Defining the attack - Essay Example

Topic: Terrorism is a calculated use of violence employed against innocent civilians by a person or group of persons to communicate their ideology and other intentions by sowing magnitude of violence to purposively sow fear on people and effect government’s operation paralysis (Smith, 2010). By this definition, this researcher asserts that the incident in Floola, where a suicide bomber drove a van filled of explosives into a community near to the residential zone of U.S. Military Base and have instantly killed hundreds of innocent men, women and children-- is an act of terrorism.

Experts defined that there is act of terrorism when the following characteristics are present: (a) the act of destruction is done by person or groups not acting in behalf of the government; (b) violence is used as tool to redress real or imaginary injustice; and (c) act is aimed at directly and indirectly to government perceived to be the cause of injustice (Ali, 2001, p. 2). The use of terror here is aimed at coercing the government to make decisions to break relations with US government and its military forces, the latter being politically considered by this kind of group as its world’s greatest political enemy.

Although Floola is reflected as a peaceful Muslim nation in South East Asia with secular government that sustains friendly ties with United States but we reserve ambivalence to some religious personalities who preached religious extremism to persuade some believers to wage war against the state and its western partners. In circumspect, Islam has been considered as a religion of peace but is tainted by believers who perceived that doing massive murder and violence will compel state actors to submit to their demands and make them martyrs of Allah (Houben, 2003).

Compared to other southeast nations however, Muslim in this region are pluralists albeit effects of cultural influences which modify their practices (Houben, 2003). As a member of the United States Joint Task Force on Terrorism, a team of expert analysts and investigators, the crime scene will be subjected to investigations by forensic experts to gather essential evidences to identify the terrorist and his possible group affiliation. Such will be undertaken while victims of the bombing incident are subjected into autopsies and medical actions.

Coordination with the local government will also be severed as the incident happened within the US Bases facility. Such attack demonstrates grave intention to attack the US military facility, if only feasible at that incident, but have instead hit the civilian populace within the military facility’s confines. When material evidences from crime scene are gathered, all data and information about the family, friends, associations, identities and political affiliation of the bomber will be subjected to an inquest to clarify motivations of such heinous attack.

Database will also be used as sources in tracking information. To appease public panic and fears, authorities will assume control on information and provide the public of all information to mitigate the impact of the incident. Local police forces will likewise also be coordinated to provide visibility in the area and to demonstrate that situation is totally under control. Review of security management assessment will immediately commence in partnership with all security stakeholders and leaders of the nation to enable coordinated planning to resolve this security problem.

The meeting will welcome discussion about the anti-US sentiments of the people to also gauge right remedial measures to bring the US government near to the heart Floopa people. In this war against terrorism, the most essential part is not just to get an advantageous position of the terrain but quintessentially winning favourable sentiment of the civilian populace. All information in this security conference will be coordinated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to insure that accurate information are articulated to the team.

Meanwhile, legal action will be launched too to drumbeat the need of legislating anti-terror policy so that the law will command officials to strategize its sanctions against terrorist groups’s leaders, members, collaborators, apparatus, and supporters. Operatives will be tasked to undergo surveillance activities and ensure that victims will be accorded with justice. But while this is the policy side, which are by the way stringent, civic programs of US should be popularized too to demonstrate how they have assisted in improving Floopa’s economic performance, of democratizing its system, of providing infrastructure, of extoling diversity (Houben, 2003) and developmental intervention for depressed areas of the nation.

As terrorism is also largely linked to economic aspects, the government must also be motivated to appraise and reform its economic and political programs to mitigate expression of discontent through violence and religious extremism (Burgoon, 2006). Many sociologists opined that poverty, hunger and depression motivate a person to join with violent groups that can readily shock the world. The government address social discontent and inequities to reduce its vulnerabilities from internal violence (Burgoon, 2006).

Reference Ali, S. (2002). Truth, Honesty, and Justice: The Alternative to Wars, Terrorism and Politics. http://www.truth-and-justice.info/defterror.html Retrieved: September 1, 2012. Burgoon, B. (2006). On Welfare and Terror: Social Welfare Policies and Political-Economic Roots of Terrorism. The Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 50, No. 2, pp. 176-203. Cronin, A.K. and Ludes, J.M, (2004). Attacking Terrorism:Elements of a Grand Strategy Georgetown University, Washington DC. Houben,V J. H (2003).

Southeast Asia and Islam. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science and Sage Publication, Vol. 588, Islam: Enduring Myths and Changing Realities (Jul., 2003), pp. 149-170. Smith, P. J. (2010). Terrorism in Southeast Asia: A Strategic Assessment, Regional Outlook, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. pp. 12-16.