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Unit 7: Essay Writing (Short Essays)

worldwide. Elsewhere in the region, Iran, Syria and Lebanon have close links with Hezbollah, which Notes
is another terrorist outfit. The region is also plagued with terrorist movements of the Kurds especially
in Turkey.
The collapse of the Palestinian peace talks has further undermined the chances of peace in the region
and the whole world. The vicious circle of strikes and counter strikes has now spilled over to the
global scene, and therefore, West Asia remains one of the most dangerous regions as far as terrorism
is concerned.
The Anglo-American unilateral military invasion of Iraq to remove Saddam Hussain tends to create
further problems. The extreme lawlessness in Iraq where the coalition occupational forces have failed
miserably to maintain law and order will lead to more terrorist strikes. There are video and audio
tapes of Saddam Hussain and Al Zawahiri, the deputy leader of Al Qaeda calling for suicide attacks
over infidel forces worldwide. The occupation of Iraq as a part of American war on terrorism may
ultimately trigger more terrorist attacks globally.
Kashmir, often described as a nuclear flash point by Americans is another major arena of terrorism.
Pakistan, which illegitimately occupies a substantial chunk of Kashmir is providing support and abetting
infiltrators who cross over to India. The Pakistani ISI maintains training camps, supplies arms and
other provisions for gullible youngsters to make them jehadis. The Taliban militants dislodged from
Afghanistan by the US are also involved in Kashmiri terrorism. Currently, Pakistan can be considered
as the epicenter of global terrorism. On its eastern front, it runs terrorist camps to destabilize India.
On the western flank (the north west province), it actively helps the Taliban militia to overthrow the
Hamid Karzai regime in Afghanistan. Ironically, the US which has declared the global war on terrorism
is oblivious to this and the Pakistani dictator, Musharraf is their blue-eyed boy. Such double standards
are a major reason for the spread of terrorism across the globe.
There are also other terrorist outfits like the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka, the
Maoists in Nepal, which use terror as a tool for political ends. Terrorism persists in Indonesia,
Philippines, Chechnya, the Balkans, Spain (Basque militants) and many parts of Africa.
Today, almost every country faces the threat of terrorism in varying degrees. It is the educated and
unemployed youth who become terrorists. They join the terrorist groups not always out of conviction.
Very often they arc fed up with their unproductive, unemployed status and join the militants for
money. Political, economic and social causes can be identified for the mushrooming of the cruel
terrorist groups.
A complete absence of ethics, extreme ruthlessness, excellent co-ordination and sound finances have
made terrorist strikes more deadly and effective. The terrorists are employing the most modern
scientific devices and communication tools. Some of them are bankrolled by oil rich sheikhdoms.
They are cold blooded murderers and do not even spare civilians, women or children. Most of them
are fiercely motivated often by religious dogmas which make them more dangerous. However, it is
impossible to tackle this menace by just treating the symptoms. Peace and stability can be restored
not by eliminating terrorists but by removing the causes of terrorism.
Key-words

1. kamikaze—suicide attack 2. hijack—forcibly seize control of an aircraft 3. intransigence—
unwillingness to change views 4. undermine—to make less effective 5. chunk—a fairly large amount
6. abetting—supporting 7. blued eyed boy—a person treated with special favour

Points to Remember:
1. Terrorism of late has acquired a global form.
2. The September 11 attacks on the US brought terrorism into focus.
3. America’s role in creating terror networks.
4. The West Asian crisis and the role of the US.

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