disruption to human lives, such as a hurricane. Editor Philip Whitefield brings up an important point in ‘ Our Mysterious Planet’ when he comments; ‘At a time when we know how to aim a space probe directly at Mars and trigger the gigantic forces of nuclear power, we are still at the mercy of hurricanes and volcanoes.’ It seems peculiar how we can be at such an advanced stage technologically yet we are unable to completely stop a natural hazard from causing loss of life and damage to existing constructed resources and infrastructures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hurricane Gilbert, September 1998 was described by meteorologists at the US National Center in Miami, as the most intense western-hemisphere tropical cyclone on record. Large areas of Jamaica were devastated and the country’s Prime Minister, Edward Seaga, pronounce it the worst natural disaster ever to strike his country. Greatest loss of life however, occurred in Mexico where Gilbert hit twice, first of all traversing the Yucatan Peninsula and two days later making landfall some 150 km south of the border with the USA, finally dissipating near the city of Monterrey.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During its most intense phase at the western end of the Caribbean Sea, Gilbert was estimated to have central pressure of 885mbar, and maximum sustained winds in its circulation over 150kt (knots) with highest gusts in excess of 175 kt. The central pressure outrivalled the 899 mbar of the Florida Keys hurricane of 1935. Gilbert, at that stage an un-named tropical depression with maximum sustained winds around 30kt, was first spotted on Thursday 8 September some 300km east of Barbados. It brushed past Barbados and St Lucia the following day with limited wind-damage and some flooding, and was upgraded to ‘tropical storm’ status (means winds 34kt or more).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gathering strength over the warm waters of the eastern Caribbean, Gilbert achieved ‘hurricane’ status (means winds 64kt or more) , with gale force winds brushing the south coasts of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The island was swept by the full force of the storm , first from the north and then from the south, Central pressure at this stage was estimated at 960mbar, wi... ...ive in the paths of approaching storms. Development policies that diversify the economy so that the poor do not need to live near flood prone land for a livelihood should be encouraged. Similarly, primary healthcare must be implemented so that the population is more resistant to disease in the aftermath of disaster.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Communications infrastructure should be improved to enable more rapid evacuations. The science of prediction must be continually developed by investing in appropriate technology and research. Again, this would only be possible in more economically developed countries as only they have the necessary funding. Perhaps it would be a good idea to increase the access of the poor to low interest loans to increase their recovery prospects after a disaster. It is clear that at the moment total prevention is virtually impossible. While in EMDC’s hazards may be just an inconvenience (even if it is a very expensive one), whilst it is still a matter of life or death in the developing world. Referring back to Philip Whitfields remark at the beginning, it seems man still remains virtually powerless against nature ,even as we approach the millennium.

Evaluate the benefits of self managed learning to the individual and organisation Essay

What do you understand by the principles of Diversity? I understand that principles of Diversity are our own rules that we create not to get driven away from achieving our goals by any of the many existing aspects of our life like culture, friendships, health or household problems. Anything that’s happening in our lives is affecting us in a good or bad way. Because of this it’s important that we set our principles to stay on track and motivate ourselves. Therefore we have to respect our rules and follow them in bid to make our goals come true and be successful. In my understanding that’s what principles of Diversity mean and every one of us set them differently. How do you think the principle can affect your goals? Principles are often affecting our goals, changing the  time of achievement  or completely changing the goal itself by changing the circumstances of a life. I would like to use a government rules. Because of this country’s principles that gives us chance to study by granting people at any age with financial help we can educate ourselves. Unfortunately not all countries create as many opportunities and when I was eighteen years old I couldn’t study as it costs big amount of money that I cannot afford and I wasn’t entitle to any financial help. Therefore I have choose to leave my country of origin to pursue further education. This indicates that principles of my country aren’t suitable to help me achieve my goals, which were to finish college and go to dance school by this time, instead I just started college. That shows how my goals changed timely and some of them are unachievable due to circumstances. Nevertheless we should try the hardest to be successful and reach out for the opportunities.

Essay about Kashmir Conflict - 4887 Words

South Asia has been plagued with several global-impact conflicts. A particular conflict still in stalemate today is the Kashmir conflict between the Republic of India and Pakistan. Since the British granted independence to India and Pakistan in 1947 there has been much contention as to where the partition should be in the Kashmir and Jammu region. The newborn states of India and Pakistan (East and West) were created along religious lines in fear of Hindu subjugation of the Muslim minority. Kashmir in this sense is a perplexing issue since it is a poly-ethnic region and the only state within India holding a Muslim majority. India’s legal claims to India have been ratified and accepted by the Kashmiri government, however conflict between the†¦show more content†¦Currently this region is an enclave between three powerful nations consisting of: Pakistan to the left, India on the right with China bordering the north. This region is encompassed with various cultures and rel igions; those worth noting include the prevalent Muslim and Hindu populations of IJK who are key to this conflict. Buddhists of IJK play a nominal role since they did not express strong contention with respect to the partitioning of Pakistan and India. Thus, it is henceforth relevant to describe the hostile situation leading to and after the partitioning of Kashmir in order to propose a solution to the conundrum. In the early 19th century the Sikh Empire with regional princes took form under a warrior named Ranjit Singh in northern and western India. It is believed that upon his passing the prince Gulab Singh from Jammu, an upper class Hindu (one would refer to this lineage as the Dogra regime), began to work closely with the British to get a stronghold on the Sikh empire (Bose 15). This Quiet Diplomacy carried out between the prince and the British allowed Gulab Singh to expand his territory who in return would reciprocate by providing funds, materials and the military upon British request. Land acquired by the prince, in order, includes: the Kashmir Valley, interior regions of Jammu, Ladakh, Baltistan and Gilgit, which became endorsed by the Treaty of Amritsar in 1846 (Bose 15).Show MoreRelatedEthnic Conflict: Kashmir542 Words   |  2 PagesThe conflict in Kashmir dates all the way back to 1947 and still continues to this day. Kashmir is an 85,806 square mile territory North of India and East of Pakistan. Kashmir was one of the many states governed by British rule before gaining its independence in 1947. This independence was not truly meant to be permanent; the ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh, was meant to join Kashmir to either India or Pakistan. 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