How Technology Plays A Factor In Terrorism When Selecting Target Areas - Essay Example

Running head: How technology plays a factor in terrorism when selecting target areas How technology plays a factor in terrorism when selecting target areas In APA Format 20 June 2009 Role of Technology in Terrorism Annihilation, catastrophe, are just a few synonymous words that come to mind when terrorism is talked about. Terrorism is a very heinous act carried out by cowards who aim to change the society for better. Countless innocent people pay the price of terrorism day-in and day-out. Terrorism has cost in the past and it will continue to do so if not take care of, there are several measures that have been taken to counter terrorism but somehow or the other this ever standing problem reoccurs over and over again. The world was taken by storm when 9/11 occurred and the person supposedly responsible has succeeded time and again to dodge the US in their endeavour to capture him. This paper will expansively present how technology plays a pivotal role in terrorism when selecting target areas. "Much terrorist behavior is less than rational, and suicide is not the act of a rational person. Many experts (Ganor 2000; Schweitzer 2000) have commented on the tendency for modern terrorists to use suicide attacks. In fact, theIslamic Jihad(there are several Islamic Jihads started in the 1980s, all stemming from inside the Muslim Brotherhood movement started in the 1920s) have specialized in the use of suicide bombers, which involve a person wearing explosives or detonating a vehicle packed with explosives." (The Readiness to Kill and Die). Suicide Bombers Suicide Bombers have been used time and again to carry out difficult missions, terrorists who have stern determination are selected for this mission and a live bomb with a timer is tied to their body in order to accomplish the mission. The Suicidal tendency of the terrorists is time and again capitalized upon by several terrorist organizations. "Suicide terrorism, which is also called a suicide mission or a martyrdom operation, among other terms, is something of a growth industry because in 2005 alone, there were 555 such attacks around the world (Gambetta 2005). Poverty is the main cause of people turning towards terrorism; no one is foolish enough to blow himself up for no reason. The terrorists' organization take good care of the family members of the terrorists and the same motivates more and more people to become actively involved in several terrorists' activities; this is the only reason why the world is yet to come up with a fool-proof system to counter this long standing menace. "There is a lot of propaganda and window-dressing surrounding suicide terrorism. Most of the myths about it are tied to specific contexts. The fact is: suicide terrorism can occur in a number of settings, both indoor and out; it is not confined to the Middle East; it indirectly can serve numerous terrorist purposes; and because of this, some people say it may very well be the kind of terrorism the world is likely to see more of in the future." (Bloom 2005). Bioterrorism Bioterrorism is consistently on the rise because it is very easy to obtain Biological weapons and another influential factor is that it causes fear of much larger magnitude when compared to the other weapons used by the terrorists. The biggest motive of terrorists when biological weapons are used is to cause immense fear in the minds of the people. Anthrax is a very popular biological weapon used by the terrorists, in the year 2001 the people in the US suffered a lot because of Anthrax menace, it was later found that the terrorists deliberately did the same in order to weaken the bio defence system in the US. Anthrax was used in several mails in the US and when the recipients opened the mails the anthrax spread thorough their nostrils entering into their body. Anthrax is more than capable of causing death unless the patient is immediately attended to. Of late anthrax has become out dated and no such cases have been reported but terrorists are consistently finding new ways to spread menace all across the globe. The US has several forces that specialize in identifying and neutralizing threats related to bioterrorism, they are working their socks off in order to ensure that the terrorists fail in every endeavour of theirs. Gadgets Used in the Recent Mumbai Attacks Terrorists have a lot of money at their disposal and they certainly make the most of it, they buy the latest gadgets in order to ensure that they successfully complete the undertaken mission. India's financial capital Mumbai was in the limelight for a terrorist attack that stunned everyone in the country. "The Mumbai terrorists used an array of commercial technologies - from Blackberries to GPS navigators to anonymous e-mail accounts - to pull off their heinous attacks." (How Gadgets Helped Mumbai Attackers) GPS equipment was instrumental for the terrorists that cause havoc in Mumbai, they used GPS equipment in order to steer the boat which they used to enter into India. Blackberries were very handy in this operation, the terrorists spoke to other people involved in the operation over their phones and in addition to this they also accessed the internet using their phone and kept a track of the latest reaction of the police as well as the government of India. Satellite phone was another instrumental gadget that helped the terrorists to carry out the Mumbai Attacks; they kept a track of a host of things using their satellite phone. "The terrorists that attacked various locations in south Mumbai last week used digital maps from Google Earth to learn their way around, according to officials investigating the attacks. Investigations by the Mumbai police, including the interrogation of one nabbed terrorist, suggest that the terrorists were highly trained and used technologies such as satellite phones, and global positioning systems (GPS), according to police." (Google Earth Used by the Terrorists) Exploitation of the Internet Websites like Twitter, YouTube etc are very helpful for terrorists in executing their activities. They get access to sensitive information by using the internet and the same is instrumental in determining the success of their undertaken mission. Websites like Yahoo and Google give access to sensitive information, the search engine of these two websites id regarded as the best search engines and the terrorists have realized this and they have started using these websites to complete their missions successfully. "Some Israeli and U.S. officials believe that terrorists from Hamas and Islamic Jihad use the Internet to provide specific instructions to fellow terrorists including maps, photographs, directions, codes and technical details of how to use explosives." (Terrorists Activities). This time and again proves that technology can be a boon as well as a bane or in other words it is a double edged weapon that can be utilized as well as misused. The internet provides an ideal platform for the terrorists to recruit more people, they stimulate the feelings of the other people by displaying appealing and motivations semiotics. It has been found that websites like Orkut and other social networking websites are very instrumental in recruiting new members; the worldwide reach of the internet is another factor that is helping the terrorist organizations in more ways than one. It has been found that many people have been recruited by terrorist organizations over the past one year, most of these new recruits are trained in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan and they are later made use of in carrying out suicide attacks and other major operations. Terrorist organizations brainwash the people by misguiding them in the name of religion, they play with the feelings of the people and use them to their advantage. "There are hundreds, and possibly thousands, of websites maintained by terrorist groups and their supporters. The ability to use an announcement or imagery on a website to gain the attention of global news networks reinforces and multiplies the effect of Internet use. Estimates range from 700 to 4000. These websites play an essential role in creating a global presence. The location of the websites is ephemeral. A July 2004 survey of terrorist websites found them to be located in Iran, Canada, the U.S., the Netherlands, Lebanon, Russia, Hong Kong, and the UK." (The Internet and Terrorism). Conclusion This paper outlined how technology has been exploited and misused by the terrorist to carry out heinous operations all across the globe, they have literally everything at their disposal from money to latest technology and this is a very alarming signal for the defence authorities all across the globe. The paper has also proved how technology is being misused with the help of the recently occurred Mumbai attacks where terrorists made use of the latest gadgets to measure the situation. Technology will only keep improving from time to time and we should prepare ourselves for more such attacks, this can be dealt with smartly by imposing strict laws, for instance if the terrorists are not given SIM cards how can they access the internet And how can they call other people who are actually helping them in their endeavour to spread malice all across the world This must be worked upon by every government so as to ensure that no terrorists' activities become successful in the near future. Hence to conclude it is very fair to say that technology plays the most pivotal role in deciding how successful or unsuccessful a terrorist operation is going to be. References 1. Bloom, M. (2005).Dying to kill: The allure of suicide terror. NY: Columbia Univ. Press. 2. Google Earth Used by the Terrorists (2008). http://www.cio.com/article/466770/Google_Earth_Used_By_Terrorists_in_India_Attacks (Accessed on 20 June 2009) 3. Gambetta, D. (Ed.) (2005).Making sense of suicide missions. NY: Oxford Univ. Press 4. Ganor, B. (2002).Suicide terrorism. ICT: The Institute 5. How Gadgets Helped Mumbai Attackers (2008). Danger Room http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2008/12/the-gagdets-of/ (Accessed on 20 June 2009) 6. Schweitzer, Y. (2000).Suicide terrorism. ICT: The Institute 7. The Readiness to Kill and Die (2008). Suicide Terrorism http://www.apsu.edu/oconnort/3400/3400lect06.htm (Accessed on 20 June 2009) 8. Terrorists Activities (1998). Terrorism Update http://www.adl.org/Terror/focus/16_focus_a.asp (Accessed on 20 June 2009) 9. The Internet and Terrorism (2005). International Studies http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/050401_internetandterrorism.pdf (Accessed on 20 June 2009) Bibliography 1. Crenshaw, Martha,Terrorism in Context, p. 77. 2. Humphreys, Adrian."One official's 'refugee' is another's 'terrorist'",National Post, January 17, 2006. 3. Juergensmeyer, Mark (2000).Terror in the Mind of God. University of California Press. pp.125-135. 4. Rodin, David (2006). Terrorism. In E. Craig (Ed.), Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. London: Routledge 5. "Terrorism in the United States 1999"(PDF). Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved on 2008-07-11. Read More