Cudmore-Keating

Innisdale Secondary School

Effects of Terrorism in Developing Nations.

World issues independent study unit

Griffin Cudmore-Keating

Mr. Toole

March 7th 2019

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Table of contents
Definition: 2
Significance: 4
Background: 8
Expert: Dr. Dawson 11
Role Of Control: 14
International Organisations: 16
Case Study: Afghanistan 20
Case Study: Nigeria 24
Case Study: Sri Lanka 28
Canadian Connection 33
The logic of Evil 37
Politics 41
Religion 43
Solutions 45
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Definition:

For the entirety of recorded human history, there have been religious genocides. From the
Christian crusades, the Islamic conquering of the holy city of Mecca or the second world war
Holocaust, terrorism is defined by the Oxford dictionary as the unlawful use of violence and
intimidation in the pursuit of political aims1. For the purpose of this report, It will be defined as
acts of violence justified through religion. The Oxford definition renders the aforementioned
events as acts of terror on a massive scale. Extremist religious groups no longer hold the power
or the means to perform outright genocides as they once had. Because of that, these groups are
forced to use guerilla warfare. Attacks that occur at any time, anywhere on the globe.

Someone who is not tied in any way to terrorism can now understand what reasons
terrorists may have to provoke violence. How would there be any moral justification for attacks
on innocent people? The theory of this report will study is that people are coerced into extremist
groups through the teachings of their holy texts. Their lack of education ensures that they do not
have the critical thinking skills necessary to reject extremist practices. Islamic Extremist group
leaders are all regarded as highly intelligent and most are educated. Their hands stay clean while
they preying upon people those who are lost in life, poor, broken and uneducated to do their
work for them. They promise security, comfort and most importantly a place in heaven with
God. Within any terrorist group, soldiers traits are the same, blind fanaticism. Blind fanaticism is
the act of radically and unconditionally following a political group or religious group, no matter
the atrocities performed. Malala Yousafzai, a girl once shot in the head on her way to school by
the Taliban, and now a public speaker worldwide on the fight against terrorism and poor access
to education, once said, “Education is the best weapon we have to fight poverty, ignorance and
terrorism.” 2 Malala is not just a western writer studying her issue of choice from afar. She lived

1
“Terrorist | Definition of Terrorist in English by Oxford Dictionaries.” ​Oxford Dictionaries | English,​ Oxford
Dictionaries, en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/terrorist.

2
​“Our Top 5 Favorite Malala Quotes.” ​The Global Partnership for Education​, 
www.globalpartnership.org/blog/our-top-5-favorite-malala-quotes​. 
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the oppression, she lived the violence and she lived through a bullet to the head that had no
intentions to maim. She is the embodiment of the issue of terrorism and knows that education is
the best means to fight. She saw blind fanaticism bewitch her own neighbours. If she, a well
educated and tested scholar believes this is the way, who is anyone to contradict her? She sees
and understands how Islamic military states will have soldiers risk their own life as well as take
others with justification through the Quran, her own holy book and a book most of them can’t
read.

 
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Significance:

Terrorism can be found on every single corner of the Earth even within the past 50 years.
Each of them attacking a different group whether it be because of race, gender, sexuality or
religion. Developing and poor nations often harbour the most terrorist groups. Three countries
with literacy rates under 60%, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen3 are all three countries with the
highest number of terrorist attacks in 2017.4 The significance of this issue is to fight the oldest
battle in human history; the battle of survival and safety. As a developed world, everyone has
become accustomed to relatively stable and safe living conditions. What terrorism does in the
western world pushes people from their seat of comfort. You don’t know if and when there will
be an attack. There were times in the past where there were up to one major attack a month.
Secondly, The UN declaration of rights 5outlines a multitude of things. One of which is that“
Every person has the right to life, liberty and the security of person.” An organized terrorist
attack is a blunt infringement upon the most basic right bestowed upon every human. In addition
to those two issues, non-radical Muslims are often automatically portrayed as evil because of the
actions of terrorists. There are countless amounts of assaults all over the world concerning North
American or European Muslims being assaulted verbally as well as physically because of their
religious affiliation. The issue is simply a matter of international safety and should the world
truly strive to be as good as it possibly can be, the end of religious extremism is as good a place
as any to start.

The safety of the world is what almost every war was defended for. In every battle, there
is someone attacking and someone defending. If someone were throwing stones through the
windows of your house in the night you wouldn’t allow it to keep happening. The same is true

3
​Literacy and Non-Formal Education in Iraq | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization​, 
Discovery Channel, Producer., 
www.unesco.org/new/en/kabul/education/youth-and-adult-education/enhancement-of-literacy-in-afghanistan-iii/.
4
​Global Terrorism Index 2017​. Institute for Economics and Peace, 
visionofhumanity.org/app/uploads/2017/11/Global-Terrorism-Index-2017.pdf.
5
​Global Terrorism Index 2017​. Institute for Economics and Peace, 
visionofhumanity.org/app/uploads/2017/11/Global-Terrorism-Index-2017.pdf.
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for terrorism. On an international stage, they endanger thousands of peoples lives. In 2017 there
were 22,487 terrorist attacks.6 That same year there were 18 thousand people killed through them
7
. These attacks are almost always within cities and cause millions of dollars in damages.
Afghanistan alone in 2017 endured 4,653 fatalities through a little over 1,000 attacks. This issue
isn’t something that is caged up to the middle east. 2,400 Americans died in Afghanistan.8
Internationally, there haven't been that many attacks outside the middle east. There have been
approximately 200 fatalities outside of the middle east however governments are foiling terrorist
plans all the time. There isn’t deep research or grand conclusions to be made in order to find the
significance of this portion of the issue. You need simply look at the number of innocent people
dying. Is there not enough significance in that?

The United Nations, the most powerful congregation of countries there has ever been.
Upon its founding came fourth with its declaration of rights. The first right bestowed upon all
people by the “UN” is the right that every person has the right to life, liberty and the security of
person. In the previous paragraph, I outlined thousands of people that have had that right
infringed upon. The United Nations is an organization that was built upon the wish to keep world
peace. The thousands of lives taken speaks to either their lack of effectivity or their passivity
toward this issue. The second right is “No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and
the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.” In 2016 CNN estimated that over 1500
child soldiers9 fought for ISIS in direct violation of that right. This problem is particularly
concerning because the most powerful organization of countries to date, is still incapable of

6
​Erickson, Amanda, and Laris Karklis. “Every 2017 Terrorist Attack, Mapped.” ​The Washington Post​, WP Company, 18 
Jan. 2018, 
www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/01/18/every-2017-terrorist-attack-mapped/?utm_term=.44e6
794da4f7.
7
​“Terrorism: Death Toll Worldwide 2006-2017 | Statistic.” ​Statista​, Statista, 
www.statista.com/statistics/202871/number-of-fatalities-by-terrorist-attacks-worldwide/.
8
​“Soldiers Killed in Action in Afghanistan 2001-2019.” S
​ tatista​, Statista, 
www.statista.com/statistics/262894/western-coalition-soldiers-killed-in-afghanistan/.
9
​McLaughlin, Erin. “How ISIS Recruits Children, Then Kills Them.” ​CNN​, Cable News Network, 22 Feb. 2016, 
www.cnn.com/2016/02/19/middleeast/isis-child-soldiers/index.html.
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enforcing its laws. These extremist groups provide proof that no matter the power, under proper
leadership, you can always evade and avoid the law.

A final concern about radical Muslims is their impact upon the reputation on the rest of
the Islamic followers. The perception of Muslims, especially within the USA, is that all Muslims
are evil and hate non-believers when in fact it is the opposite. Islam for most of its followers is a
religion based on love and charity. Unfortunately, the misconceptions take over and can destroy
the lives of passive Muslims. The most mainstream example of blatant racism was performed the
President of the United States himself. His platform was largely based upon locking out all
Muslims from entering the country as well as evicting the current Islamic followers who reside
in the USA. Through the country, there has also been a multitude of mosques burnt down by
other Americans. On January 28th, 2017, in Bellevue, Washington, a mosque was burnt down to
the ground overnight.10 A man was charged and plead guilty to the arson as well as to an assault
on a Muslim. Within the year of 2017, 115 mosques within the US alone had been severely
vandalized. Another poll made through the Atlantic interviewed American Muslims and they
found that 75% of them claim to receive “a lot” of discrimination every day.11 The US claims to
take in people and to proudly integrate them into their country when in fact the opposite is
happening. They save people from one oppressive life and bring them into another. All of this is
because of the misrepresentation of Muslims. Extremist groups have tarnished the name of Islam
for the rest of their followers.

The significance of this issue is simple and transparent. Terrorism is a stain on the world
that must be washed. The thousands of innocents they kill, the international laws they break
should be enough to convince every single power on the globe to awaken and fight. The
reputation they impose on their own religion and its approximate 1.8 billion followers is a great

10
​Gamache, Martin, and Manuel Canales. “How Muslims, Often Misunderstood, Are Thriving in America.” ​National 
Geographic​, National Geographic, 12 Apr. 2018, 
www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/05/being-muslim-in-america/​. 
 
11
​Gamache, Martin, and Manuel Canales. “How Muslims, Often Misunderstood, Are Thriving in America.” ​National 
Geographic​, National Geographic, 12 Apr. 2018, 
www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/05/being-muslim-in-america/.
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issue in itself.12 With any luck, the aforementioned reasons should highlight the tip of the iceberg
of reasons this is an international and pressing issue.

12
​Masci, David, and Drew DeSilver. “World Muslim Population More Widespread than You Might Think.” ​Pew 
Research Center​, Pew Research Center, 31 Jan. 2017, 
www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/01/31/worlds-muslim-population-more-widespread-than-you-might-think/.
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Background:
Under the definition of terrorism given within this report, terrorism has been an issue for
thousands of years and had indeed been a global issue. The large acts of terrorism were
historically referred to as holy wars and the small acts were simply assassinations or murders.
Distinguishing them from simply murder was irrelevant because, in history, most conflicts was
an effect of religious differences. The term terrorism originated from the French Revolution
when the guillotine was used to massacre thousands and “flooded the streets with blood” in order
to scare anyone who supported the French royalty. Since then, there have been countless acts of
terror and it was and is still tragically commonly used as a tool of control over the people and
revolution. Of course, a major issue can not linger within the world without being confronted
with justice. Many governments, militaries and organizations have made efforts to end terrorism.
Finally, for the first time since the dawn of the concept, governments have started independent
sectors designated for anti-terrorism and they have been highly successful in foiling plans. Even
though this may seem like a happy ending, the background of terrorism is a long, evil, bloody
story of oppression and abuse of power.

To be able to answer if terrorism is a problem, you must first look back, before the term
“terrorism” was invented to see what historic wars and power moves had been in fact, acts of
terror. The first example of terror, as well as possibly one of the most gruesome examples of
terrorism, are the Crusades, the quest to take the holy land, Jerusalem. It is estimated that around
1 million people died during the 9 crusades13. The definition of terrorism again is the act of
violence justified through religion. The massacre in an effort to conquer the holy land is a first
class example of a massacre through god. Examples of terrorism prior to the French revolution
can also be found during the reign of King Henry the 8th from 1509-1547. He, the king of
England, separated from the roman catholic church and joined the evangelical sect of
Catholicism. That began a civil war within the Catholic religion itself where thousands of people
across Europe had been murdered if they were caught practicing the wrong religion on the wrong

​Editors, History.com. “Crusades.” H

13
​ istory.com​, A&E Television Networks, 7 June 2010, 
www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/crusades.
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side of Europe. King Henry also nearly wiped the Irish population when he came to convert the
almost exclusively roman catholic island.14 Throughout history, there have been countless acts
of terror made by kings and poor alike. Terrorism is one of the oldest and most gruesome ways
in which war justified itself historically.

Acts of terrorism have been a part of the world as long as organized religion has been a
part of our world. That being said, the actual concept of terrorism only came to play during the
17th century through the French Revolution.15 Previous to that, they were known as holy wars
and murder. What terrorism brought to the table however is the tactic of fear. This was used
within the French revolution through the guillotine. Anyone who was against the revolution and
had any relation to the oppressive crown would have their head cut off. Around 40 thousand
people16 were killed during this revolution and it shed light to the world how effective
manipulating the emotion of fear can be. Although Terrorism is still a current and pressing issue,
on a large scale, the rates of deaths through religion have actually regressed astronomically. The
crusades killed around 1 million people, the French Revolution with 40 thousand casualties in a
year, and finally now with under 20 thousand people killed internationally through terrorist
attacks. Many things have changed through the thousands of years which can invoke many
reasons as to why there are so many less religious killings. The most reoccurring and credible
theory is that secularity and education are the two main reasons these numbers have dropped so
much.

As a world that is constantly striving for excellence, safety and comfort, it is impossible
that a threat such as terrorism lingers without resistance. It did, however, take a very long time to
find an effective way to predict and protect terrorist targets. There were very little to no

14
​“Henry VIII's Savage Reformation.” ​History Extra​, 20 Feb. 2019, 
www.historyextra.com/period/tudor/henry-viiis-savage-reformation/.
15
​“The History of the Word 'Terrorism'.” M​ erriam-Webster​, Merriam-Webster, 
www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/history-of-the-word-terrorism.
16
​“Executions, the Guillotine and the French Revolution.” ​The Ultimate History Project​, 
ultimatehistoryproject.com/executions-the-guillotine-and-the-french-revolution.html. 
 
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countermeasures in place to protect people from terrorism until Muslim extremism started
targeting the western world starting with 9/11 as the first major attack. Since then Many
governments such as the USA, Canada and Great Britain have become the spearhead against
terrorism. One of the first major acts enacted that symbolizes the beginning of counterterrorism
is when President George W. Bush declared the war on terrorism. With that, major countries sent
in the military into the heart of terrorism. The US army and navy were deployed to countries
such as Afghanistan and Iraq in an effort to confront and destroy the leaders of extremist groups.
The major target groups have been Al-Qaeda, ISIS and the Taliban. All of which have had their
names and followers extended to each corner of the earth. With groups like these followed all
over the earth, the United Nations also has a role to play. Although they do not have a physical
force to fight terrorism with, they strategize and organize all counter-terrorist organizations
through their 4 pillars of counter-terrorism strategy.17 They go as follows : 1: Addressing the
conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism. 2: Preventing and Combating Terrorism. 3:
Building states’ Capacity and strengthening the role of the “UN”. 4: Ensuring human rights and
law. The fight against terror is being fought at two fronts; the cause and the effect. The effect is
where all the public attention is drawn. Where attacks are made and where anti-terrorist missions
are carried out by governments. The cause is, however, a battle being fought by scholars and
politicians. To find and end the cause for people becoming extremist followers is the long term
fix for this issue. Some speculate that this problem lies in human nature and will be fought
forever. Others believe that it lies in poverty and in a lack of education. Either way, the world
fights a two-sided battle at a disadvantage.

The history of terrorism is bloody and gruesome. It has been an issue since the dawn of time and
will continue to be for a fair amount of time to come. Humans seek to control and terrorism gives
it to extremists on a silver platter. With luck, governments and organizations will find the
solution and provide safety.

17
​“UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy | Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force.” U
​ nited Nations​, United 
Nations, www.un.org/counterterrorism/ctitf/un-global-counter-terrorism-strategy.
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Expert: Dr. Dawson

Dr. Dawson is a professor of sociology and legal studies at the University of Waterloo.
His career has presented him with a keen critical eye and an interest in the studies of religious
extremism. He is a renowned expert in the study of terrorism and acquired his reputation through
his numerous publications. He has written three books, edited four books, and published
sixty-five academic articles and book chapters. Most of his research was in the sociology of
religion. The books relevant to this field in which Dawson has written are: ​ Comprehending
Cults, The Sociology of Religion: A Canadian Perspective and ​Cults in Context: Readings in the
​ e is currently focusing on research on foreign fighters in
Study of New Religious Movements. H
Iraq and Syria and written many research papers including​ Talking to Foreign Fighters: Insights
into the Motivations, Sketch of a Social Ecology Model for Explaining Homegrown Terrorist
Radicalization, Discounting Religion in the Explanation of Homegrown Terrorism: A Critique.
His writings demonstrate a broad collection of angles to study the issue, demonstrating his
thorough understanding of terrorism and the sociology behind it.

In addition to his research through the University of Waterloo, Dr. Dawson is apart of an
organization called ​The International Center of Counter-Terrorism (ICCT). ​The ICCT is :

“an organization that is “an independent think and does tank providing multidisciplinary policy
advice and practical, solution-oriented implementation support on prevention and rule of law,
​ here he publishes more papers and research”18
two pillars of effective counter-terrorism ​ T

ICCT claims to be an organization that brings together experts from all fields together in order to
“provide a platform for productive collaboration, practical analysis, and exchange of experiences
and expertise, with the ultimate aim of identifying innovative and comprehensive approaches to
preventing and countering terrorism.”19

18
“About.” ​ICCT,​ icct.nl/about/.
19
Ibid 11
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Dr. Dawson's affiliation in the ICCT proves his credibility upon the topic, the Canadian
government often looks to them for advice or plans of action.

When Dr. Dawson was asked as to why people are pushed toward terrorism he answered
that “Careers and marriages often are the result of happenstance; the result of meeting the ‘right’
person or situation at the ‘right’ time. Such is also the case in the lives of terrorists.” (Dawson,
Social Ecology Model of Radicalisation pg.8) Throughout his paper, ​Social Ecology Model of
Radicalisation, ​Dawson explains that there have been countless studies upon the steps of
radicalization and weaponization of a man. All of which come with different results. His quote
explains that of the diverse reasons of radicalization, the creation of a violent extremist is made
through “a perfect storm” instead of a set recipe. Most often the people are simply victims of
circumstance.

“How do you believe is the best way to go about solving the (violent extremism)
problem?”

Dr. Dawson: “T​he general consensus amongst researchers and governments now is that
an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so while heavy investments are still being made
in kinetic counter-terrorism measures (surveillance, drones, etc.), governments are also investing
in more grass-roots or community-based programs of prevention designed to detect and intervene
with youth (and others) who are turning towards extremism. The single largest such program in
the world is PREVENT in the UK, but similar programs exist throughout the world and
especially Europe. In Canada the situation is more fragmentary but the federal government runs
the Canada Centre for Community Engagement and the Prevention of Violence and in many
cities, there are specific programs (e.g. in Montreal there is the Centre for the Prevention of
Radicalization Leading to Violence).”
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Dawson explains that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This plays into
the long term fixing tools of education, peace, lack of poverty and health. If all prevention
measures are in place for terrorism, there are no measures needed in order to “cure” the issue.
This will not only save billions of dollars, but thousands of lives.
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Role Of Control:
There are many factors that allow modern terrorism to thrive. Most important of which
are the people in control of the effectiveness of terror. In a nutshell, those people are government
leaders, Terrorist group leaders themselves and most of all the uneducated pawns.
Internationally, governments hold the power to forcibly destroy any extremist groups with a nod
of the head. Unfortunately, it is also more complicated than that due to a lack of knowledge as to
where these groups reside. Governments are also wary of collateral damage that comes with
frontal assaults. Of course, the second group in power are the extremist leaders themselves. They
dictate and strategize all terrorist assaults. Their power resides in fear and they hang it over top
of the world like thundercloud waiting to erupt. The extremist group keep their pawns
uneducated, violent and dependant on their faith. Where the power should reside is within the
people threatened by terrorism. The practice of Islam is not the problem but more so how
susceptible their uneducated portion is to extremism. If they were to be properly educated and to
grow within a stable environment, terrorism would end as we know it. The distribution of power
is important because governments currently seem to think that the end of terrorism is in a frontal
assault. With that approach, it is only the symptoms being treated and not the root of the issue.
As a species who is dedicated to self-preservation and improvement, everyone needs to care
about this issue for change to occur. The democratic system is such that nothing will ever be
done without people who want it to be done. With that, people are happy with how terrorism is
being fought at the moment but to truly end the issue and to achieve safety, the people must
realize and care to know that there are long term final solutions for terrorism.

At the current forefront in the battle of terrorism, there are two major players.
First, there are governments, they are the western champion and are the current possessors of
power in this fight against extremism. The government's power comes evidently through their
military and their willingness to use it when there is little to no risk of collateral damage to
innocents. Their moral conduct vastly diminishes their power since you can’t blow up what you
can’t find. That being said, the USA military has proven itself effective three times since the turn
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of the century. They have directly confronted Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and are currently destroying
the last of ISIS. Using the military is only temporary fixes to extremism. As soon as they destroy
one, another extremist cell will pop up. Another form in which governments have power is
within their immense economic mass. A long term solution for terrorism is through the end of
poverty and low education rates. Countries can easily pour money into school systems within the
middle east instead of military expenses. This will not only save them money but lives as well.
The second group in which power resides is within terrorist groups of course. Like governments,
their power also stems from military and physical threats however they use it as a tool of
oppression and fear as opposed to a tool of defence. Extremist groups also have their faith as a
tool to power. They convince Islamic followers to do their bidding through interpretations of the
Quran and promise they will ascend to heaven with Allah (God) if they do his bidding.

The past 20 years have proved that power being in the hands of governments and
extremist groups is not effective. 20 years and the same battle is being fought. Perhaps it is time
to turn over the power to the people of the middle east. Instead of arming them with guns and
grenades it is perhaps best to resist with books and pens. What that will do is equip common
Muslims with the intellectual tools necessary to resist extremism and to see past the illusions and
promises made by extremist leaders. They will learn to think for themselves and to know what is
right and wrong. That will shift the burden of protection and power off of foreign governments
and onto the people who will protect themselves better than anyone else can. With that, terrorism
will fizzle out of the world.

The control of power is an issue that concerns everyone because it is a threat that extends
everywhere. It is an issue that has been addressed aggressively for the past 20 years with little
results in ending terrorism. This tells us that there must be a shift in the control of this issue and
to who has the power. In this instance, many academics like Malala agree that education is the
answer to the oppression and terror in the middle east. The power must shift to the people.
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International Organisations:

There are many organizations that perform in what they believe is the best way to fight
terrorism. These groups include NATO, the United Nations and the Organisation for Security
and Co-operation in Europe. All of these groups are international organizations that together,
target aspects of terrorism and stick together for safety. They do not attack as organizations but
support each other as individual countries. They each have different goals and philosophies
toward counter terrorism however they have all proven to function at least at a basic level.

The largest of the counterterrorism group the United Nations “UN”. The UN is an
international committee that represents 193 countries. The United Nations is best known for its
declaration of rights and freedoms put forth in 1948. They came together after WW2 as an
organization to uphold safety and to prevent war. In accordance with terrorism, The UN follows
two principles. The first of which is the previously mentioned four pillars: Measures to address
the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism20:

1. Measures to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism;

2. Measures to prevent and combat terrorism;
3. Measures to build state's’ capacity to prevent and combat terrorism and to strengthen the
role of the United Nations system in that regard;
4. Measures to ensure respect for human rights for all and the rule of law as the fundamental
basis for the fight against terrorism.

20
​“Coordination and Coherence of the Counter-Terrorism Efforts of the United Nations | Counter-Terrorism 
Implementation Task Force.” ​United Nations​, United Nations, www.un.org/counterterrorism/ctitf/en/about-task-force.
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In addition to the four pillars, they also have their evaluation criteria21:

1. Relevance​: The extent to which the aid activity is suited to the priorities and policies of
the target group, recipient and donor.
2. Effectiveness​: A measure of the extent to which an aid activity attains its objectives,
including an evaluation of the major factors influencing the achievement or
non-achievement of the objectives.
3. Efficiency​: Measures the qualitative and quantitative outputs in relation to the inputs,
including in terms of cost-efficiency and timeliness.
4. Impact​: The positive and negative changes produced by a development intervention,
directly or indirectly, intended or unintended. In evaluating the impact it will ​inter alia b​ e
considered what has happened as a result of the programme or project, what real
difference has the activi​ty made to the beneficiaries, and how many people have
been affected.
5. Sustainability​: measuring the sustainability of the benefits of activity after donor funding
has been completed.

Within the context of counter-terrorism, that is the approach that the United Nations
takes. Although there are no direct correlations between their diplomatic actions and lowering
rates, the United Nations was the forefront that woke the world up to the importance of fighting
terrorism and how to do so.

Another organization that is a major player in the fight against terror is NATO “North
American Treaty Organisation”. At present, NATO has 29 members. Belgium, Canada,
Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United
Kingdom and the United States, Greece and Turkey, Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic,

21
​“UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy | Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force.” U
​ nited Nations​, United 
Nations, www.un.org/counterterrorism/ctitf/un-global-counter-terrorism-strategy.
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Hungary and Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia,
Albania and Croatia, and Montenegro. NATO’s most notorious act against Terrorism is after
9/11 when they enacted article 5 of the treaty22. It goes as follows: ​“

The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or
North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree
that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or
collective self-defence recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will
assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert
with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed
force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.

Any such armed attack and all measures taken as a result thereof shall
immediately be reported to the Security Council. Such measures shall be terminated
when the Security Council has taken the measures necessary to restore and maintain
international peace and security.”

After 9/11 “NATO” had flown many surveillance flights over the US as well as over Arab
countries once they found out it was an attack from overseas. Nato became the largest
organization in the fight against terror. In 2011 they had deployed 140,000 men and had
successfully fought back the Taliban.23 The NATO forces within Afghanistan among other
victories in Afghanistan, had one of its greatest accomplishments on December 6th, 2001, when
they took Kandahar, the largest city in southern Afghanistan and the Taliban’s spiritual home.24
NATO slowly withdrew the forces from Afghanistan as the country grew less and less volatile.

22
​Nato. “Countering Terrorism.” ​NATO​, www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_77646.htm.
23
​Nato. “NATO and Afghanistan.” N
​ ATO​, w
​ ww.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_8189.htm#​. 
 
24
​Nato. “Countering Terrorism.” ​NATO​, ​www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_77646.htm​. 
 
 Cudmore-Keating
19

In 2016 NATO had 16,000 armed men in Afghanistan and have kept that number.25 They remain
to this day the strongest military leader against terrorism.

In the end, the western world has come together through NATO and the UN to fight a
threat that affects us all. Since the 9/11, the marking of a new age of terrorism, these
organizations have proven to be effective as short term solutions. They have yet to provide a
stable and long term solution to ensure this problem will resurface in the manner it once had.

25
​Gibbons-neff, Thomas, and Mujib Mashal. “U.S. to Withdraw About 7,000 Troops From Afghanistan, Officials Say.” 
The New York Times​, The New York Times, 21 Dec. 2018, 
www.nytimes.com/2018/12/20/us/politics/afghanistan-troop-withdrawal.html. 
 
 Cudmore-Keating
20

Case Study: Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a nation situated in the middle east bordering Iran and Pakistan. It is a
war-torn nation and has been for the better part of two decades. This country is the largest victim
of terror as well as the birthplace of the jihadist groups, the Taliban and Al Qaeda. The impact
that these groups have upon its nation is substantial. Groups like the Taliban, Al Qaeda, Boko
Haram and even ISIS, groups who aren’t even native to Afghanistan, damages the culture, safety,
happiness, economics and education within the nation. There are many people of power within
the country, some of which are corrupt who pave the way for extremist groups to control their
country. Others do as best they can to resist the terrorists, the country is war-torn both within and
without.

Afghanistan is a developing country with a GDP sitting at 20 billion a year.26 There is a

lot of money going into the country however somehow, still 70% of the population sits under the
poverty line27. What has stopped the nation from being able to advance and develop into a nation
of great wealth can be boiled down to two answers. The first being a lack of education. The
Afghan government spends under 5% of its budget on education28. As a result of this, the adult
population in Afghanistan makes up 38% making it the se​cond least literate nation in the world
29
. To compare, Ontario spends 20% of its annual budget on education30. As much as

26
​“Afghanistan GDP.” A ​ fghanistan GDP | 2019 | Data | Chart | Calendar | Forecast | News​, 
tradingeconomics.com/afghanistan/gdp. 
27
​Bowley, Graham. “Fears of the Future Haunt a Budding Generation of Afghan Strivers.” ​The New York Times​, The 
New York Times, 11 Feb. 2013, 
www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/world/asia/middle-class-afghans-face-a-murky-future.html 
28
​“Afghanistan - Public Spending on Education, Total (% of GDP).” A ​ fghanistan Public Spending On Education Total 
Percent Of Gdp​, 
tradingeconomics.com/afghanistan/public-spending-on-education-total-percent-of-gdp-wb-data.html. 
29
​“Afghanistan Adult Literacy Rate, 1970-2018.” ​Knoema​, 
knoma.com/atlas/Afghanistan/topics/Education/Literacy/Adult-literacy-rate. 
30
​Thomas, David. “The 2018 Ontario Budget in Charts and Numbers.” M ​ acleans.ca​, 28 Mar. 2018, 
www.macleans.ca/economy/economicanalysis/the-2018-ontario-budget-in-charts-and-numbers/. 
 
 Cudmore-Keating
21

education is a problem that has held back the advancement of the nation, Terrorism is a
second issue that has ravaged Afghanistan for a very long time. Although the official war
against terror in Afghanistan started in 2001, acts of terror had started before then, but they
simply didn’t draw any mainstream attention. Since the beginning of the war in 2001, the
accepted estimate is that 170,00031 people have. This, of course, has an impact upon the
nation as many of the people dying and being moved are farmers and workers, the people
who support the country. Afghanistan, since the war had started, was essentially incapable of
advancing. Terrorist groups maintained the idea to try to suppress education, students are
shot and schools have been blown up as acts of terror. Religious extremists, or
fundamentalists, are supposed to follow the exact word of God. Within the Qu’ran there are
no orders to suppress education. This means that the orders to attack schools are coming
from the extremist leaders who realize that education poses a threat to their mission. It is not
coincidental that the nation with the second lowest literacy rate is also the country with the
highest amounts of terrorist attacks, groups, and deaths related to terrorism. When people are
uneducated, it leaves them curious to the world and intellectually defenceless to the answers
religion may provide.

The death of innocents is one of the many negative outcomes of terrorism. That is not,
however, the only issue that comes forth under terrorism, it impacts society as a whole as
well. One of the many effects of this especially in Afghanistan is that law enforcement
becomes very weak. In 2015, 90 people were abducted by extremist groups, 22 of which
were murdered and often mutilated.32 In addition, to poor law enforcement, humanitarian aid
also becomes scarce within terror-riddled countries because of the backlash from extremist
groups toward western aid. 4 years ago, 5 men from a humanitarian organization called Save

31
​“Body Count.” P​ hysicians for Social Responsibility​, IPPNW, 
www.ippnw.de/commonFiles/pdfs/Frieden/Body_Count_first_international_edition_2015_final.pdf​. 
 
32
​The Negative Effect of Terrorism on the Enjoyment of All Human Rights in Afghanistan​. 
www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/RuleOfLaw/NegativeEffectsTerrorism/NHRI-Afghanistan.pdf​. 
 
 Cudmore-Keating
22

the Children had been arrested and killed by ISIS agents33. Groups such as ICRC, Medical
Sons Frontier, medical staff of NGO’s and minesweepers of NGO’s have all lost men due to
or roadside landmines. Because of this, Afghanistan, a nation whose peoples are in dire need
of humanitarian assistance aren’t getting as much as they should be. Terrorism also has a
substantial impact on journalists rights to freedom of speech and expression. No matter, the
subject, the author must always be careful as to how they write. If it demonizes either the
government or even terrorist groups, they are at risk or assassination or captivation. Between
2002-2015, there had been 679 counts of violence34 against journalists in Afghanistan. 40
cases of murder, 46 cases of attempted murder, 22 cases of beating, 29 of abduction and 84
of detaining all against journalists alone35. Most cases are performed by anti-government
terrorist groups however there is still a significant portion with the Afghan government
involved. ISIS and the Taliban have both put up vicious campaigns within Afghanistan
against education primarily through burnings of schools. In 2015, approximately ⅖ schools
are burnt to the ground or closed by ISIS or the Taliban in an effort to keep the future
populations uneducated36. 25 teachers have also been murdered in cold blood that year by the
Taliban37. Another vital influence that the presence of terrorist groups has upon society is that
it renders the nation’s law unenforceable and justice unreachable in many places through
Afghanistan. Cities and towns that ISIS or the Taliban hold are under sharia law, a brutal
practice of law written within the Quran. Many people and stoned, beheaded and mutilated
through the “lawful” practice of the Quran. This damages a culture and has its captives living
in fear. As a result of the fear induced rule of these groups, many people flee the nation and
seek safe refuge in countries like Germany, Italy, Canada, USA and many more. As of 2018,
there were 2.5 million Afghan citizens who had fled their nation and claimed refugee status
elsewhere38. This not only negatively impacts Afghanistan, but it also has a wide variety of

33
Ibid 19
34
Ibid 19
35
Ibid 19
36
Ibid 19
37
Ibid 19
38
​ igration Profiles​. UNICEF, esa.un.org/miggmgprofiles/indicators/files/Afghanistan.pdf. 
M
 
 Cudmore-Keating
23

impacts on the nations that have to take them in and provide for them until they’re back on
their feet. In its full essence, the presence of terror within Afghanistan has fully stirred the
nation and affected its economics, education, government, its humanitarian aid as well as
human rights.
 Cudmore-Keating
24

Case Study: Nigeria

Nigeria is a country situated within the mid-western, coastal, portion of Africa. Nigeria,
like many other African countries, has struggled with poverty, starvation, corruption and
drought. These are all familiar issues that have brewed within the nation forever, but today it
faces a new monster; Boko Haram. This Islamic extremist group is responsible for the death of
thousands as well as the displacement of families and full communities. Since 2009, the
extremist group has been in conflict with the nation's military due to its grave effects and
inhumane treatment of Nigerians. The group has directly affected many aspects of the country
including economics, education, population displacement and migration.

Since the insurgency, starting first in Maiduguri, Nigeria, the group has already made the
lives of thousands, people who were already struggling financially, even harder. The group is
known for its destruction of town and villages and farmland. Because of this, food is scarce.
People are trying to rebuild their homes where Boko Haram had once ravaged as well as
scavenge for food where their crops once grew. The world bank estimates that Boko Haram has
personally done $9 billion dollars worth of agricultural and industrial damage39. Boko Haram is
taken refuge primarily near the Chad lake basin and the Nigerian government has decided to take
a strategy to try and starve the group40. The large majority of the population of the basin are not
even members of Boko Haram, but the government is destroying their local economy
nonetheless. Another issue that Boko Haram has posed upon the Nigerian government is that the
group has infiltrated the actual trade of goods such as smoked fish and cattle. Boko Haram trades
both internationally and locally. The Nigerian government, knowing this has resorted to tighten
regulations on goods, heighten taxes. The government has also closed many trade routes that are
possibly beneficial to the insurgency, in addition, to actually bombing caravans they deem

39
​Matfess, Hilary. “How Nigeria's Boko Haram Crackdown Harms Local Economies.” ​Foreign Affairs​, Foreign Affairs 
Magazine, 17 July 2017, 
www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/africa/2017-07-17/how-nigerias-boko-haram-crackdown-harms-local-economies​. 
 
40
Ibid 23
 Cudmore-Keating
25

suspicious41. The government is especially suspicious of traders within the states of Borno and
Yobi, and through their suspicions closed down hundreds of markets in their efforts to cut off
supply lines to Boko Haram. Of course, these actions impact their own citizens well being more
so the insurgent group. In the capital of Borno, Maiduguri, the birthplace of Boko Haram, the
government shut down all cattle trade and overnight, rendered hundreds of butchers, herdsmen
and cattle traders unemployed42. Men from Nigeria have spoken to western journalists under fake
names in order to stay safe from the government and said “security is very, very tight” now,
making even legitimate, legal trade difficult.”43 They also state that the governments tightened
control and restrictions of trade is hurting the people more the Boko Haram. Musa, a man being
interviewed under a fake name says that traders are willing to sell to Boko Haram because they
have lots of money (presumably from looting conquered town) and that they do not haggle over
prices. He states that the insurgents will pay up to two or three times the traditional price for rice
and petrol44. The people of Nigeria are being financially hamstrung by the government and Boko
Haram. Boko Haram destroys a large portion of the people's ability to provide for themselves by
destroying their agriculture and homes. The government is over-regulating trade to the extent
that it is hard, even with completely legal trade, to make money​.

Another issue that Nigeria is facing as an effect of Boko Haram is its population fleeing
the country. As a country suffering from war, hunger and poverty, the citizens look to flee to
other countries. Of course, they would like to all flee to first world nations however millions
settle for another impoverished nation, one that simply isn’t occupied by war. As an effect of
Boko Haram, approximately 1,000 people flee the country a week45. In 2016, 40,00 Nigerians
went to Italy alone46. Atiku Abubakar, the leader of the people's democratic party said “young
Nigerians aren't leaving because of bad pay and working conditions-they are leaving because

41
Ibid 22
42
Ibid 22
43
Ibid 22
44
Ibid 22

45
​Goodman, Jack. “Nigerian Elections 2019: Who's Leaving the Country?” B
​ BC News​, BBC, 13 Feb. 2019, 
www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47061561​. 
 
46
Ibid 23
 Cudmore-Keating
26

there is no hope”47 This is what Boko Haram has done morally to the nation. No one seeks a
future in Nigeria. Yes, the pay is bad and working conditions are worse, however, the people of
Nigeria itself have no hope for its government, no hope for their safety and stability and worst of
all, they have no hope for their future. Among many of the places that are a target nation to flee
to, is Cameroon. They have already taken approximately 100,000 Nigerian refugees but like a
few other countries, they have stopped. They have sent “thousands” of Nigerians trying to flee
from the tyranny of Boko Haram48, back into the jaws of terror.

One of the greatest concerns of Nigeria is the education of its future generation and how
it is currently being denied by Boko Haram. A headline on the humanitarian website ​Plant
International​ States, “Entire generation of children missing out on education in Boko
Haram-affected Nigeria”49. This shows that it is not only Nigeria that is worried about this, but
the international stage is as well. On the Chad lake basin, thousands of young children are being
denied their education through Boko Haram’s mass killings of teachers, bombings of schools and
fleeing teachers. Approximately a million people have been displaced by Boko Haram, most of
which are in refugee camps, a place that is impossible to keep education. In addition to this,
many families avoid sending their children and specifically young girls to school out of fear of
abduction. The biggest and most notorious abduction of all, in April of 2014, when the insurgent
group abducted 27650 girls from a school in Chibok, a town in Borno. The aftermath of the
kidnapping was that families for months to come, across the nations, refused to send their
children to school out of fear. It was speculated that the children were taken and were to be
traded for members of Boko Haram that the Nigerian government had arrested51. Boko Haram is

​Goodman, Jack. “Nigerian Elections 2019: Who's Leaving the Country?” B

47
​ BC News​, BBC, 13 Feb. 2019, 
www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47061561​. 

48
​France-Presse, Agence. “Thousands of Nigerian Refugees Fleeing Boko Haram Forced Back by Cameroon.” T ​ he 
Guardian​, Guardian News and Media, 19 Jan. 2019, 
www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/19/thousands-of-nigerian-refugees-fleeing-boko-haram-forced-back-by-came
roon​. 
 
49
​“Entire Generation of Children Missing out on Education in Boko Haram-Affected Nigeria.” P​ lan USA​, 
www.planusa.org/entire-generation-of-children-missing-out-on-education-in-boko-haram-affected-nigeria​. 
 
50
​John, Tara. “Boko Haram Abducted More Schoolgirls. Here's What to Know.” T​ ime​, Time, 26 Feb. 2018, 
time.com/5175464/boko-haram-kidnap-dapchi-schoolgirls/.
51
Ibid 24
 Cudmore-Keating
27

fundamentally against western education. Because of this, thousands of children have been
denied their education, the only tool that may be able to save them from their impoverished and
oppressed lifestyle.

Boko Haram has, since 2009, been at war with the Nigerian military. The Nigerian force
comprises of about 150,000 infantry within their nation. The Nigerian government has attempted
a few frontal assaults against the insurgent group however they are often unsuccessful as the
group will simply relocate. The government has resorted to alternative measures to fighting Boko
Haram because frontal assaults end up with hundreds and thousands of civilian deaths in
collateral damage. In 2018, approximately 2,500 thousand civilians had died through Boko
Haram, most of which had been caught in a military crossfire52. The alternative measures in
which the Nigerian government has resorted to instead of military fighting is to starve Boko
Haram. This tactic would work however Boko Haram, within the district it occupies, are the
financial superpowers. The government tries to abolish any trade coming in and out of occupied
areas, however, with the insurgences financial power, they simply buy food from local merchants
who need the money, who have no choice but to collaborate. The government prefers this
approach because it limits the group's ability to move as well as the government loses fewer men.
In 2018, Boko Haram killed 1,500 infantry53, these are not deaths the military wants to take.
They prefer the approach of holding Boko Haram at a stalemate.

52
​“Global Conflict This Week: Civilian Casualties Mount in Afghanistan.” ​Council on Foreign Relations​, Council on 
Foreign Relations, www.cfr.org/blog/global-conflict-week-civilian-casualties-mount-afghanistan.
53
​“Boko Haram Attack Deaths 'Hit 1,500'.” B
​ BC News​, BBC, 31 Mar. 2014, 
www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-26816222/death-toll-in-boko-haram-attacks-reach-1500.
 Cudmore-Keating
28

Case Study: Sri Lanka

Insurgencies are a recurring theme in countries with struggling economies and corrupt
governments. This is also the case of Sri Lanka. The small island off the southeastern coast of
India is currently at the tail end of a civil war that had been on and off multiple times over the
past 40 years. The insurgent group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or simply the Tamil Tigers
for short, is based out of the northeastern point of the island of Sri Lanka. Tamil itself is the
name of the region that envelops the northern coast of Sri Lanka and Southeastern India. The
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were founded by ​Velupillai Prabhakaran in 197654.
Prabhakaran was a man with a history of anti-government beliefs, finally, as a leader, he could
act upon them. The insurgency group kept to guerilla warfare mounting small attacks in the
northernmost part of the island. Once they had gathered enough support, they attacked with the
strategy of guerilla warfare as well as mounting frontal assaults on towns and cities. By 1985, the
Tamil Tigers were in control of the northern quarter of the island. They gained control of the city
of Jaffna in 1985, their first city properly taken. While the Tamil Tigers were growing, there
were also rival Tamil liberation groups. The Tamil Tigers whipped them all out and stole their
money to fund their own campaign. In addition to stealing money from other rebel groups for
income, the Tamil Tigers also resorted to bank robbing and smuggling drugs into and through
India for money to spend on arms, food, gas and any other military needs. The Tamil Tigers also
received a lot of economic support from Tamils living abroad55. In 1987, an Indian peacekeeping
force had taken back Jaffna for Sri Lanka, this was beginning of the decline of power for the
Tamil Tigers. After that, they began to resort to guerilla warfare and terrorist attacks again but
these were still very significant and dangerous. These attacks included a suicide bomber killing
the Indian Prime Minister while he was campaigning in the Indian Tamil in 199156. They
planted bombs in Jaffna, one of which killed 10 senior Sri Lankan officers. Their most
significant terrorist attack had been in 1996 when the Tamil Tigers bombed a bank killing 100

​Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Tamil Tigers.” ​Encyclopædia Britannica​, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20 
54

Mar. 2019, www.britannica.com/topic/Tamil-Tigers. 

55
Ibid 26
56
Ibid 26
 Cudmore-Keating
29

people. Finally, in 2001, they attacked the Sri Lankan airport destroying half of the air access
into the nation57. Soon after, the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankans bargained for a cease-fire.
Even though the ceasefire had been in place, there were still man terror attacks upon Sri Lanka
but none of which could be directly related back to the Tamil Tigers. Finally, in 2006 the United
Nations formally banned the Tamil Tiger and they branded them as an organized terrorist
organization. The Sri Lankan government, tired of receiving blows from the Tamil Tigers in
spite of the cease-fire, decided to formally abandon the act and returned to war in 200858. Soon,
the Sri Lankan government was taking back cities, most important of which was Kilinochchi, the
capital of the Tamil Tigers administration. Finally, by April 2009, the Sri Lankan Government
had pushed the insurgents back into a small stretch of coastal land where they were finally raided
and abolished. The actual size of the Tamil Tigers was never really known however it was
estimated to be around 16,000 fighting men59.

The civil war that took place in Sri Lanka took a toll on many things and people within
the nation. The civil war primarily affected the demographics of the country through deaths and
emigration, the nation’s economy as well as its people's education, most of which are still being
felt to this day.

In 2007-2009, the world had gone through an economic regression. Many countries felt
this economic blow, none more so than Sri Lanka. The country, during the very same time period
of the 2007-2009 regression, was in the midst of a civil war. The country did as much as they
could to finance the war on their own, but he was way too long to sustain on their own coin and
so they began to borrow money. By 2009, the Sri Lankan government had borrowed $181,449
from international investors in order to finance their war60. During 2008, the government had
allocated a $1.5 billion dollar budget for military expenses which was back then approximately

57
Ibid 26
58
Ibid 26
59
Ibid 26

60
​“Breaking News:” E
​ conomic Impacts of Sri Lankas Civil War​, w
​ ww.asiaecon.org/special_articles/read_sp/12556​. 
 
 Cudmore-Keating
30

20% of their budget61. It is also estimated that over the 25-year duration of the war, it had cost
around $200 billion USD. Being a small Nation with a current GDP of $87 billion, this war cost
is extremely substantial and detrimental to the economic welfare of the country. The Sri Lankan
Infrastructure had taken a large toll during the civil war as well, the damages were also worsened
in 2004 by a tsunami from the Indian ocean. Another issue that the war imposed upon the nation
is that thousands of young people left the nation or died which is currently crippling the nation's
workforce. Since the war began in 1976, the countries trade deficit has been getting worse and
worse. It has only in recent years shown promise of getting better62. The nation is still in
significant debt, the government needs to stay transparent and persistent for its people in order to
have ts economy resurface from its depths.

The Sri Lankan nation is today still feeling a grave wound that had come to fruition
during its civil war: Its young population's deficit. The population has a large gap in the young
workforce due to the consequences of the war. First, from simply death, thousands of young men
and women died fighting in the war. Second because of emigration, anyone who had the means
to leave Sri Lanka during its war would. The civil war from 1976-2009 is estimated to have
killed 100,000 people, all the same nationality. In addition to this, there are 20,000 people
missing and presumed dead because of the war63. The government is struggling to support its
economy however it is extremely difficult when they are missing so much of their population.
Perhaps it is best for the government to invest in the nation's future through education instead of
relying on a population that is dead and gone.

One impact that the Civil war in Sri Lanka had was the displacement of children and the
destruction of infrastructure. Because of this, the Sri Lankan government has found a large
portion of its young population has stopped going to school for a large number of reasons. These

61
Ibid 27
62
Ibid 27

63
​Ethirajan, Anbarasan. “Sri Lanka Conflict: 'Why Can't You Find Our Sons?'.” ​BBC News​, BBC, 10 Sept. 2018, 
www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45474584. 
 
 Cudmore-Keating
31

include the dangers or crossfire, teachers disappearing, family moving, child marriage, and
sometimes children have to drop out to take care of their family. In 2007, there were 1,989
schools in the northeastern section of the nation, however, 172 of them were shut down because
of the war64. In 1990, the nation was 80% literate and 99% of children attended school until the
5th grade. The university did a study that concluded that ⅕ kids in 2007 were no longer attending
school65. This is concerning for Sri Lanka because it is already economically stunted because of
the war. If its future generations are not educated then the nation's economy will not become any
better. The University of Jaffna conducted another string of research finding what the uneducated
children are doing. They found that of the 50,000 children not attending school regularly, 17,000
of them were displaced, 1,200 have recognizable disabilities, 9,200 are employed full time while
another 6,900 were married66. The rest failed to disclose their reasons. UNICEF claims that the
rate of children in school is actually decreasing instead of increasing which poses further
concerns for the future of the nation67. The Norwegian Refugee Council stated that “Due to
multi-displacement, children have lost the continuity of education and some have lost one or two
years of schooling. This makes the children difficult to adjust to the normal curriculum." they
also believe that it would take at least $40 million USD to start rebuilding the educational system
in Sri Lanka68.

Sri Lanka's civil war, like any, was tragic. This war was, however, particularly gruesome
in the fashion in which it took place. Both the government and the Tamil Tigers partook in
gruesome human rights violations and war crimes to which no one has been held accountable.
There have been abductions, tortures, thousands had been detained without a charge or trial.
Many humanitarian groups had sent envoys who if they returned, came back with tales of being
harassed and attacked69. At the end of the war, 11,000 people were detained for suspicions to

64
​“IMPACT OF WAR ON CHILDREN IN SRI LANKA.” ​IMPACT OF WAR ON CHILDREN IN SRI LANKA​, 
www.sangam.org/ANALYSIS/Children_1_28_03.htm​. 
 
65
Abid 29
66
Abid 29
67
Abid 29
68
Abid 29
69
​ ri Lanka.” A
S ​ mnesty International USA​, www.amnestyusa.org/countries/sri-lanka/.
 Cudmore-Keating
32

being linked to the Tamil Tigers. All without trial70. Sri Lanka has been a breeding pool of
international crime and lack of justice. We as a society are capable of finding out who is
responsible to the atrocities committed however we fail to hold them accountable.

Sri Lanka is a nation that has the tools to be prosperous. It has been dragged into the
depths of poverty through war, death, crime and injustice. The government itself is guilty as
much as the Tamil freedom fighters are, if not more.

70
Abid 29
 Cudmore-Keating
33

Canadian Connection

Terrorism is an issue that doesn’t affect Canada as harshly as it does in developing

nations in the middle east. Canada has had a few terrorist attacks however most are quite small
and they are few and far between. Terrorisms largest impact touches Canada through the
refugees that are forced to leave they are home. Canada is inherently a nation that strives to help
those in need, because of this, Canada has given itself a substantial responsibility on the
humanitarian front toward those affected by terrorism as well as a history of military aid against
terror.

Within Canada, there are very reliable anti-terror measures to ensure that its citizens are
safe. That does not mean however that the country does not have terrorism. There is generally
one attack a year that is considered nationally a terrorist attack. In 2017, 6 men died while
preaching in a mosque71. In 2016 a man detonated a homemade bomb during rush hour from
within a taxi. In 2014, there was a shooting in Ottawa in which a man tried to breach parliament
and he killed, a soldier, Cpl. Nathan Cirillo72, at the Ottawa war memorial. Offences like this are
quite small and infrequent compared to Afghanistan or any other middle eastern country,
however, they are still significant. Because of that, Canada has an advanced anti-terror sector of
the government to keep its people safe.

Canada’s anti-terrorism measure, unlike the United States, is focused more so on

programs that will prevent radical behaviour instead of stopping people who have already
become radicalized. The Kanishka project is an example of this. It is a government-funded
project that strives to understand terrorism and to understand how and why it fits into Canada.
This has funded over 70 projects within Canada73, all of which bring together professionals,

71
​Staff. “Canadian Terrorist Incidents: a Timeline.” G
​ lobal News​, 30 Jan. 2017, 
globalnews.ca/news/3213312/canada-terrorist-incidents/. 
 
72
See citation 36

​“Kanishka Project.” ​Public Safety Canada / Sécurité Publique Canada​, 9 Feb. 2018, 
73

www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/ntnl-scrt/cntr-trrrsm/r-nd-flght-182/knshk/index-en.aspx. 
 Cudmore-Keating
34

researchers and community members to share their knowledge upon anti-terrorism. The
government also has physical implementations to protect its people. An example is the ​passenger
protect the program​. This program is assigned to public safety Canada and Transport Canada to
work in collaboration. Their responsibilities are to list an individual who is:
1. Suspected to engage in an act that would threaten transport or security.
2. Suspected to travel abroad to commit certain terrorism offence as defined in the ​Criminal
Code,​ such as terrorist attacks, funding weapons, training and recruiting. 74

The Canadian government has also come out with the ​National Strategy on Countering
​ his is in its essence engages community members and law
Radicalization to Violence. T
enforcement to recognize and prevent radicalization to violence before tragedies occur.
This strategy outlines three specific priorities for communities in order to keep
communities safe75:
1. The building, sharing and using knowledge
2. Addressing radicalization to violence in the online space.
3. Supporting interventions.
Canada, to further show its support community engagement and prevention of violence, added
$35million dollars for 5 years and $10 million per year to sustain a center to support the Canada
Center76. In 2017, the Canada Center was launched. It is established at the public safety HQ in
Ottawa. The Canada Center is made up of professionals in the subject of countering
radicalization to violence. The center is to this day one of Canada's leaders in countering
terrorism.

74
“Safeguarding Canadians with Passenger Protect.” ​Public Safety Canada / Sécurité Publique Canada,​
25 Sept. 2018, www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/ntnl-scrt/cntr-trrrsm/pssngr-prtct/index-en.aspx.

75
​“Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence.” P ​ ublic Safety Canada / Sécurité Publique 
Canada​, 25 Feb. 2019, ​www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/bt/cc/index-en.aspx​. 
 
 
76
See citation 40
 Cudmore-Keating
35

A tragic repercussion of the constant terrorist threat in the middle east forces people to
leave their homes and countries, seeking refuge for a better life. This is where carries its largest
burden in the subject of terrorism. As a country of a small population with a negative birth rate,
Canada naturally has a high immigration rate. That being said, it has somewhat gone from a
country of high immigration rates of highly qualified people to mass migration of refugees.
According to statistica, since 2010, Canada has accepted 132,779 refugees from assorted
countries77. Refugees are a large reason 22% of Canadians are not born on Canadian soil. As
much as Canada does need immigrants to keep a growing population, taking in and caring for
immigrants is extremely expensive. The city of Toronto alone spent $64 million dollars toward
refugee care78. They have gotten the newcomers permanent housing so that they can get a job
and become functioning members of our society however Canada cannot sustain providing this
to everyone who walks through our doors. In order to properly install someone into Ontario,
provide them with food and shelter until they can provide for themselves costs slightly under
10,000$ a person according to the CBC. Canada in 2018 took in 310,000 immigrants79, if they
each received that much money, it would cost the Canadian government 3 billion dollars. This is
not a sustainable system for Canada. Perhaps it is best to take in less and to make sure those who
do come in are well established financially, socially as well as culturally.

Internationally, Canada is offering a lot of help to those in need of relief. On March 14,
2019, Canada announced that it would be offering $50 million in foreign-aid funding to
international organizations helping the Syrian crisis80. This money is specifically targeted to
reach women and children who are the feeling the effects of the crisis the most. The
announcement, delivered by Ms. Goldsmith-Jones is a portion of the Canadian strategy toward
helping the Middle East, a $2.1 billion promise to improve security, stabilization and

77
​Number of Refugee Claimants in Canada 2000-2016 | Statistic.” ​Statista​, 
www.statista.com/statistics/549323/number-of-refugee-claimants-canada/​. 
78
​Armstrong, Peter. “Escalating Costs of Refugee Resettlement Reveal the Less You Plan, the More You Spend | CBC 
News.” ​CBCnews​, CBC/Radio Canada, 28 July 2018, ​www.cbc.ca/news/canada/armstrong-refugee-costs-1.4762930​. 
79
​mith, Stephen. “International Migration to Canada Reached Record Levels in Second Quarter of 2018.” ​CIC News​, 1 
Oct. 2018, 
www.cicnews.com/2018/09/international-migration-to-canada-reached-record-levels-in-second-quarter-of-2018-0911
230.html#gs.3gg5m5​. 
80
​“Canada Pledges $50-Million to Support Humanitarian Efforts in Middle East.” ​The Globe and Mail​, 14 Mar. 2019, 
www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-canada-pledges-50-million-for-humanitarian-aid-in-the-middle-east-in/.
 Cudmore-Keating
36

humanitarian aid in Syria region81. Syria is being targeted for this money because there are 11.7
million people who are in dire need of it as well as the 5.6 Syrian refugees internationally.82
Canada takes its own initiative to help poorer nations and it is also involved in multinational
organizations who are also making a difference. The United Nations, an international committee
has decided to come forth with $3.3 billion dollars to aid Syria and then another $5.5 billion to
Syria neighbouring countries who need financial support taking in the escaping Syrians83. Along
with the government aiding the middle eastern nations, there are also smaller groups such as the
Canadian Red Cross aiding84, Free the Children, Doctors without borders and many more. All of
which do receive funding from the Canadian government to help.

So far, the explained Canadian involvement with anti-terrorism and the aiding of its
victims have all been of a humanitarian view however there is also a military history in which
Canadian armed forces have come into play against terrorism. In 2001, NATO declared war on
upon the Taliban and Al Qaeda, between 2001 and 2014, around 40,00085 Canadian armed troops
had been fighting in Afghanistan. They partook in the battle for Kabul and Kandahar. Through
the time of the war, 158 Canadian soldiers died in Afghanistan and over 18,000 were injured86.
Canada as a leader in the world has an obligation to use our economic power and political
influence to better the world by helping those in need and bringing justice to those who deserve
it. Through Canada's efforts to take in refugees, send humanitarian aid and through its military
campaign, Canada has been fulfilling their duty as a powerful nation.

81
See citation 45
82
See citation 45
83
See citation 45
84
“​ Middle East and North Africa - Canadian Red Cross.” ​Red Cross Canada​, 
www.redcross.ca/how-we-help/international-programs/international-development/middle-east-and-north-africa​. 
 
85
​AFGHANISTAN: A GLIMPSE OF WAR.” W ​ arMuseum.ca - Afghanistan: A Glimpse of War - Introduction​, 
www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/afghanistan/afghanistane.html. 

​“War in Afghanistan.” T
86
​ he Canadian Encyclopedia​, 
www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/international-campaign-against-terrorism-in-afghanistan.
 Cudmore-Keating
37

The logic of Evil

The logic of evil, in the context of religious extremism, can be broken down into three
sections. There is first, the logic that will affiliate you initially into the group; logic of initiation.
Then once a person is affiliated with an extremist group, you are next tasked with missions that
are often violent and oppressive and here falls the logic of affiliation. Finally, there is an end
goal. There is a mission and a vision in which members of this group are trying to achieve.
Following this vision is the logic of finality. These three components will be able to trace a
human and the multitude of things that may push someone to join a group like ISIS, to follow the
commands, of the Taliban and to share the final goal of Al Qaeda.

The logic of initiation is the first step of someone willing to jump into an extremist group.
The Prejudice World shares the view that those within these groups are simply partaking because
they are mindless fanatics. People think this because it is easy to fight and kill mindless fanatics.
When you dig into the real reasons as to why people abide by the wishes of extremist groups, it
becomes a lot harder to hate them because people can picture themselves in their shoes making
the same decision. For example, ​The New York Times ran​ an interview87 with two defected isis
agents, a man and his wife, who spoke under fake names. The man knew Isis was to raid his
village and he decided that he joins the group, he will be safe. This is among the most common
reasons to join the group. Villages know that resistance will mean pain, starvation and death. It is
much easier to follow a radical version of a doctrine you already practice then to starve and die
in vain. His wife, at first, wasn’t an active participant of Isis however she was kept safe because
of her husbands affiliation with the group. Her quality of life, however, was sub-par. She was not
allowed to leave her house without the accompaniment of her husband. She realized that if a
woman became apart of the morality police, then they are given more freedoms and may leave
the house unaccompanied. That is how many women become involved with Isis. A Lebanese

87
​Engel, Pamela. “How ISIS Fighters Justify Their Brutal Tactics.” B
​ usiness Insider​, Business Insider, 23 Nov. 2015, 
www.businessinsider.com/how-isis-fighters-justify-brutality-2015-11. 
 
 Cudmore-Keating
38

Quantum​ study spoke to 45 people who were either current violent extremists or past extremists.
The study inquired as to why these people joined the group and they were surprised when they
found 9 reoccurring themes88:

1. Status seekers: I​ ntent on improving “their social standing” these people are driven
primarily by money “and a certain recognition by others around them.”

​ rone to feeling isolated or alienated, these individuals “often feel

2. Identity seekers: P
like outsiders in their initial unfamiliar/unintelligible environment and seek to identify
with another group.” Islam, for many of these, provides “a pre-packaged transnational
identity.”
​ hey consider themselves part of a group that is being repressed by
3. Revenge seekers: T
the West or someone else.

4.Redemption seekers: ​They joined ISIS because they believe it vindicates them or
ameliorates previous sinfulness.

5. Responsibility seekers:​ Basically, people who have joined or support ISIS because it
provides some material or financial support for their family.

6. Thrill seekers:​ Joined ISIS for adventure.

7. Ideology seekers: ​These want to impose their view of Islam on others.

8. Justice seekers:​ They respond to what they perceive as injustice. “The justice seekers’
‘raison d’être’ ceases to exist once the perceived injustice stops,” the report says.

​Patrick Tucker, Defense One. “Why Join ISIS? How Fighters Respond When You Ask Them.” T
88
​ he Atlantic​, Atlantic 
Media Company, 9 Dec. 2015, www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/12/why-people-join-isis/419685/.
 Cudmore-Keating
39

9. Death seekers: ​These people “have most probably suffered from a significant
trauma/loss in their lives and consider death as the only way out with a reputation of
martyr instead of someone who has committed suicide.”

There are many reasons that people decide the join these groups, the situation that people find
themselves to be forced either physically or emotionally into these groups is terrible, it is hard to
regard its members with spite when it is realized they are people who are simply doing what they
must to survive.

Once someone is actually a part of a terrorist organization, there is a logic of affiliation.

Why are these people continuously following orders or why are they so barbaric in the manner in
which they are carried out. The justifications to obey these groups can be for any reason from
trying to fight and die jihad in order to secure their place in heaven beside god, to kill out of spite
of their own government or out of hate of the west89. It is simply a brotherhood of people filled
with negative attitudes toward their present life or spite towards others. For all Muslims, the goal
is to die and to join Allah and his profit, Muhamed in heaven or paradise after death. Extremist
Muslims take the belief that in order to reach paradise, you must die in collaboration with jihad90.
They also believe that dying for Allah washes you of all sins. Because of this, men who are used
as the pawns; suicide bombers and shooters, are often Muslims who are convinced that because
of their previous actions in life, they will be going to purgatory and that the only way of
redemption is through jihad. Another question that is brought forth is that why are the ISIS cells
so barbaric when coming into a city. They bomb murder and burn many people when sacking a
town or village. During the same interview with ​The New York Times, ​a man justified that under
Assad, the Syrian leader, Syrian military are going into ISIS occupied towns and bomb with
intense shrapnel, napalm, nerve gas and other vicious killing techniques. They are gruesomely

89
See citation 53

90
​Afsaruddin, Asma. “Jihad.” E
​ ncyclopædia Britannica​, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 15 Jan. 2019, 
www.britannica.com/topic/jihad. 
 
 Cudmore-Keating
40

attacked by the government at night, while they sleep. They feel as it justifies them doing the
same on their campaigns91.

Jihad is a recurring term within the Quran. In Arabic, it means “the struggle” 92 in more
practical terms, or in a practical setting, what jihad means is the struggle or the battle against
non-muslims. This is the “end goal” of all extremist groups. They are anti-government because
they believe that sharia law is what should govern the people. The extremist groups have a
mission, supposedly a divine mission, to assimilate the world to Islam so that Allah may be
worshiped as he deserves. In its essence, the logic of finality for the Islamic armies is to have a
global caliphate. A Muslim rule globally, where everyone can live in peace and harmony under
The caliphate and under Allah.

That is the logic of evil. Once it is broken down, people join the armies for safety,
freedom, power or revenge. They stay apart of the group and follow the orders because of their
theological beliefs. Because of their need to meet God in the afterlife. The final piece is to have
everyone convert and to live under the rule of Allah, and under the laws, he gave Muhammad
named sharia.

91
See citation 52
92
See citation 55
 Cudmore-Keating
41

Politics

The government in the Middle East are deeply affected by terrorism. Of course, the
government is affected by the destruction of infrastructure causing a nation to fall into debt. The
governments are also affected by its security of democracy. Politics are also deeply involved in
how to combat, if at all, terrorist groups. The politics of Middle Eastern nations revolve around
counter-terrorism and how to deal with its effects. The magnitude of the issue often causes
corruption within the government and an extremely volatile workspace. Political jobs are often
not kept for very long.

Pakistan in particular harbours a political climate deeply affected by terrorism. Its largest
national issue is the safety of its own people in the face of the terrorist group, in particular, the
Taliban and Al Qaeda. The political group that has been in power substantially the most is the
Pakistan Muslim League (PKL). It for a long time has ever been accused and proved to be a pool
of corruption and malpractice. Many politicians running for the presidency in Pakistan practice
an anti-US extremist view and rhetoric. Because of this, the Pakistan Military has taken control
of international affairs in order to keep the US and Pakistan relations stable. There has yet to be a
president to complete a full term in office without being overthrown by the military or the people
since 194793. It is speculated that the military is supporting opposition parties against the normal
power, PKL, in order to avoid the president to obtain a majority government and to implement
radical laws jeopardizing the nations related to the western world.

Pakistan’s government has implemented its own plan of action in accordance with the
United Nations as to how they are to combat the issue of terrorism within their country entitled
PACT (Pakistan’s Action to Counter Terrorism). This plan consists of 3 outcomes and a break

93
Turak, Natasha. “Terrorism, Corruption and Chinese Investment: The Stakes in Pakistan's Second-Ever
Democratic Vote.” ​CNBC,​ CNBC, 25 July 2018,
www.cnbc.com/2018/07/24/terrorism-corruption-and-chinese-investment-the-stakes-in-pakistans.html.
 Cudmore-Keating
42

down of each94. In addition to PACT, Pakistan has been physically fighting. Since 2001, there
have been 63,000 Pakistani
casualties as a result of its
conflict. 23,000 of them were
civilians95. The government has
employed three main
counter-terrorism measures
within the country. The fist is the
National Counter Terrorism
Authority (NCTA), the second
being Home Department, and the
third is the Islamabad Capital
Territory Police96. The Pakistan
government is an example of
what a lot of middle eastern
nations are going through. It is
common to see corrupt
governments, independent
militaries, short terms of power
for national leaders and above
all, a struggle for peace and prosperity. Pakistan is 230 billion dollars in debt and shows no
promise of making more money and many other Middle Eastern war-torn nations are on the
same trajectory.

94
Rizwana.asad. “United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.” ​PACT Pakistan Action Plan to Counter
Terrorism​, www.unodc.org/pakistan/en/pact-pakistan-action-plan-to-counter-terrorism.html.
95
“Pakistani Civilians.” ​Pakistani Civilians | Costs of War​,
watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/costs/human/civilians/pakistani.
96
Ibid 42
 Cudmore-Keating
43

Religion

From a contemporary lens, the religion that is most relevant in the context of violent
extremism is Islam. Islam is a religion that follows the old testament, just as Judaism and
Christianity do. They follow many prophets from the old testament however Muhamed, the
founder of Islam, is their final prophet. It was founded approximately 1400 years ago in the holy
city of Mecca.97 Muhammad was sent by God to teach men how to live a proper and faithful life.
Muslims do to this day follow the five pillars of Islam in attempts to stay true to this way of life.
98
The five pillars of Islam are:​ ​declaration of faith, ​praying​ five times a day, giving money to
charity​, ​fasting​ and a ​pilgrimage​ ​to Mecca.​ In addition to following the old testament, they also
preach the Quran which translates to “the ​recitation​”. The Quran was supposedly orally revealed
to Muhammad on Mount Hira by the Angel Gabriel who was ​reciting ​the word of Allah (God) to
Muhammad. From there, Muhammed came down from the mountain and started spreading Islam
(after getting kicked out of the city of Mecca)99.

Where Islam ties into violent extremism is through Jihad. Jihad translates into the
struggle or fights against the enemies of Islam however in practice it is much more gruesome. In
truth, Jihad is what almost all terrorism “justifies” itself off of. The meaning of Jihad can extend
from being a good Muslim all the way to holy- war. Although in the Quran, it is simply meant as
a word to defend the religion, it is often interpreted as an excuse to assimilate and or others kill
others. The linguistic meaning of the word is almost completely however, like all religions, it
falls victim to radical interpretation. Radical groups such As the Taliban, Isis, Al-Qaeda and
Boko-Haram take “fight against the enemies of Islam” and bend it into a prophetical conquest.

97
“India Pakistan | Timeline.” ​BBC News,​ BBC,
news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/south_asia/2002/india_pakistan/timeline/1971.stm.
98
Ibid 43
99
Ibid 43
 Cudmore-Keating
44

Islam is, like all holy texts, written with good intention, trying to better the world through
the word of God. It is tragically fallen victim to radical interpretation in a manner that fashions
the religion as evil to those affected by the death and destruction it may cause.
 Cudmore-Keating
45

Solutions

Solutions for terrorism are currently one of the most focused topics for governments and
academics alike. The solutions can be broken into two categories, short and long term solutions.
Short term solutions are what governments are focusing on almost entirely. It consists of military
intervention, border control as well as fund cutting for terrorist education (finding out how their
campaigns are being financed and stopping it). These solutions will nullify the problem in that
area, for a time. Then the issue will arise elsewhere or in the same spot sometime later. Long
term solutions are ways eradicating terrorism from the inside; ending the need or want for people
to become violent in their beliefs. This consists of educating the populations, enabling them to
think critically and to be able to financially support themselves. Long term solutions also consist
of making sure everyone's rights and freedoms are kept. The international issue of terrorism
cannot be fixed with simply using one method or the other. Violent extremism will only end
under the pressure of both solutions.

Currently, military intervention is the most common way of fighting terror. NATO, in
particular, has been pushing the forefront of this. The combined economic resources poured into
military missions, a fighting group like Al Qaeda, ISIS or the Taliban, is several billion,
primarily coming from the United States. It is important that there is military intervention against
these groups, without it, they would run rapid destroying infrastructure, uprooting millions,
killing thousands and toppling governments. Military intervention is an essential part of this
battle however it is being focused on far too much. The military will combat and drive out the
extremist group. 5-10 years later, people from that area will begin to look to extremism to solve
their problems once more, and the military will have to intervene again and again.

Another strategy employed within the fight against terror is fund cutting. What this is, is
the tracking of where the funds that allow extremist organizations to financially function. food,
oil, weapons, ammunition. These are all expensive, even more so when feeding an army.
Government find out where their supply lines are coming from and cutting them. An issue,
 Cudmore-Keating
46

however, with this is that when supply lines cannot be cut to people, only areas. Because of this,
when a government is cutting a supply line to where an insurgent group may be situated, yes they
are combatting the insurgents, but they are also starving their own people. This solution, if put
into action must be streamlined in order to affect the targeted people.

Long term solutions are fixing the problem that initially drives someone toward their
actions instead of preventing them. Unlike short term solutions, long term solutions will fix a
problem so that it never occurs again. That being said, in order for long term solutions to take
hold, it must be supported by the short. One thing that pushes someone toward violent extremism
is a lack of human rights and freedoms. When someone is incapable of speaking their mind out
of fear, they are likely to join another group that will give them the power to speak their mind.
The United Nations created a bill of rights and freedoms, these are basic examples of things that
every single person should have and if they do, then it is difficult to try to revolt against
oppressors. In developing nations, where violent extremist is most prevalent, often human rights
are disregarded if not completely denied. A solution to this is for world leaders or any country
who is apart of the UN to step up and to defend the rights in which they stand behind. Human
rights are so easily disregarded within developing nations because countries who are supposed to
enforce those rights. To fail to do that is to fail the rights in which those nations wrote.

Education is first and foremost the most important and most effective way to nullify
violent extremism for good. First of all, education enables someone to become successful within,
especially in developing nations. With proper education, someone will graduate with a job
falling into their lap that will give them respect within society as well as financial ability to
support themselves and their family. Some people join groups because it gives them power and
stability. Being employed does the exact same thing but you do not have to fight for it. That by
itself will impact how many people are tempted to become extremists. Second of all education,
all trains the mind to question ideas instead of simply accepting them as a way of life. The
western world criticizes terrorism first of all because it directly affects us when they attack our
nation. Second of all because the educated mind can not understand how they justify their actions
 Cudmore-Keating
47

through a text. It does not seem to be logical to kill because you believe the words of a book. The
western, educated world does not have the same issues as developing nations in regard to
extremism because its people can critically think. Because 99% of people in almost all of its
nations are educated. Should developing nations wish to eradicate themselves of the burden of
extremism they must educate their people so that they may make the right decision for
themselves.

The solution to our problem will not be found by a single country just like it won't be
found in a single strategy. The world must come together to apply pressure on every aspect that
needs attention. Everyone must provide short term protection through the military and respect for
human rights just as everyone must come forward to help other nations educate their people. Our
world is imperfect, it always will be, however, it is our duty as intelligent beings to always
improve as a species. Right now, the human race must band together incrementally, in order to
fix terrorism, a force holding us back.