The Hindu : Anatomy of terrorism in South Asia

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 02, 2003

Opinion

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Anatomy of terrorism in South Asia — II

By Muchkund Dubey

The maintenance of pluralistic societies is an important condition for containing terrorism.

THE RISE of terrorism in South Asia is associated with some of the adverse effects of globalisation. Globalisation causes economic dislocations leading to the creation of pockets of unemployment, particularly in the informal, small and medium scale industrial sectors. The ensuing frustration, particularly when it is concentrated in particular ethnic, religious or linguistic groups, often fuels the fire of terrorism. In Sri Lanka, privatisation and liberalisation of imports particularly affected the emerging entrepreneurs among the Sinhalese. This proved to be a major factor in the JVP's descent to terrorism. The marginalisation of large sections, brought about by the retrenchment of social development activities under the structural adjustment programmes implemented by South Asian countries and designed to facilitate the process of globalisation, has been another contributory factor. Yet another aggravation has been the loss of cultural identities due to the homogenisation associated with globalisation. This has led to the reassertion, as a defence mechanism, of primordial identities, often by violent means. Finally, globalisation is associated with the weakening of the state, the rising salience of realistic as opposed to idealistic paradigms and the consequent decline of social values. These have affected the functioning of democracy and brought about mis-governance — phenomena closely linked to the rise of terrorism in South Asia.

Terrorism has profoundly influenced inter-state relations in South Asia. It has been the single most important factor for the recent sharp deterioration in India-Pakistan ties. Recently, it has become the bone of contention in relations between India and Bangladesh. The current Maoist insurgency in Nepal has cast its shadow on India-Nepal relations. The terrorist acts of the LTTE have introduced an additional element of complexity and uncertainty in India-Sri Lanka relations.

Had the South Asian countries seen terrorism as a common threat, they would have mounted a united campaign against it, which would have strengthened bilateral ties and consolidated their mutual cooperation. But unfortunately some of these countries are using terrorism against their neighbours in the context of bilateral disputes inherited from the past. This has aggravated the situation and has even the potential to trigger war.

After the recent U.S. intervention in Afghanistan, South Asia has been drawn into the vortex of the U.S.-led global campaign against terrorism. As a result, the U.S. involvement in South Asia, which predates September 11, 2001, has become deeper and much more intrusive. Countries of the region are becoming increasingly dependent on the U.S. for settling the problem of their own domestic terrorism or that sponsored and aided by neighbours. This has vastly enhanced the U.S.' leverage, which it is likely to use for fully incorporating these countries in the new world order it has been shaping and co-opt them in pursuit of its interests in other parts of the world.

There is now a broad consensus in the international community that direct actions to combat terrorism cannot be postponed until its root causes are eliminated. Therefore, combating terrorism should proceed side by side with actions designed to prevent it. However, counter-terrorism by itself can become a problem. First, given the nature of the modern technology of using violence against terrorists and the closely-knit character of modern economies, the collateral damage caused can be really staggering. Every effort should, therefore, be made to minimise, if not avert, it. Besides, international arrangements should be put in place to pay due compensation to non-combatant nations and individuals. Second, counter-terrorism creates vested interests in the perpetuation of terrorism, particularly when it serves domestic political purpose. Finally, it is very difficult to take effective counter-terrorist measures in the polarised societies of South Asia. There are formidable obstacles to revamping the law and order machinery in a divided society. In these conditions, dealing with the root causes of terrorism may become the pre-condition for ensuring the effectiveness of counter-terrorist measures.

There is no uniform approach applicable to all South Asian countries for dealing with terrorism. What is needed is a differentiated country-specific approach. For example, because of its social and cultural homogeneity, there is a larger margin of safety in Bangladesh with regard to all the forms of terrorism prevailing there. The challenge is to maintain and widen this margin which is in danger of being eroded, in no small measure due to the influence of developments in fundamentalist directions in other countries of the region. In Nepal, the task seems to be to reconstruct the democratic and constitutional order.

A major task in most of the South Asian countries is to mainstream home-grown terrorist elements into the democratic process. The Maoists in Nepal, the left-over of the extreme leftists in Bangladesh, People's War and other naxalites in India, the religious extremists in Pakistan and the LTTE in Sri Lanka need to be brought into the mainstream of national politics.

The maintenance of pluralistic societies is an important condition for a containing terrorism in South Asia. What happens to pluralism in one country has implications for preserving pluralism in other countries of the region. South Asian countries, therefore, have a common stake in preserving and strengthening their pluralistic societies.

Just as terrorism impacts adversely on bilateral relations, maintenance of good bilateral relations can be an antidote to terrorism. This can enable the countries to better absorb each other's shocks. This can also lead to the development of stakes in each other's stability and prosperity, thus rendering it counter-productive to encourage or perpetrate terrorism in neighbouring countries.

The South Asian countries should not exaggerate terrorist threats from other nations in the region to pursue obscurantist and chauvinistic domestic political agenda. By doing so they divert attention from their problem of domestic terrorism and make it difficult to elicit the cooperation of neighbouring countries, essential for combating both external and domestic terrorism.

Economic crisis or a `failed state' can create conditions for the rise of terrorism. South Asian countries should, therefore, do their best to absorb each other's economic shocks and invest in each other's prosperity. In any event, they should resist the temptation of contributing to the failure of other states.

The way South Asian countries deal with domestic terrorism or that affecting their neighbours is often shrouded in secrecy. This creates problems all round. There is, therefore, a need for greater transparency. This can be facilitated by debates in Parliaments, taking people into confidence and a more constructive and objective reporting by the media. Civil society organisations in South Asia have a crucial role to play in containing terrorism. They can build pressures for facilitating the process of democratisation and empowerment of the people. They can also launch a movement for ensuring greater transparency in the way their Governments deal or associate with terrorism. They can also contribute to creating the right kind of climate within their respective countries for maintaining good relations with neighbours.

Finally, South Asian society has historically been characterised by cultural diversity and religious perspectives rooted in tolerance and humanism. Conscious nurturing of these values and distinctive cultural features can go a long way towards making the region inhospitable for terrorism based on religious fundamentalism.

(Concluded)

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