Terrorism and Fundamentalism - Assignment Example

Terrorism Fundamentalism Question 1: conditions that must exists for a successful insurgency One of the conditions that would be necessary for a successful insurgency to occur in the US would be massive dissatisfaction by the citizens. If the government remains inattentive to the needs and concerns of the people, it is possible for the tensions to continue building up until they reach a blasting point. According to radical political theory, hopeless people do not involve themselves in the development of a nation or government; they remain apathetic and may not even exercise their rights to vote. However, this hopelessness and apathy can be turned into something that is more harmful. As Croteau (1995, p.222) says, social inequality is a particularly fundamental means by which societies will be able to create an activism machine to counter the excesses of a corrupt government and depose those in positions of power in order to enthrone those they feel are better qualified and suited to serve them. Through civil and political activism, people who are so hopeless can be used to drive a highly successful insurgency because they are not wary of the results of their activism. Middle class people are less involved in insurgency because eventually they have to go to their work, look after their children and continue with their daily lives. For such people, there is no time to go out and be involved in activism or insurgency. However, as the middle class is eliminated and more citizens are getting poorer, this will create a condition where there are so many people to come and face the government in the street and through other channels without being afraid of anything. If they do not have a happy family to go home to, do not have a job to protect and do not have property to protect, they will not be afraid of the government. Question 2: Violence lacking cohesive structure and religious fundamentalism While, at the current time, urban terrorists may lack cohesive structures, this cannot be seen as a weakness on their part. This is because it could be a prelude to a more powerful and integrated terrorist machine. This is because while these terrorists may lack a cohesive structure, they have a common goal and a common enemy. As a result, it will be necessary to understand that, although they may lack a powerful central power, need and necessity may make them to end up grouping around a common goal and, brining their resources together. This can lead to more dangerous terrorist groups in the future. It is natural for people to end up in a group of interests, and as more terror groups gather their individual powers, they may end up making one common terror group. A good example of this is what is seen in the Middle East where terror groups such as the al-Qaida are now combining forces with other smaller groups and having a common centre and shared resources thus making them stronger and harder to beat. Religious fundamentalism According to Nirmal (2009, p.25), fundamentalism refers to a deep and unquestioning commitment to a cause. Religious fundamentalism will lead to stronger groups and will also change the rules of the game for both terror groups and the security agencies such as FBI and CIA. Religious fundamentalism leads to more cohesive groups that are harder to beat especially because religious faith makes the followers of the groups more committed because they see their cause as a holy calling. As Saha (2004, p.34) says, there are numerous religious faiths in the United States and these sects and dialects are all joined by one common factor; that they all believe in an all powerful and holy deity. As religious fundamentalism continues to affect the modern urban terrorism in America, it may mean that the religious groups will have to convert their faith and pledged their allegiance to a central religious leader. Again, a perfect demonstration of this is the Middle Eastern terrorist groups which are fueled by religious faith and religious fundamentalism (Pedahzur, & Weinberg, 2009). Once the terrorists groups are minced with religious fundamentalism, the cause of war and terrorism will change for these groups because they will now be dealing with a different calling. Religious fundamentalism leads to a following by people who may not even comprehend what they are standing for and, therefore, it is likely to increase the enrolment in these groups and make it harder for security agencies to curb these terrorists groups. To begin with, religion is always shrouded with mystery and in most cases dogma. As religious fundamentalism comes into the picture, religious dogma will play a crucial role in try to ensure that the followers are well contained, and they can keep their lives at risk to fight for because they do not even understand (Reed, p.45). Religious fundamentalism as a medium for terror groups has more power, and as the urban model gets enshrouded by this fundamentalism, it will be easy for the groups to now come up with ways to gain strength. A good example of how religious fundamentalism can increase the strength of a terror groups is the roman Christina crusades which lasted for over 400 years. During this time, numerous citizens were killed in the name of the Christina gospel. North Africa Muslims were the main casualties as they were killed after refusing to denounce their faith and confess the Christian faith. According to Hergott (2001), while there are various types of terrorism, they all have a common factor, which a religious connotation. Support structures that terrorists must have regardless of their organizational philosophy Any terror group must have an issue that they want to solve. In many cases, the issue that they are always looking at is one that cannot be solved easily by the target government. This creates continuity for the terror groups. The terror groups must also provide a cause for its followers; this cause is a life mission that is enshrouded by mystery, dogma, propaganda and fallacy. These factors are crucial in keeping the followers in the group even when they are not reaping any advantages and also keeping them from asking a question when their intellect or conscience requires them to. Works Cited Croteau David. Politics and the Class Divide: Working People and the Middle-Class Left. Philadelphia, PN: Temple University Press, 1995. Print Hergott Sebastian. Terrorism in the name of Allah - Islamic fundamentalism as sign of the 'Clash of civilizations'? München: GRIN Verlag, 2001. Print Nirmal Anjali. Urban Terrorism: Myths and Realities. London\: Pointer Publishers, 2009. Print Pedahzur, Ami & Weinberg Leonard. Religious Fundamentalism and Political Extremism. London: Routledge, 2013. Print Reed Betsy. Nothing sacred: women respond to religious fundamentalism and terror. New York City, NY: Thunder's Mouth Press/Nation Books,, 2002. Print Saha Santosh. Religious fundamentalism in the contemporary world: critical social and political issues. Lanhan, ML: Lexington Books. 2004. Print Read More