Recently, the problem of international terrorism has become one of the most pressing global problems of our time related to the sphere international relations. This transformation is due, in our opinion, to the following reasons:
Firstly, international terrorism, unfortunately, is becoming increasingly widespread on a planetary scale. It manifests itself both in regions of traditional international conflicts (for example, the Middle East, South Asia), and even the most developed and prosperous states (in particular the USA and Western Europe) are not immune from this dangerous phenomenon.
Secondly, international terrorism poses a serious threat to the security of individual states and the entire world community as a whole. Every year hundreds of acts of international terrorism are committed in the world, and the sad count of their victims amounts to thousands of killed and maimed people;
Thirdly, the efforts of one great power or even a group of highly developed states are not enough to combat international terrorism. Overcoming international terrorism as an escalating global problem requires the collective efforts of the majority of states and peoples on our planet, the entire world community.
Fourthly, the connection between the modern phenomenon of international terrorism and other pressing global problems of our time is becoming increasingly clear and visible. At present, the problem of international terrorism must be considered as important element the whole complex of universal, global problems.
The problem of international terrorism has many common features characteristic of other universal human difficulties, such as the planetary scale of manifestation; great sharpness; negative dynamism, when the negative impact on the life of humanity increases; need for an urgent solution, etc. At the same time, the global problem of international terrorism also has specific, characteristic features. Let's take a closer look at the most important of them. First of all, you should pay attention to the fact that the problem of international terrorism is connected with the main spheres of life of the world community and societies of individual countries: politics, national relations, religion, ecology, criminal communities, etc. This connection is reflected in the existence of various types of terrorism, which include: political, nationalist, religious, criminal and environmental terrorism.
Members of groups carrying out political terror set as their task the achievement of political, social or economic changes within a particular state, as well as the undermining of interstate relations and international law and order. Nationalist (or as it is also called national, ethnic or separatist) terrorism pursues the goals of solving national question, which in recent years have increasingly acquired the character of separatist aspirations in various multi-ethnic states.
The religious type of terrorism is caused by attempts by armed groups professing one or another religion to fight against a state dominated by another religion or other religious direction. Criminal terrorism is formed on the basis of any criminal business (drug trafficking, illegal arms trafficking, smuggling, etc.) with the aim of creating chaos and tension in the conditions of which it is most likely to receive excess profits. Environmental terrorism is carried out by groups that use violent methods in general against scientific and technological progress, environmental pollution, killing animals and the construction of nuclear facilities.
Another distinctive feature The global problem of international terrorism is the significant influence on it of international criminal communities, certain political forces and some states. This influence undoubtedly leads to an aggravation of the problem under consideration. In the modern world, there are manifestations of state terrorism associated with attempts to eliminate heads of foreign states and other political figures; with actions aimed at overthrowing the governments of foreign countries; creating panic among the population of foreign countries, etc.
International terrorism is now an integral part of the proliferation of criminal transnational organizations supported by corrupt government officials and politicians. Thus, in the widely known work of English scientists “Global Transformations” it is noted: “There are also negative forms of international organizations, such as terrorist and criminal organizations. Despite the centuries-long conflict between smugglers and authorities, last years The growth of transnational criminal organizations is associated with the drug trade (now, according to experts, its annual turnover is over $300 billion) and the widespread prevalence of organized crime. Addressing these issues has become a major challenge for governments and police forces around the world.” Another specific feature of the global problem of international terrorism is its difficulty in predicting. In many cases, the subjects of terrorism are mentally unstable people and overly ambitious politicians. Terrorism is often seen as a way to achieve goals on the world stage and in international relations that cannot be achieved by any other methods. In modern conditions, the forms of terrorist activity are becoming more and more complex, and are increasingly in conflict with universal human values and the logic of world development.
Thus, the problem of international terrorism poses a real planetary threat to the world community. This problem has its own specificity, which distinguishes it from other universal human difficulties. However, the problem of terrorism is closely interconnected with most global problems of modern international relations. It can be considered one of the most pressing global problems of our days.
However, the latest terrorist attacks, primarily the tragic events of September 11, 2001 in New York, have become unprecedented in the history of mankind in their scale and influence on the further course of world politics. The number of victims, the extent and nature of the destruction caused by terrorist attacks at the beginning of the 21st century were comparable to the consequences of armed conflicts and local wars. The response measures caused by these terrorist acts led to the creation of an international anti-terrorist coalition, which included dozens of states, which previously took place only in the case of major armed conflicts and wars. Retaliatory anti-terrorist military actions have also acquired a planetary scale.
Battalov Adilkhan Beysenovich, Master of ManagementTerrorism– one of the variants of political struggle tactics associated with the use of ideologically motivated violence.
The essence of terrorism is violence for the purpose of intimidation. The subject of terrorist violence is individuals or non-governmental organizations. The object of violence is the government represented by individual civil servants or society represented by individual citizens (including foreigners or civil servants of other states). In addition – private and public property, infrastructure, life support systems. The purpose of violence is to achieve the development of events desired by terrorists - revolution, destabilization of society, unleashing with a foreign state, gaining independence of a certain territory, a fall in the prestige of the government, political concessions from the government, etc.
Terrorism is associated with a more general, generic concept of terror. Terror is a way to control society through preventive intimidation. This method of political action can be resorted to by both the state and organizations (or forces) that set themselves political goals.
A prerequisite for terrorism is the resonance of a terrorist action in society. Terrorism is fundamentally declarative. Widespread information about a terrorist attack, making it the most discussed event, is a key element of terrorist tactics. A terrorist attack that goes unnoticed or is classified loses all meaning.
This distinguishes a terrorist act from similar phenomena such as sabotage or political assassination. Sabotage is a forceful action of a subversive nature carried out by state intelligence services. Sabotage is valuable for its direct damage to the enemy; the public resonance of the operation is of no interest to the saboteur and is even dangerous. Ideally, sabotage imitates a man-made disaster, an accident, or an act of force committed by another force. The real perpetrators prefer to blame such sabotage as political murders committed by the special services on false perpetrators.
Terrorists need public response to a terrorist act to change public sentiment. Terrorist attacks affect mass psychology. Terrorist organizations demonstrate their strength and willingness to go to the end, sacrificing both their own lives and the lives of victims. The terrorist loudly declares that in this society, in this world, there is a force that under no circumstances will accept the existing order of things and will fight it until victory, or until its end.
Terrorist act:
1. Demonstrates to society the powerlessness of government. At the point in time and space where the terrorist attack occurred, the government lost its monopoly on violence, laws and government regulations were defiantly violated. In the zone of the terrorist attack, an alternative power was realized.
2. Creates precedents for active disobedience and forceful opposition to power. Terrorist ideologists call this “propaganda by deed.” The terrorist attack contains a call to forces sympathetic to the terrorist cause to join active opposition to the authorities.
3. As a rule, it activates any forces and sentiments in opposition to the authorities, including those distancing themselves from the tactics of terrorism. The terrorist attack is interpreted as an indisputable sign of an acute crisis in society. All this pushes society, and behind it the government, to make concessions to political forces that use terrorist tactics.
4. Impacts the economy, reduces the investment attractiveness of the country, worsens its image, reduces the flow of international tourists, etc.
5. Pushes the country towards radicalization of the political course, towards authoritarian forms of government. Often this evolution corresponds to the goals of terrorists.
Terrorism is the most dangerous (according to the criterion of invested resources / results obtained) way of political destabilization of society. Such methods of destabilization as military intervention, uprising, outbreak of civil war, mass riots, general strike, etc. require significant resources and require broad mass support for those forces that are interested in destabilization. To launch a campaign of terrorist acts, it is enough to support the terrorist cause from a relatively narrow layer of society, a small group of extreme radicals who agree to everything, and modest organizational and technical resources. Terrorism undermines power and destroys the political system of the state. Lawyers classify terrorist acts as “crimes against the foundations of the constitutional order and state security.”
According to the general opinion of legal scholars, terrorism in any of its forms is the most socially dangerous of all crimes described by criminal law (in the sanctions of articles providing for criminal liability for a crime of a terrorist nature, there should be the most severe punishment of all types of punishment provided for by criminal law).
Terrorism is not a universal phenomenon. The use of these tactics presupposes a set of sociocultural and political characteristics of the society. If these characteristics are missing, terrorism tactics cannot be implemented.Kazakhstan saw terrorist attacks in 2011. They covered seven large cities and regional centers of Kazakhstan.
In 1999 The International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism is adopted. Within the framework of the Convention, practical measures were developed to create an effective system of control over financial flows both at the international and domestic levels. It notes that “all states must:
A) prevent and suppress the financing of terrorist acts;
b) criminalize the intentional provision or collection of funds, by any means, directly or indirectly, by their nationals or on their territory with the intention that such funds should be used - or with the knowledge that they will be used - for the commission of terrorist acts;
c) immediately freeze funds and other financial assets or economic resources persons who commit or attempt to commit terrorist acts;
State capabilities to solve these problems .
First of all, the state must solve all these problems, but also every person must be vigilant for his life, since we do not know where this evil may be waiting for us. He can fall into the trap of terrorists at any time (while walking, while working, in the subway, in stores, etc.)
Ways to solve the problem of terrorism. First of all, the state must clearly develop programs to eliminate terrorist activities. To combat this universal threat, it is necessary to unite the efforts of all state and public structures, branches of government, and the media. We need a strategy to combat terrorism. It is necessary to clearly define and name the sources and determinants of terrorist manifestations. It is also necessary to install more external and internal surveillance cameras. External video surveillance is a modern security system that provides protection to the external perimeter. To drive terrorism out of life, it is necessary to develop a high political and legal culture in society and clearly establish legal sanctions for terrorist actions.
Literature
1) http:// ru. wikipedia. org/ wiki/
The problem of terrorism in the modern world in all its manifestations has become one of the most pressing issues for the world community. It entails massive casualties among innocent civilians. As a result of the actions of bandits, cultural and material values are destroyed, which are very difficult to restore within several years. Terrorist attacks breed hatred and mistrust between ethnic groups. They forced the authorities of many countries to think about an international fight against them.
For many people and organizations, terrorism has become a way to solve national and religious problems. Terrorist attacks are those types of crimes whose victims are mostly innocent citizens, children and the elderly. They have nothing to do with the international conflicts that have arisen. The scale and cruelty of modern terrorism force us to raise the question of new legal methods to combat it.
What it is?
To identify the essence of the problem of terrorism in the modern world, it is necessary to find out what this term means. The word “terrorism” refers to one of the options for political struggle associated with ideologically motivated violence. Its essence is violence to intimidate the population. As a rule, terrorist attacks are prepared by individuals or organizations. Their goal is the government represented by individual officials or society represented by the civilian population. Terrorists can also strike private or government property, important infrastructure and life support systems. The goal of criminals is to achieve their desired development of events, as a rule, the situation in the country, inciting a revolution, declaring war, gaining independence of a certain territory, obtaining concessions from the current government, and more.
Although terrorism is a global problem in the modern world, legislators in different countries have not reached a consensus on its definition. In most countries, terrorism is considered to be acts that are dangerous to society. Moreover, they were committed with the aim of intimidating the population or its social groups. The terrorist's goal is to attract as much attention to the crime as possible. At the same time, he wants to influence any decision previously made by the country's authorities. Terrorism is closely related to more general concept- terror, which is one of the ways to control popular opinion through intimidation. This method of influence is used by both states and various organizations that try to resolve political issues in this way.
Conditions of appearance
Many people ask the question: what is the characteristic feature of the problem of terrorism in the modern world? An important feature of global terrorism is that a prerequisite for committing a criminal act is to attract the maximum attention of the world community to this act. Wide publicity and dissemination of as much information as possible about the crime only plays into the hands of the bandits. A little-known or secret act of violence loses all meaning.
The widest possible dissemination of information about the committed act of terrorism is necessary for criminals to change the mood in society, because mass murders affect mass psychology. Organizations that carry out inhumane crimes demonstrate their strength and capabilities by declaring that they are ready to go to the end to achieve their goal. Bandits sacrifice not only their lives, but also the lives of innocent people. They tell everyone that there is a force in society that under no circumstances will accept the existing order of things and will continue to fight.
What do terrorists want?
To find out what problems of terrorism exist in the modern world, it is necessary to briefly describe the goals of criminals that they pursue when committing an act of violence. They are as follows:
- Demonstration of powerlessness of power. In the place where the crime occurred, power lost its power. In this place, laws and morals were violated, and an alternative to the current government was established.
- Propaganda by action. The act of violence carried out makes some members of society sympathize with the terrorists and also join their ranks.
- The emergence of anti-government sentiments, the intensification of the work of opposition forces, since the terrorist attack is interpreted as a sign of the weakness of the state system. All these actions push the government to make concessions.
- The crime has a negative impact on the economy of the country where the incident occurred. The image of the city is deteriorating, the flow of tourists is decreasing.
- Terrorists are pushing the country to change its political course. Often the goal of bandits is to transfer power to an authoritarian form of government.
The problem of terrorism in the modern world is that a terrorist act is the most dangerous form of destabilization of society. Other methods, such as starting a civil war, strikes, uprisings, military destabilization, riots, require a lot of effort and resources. Also, the implementation of plans will require the support of other anti-government forces. To organize enough support for terrorists from a narrow layer of society. Also, criminals will not require large technical resources.
The problem of terrorism in the modern world is that any terrorist attack is one of the ways to weaken power and destroy the political system. Lawyers classify terrorists as criminals who go against the constitutional foundations of the country. They threaten the security of the entire state as a whole.
Society and terrorists
The main problem of countering terrorism in the modern world is that a terrorist attack requires national, or even better, global publicity, so it needs an information society to exist. It first appeared in the 19th century in Europe. It is there that an enlightened society reads newspapers every day. Over time, the media becomes a more powerful force. The greater the role of journalists, the wider the wave of terrorism can be.
Another global problem of terrorism in the modern world is the development of technologies that make it possible to instantly disseminate information about a terrorist attack across the globe. As scientific and technological progress develops, the technogenic environment becomes more and more vulnerable. In the world modern technologies humanity is faced with disasters that occur without the intervention of criminals. Also, the problem of countering terrorism in the modern world is that the state’s ability to control the activities of each person or group of persons is extremely limited.
Also, the emergence of terrorism is influenced by changes in society, which strives for liberal values. Citizens are getting closer and closer to the idea of a social contract, where the safety and life of a person must be guaranteed by the state. With their actions, terrorists are trying to prove to the whole world that officials and security forces are not able to guarantee a calm and peaceful existence for their citizens. Therefore, the government must be held accountable for the crimes of criminals. If society, on the contrary, tries to unite against a common misfortune, while supporting the authorities with all its might, then terrorist acts lose their force.
In prosperous countries, such manifestations of terrorism occur when mentally unstable people commit acts of violence. However, such phenomena are observed quite rarely. Most often, the grounds for mass murder of citizens are liberation movements, as well as religious and national conflicts.
The problem of international terrorism in the modern world is that these bandits can only exist if some part of the citizens sympathize with them. Unlike trained military saboteurs who can work alone, terrorists need the moral and physical support of citizens. In this they are in many ways similar to partisans. If support fades, the terrorist organization will not be able to survive for long.
The essence of the problem of terrorism in the modern world is that its appearance is an indicator of a crisis in the country. This is a mechanism of communication between society and government, between an individual unit of society and the entire population of the state. Such crimes indicate trouble in the social space. At the same time, it is unlikely that it will be possible to solve the problem using force alone. Suppressing and localizing gangster organizations is only part of the solution. Other methods of struggle must consist of political and cultural changes that will remove the need for a radical solution to the problem on the part of society.
Varieties
Dividing terrorism into types and classes is a difficult task given its diversity. Nevertheless, experts divide the problem of terrorism in the modern world into areas depending on the type of activity of the criminals:
- An individual criminal who commits a crime alone. In the modern world, terrorists rarely act without the support of an organization. Therefore, as an example of such criminal activity, one can cite the attack on the official Vera Zasulich in 1878.
- Collective terrorist activity is planned and carried out by a large organization. Nowadays, it is organized terrorism that occurs most often.
Terrorists also pursue different goals. Depending on this, the following types are distinguished:
- Religious. It is associated with the struggle between adherents of one religion and adherents of another. Sometimes terrorists want to change the government from secular to religious.
- National. In this case, the bandits are pursuing separatist goals.
- A social and ideological view that requires changing the political and economic policies of the country. Sometimes this type of protest is called revolutionary. Examples include the Socialist Revolutionaries, anarchists and fascists.
Terrorist methods
Terrorists have several methods in stock to attract attention. Let's look at them in more detail:
- Explosions of important government or military buildings, transport hubs, residential buildings, theaters, restaurants.
- Kidnapping of government officials, journalists, and high-ranking military personnel. The main purpose of kidnapping is blackmail in order to exchange for accomplices.
- Political murders of officials, police officers, and military personnel.
- Capture buildings containing a large number of people. After such a step, terrorists usually want to negotiate with the authorities. The hostages are either killed or released. This manifestation of terrorism is gaining popularity in our time.
- Seizure of transport planes, ships, buses with hostages. Most often, this form of terrorism manifested itself in the 80s of the last century.
- Robberies of banks, shops, private homes, kidnappings for ransom. This is a minor form of terrorism, but it brings profit to the bandits.
- Beatings and bullying of people. Terrorism in this manifestation is an act psychological pressure per person.
- Terrorism using biological weapons. An example is sending letters containing a poisonous substance.
- Poisoning of victims with radioactive elements.
The terrorist arsenal is constantly expanding. Recently, computer terrorism has been gaining popularity. The authorities need to be prepared for the fact that any technically complex objects and storage facilities can become a target for radical organizations.
Modern terrorists
Often people want to understand the reasons for the problem of terrorism in the modern world. Let us briefly try to describe them below. Terrorism intensified with renewed vigor at the dawn of the 20th century. There are several reasons for this phenomenon, for example, the economic crisis, the sale of weapons and explosives on the black market, the weakening of government institutions, the growth of criminal structures, uncontrolled migration, and local conflicts.
The problem of terrorism in the modern world is that some terrorist attacks are carried out by radical groups, for example, the explosion of the monument to Tsar Nicholas II in 1998 near Moscow, as well as the mining of the monument to Peter I in the Russian capital. Both of these actions ended without casualties among the population. However, such crimes can shake confidence in the authorities, because such acts were committed in the very center of Russia.
A much more serious problem in the fight against terrorism in the modern world arose when attacks related to the war in Chechnya were carried out. Bandits blew up residential buildings, markets, and took hostages in several Russian cities. Most often, crimes occurred in Moscow, Dagestan and Volgodonsk. Chechen terrorists are very organized and have a stable source of income.
Among the most notorious crimes is the seizure of a maternity hospital in Budyonnovsk by criminals led by Basayev at the end of the 20th century. It ended with the return of terrorists to territory not controlled by Russia. Another high-profile hostage-taking occurred in Moscow, on Dubrovka, during the musical “Nord-Ost” in 2002. As a result of the crime, several dozen hostages died; all terrorists were eliminated during the assault.
The new kind
The problem of combating terrorism in the modern world has now become aggravated with renewed vigor, because today the world is threatened by nuclear terrorism. Also, kidnapping for the purpose of blackmail or ransom is becoming increasingly common. The reason for the problem of terrorism in the modern world lies in the attitude of ordinary people towards terrorists in the country. It depends on the attitude of society to the current political system, as well as on the goals that criminals dream of achieving. Also, the condemnation or support of terrorists by the civilian population depends on the liberal values of a particular state, the value of human life, the level of education and legal consciousness of citizens.
If terrorism arose due to social, political or cultural problems, then a small part of society, especially those suffering from the emerging crisis in the country, will support the terrorists in various ways. Thanks to a positive attitude towards themselves, bandits who kill civilians and organize terrorist attacks will have a chance to recruit more people. Resolving pressing problems relieves tension in society, eliminates the rift between warring organizations, and deprives terrorist groups of support from the population.
Citizens who are faced with a terrorist threat, as a rule, change their attitude towards this phenomenon. The shock associated with the attack of bandits on civilians splits society. Some reject terrorists, condemning their actions. Others justify the actions of the bandits, recognizing that in certain situations it is impossible to do without radical measures. If terrorist groups become active in a country, committing more and more crimes, almost the entire civilian population condemns their actions, seeing how innocent people suffer. A group that previously supported terrorism is radically changing its mind. Popular support for criminals is fading.
The influence of evolution on attitudes towards terrorism
People's attitudes towards terrorist acts are influenced by historical evolution assessments of such a phenomenon. Society treated these crimes differently at different stages of its historical development. Thus, during the emergence of the first terrorist organizations, their members were considered fighters for freedom, equality and independence.
In the early 20s, organizations that carried out acts of violence in warring countries existed quite legally in their homeland. They were supported in every possible way by their native state. As liberal sentiments develop in countries Western Europe terrorists were outlawed. After World War II, criminals were sponsored exclusively by aggressor countries that sought political and ideological expansion.
In the early 1960s, developed countries gradually began to recognize terrorism as a source of unconditional harm to citizens and political systems. Nowadays, the phenomenon is sharply condemned in the media. The acquittal and glorification of terrorists are severely punished in some countries, including imprisonment. Now the center of terrorism has shifted from Western European countries to Arab countries. Residents of these states still have to go through an evolutionary stage from recognition and support of criminal acts to condemnation.
International terrorism
To provide a rationale for the problems of terrorism in the modern world, it should be known that criminals often resort to massacres, since they will not be able to achieve their delusional goals in open battle. Violent actions against the civilian population have long crossed national boundaries, becoming a global threat to all peoples of the globe. Terrorism has become an effective weapon to intimidate society during war and political conflicts. Eternal disputes between two different worlds, significantly different from each other in their understanding of life, moral standards and culture, lead to significant casualties among the innocent population.
The main sources of the threat of terrorism.
The twentieth century will go down in the history of mankind not only for its outstanding scientific and technical discoveries and achievements, but also as a century that has written a number of black pages in this history, including one of the most tragic socio-social phenomena.
The very concept of “terrorism” comes from the Latin word “terror” - fear, horror.
Terrorism- violence or the threat of its use against individuals or organizations, as well as destruction (damage) or the threat of destruction (damage) of property and other material objects, creating the danger of death of people, causing significant property damage or the occurrence of other socially dangerous consequences.
These actions are carried out with the aim of violating public safety, exterminating the population or influencing the adoption by authorities of decisions beneficial to terrorists, or satisfying their unlawful property and (or) other interests, encroaching on the life of a state, public or other figure, committed in order to stop it activities or out of revenge, etc.
Terrorism is a danger facing the modern world. The reality of the present time is that terrorism is increasingly threatening the security of most countries.
As a socio-political phenomenon terrorism is a set of crimes committed using violence by individuals and specially organized groups and communities. It is aimed at expanding the influence of certain forces in society, eliminating or subordinating the activities of their political opponents, and ultimately at seizing and subordinating political power.
The history of terrorism goes back centuries. Terrorist acts accompany the development of civilization.
One of the first mentions is related to the terrorist attacks committed in 66-73. BC. Jewish political group who fought against the Romans using terror methods for the autonomy of Thessalonia.
In subsequent history one can find examples of terrorism of various types. St. Bartholomew's Night, the French bourgeois revolution, and the Paris Commune went down in history as symbols of cruelty and unjustified violence.
Main Sources of the Terrorist Threat
Terrorism – this is a global problem.
The most famous international terrorist organizations:
– “Irish Republican Army”;
- “Aum Shinrikyo”;
- “Hamas”;
- “World Front of Jihad”;
- “Radical Islamic sect of Wahhabis” created by Bin Laden.
Organizers of terrorist actions seek to sow fear among the population, protest government policies, cause economic damage to the state or private firms, etc.
According to the State reports of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia for 2005-2007. and the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for 2007, over the past 5 years terrorism has claimed the lives of 1275 people, and in total more than 5 thousand people suffered from terrorist acts (Table 1).
Table 1
Structure of medical losses and medical support
victims of terrorist attacks of 2002-2007. in the Russian Federation
An analysis of the consequences of terrorist attacks, as a result of which more than 5,000 people were injured, shows that irretrievable losses ranged from 3.1–41.8%, while most of the losses were sanitary (Table 2).
table 2
Structure of losses from terrorist attacks in the Russian Federation (1999-2004)
|
Location of the terrorist attack |
Irrevocable losses |
Sanitary |
||||
|
of them hospitalized |
||||||
|
Manezhnaya sq., st. Guryanova | ||||||
|
Buynaksk | ||||||
|
Volgodonsk | ||||||
The largest share of irretrievable losses was determined in Buinaksk, Mozdok and Beslan, where a large share of severe sanitary losses was also observed.
The wave of terrorism swept not only the Transcaucasian republics, but also reached the Republic of Tatarstan. In Kazan, during the preparation for the 1000th anniversary of the founding of the city, acts of a terrorist nature were uncovered (the explosion of a gas pipeline in the city of Bugulma on January 8, 2005, an attempt to blow up a power line support in the Vysokogorsky district on January 20, 2005, the explosion of a power line-220 in the Tyulyachinsky district on June 1, 2005, the explosion on June 28, 2005 product pipeline in Laishevsky district). In addition, crimes of a terrorist nature are recorded annually by law enforcement agencies. These include contract killings, criminal explosions, kidnappings, and threats of terrorist attacks.
Features of modern terrorism– terrorist organizations have a highly developed infrastructure, which often includes a whole network of strongholds and saboteur training camps.
Many terrorist organizations have sophisticated electronic communications capabilities. The latest equipment allows them to connect to the communication systems of law enforcement agencies fighting them.
According to foreign experts, fissile materials, components of chemical and biological weapons are now available to terrorists more than ever before, because there is free trade, weak export controls, openness of data on the latest developments in the field of chemical and biological weapons.
In a number of countries, terrorists are trying to create a biological recipe similar to the Ebola virus and pathogenic types of microorganisms that can affect certain ethnic groups and races. Many of them are able to exchange information on chemical and biological weapons via the Internet.
And in the new training program for terrorist groups “World Front of Jihad” there is a section on working with toxic substances and gases such as “sarin”. Terrorists are trained in the techniques of making strong chemical agents to contaminate water bodies using chemicals that are commercially available.
The underground structures of the “World Front of Jihad” in a number of European countries may have portable, easily camouflaged explosive devices, incl. chemical agents. In this regard, from January 1, 1998. all units of the US Armed Forces in Europe and even family members of military personnel received means of protection against chemical weapons.
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International terrorism as a global problem of our time
Introduction
The last decades of the 20th century presented the peoples of the world with a number of acute and complex problems that were called global. One of the definitions calls global problems that arise as a result of the objective development of society, pose a threat to all of humanity and require the united efforts of the entire world community to be solved. So, the topic of my essay is international terrorism and its place in the complex of global problems.
The choice of this topic is due to:
The extraordinary intensification of terrorist activities at the beginning of the 21st century;
Increased interest in this issue in government and journalistic circles around the world;
Personal educational interest.
The object of this study is the global problems of our time.
The subject of the study is international terrorism as a global problem of humanity.
The purpose of this study is to identify the belonging of international terrorism to global problems and determine its place in the complex of global problems of our time.
During the research, I set myself the following tasks:
Study global problems: their essence, symptoms, causes of occurrence and possible solutions;
Consider the essence of terrorism, its types, goals, methods, main trends;
Find out whether international terrorism is a global problem. international terrorism global problem
Hypothesis: if you conduct a study on the topic “International terrorism as a global problem of our time,” it will turn out that the problem of international terrorism concerns all of humanity, leads to significant economic and social losses, and in case of aggravation, threatens the death of all humanity and requires collective efforts to solve of the entire world community, which means it is actually a global problem.
Research methods:
Selection and analysis of literature;
Partially search with elements of research.
1. Global problems of our time
1) Essence.
Today, the existence of such a phenomenon as global problems is widely recognized. They are constantly reported in the media, and the study of this phenomenon is included in the school social studies course. A branch of science called global studies directly studies global problems. What is meant by the term “global problems”? In the scientific literature you can find various definitions global problems, for example:
These are problems that arise as a result of the objective development of society, pose a threat to all of humanity and require the united efforts of the entire world community to be solved;
This is a set of problems of humanity that confronted it in the second half of the 20th century and on the solution of which the existence of humanity depends;
This is a manifestation of the contradictory nature of progress, primarily the rapid development of its productive forces on the basis of scientific and technological revolution, which resulted in a real threat of a sharp disruption of the existing relationships between nature and society, between countries and peoples, between the individual, society and the state.
All these definitions are united by the fact that they all recognize the universal nature of problems and note the need for efforts by the entire world community to solve them.
2) Signs.
In the course of the development of civilization, complex problems have repeatedly arisen before humanity. However, not all problems of social development can be called global. In order for any problem to be recognized as global, it must meet the following characteristics of global problems:
They concern all of humanity, affecting the interests and destinies of all countries, peoples and social strata;
Lead to significant economic and social losses, and in case of aggravation can threaten the entire existence of human civilization;
For their solution, they require cooperation on a planetary scale, joint actions of all countries and peoples.
3) Classification.
In the scientific literature you can find various lists of global problems, where their number varies from 8-10 to 40-45. There are also different kinds classification of these problems.
I.1) Problems associated with changes in the natural human environment:
Reduction of the planet's biological resources;
Global warming, “greenhouse effect”;
Ozone layer depletion;
Acid rain;
Garbage problem;
Air pollution.
2) Problems of a socio-economic nature:
Energy hunger;
Inflation;
World population growth;
Uneven economic development of countries;
Rising poverty;
Food shortages;
Unemployment;
Increase in the number of chronic diseases and deaths;
Nuclear threat;
International terrorism;
Disarmament and conversion of military production.
3) Cultural and moral problems:
Loss of trust in social institutions;
Youth alienation;
Denial of traditional values;
Increase in crime;
Addiction;
Illiteracy;
An increase in the number of divorces.
II.1) The most “universal” problems of a political and socio-economic nature (preventing nuclear war and maintaining peace, ensuring sustainable development of the world community and increasing the level of organization and controllability of it);
2) Problems of a predominantly natural and economic nature (environmental, energy, raw materials, food, oceans);
3) Problems of a predominantly social nature (demographic,
interethnic relations, crisis of culture, morality, deficit of democracy and health care);
4) Problems of a mixed nature, the unresolution of which often leads to massive loss of life (regional conflicts, crime, technological accidents, natural disasters, etc.);
5) “Small problems” (bureaucracy, egocentrism, etc.).
III.1) Problems of a political and socio-economic nature:
Prevention of thermonuclear catastrophe, new world wars, fight against international terrorism;
Normal functioning of the world economy;
Overcoming the backwardness of underdeveloped countries;
2) Problems of a natural and economic nature:
Ecological problem;
Energy problem;
Food problem;
Raw materials problem;
Problems of the World Ocean.
3) Problems of a social nature:
Demographic problem;
The problem of interethnic relations;
Crisis of culture and morality;
Democracy deficit;
Urbanization problems;
Health protection.
However, the most common classification of global problems is the latter. It will also become a priority in this work.
4) Reasons for appearance.
Reflecting on the reasons for the emergence of global problems, scientists point, first of all, to the emerging global community of people, the integrity of the modern world, which is ensured primarily by deep economic ties, increased political and cultural contacts, and the latest means of mass communication. In conditions when the planet becomes the single home of humanity, many contradictions, conflicts, and problems can outgrow local boundaries and acquire a global character.
Another reason for the emergence of global problems is scientific and technological progress. The actively transformative human activity itself is now comparable in power and consequences (both creative and destructive) to the most formidable forces of nature. Having brought to life powerful productive forces, humanity cannot always bring them under its reasonable control. The level of social organization, political thinking and environmental awareness, spiritual and moral orientations are still very far from the requirements of the era.
1) Threat of nuclear war
2) anthropogenic factor
3) Demographic crisis
The problem of overcoming the backwardness of underdeveloped countries
5) The problem of health care, the spread of AIDS, drug addiction
6) industrial waste discharge
5) Possible solutions.
Disarmament and military conversion, destruction of nuclear weapons stockpiles;
Establishment of unified rules and norms for global environmental management;
Cooperation in eliminating environmental disaster zones;
Use of alternative energy sources;
Use of recycled materials;
Providing assistance from developed countries to developing countries in solving the problems of poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy;
Assistance to developing countries in economic development;
Allocation of funds for the treatment of drug addiction and alcoholism;
Scientific research into the problem of AIDS and cancer;
Educating the population about global problems, media participation in attracting people to solve these problems.
Forms of cooperation to solve global problems:
1. Implementation of joint projects and programs.
2. Technology transfer.
3. Allocation of loans.
4. Participation in the development, extraction and distribution of natural resources.
5. Reform of the pricing system for natural resources in the world.
6. Providing developing countries with access to the world market.
7. Promoting the industrialization of underdeveloped countries.
8. Planetary and regional agreements under the auspices of the UN and other international organizations.
2. Terrorism
1) Essence.
The topic of my essay is international terrorism. However, before proceeding with it, it is necessary to consider terrorism as a whole.
Currently, there is no universal definition of such concepts as “terrorism” and “international terrorism” recognized by the world community. Each country has its own definition of terrorism. Here are just a few of them:
This is the threat or use of violence for political purposes by individuals or groups of individuals acting for or against the existing government of a country, when such actions are intended to harm or intimidate a larger group than the immediate victim against whom the violence is used. ;
It is the unlawful use of force and violence against person or property for the purpose of intimidating or pressuring the government, the civilian population or any part thereof in the pursuit of political and social objectives;
This is violence or the threat of its use against individuals or organizations, as well as destruction (damage) or the threat of destruction (damage) of property or other material objects that create the danger of death, causing significant property damage, or the occurrence of other socially dangerous consequences, carried out for the purpose of violation of public safety, intimidation of the population or influencing the adoption of decisions by authorities, or satisfying their unlawful property and/or other interests; an encroachment on the life of a statesman or public figure, committed in order to terminate his state or other political activity or out of revenge for such activity; an attack on a representative of a foreign state or an employee of an international organization enjoying international protection, as well as on official premises, or vehicles persons enjoying international protection, if this act was committed for the purpose of provoking war or complicating international relations;
It is a system of using violence to achieve political goals through coercion. government agencies, international and national organizations, state and public figures, individual citizens or their groups to commit or refuse to commit certain actions in favor of terrorists through the illegitimate use of force or the threat of its use against specific individuals or any other individuals and groups;
These are acts of violence against citizens (state officials) or objects with the aim of destabilizing public order within the country or complicating international relations;
Acts that are themselves forms of ordinary crimes, but are committed deliberately with the purpose of causing panic, disorder and terror in an organized society, paralyzing the opposition to terror on the part of social forces and intensifying the misfortunes and suffering of society.
2) Classification options:
1. In areas of public life:
a) political terrorism;
b) social (left, right);
c) national;
d) territorial-separatist;
e) ideological;
e) criminal.
2. By distribution area:
a) internal;
b) international;
c) state (abuse of power, use of the apparatus of coercion against the people themselves, to suppress the opposition).
3. According to the methods used:
a) physical;
b) psychological.
4. By means used:
a) traditional (using traditional means of violence);
b) unconventional:
Nuclear;
Biological;
Chemical;
Computer (cyberterrorism);
Space.
3) Object-subject composition.
Objects of terrorist activity, due to the peculiarities of the mechanism for its implementation, have a dual nature, which allows us to distinguish their two main groups.
The first group is common objects of encroachment, in relation to which the goals of their weakening or destruction are put forward; these are objects of weakening and undermining:
Internal and external security of the country, its international relations, positions and interests, state sovereignty;
Fundamentals of the social system, political organization of society, state power and its institutions, security of citizens.
The second group is the safety of people and various material objects; These are objects of direct violent (terrorist) influence:
Life, health, freedom of specific individuals or their personally defined groups;
Normal functioning and physical integrity of certain objects and structures.
By using violence in various ways or threatening to use it against persons or specific material objects, terrorist organizations ultimately count on achieving their stated goals and objectives of weakening and undermining the common objects of terrorism.
Subjects, like objects, can be divided into two groups:
1) individual states, political parties and movements, which often inspire or support in various ways certain terrorist structures (for example, some Middle Eastern states with dictatorial reactionary regimes, some right-wing (for example, fascist) political movements, extremist nationalist movements, etc. .);
2) the terrorist structures themselves that directly organize or carry out terrorist actions (special services of some states and their divisions (for example, Mossad), international and national terrorist organizations, criminal mafia organizations).
4) Goals, methods, means.
The goals of terrorism are characterized by the results that the activities of terrorist organizations are aimed at achieving. They largely predetermine the choice of targets for terrorist actions, as well as the methods and means of carrying them out. Depending on the subject of terrorism and the direction of its activities, the following can be distinguished:
1) internal political goals:
Change political regime and the social structure of the country;
Undermining or impeding democratic transition;
Destabilization of the internal political situation;
Difficulty and disorganization of the activities of government and management bodies;
Disruption of certain activities of government and management bodies, etc.;
2) foreign policy goals:
Weakening of international ties or deterioration of the country’s relations with foreign countries;
Disruption of international actions to resolve international or domestic political conflicts;
Compromising the country as a source of terrorism in the eyes of the world community, etc.
Sometimes the goals of terrorism are divided into main and possible. The main goals are:
The desire to sow fear among civilians;
Expressing protest against government policies;
Extortion;
Causing economic damage to the state or individuals;
Carrying out terrorist attacks against their rivals in the struggle for political influence.
Possible goals include:
Physical elimination of political opponents;
Intimidation of civilians;
- “actions of retaliation”;
Destabilization of government activities;
Causing economic damage;
Complication of interethnic and interfaith relations, incitement of interethnic hatred;
Intentionally provoking a military conflict;
Change of political system.
Methods of terrorist activity represent a complex of ways to carry out this activity. Taking into account the method of achieving the goals and objectives of terrorism and the nature of the objects, three groups of methods can be distinguished:
1) methods of physical influence:
Wrongful deprivation of people's lives;
Causing damage to health;
Deprivation or restriction of freedom;
2) methods of material influence:
Destruction or damage to material objects (explosions, arson, pogroms);
3) methods of psychological influence:
Attacks on certain persons, damage to their property, calculated to achieve a psychological result;
Threats, targeted and massive campaigns of intimidation.
Facilities. These include various devices, apparatus, machines, tools and substances that are used to influence certain objects of terrorism. Main types of means of terrorist activity:
Firearms and bladed weapons;
Chemical and biological weapons (weapons and substances);
Jet weapons and mine explosives;
Bacteriological agents, etc.
5) Main types of terrorist acts.
Sabotage (explosion, spraying of toxic substances, etc.). Explosions are carried out in vehicles or in buildings with the aim of causing damage and causing casualties, as well as in open spaces to kill people. As a result of explosions, a large number of random people suffer, so it is precisely this tactic that leads to the most powerful psychological effect and occurs in cases where terrorists consider absolutely all potential victims as political opponents.
Kidnapping. As a rule, significant figures capable of attracting public attention are kidnapped: well-known politicians, officials, journalists, diplomats. They are committed in order to achieve the fulfillment of political demands, to intimidate the ruling strata, and to obtain funds for the activities of the organization.
Attempt and murder. One of the main methods of terrorism. It is distinguished by demonstrative targeting, therefore it is effective for targeted psychological impact on a narrow audience. When conducting a combat operation of this type, the life of a terrorist is endangered, therefore it is carried out by highly professional terrorists in states with a weakened law enforcement structure, as well as in cases where terrorists have the opportunity to create a numerical superiority over police units.
Robbery (expropriation). One of the main means of conducting terrorist activities of extremists of the “red” orientation. It is carried out both for the purpose of obtaining the funds necessary for the struggle, and for propaganda purposes. It acquires its greatest scope during periods of revolutionary destabilization.
Hijacking is the capture of a vehicle: an airplane, a railway train, a car, a ship. The most common aircraft hijackings in the world are also referred to as “skyjacking.” Skyjacking is the most effective among other types of hijacking, because, firstly, it keeps intelligence services from carrying out attacks on terrorists due to the high risk of hostages being killed, and secondly, air transport seems to be more convenient means in order to escape persecution. Capturing ships, trains, buses, etc. less attractive to terrorists. For example, it is more difficult for criminals to establish control over a ship. It is much easier to carry out an anti-terrorist operation against those who have hijacked a train, bus and other ground vehicles than to free an airplane from terrorists.
Capturing buildings. Most often, embassy buildings, government offices, and party offices are raided. As a rule, a terrorist operation is not limited to the seizure of a building. If things go well for the terrorists, they are given the opportunity to leave the captured building under the cover of hostages.
Non-fatal armed assault causing minor property damage. They are carried out by terrorist organizations in their infancy, when they have not yet accumulated experience in conducting large-scale operations, as well as by actively operating organizations that only need to demonstrate the ability to conduct armed operations.
Cyberterrorism - attacks on computer networks. The first examples of computer terrorism appeared in the late 1990s, which is associated both with the development of networks and with the increased role of computers in all spheres of life. The reverse side of this phenomenon is the dependence of the normal functioning of society on the safety of computers, and as a result, the increased attention to them by various “cyberpartisans” and “cyberbullies”. Attacks on computers through unauthorized access are carried out in order to sabotage the work of relevant institutions.
6) The main trends of modern terrorism.
In the development of terrorism in the last decades of the 20th and early 21st centuries, a number of more or less distinct trends can be traced, the study of which is of great importance for understanding the role of terrorism as global threat humanity, many countries of the world, and for the scientific development of a system of measures necessary for effective fight with him.
1) Increasing public danger of terrorism, both for international relations, international security, and for the constitutional system and the rights of citizens of many countries of the world.
2) Expansion of its social base, involvement of a significant part of the population in political extremist activities in a number of countries.
3) It has become a long-term factor in modern political life, a relatively stable phenomenon in the development of society. Over the past few decades, terrorism has not only become a widespread phenomenon of socio-political relations in major regions of the world, but has also acquired social stability, despite active efforts to localize and eradicate it, which are being undertaken both within individual countries and at the global level. communities.
4) Increasing the level of its organization. This trend is reflected in:
Formation of doctrines on the use of terror for political purposes and in the implementation of terrorist acts, at least by many extremist organizations, on a planned, systematic basis;
Creation of a comprehensive infrastructure for terrorist activities;
Many extremist structures have developed connections within the country and abroad with political organizations and sources of funds for criminal activity;
The existence of a mechanism for propaganda support for the activities of the most significant terrorist groups.
5) Blocking terrorist organizations within individual countries and at the international level. This is, first of all, the establishment and implementation of cooperation between structures that are similar or identical in their ideological and political positions. Blocking terrorist organizations is carried out in such forms as coordination of ideological and political positions, strategic and tactical guidelines; information exchange; providing mutual assistance in organizing terrorist activities; coordination of ongoing violent actions, etc.
6) The trend of merging terrorism and organized crime. Organized crime by its nature has a high potential for using violence for criminal purposes: its structures have special forces and means to use it, resorting to it in everyday practice, in fact, systematically. Another basis for linking the organized crime of terrorism is the need of terrorist structures to obtain financial resources to continue their activities, purchase weapons, etc.
7) The evolution of the goals, means and methods of terrorism has turned it into a serious threat to life important interests society, state and individual in most countries of the world.
3. International terrorism as a global problem
The development of humanity has always been contradictory. For many centuries, progress in one area of society was accompanied by regression in another; the successes of people in one area or another caused many problems that impeded further development. The expansion of scientific and technical knowledge often led to the death of people and environmental pollution. However, never before has humanity faced such serious problems as it is now. Many problems of our time have become global in nature. The fate of all human society on Earth depends on their decision. In the last quarter of a century, several more have been added to the already existing global problems, including the problem of the spread of AIDS, the threat of thermonuclear catastrophe and the problem of international terrorism. Further in this part I will focus on the latter and provide evidence that it belongs to global problems.
First of all, it is necessary to decide what is considered international terrorism. It's not as simple as it seems at first glance. Until now, uniform definitions of terrorism in general and international terrorism in particular have not been developed for all states. However, the definition of these concepts refers to those world problems, the solution of which is of exceptional practical importance. This is sufficiently realized by the international community, politicians, scientists and, of course, intelligence officers and law enforcement agencies of various states, regardless of their political, social and economic structure. The difficulties in developing an internationally agreed upon concept of “international terrorism” are due to many reasons. Among them are many objective ones, related to different understandings of national security by many states, diverging ideas about various forms of terrorism, as well as the emergence of ever new types of terrorist attacks and weapons. The process of developing a unified definition is also hampered by subjective factors: the reluctance of some countries to bind themselves with a firm formulation that could create obstacles to their connection with terrorist activities, hidden from the world and their own people. Due to cultural, civilizational, religious differences, as well as ethical norms associated with them, terrorist attacks can be perceived as heroism or a crime. For these and other reasons, the world community has not yet found a universal concept of “terrorism.” However, the development and consolidation of this concept in the norms of international law is really necessary. Firstly, to clarify the real positions of countries on this issue, and secondly, to coordinate the actions of states in the fight against this phenomenon. Many countries are trying to provide the most accurate definition of international terrorism. For example, Venezuela has proposed the following definition of international terrorism:
It is any threat or act of violence endangering the lives of innocent people or causing their death, or endangering fundamental freedoms, committed by one person or group of persons on foreign territory, on the high seas, or on board an aircraft in flight in airspace over open air. or free seas, for the purpose of spreading terror or achieving any political goal.
American researchers concluded that:
International terrorism includes... any unlawful act which results in death, physical injury to, or forcible deprivation of liberty of any person any person, or results in the violent destruction of property, or the attempt or actual threat of any such act; and all this in cases where the act, threat or attempt occurs or has consequences outside the territory of the state where the offender has citizenship; or outside the territory of the state against which the act is directed; or on the territory of the State against which the act is directed, but the alleged offender knows or ought to know that the person against whom the act is directed is a foreigner (for the State where the crime was committed), or on the territory of any State where the commission of the act was supported by reason border, regardless of the citizenship of the alleged offender.
The Belarusian Legal Encyclopedic Dictionary gives a different definition:
Acts undertaken by individuals or organizations on the territory of a state with the aim of undermining interstate relations, international communication systems (land, air and sea communications), diplomatic relations, state sovereignty, values protected and protected by international law.
These are just a few examples of the definition of the concept of “international terrorism”. To date, the problem of adopting a universal definition remains open.
Over the past decades, terrorism has undoubtedly grown into one of the most dangerous problems of humanity. However, not all scientists and specialists recognize this problem as global. Who is right: those who are confident in the global nature of this problem, or their opponents who do not see a real threat to the world community? I think it's the first. Next, I will prove my point of view, based on the main features of global problems, and find out whether they are inherent in the problem of international terrorism.
As noted earlier, global problems have three main features that distinguish them from a large number of pressing problems and give them the status of global. Problems are global if they:
1) concern all of humanity, affecting the interests and destinies of all countries, peoples and social strata;
2) lead to significant economic and social losses, and in cases of aggravation can threaten the entire existence of human civilization;
3) for their solution, they require cooperation on a planetary scale, joint actions of all countries and peoples.
I will dwell in more detail on each of the signs. So, the first sign of the global nature of the problem: they are planetary in nature.
If in the middle of the 20th century. Terrorism was considered a local phenomenon, but by the beginning of the third millennium it had covered most of the world. Now there is no place left on earth where terrorism has not penetrated. Acts of terrorism have occurred on every continent (except perhaps Antarctica). Of course, not all countries have committed acts of international terrorism, but this in no way reduces the danger of the phenomenon itself. The more the geography of domestic terrorism expands, the greater the threat of its development into international terrorism.
To confirm the global spread of terrorism, I will give a small list of terrorist attacks in various regions of the world.
1988 - a Pan American airliner was blown up in the skies of Scotland (259 people died);
1993, February - terrorists detonated a bomb at the World Trade Center in New York, which led to numerous casualties;
1995, June 14 - a group of armed militants led by Shamil Basayev seized a hospital and a number of other objects in the city of Budennovsk, Stavropol Territory. 1,100 people were taken hostage. The operation to free them lasted for five days. The total number of deaths was 128 people;
1997, February 4 - Tajikistan, near Komsomolabad, the paramilitary group of Bakhrom Sodirov kidnapped four UN military observers: two Swiss, an Austrian, a Ukrainian and a Tajik. The kidnappers demanded security for their supporters during the transition from Afghanistan to Tajikistan. On February 11, the group released the Austrian hostage. By 17 February, all hostages were released after the group's demand was met;
1997, March 4 - Yemen, fifty Yemeni rebels kidnapped six German tourists and their guide in Wadi Al-Dabaat and demanded $12 million for the release of the captives. On March 12, the hostages were released;
1999, October - Armenia, terrorists in the parliament building killed the chairman of parliament, the prime minister and a number of other deputies;
2001, September 11 - terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center (“Twin Towers”), which killed several thousand people;
2001, October 23 - UNITA militants captured 16 children aged 7 to 14 years in Angola during a church service, the children were taken to an unknown direction;
2002, February 5 - Algeria, as a result of two terrorist attacks committed by religious extremists, 22 people were killed and three were injured;
2002, July 29 - an explosion occurred in one of the clubs in the city of Linz (Austria), 27 people were injured; presumably, the terrorist attack was directed against foreigners, mainly of Yugoslav origin, who are the main visitors to the disco;
2002, August 5 - an explosion in the town of Santa Pola in Spain killed two and injured 25 people;
2002, September 28 - Bangladesh, 4 bombs exploded in a cinema; 10 people killed, 200 injured;
2002, October 12 - a series of explosions occurred at the largest resorts of Bali (Indonesia); 202 people died, some died in hospital;
2002, October 23 - the Nord-Ost theater center in Moscow was captured by armed Chechens; More than 700 spectators were taken hostage;
2002, October 28 - seven people, including 5 children, were injured in a bomb explosion in the capital of Nepal;
2003, March 6 - Colombia, a car filled with explosives exploded in an underground parking lot; 4 people were killed and 56 injured;
2004, September 1 - at about 8 a.m., militants captured secondary school No. 1 in Beslan; they were neutralized only on the night of September 3; As a result of the hostage taking in Beslan, 338 people were killed and more than 700 were injured.
This is only a small part of the huge list of countries affected by terrorism. There are almost no regions or countries left on earth free from this “plague of the 21st century.” By the way, a very correct comparison. Like a plague, terrorism is spreading across the planet at tremendous speed, infecting larger and larger areas. It exists in Asia, in Africa, in Latin America, and even in prosperous Europe, not to mention those countries where this disease has become an epidemic (Lebanon, Israel, Iraq, Afghanistan, Northern Ireland, etc. ). Unfortunately, Russia is not free from this problem either. All this proves that not a single country, not a single people is protected from the “plague”. Everyone is equal before it, there are no differences between segments of the population, any person can become a victim of terrorism, no matter where he lives, no matter who he is, no matter what skin color he has. This “plague” has already claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent people across the planet.
What is the reason for such a widespread spread of terrorism in the modern world? Analysts cite as the main reason the expansion of the social base of terrorism, the involvement of ever larger segments of the population in some countries in extremist (and therefore potentially terrorist) activities. And this, in turn, comes from the fact that in many regions various contradictions are spreading and aggravating: interethnic, interfaith, religious, social, etc. Not having their demands met by conventional methods, these people begin to use methods of terrorism.
So, based on the above facts, we can conclude that today the geography of terrorist activity has no boundaries. A huge number of countries have suffered from terrorism. This problem concerns every inhabitant of the planet, regardless of his social status, income, etc. Consequently, the problem of terrorism in the 21st century. the first sign of globality is inherent.
Let us now move on to the second sign. It sounds like this: global problems lead to significant economic and social losses, and in cases of aggravation they can threaten the entire existence of human civilization. All global problems cause significant damage to humanity. However, some are potentially much more dangerous than others, such as preventing a nuclear holocaust and the threat of another world war. They are extremely dangerous to society individually. But they are closely related to each other, and the implementation of one threat will certainly lead to the implementation of another. However, if these two problems can be resolved peacefully, through multilateral negotiations and agreements, then solving the problem of international terrorism requires much more effort and resources. Terrorism cannot be negotiated; this disease cannot be eliminated through an agreement. And she is still progressing.
Now international terrorism has become thousands of times more dangerous than it was in the last century. If then the victims of terrorism were individuals chosen from thousands and millions of other people on class and material grounds, now not only every inhabitant of the planet can become its victim, but all of humanity is in danger, it faces death. Why is this happening? What makes international terrorism such a dangerous and threatening phenomenon of our time?
The answer to this question can be found by considering the main trends of modern terrorism, because This problem acquired a particularly ominous connotation precisely when the main world powers entered the post-industrial era. The more the knowledge of society develops, the more acute the threat of death of thousands, millions, or even billions of people on earth.
The first feature of modern international terrorism, which makes it so socially dangerous, is that the geographical scope of terrorist activity today has no boundaries. This was discussed in more detail above. Moreover, the sphere of terrorist action extends not only to land territory, but also to air and maritime space that are outside the jurisdiction of the state - the high seas and Andean airspace. Thus, aeronautics and navigation, trade and other routes of communication between countries and continents are constantly under threat. Examples of such acts include: the seizure by Chechen terrorists on March 15, 1997. Russian passenger plane Tu-154, flying Istanbul - Moscow (there were 162 passengers and 12 crew members on board; during the operation to free the hostages and neutralize the criminals, three people died) and the attack of the terrorist organization "Tamil and Lama Liberation Tigers" on 2 passenger ferry in Sri Lanka October 23, 2000 (one ferry sank, the second was badly damaged; more than 400 people died).
In the future, terrorists will target the area that is being actively explored by humanity today - space. They will try to capture or destroy spacecraft in order to use them to either cause significant damage to objects on the surface of the Earth, or disrupt the operation of existing communication systems with maximum benefit for themselves, or provoke an armed conflict of varying degrees of intensity between individual countries. There are no number of options, because... The use of space for humanity opens up enormous opportunities. And the more successful a person’s activities in near-Earth space are, the greater the likelihood that he will be drawn into the sphere of interests of terrorists.
Another important trend of modern terrorism is the creation (and therefore the possible use for terrorist purposes) of qualitatively new types of weapons. Today, analysts identify the following types of unconventional means of terrorist activity:
chemical weapon;
biological and bacteriological weapons;
computer resources (cyberterrorism);
nuclear weapon.
The possibility of using chemical weapons as a means of violence was proven in 1995, when the Japanese sect Aum Shinrikyo used sarin gas against Tokyo subway passengers. Then more than 4,700 people were poisoned, 10 died. Being a very effective type of terrorism, chemical terrorism is also very simple and accessible, much cheaper than biological and nuclear terrorism. Chemical weapons are not difficult to obtain, either through domestic production or on the black market. It is convenient to transport. Therefore, this type of terrorism is the most promising. This means terrorism becomes even more dangerous.
Biological weapons are more difficult to obtain than chemical weapons. It requires large expenses: highly equipped laboratories and qualified specialists are needed. But the possible number of victims of this type of terrorism is much higher than chemical terrorism; such weapons are even more deadly. Its use will lead to numerous casualties. Today, acts of biological terrorism are fortunately quite rare, but reports of their commission can still be heard from time to time. For example, at the end of 2001, dozens of recipients in the United States (including senior officials states) received letters containing anthrax spores. As a result, five people died, 18 were infected, and hundreds of people were treated for actual or potential infection. The terrorists have not yet been found, and the source of the anthrax spores has also not been reliably established.
Unlike other types of terrorism, cyberterrorism does not directly harm the life and health of people. However, the consequences of attacks can be colossal, because... In the post-industrial era, the role of the information component is increasingly increasing. American expert F. Cohen conducted a study on his country and calculated that ten hackers with one hundred thousand dollars could cause serious damage to the American information structure over the course of several weeks, even to the point of paralyzing it. Twenty hackers with one million dollars in two weeks could bring the United States to its knees. And hundreds of hackers and 30 million dollars are enough to destroy the entire US information structure, after which it will take several years and hundreds of millions of dollars to restore it.
However, none of the above types of weapons are as deadly as nuclear weapons. Today, the threat of a thermonuclear catastrophe ranks first on the list of the most dangerous global problems for humanity. But back in the 50s of the 20th century, many considered a limited nuclear war acceptable. However, calculations carried out in the 70s showed that with the explosion of several nuclear charges, a condition called “nuclear winter” will develop, when clouds of dust and smoke will cover the sun, sharply disrupting the thermal balance of the planet, which will lead to the death of the biosphere. Today, only one nuclear weapon has been accumulated so much that its explosive power is several thousand (!) times greater than the power of the ammunition used in all the wars that were fought before. Nuclear charges are stored in the arsenals of different countries, the total power of which is several million (!) times greater than the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. But this bomb killed 200 thousand people, 40% of the area turned to ashes, everything was mutilated beyond recognition! But in addition to nuclear weapons themselves, there are also nuclear power plants. The disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant finally opened the eyes of millions of people to the essence of nuclear danger. The fatal consequences of both the atomic bombing and the Chernobyl disaster are still felt by thousands of people.
What also makes international terrorism potentially dangerous for all humanity is its possible escalation into a new world war. At first glance, this position seems absurd. How one terrorist attack can lead to new war? But it is enough to recall the fact that the First World War began with the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. And today, fears are increasingly being expressed that acts of international terrorism and states’ responses to them may well end in world war.
Thank God, such a sad outcome of events has so far been avoided, despite the desire of some countries for war and the increasingly active processes of globalization. However, the events of the past year, 2006, in the Middle East showed how real the threat of world war is. And although the terrorist attacks resulted only in a local war between two countries, we must not forget that the world community was on the verge of drawing other countries into the war, primarily Syria, Iran and the United States.
And that Arab-Israeli conflict (sometimes called the Second Lebanon War) began with a rocket and mortar attack by Hezbollah militants on one of the border areas of Israel. On that day, July 12, 2005, 3 Israeli soldiers were killed and two were captured. Apparently, the purpose of the terrorist attack was to put pressure on Israel, to divert its attention from the Gaza Strip, where Israel was conducting a military operation against the Hamas movement, and to force it to fight on two fronts.
However, Israel's response apparently exceeded Hezbollah's leadership's expectations. The conflict very quickly escalated into large-scale fighting. On Israel's part, this was expressed in establishing a naval and air blockade of Lebanon, launching massive airstrikes to destroy Hezbollah's infrastructure and its leadership, and, subsequently, switching to a ground operation. Hezbollah responded with regular daily rocket attacks on northern Israel and tried to hold the fortified areas it had created in the border area and inflict maximum damage to the Israeli army's manpower and military equipment.
The war lasted until August 14, ending 3 days after the signing of the UN Security Council resolution on a ceasefire. During the war, 160 people died on the Israeli side, of which 117 were military personnel; on the Lebanese side, about a thousand people died, and about three thousand were wounded. The leaders of Hezbollah acknowledged the death of 250 militants. And all these are just so-called military losses. Economic losses amounted, according to some sources, to about 6 billion (!) US dollars. And this is not to mention the fact that virtually all of southern Lebanon has been reduced to ruins, it will take years to rebuild it, and, consequently, this conflict has led to enormous economic and social losses. The cause of the war was an act of international terrorism.
Summarizing all of the above, we can say with confidence that currently international terrorism has grown into a problem that can lead to huge losses (human and economic), and in case of aggravation, can threaten the death of all humanity.
And finally, let's consider the third sign of global problems: for their solution, they require cooperation on a planetary scale, joint actions of all countries and peoples. The problem of international terrorism meets this criterion. Indeed, what can any country do alone to solve this problem? A state may try to fight domestic terrorism on its territory by introducing special laws to combat this phenomenon, undertaking military operations to eliminate terrorist bases, etc. But to combat international terrorism, the forces of one state are not enough. If only because of the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states. And if one state nevertheless invades the borders of another, this will lead more likely to war than to solving the problem of terrorism, as exemplified by the same Lebanese war. And other countries periodically carried out such anti-terrorist operations (for example, the introduction of US troops into Iraq), which, apart from colossal casualties on both sides, did not lead to any more significant results.
So, solving the problem of international terrorism requires the efforts of all humanity. How has civilization tried and is trying to cope with the existing threat?
Before World War II, the world community was rather passive about the problems of combating terrorism. Perhaps in 1934, after the assassination of French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou and King of Yugoslavia Alexander I Karageogievich, the question of joining forces in the fight against terrorism was submitted to the bodies of the League of Nations. Ultimately, on November 16, 1937, member states of the League of Nations signed two conventions in Geneva: “On the Prevention and Punishment of Terrorism” and “On the Establishment of an International Criminal Court.”
After World War II, international cooperation in the fight against terrorism continued to increase. A number of documents were adopted that regulated activities in this area. Among them are the Convention on Offenses and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft (1963), the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft (1970), the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons (1973), the International Convention on the fight against hostage-taking (1979), the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (1980) and many others.
At the universal level, the problem of terrorism in general and international terrorism in particular is dealt with by the UN and its specialized agencies - International Organization civil aviation(ICAO), International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). For example, December 9, 1994 The UN General Assembly approved the “Declaration on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism.” It unconditionally condemned as criminal and unjustifiable all acts, methods and practices of terrorism, wherever and by whomever they were carried out.
In Art. 3 of the Declaration emphasizes: “Criminal acts aimed at or calculated to create a climate of terror among the general public, a group of individuals or specific individuals for political purposes cannot under any circumstances be justified, whatever the considerations of political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be cited in their justification.”
December 16, 1997 General Assembly resolution 52/164 adopted the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings. It clarified some concepts, for example, such as “explosive or other lethal device”, “place of public use”, “public transport system”, etc.
One of the most important problems that needs to be resolved is the improvement international cooperation in the area of cutting off financial flows directed to support terrorists. As Walter Laqueur points out, the main myth of terrorists is that they are poor, hungry and deprived of human conditions. But in fact, the income of the well-known Palestine Liberation Organization is 150-200 million US dollars per year. Officials of the organization receive $5,000 or more per month and have bank accounts in Switzerland.
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