Relevance : GS Paper III
Theme of the Article
The world needs to be united on the issue of terrorism and resolve contradictions.
Why has this issue cropped up?
The brutal attacks on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka have reignited discussion on the global ‘War on Terror’.
A floundering war on Terror
- The international coalition failed to end terrorism in Afghanistan, defeat Saddam Hussein and oust Qaddafi.
- The U.S. and allied countries were sidetracked by the ‘Arab Spring’ in 2011.
- Coalition formed to fight the terror of the IS could not succeed.
- The number of global terror attacks went up from 1,000 in 2004 to 17,000 in 2014.
Approaches to fighting Terror
- South Asian strategy to fight terror cannot be compared to that of European states.
- It should be acknowledged that radicalised terrorists are a part of a community and hence should be given a second chance.
- Counter-radicalization measures such as banning beards and hijabsor internment camps would be futile.
Contradictions in global war on Terror
- The world has failed to agree on a common definition of terrorism.
- China had been blocking designation of Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.
- S. treatsterror-hubs like Saudi Arabia and as “frontline allies” on terror.
Conclusion
Unless the world is truly united on the issue and resolves contradictions, the global War on Terror will only get weaker.
