Terrorism and its reflections in the action of armed forces

Abstract

The 9/11 tragedy has completely changed the world scenario and terrorism has been declared as major threat to world peace and security. The manner, in which the terrorist attack was launched, had shaken the entire world in general and United States of America in particular. The war in Afghanistan and occupation of Iraq has raised many questions; consequently, the labelling of various organizations and groups as terrorists and the absence of an agreeable definition has complicated the problem of a united and effective response. Today, Muslim world is the most affected community who is being targeted world over and has been labelled as terrorists and extremists. The emergence of armed groups, the nature of the terrorist threat and the increasing number of weak or failed states that are incapable of controlling or enforcing the laws within their territories bring about new circumstances and dangers that cannot be explained by the old security paradigm. During the course of research, it has been found that not only the 9/11 incident but the other terrorist activities are also having their roots in political and social injustices, economic disparities and subjugation of political and human rights. Weak economies, inflation, unemployment, high rate of population growth, low literacy level and poor health care are permanent irritants. In this paper, an endeavour has been made to define the terrorism, identify its causes, and recommend measures for its eradication, at national and international level. Role and efficacy of United Nations, in combating this new type of horror, reflections of terrorism in the action of armed forces has also been highlighted.