An Overview of International Terrorism

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The origin of terrorism can be traced to the French Revolution. International terrorism can be described as warfare without territory, waged without armies. Every terrorist act contains the use of violence, and deliberate targeting of non-combatants and must have a political goal. During the days of the cold war both the superpowers employed terrorism against each other to intercept the spread of their respective ideologies and influence. International terrorism exacerbated the blatant display of carnage when Osama Bin Laden-led terrorist group destroyed the World Trade Center on 11th September 2001. Religious fundamentalism, low rate of socio-economic development, exploitative trends of globalization, brutal repression of petty offenders by the security personnel, growth of separatist groups, and overall degradation of moral values and humanism among the citizens of the global world are responsible for the emergence and acceleration of terrorism. Almost all the countries of the world have come under the all-embracing influence of terrorism. Though the United Nations at the global level have adopted various Conventions to curb terrorism, they have not produced desired results on account of a lack of unanimity among the member states and big powers. Despite a ban on a country’s territory to be used by terrorist groups, the terrorist groups are taking shelter and conducting training camps in the territory of a country at the indulgence of the ruling regime and when the opportunity comes, they kill innocent people and shatter the foundation of national symbol elsewhere.