Globalisation as a philosophy, as the expression of western expansion and as a symbol of the corrupting influence of democracies, can be seen by certain groups; principally Al Qaeda and its affricatives, whose principal aim is the complete destruction of these corrupting values, as a justification for violence.
Globalisation fosters the development of new minorities
Globalisation facilitates the movement of populations around the globe. This has lead to the development of new minorities within established and settled populations, many of whom have views that are, at minimum, sympathetic to groups with extremist ideologies.
The wide dispersal of populations, often due to migration facilitated by globalisations open borders, has given terror groups a wide network of recruitment through diasporas. At present, figures show that around 80% of recruits to the Salafi Jihadist terror movements have come from Islamic diaspora groups. Globalisation, through its open borders, has contributed to the growth of recruitment for the Salafi Jihadist movement and its connected terror groups such as AQ and its affiliates. Gabriel Sheffer of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem observes “that 27 of the 50 most active terrorist groups are either segments of ethno-nationalist or religious diasporas, or are supported by them.”
The wide dispersal of a population allows extremist movements within these populations to co-ordinate actions on a trans-national basis. For example, Borik Zadeh of the Battelle Institute found “that mosques in Ohio, London, Frankfurt, and Paris were delivering virtually identical sermons, the key message of which was an endorsement of global war against the West.”. In the same way that globalisation benefits a multi-national corporation by allowing it to place staff across the globe and communicate with them; terror groups reap the same rewards through their ability to communicate, recruit and plan and execute attacks, utilising dispersed global populations of like minded individuals.
Globalisation increases the opportunities for militant and terrorist groups
Globalisation has facilitated the growth of terrorism through the movement of operatives across borders, information through the internet and money through international finances; legitimate as well as illegal. At the same time, the physical links in the global network from pipelines and communication networks to a globalised world population have become targets. In the eight year period from 1987 to 1994, there were 9575 global casualties for terrorism. In the next nine years, 1995 to 2003, that total jumped to 27608.
Martha Crenshaw states in the Club de Madrid Series on Democracy and Terrorism that ‘Globalization, for example, facilitates the spread of terrorism but is not a direct cause. (One paradox …is that groups with the most fervent anti-Western ideologies exploit Western technology for their own gain)” On September 11 the very weapon that the terrorist operatives used was “the passenger jet, which had hitherto been celebrated for bringing the world together.” In fact RAND Corporation analysts point to the hijacking by PLO operatives of an Israeli passenger liner in 1968 as the first act of international terror.
In the modern phase of terrorism, the use of the tools of globalisation is apparent in the way that terror groups use new technologies, in the movement of terror operatives, and the changes in sources of support. As is common in globalisation, these are intertwined with one another, reflecting the interconnectedness of things that come about due to globalisation.
Modern terrorist groups are extremely adept at using the tools of globalisation. As David Barno writes in Parameters, “Their command and control centre system is the internet, the laptop, the courier and the cell phone, drawing on technologies that were invented and paid for by their adversaries…their biggest operational weapon is the global information grid, particularly the international media”.
With particular reference to the global network of Al Qaeda and its affiliates, it can be seen that through the use of a globalisation’s tools, particularly the internet, Al Qaeda has been able to disperse its message and gain support for its actions.
In December of 2006, in a speech to the International Institute of Strategic Studies, Alexander Downers said,” In the internet age, terrorist propaganda is everywhere. It cannot be blocked.”
Al Sahab (the clouds), Al Qaeda’s media outlet, uses technology extremely well to propagate the martyrdom videos and propaganda videos of Bin Laden’s rhetoric.
The internet; the principle tool of globalisation, has made facilitating a terrorist operation far more accessible to those with terrorist intentions. Information once only accessible to governments is now easily available to those with the necessary skills in utilising the information super-highway. In a few minutes one can access websites that instruct on sniper techniques and the construction of a pipe bomb. The SITE Institute website alone carries numerous links to videos on bomb-making techniques. Further, the internet has enabled anyone with a grudge to form a movement that can be spread globally at the push of a mouse button.
Linkages develop between political and criminal networks
Organised crime and terror networks have utilised the same methods for moving arms, money and other material across borders. Illegal banking activates have likewise been used by both terrorists and criminals. Terrorist groups increasingly funnel funds gained from illicit activities, such as drug dealing, to fund operations such as bombings, assassinations and hijackings.
The idea that criminal enterprises and terrorist operations are distinct and separate is both antiquated and erroneous. Terrorist groups have utilised the same underground channels to funnel arms and funds across borders as well as using the same infrastructure to change identities and move operatives. Louise Shelly notes in her work on the internationalisation of crime and terror, that the same language school used by the September 11 hijackers to gain their visas, was likewise used to provide visa documents for a major prostitution smuggling ring.
Globalisation weakens the state
Due to globalisation, some governments have seen a weakening in their ability to control their own economies, diminishing their ability to project security. A growth in terrorist activity is sometimes a result of this. While this is often the pervue of developing nations and failed states, it does have ramifications for the west.
Globalisation is often marked down as a weakener of state controls. As the free market governs international relations, and regulations become less and less of the states concern, we will begin to see more and more illicit activity on the periphery of states controls. For example, we can look at the Riggs Bank in Washington DC, which was prosecuted for facilitating a transfer of funds to a terrorist group, while at the same time maintaining a client list that included diplomats and former US presidents.
Existing in a globalised world means that actions of states, both at home and abroad, now have far more repercussions for security than before. Relating to the growth of terrorism, it can be viewed that:
The states susceptibility to terrorism is determined not just by how it treats its citizens at home but by its actions abroad. When such actions lack international legitimacy and local populations perceive them as unjust, radical groups come to see terrorism as an appropriate response .
In the interconnected world of globalisation, our very actions in fighting terror; in the way that states action their defences against terror, may lead to a greater number of disaffiliated actors who may turn to terror as a means of reprisal.
Combating terrorism may also lead to a weakening of state controls, as acts of terrorism weaken states authority from below by emasculating the state, while the global governance takes control away form the states from above. This global governance will be accepted by states that wish to see terrorism combated for them by larger systems in the global community.
Globalisation has contributed to the growth in terrorism through the use of its tools and through the agenda it pushes. Certainly the new crop of global terrorists seem to be railing against the perceived injustices caused by globalisation, as witnessed by the antagonism and alienation it causes in certain spheres. Some states have been weakened by globalisation, and these states have provided safe-havens for terrorism to flourish, offering support both logistically ands philosophically through global communities. The global network of finance has been exploited and terrorist groups work increasingly with criminal elements to secure illicit funds to push their operations further. These operations are broadcast globally through terrorist propaganda on websites. Be this as it may, the world still has the opportunity to use the tools of globalisation to better combat this rising darkness. Through global education and the interconnectedness of security treaties and trans-national alliances, the world may yet begin to erode the support base that terrorist groups have throughout the disconnected places of this increasingly connected world.
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