Why It Is Important To Counter Terrorism

By Eric Martin


Terrorism is an act of intimidation through unlawful means to make the government and citizens of a nation succumb to their demands which could be political, ideological or religious. People who perpetrate terrorism are known as terrorists. They are usually in the hiding, especially after committing a criminal act, thereby making it difficult for the government to unleash its military forces on them.

Most developing countries suffering from the menace of terrorist attacks have not recovered in years. They are finding it difficult to counter terrorism because they lack the advanced technology with which to track them. Hence, they have more room and time to operate, making the sufferings of the people where they operate to be persistent. The effects of all these are further discussed in the following paragraphs.

The most obvious is the loss of lives. Terrorists kill people in their tens and hundreds. Their targets are usually places where they can kill a lot of people in just one strike. An example is the unforgettable experience of the World Trade Center which happened in September 2001. Since then, terrorism seems to have been on the increase.

Apart from lives, people also lose properties in the process. Again, instead of targeting places with segregated buildings, they usually go for estates, markets and industrialized areas where they can wreak havoc in one attempt. Their activities also extend to properties which the government depends on for revenue.

Owing to the loss of properties, poverty takes the center stage and becomes a devouring monster when things are not done fast to hit the terrorizing group. Houses which could be sold for thousands of dollars are lost and people affected barely have enough to eat on a daily basis. This also leads to more loss of lives.

The immediate need of the government after a terrorist attack is to make the citizens feel some peace and hope. This is done by replacing lost infrastructure that makes life comfortable. Among them include damaged roads, destroyed markets and provision of water for the masses assuming some pipes were also destroyed. In addition, the urgent need to improve on security makes the government recruit more into the police and military forces. They also have to condole with the families that lost a lot in the incident.

There is certainly no country that is self-sufficient. Governments depend on other governments to succeed but this can only continue when the land is peaceful enough to guarantee the safety of lives and properties. In a terrorist zone, foreign investors return back home and others that would have loved to seal a deal no longer show interest. This affects developing countries the most and sometimes, developed countries are also affected depending on who is partnering with them.

Tourism is also affected and the money the government gets from tourist visitation is lost. Sometimes, the bandits' activities affect those centers that serve as an attraction to tourists. Thus, apart from the fear of losing their lives, tourists lose interest in visiting the country again since there are no more attractions to behold. Unfortunately, this has the tendency of creating mass unemployment as those who work in the tourist locations seem to have no more relevance in contributing their own quota to the nation's development.




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