Origins and Methodologies: Globalization & Migration, and Terrorism
Introduction
Terrorism and the question of what causes terrorism could be debated for millennia without ever coming to a definitive answer. Terrorism is such a complex issue and there are simply too many reasons for what causes it. It is in our nature for us to desire an easy to understand terrorism matrix that makes sense of it all. Out of the plethora of causes of terrorism, I postulate that globalization and migration have dual relationships with terrorism. The first relationship is that globalization and migration have a causal correlation with terrorism. Secondly, terrorism and terrorists benefit from globalization and migration.
Globalization and Terrorism
Globalization 101 says that, “Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic development and prosperity, and on human physical well-being in societies around the world.” Globalization is controversial because it has affected the world in both positive and negative ways. Trade has expanded globally. Interdependence has grown in many facets of our lives as a result of how fast information technologies have developed and spread. It has provided positive benefits and opportunities for many countries and people around the world. Globalization’s development has created the means to achieve economic prosperity, political freedom, and peace. However, many people have also been excluded from the positive effects of globalization because globalization has also given birth to powerful forces of social fragmentation which have caused violence and conflict. Globalization sounds like such a harmless term, but depending on whom you ask, that term is loathed and despised. An unintended consequence of globalization is that it is linked with terrorism.
Globalization is increasing the divide between “the haves” and “the have-nots” in the world. A by-product of the globalization process has been the increasing divide between “the haves” who feel like winners and “the have-nots” who feel like losers. Critics of globalization point out that it promotes conflicts and competition. Globalization helps fuel long-simmering hatreds and grievances which can be used by Islamic radical terrorists for recruitment and as justification for their terrorist attacks. The institutional structures like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization (WTO) have unwittingly exacerbated income inequality. Since the 1980s, virtually all Arab states have implemented variations of IMF and World Bank economic policies in order to secure loans. The policies enacted by these Arab states curtailed social spending, privatized land and other state assets, deregulated the labor market, and liberalized finance and trade. Those policies were focused on growing the private sector which subsequently eroded previously used forms of collective social support. This caused more people to become reliant on the market. Those who held the most power in those markets benefitted the greatest as social and economic life became more involved in market relations. Sadly for over 20 years, the regional trends for poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy, and other measures of social conditions have been woefully constant while autocratic rulers and their privileged allies feast and enrich themselves at the expense of the common people. Those autocratic rulers and those groups that support them will utilize a range of nonviolent to violent methods to suppress domestic opposition to protect their interests. It is important to note that the inequalities in power and wealth exist not only between individuals but also between Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and the other Arab countries. These inequalities in power and wealth are the catalyst for the disadvantaged to foment terrorism. The disadvantaged groups can and do resort to terrorism when they cannot gain satisfaction through peaceful avenues. Symbols of modernity that come with globalization are often specifically targeted for terror attacks.
The relationship between globalization and terrorism can also be seen with a different perspective. That viewpoint is that that terrorists have used globalization and the tools available because of it to plan, prepare, and execute terrorist actions against its enemies. Terrorists have used globalization as an excuse for their actions, but the paradox is that today’s terrorists and terrorism would not be as successful if it was not for what globalization has brought them.
Many of the technologies provided from globalization that have enhanced and strengthened terrorists are based on communication technologies. The majority of people on social media applications like Twitter and Facebook are using the applications to post harmless photos or messages about our daily lives so that we can keep in touch with our family and friends. But, fighters and supporters of the Islamic State regularly use Twitter to also spread their terrorist ideology and for recruitment as they openly share photographs and messages related to beheadings, religious hatred, and the civil war being waged in Syria. Social media platforms have made it easy to connect people from all over the world. Terrorists are using the Internet and social media to find potential recruits, to proselytize them, to inspire them to carry out attacks, and to coordinate those attacks.
Another tool that terrorists are using to maximum advantage is the modern day commercially available communication device equipped with end-to-end software. In May 2015, two gunmen carried out a terrorist attack outside a Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest in Garland, Texas. The gunmen wounded a security guard outside the event before police shot and killed them. In November 2015, terrorists carried out coordinated attacks at several sites in Paris, France. 129 people were killed by three teams of heavily-armed ISIS suicide bombers. The connection between these two separate attacks is that commercially available communication devices equipped with end-to-end encryption software were used in both attacks. The investigation into the November Paris attacks confirm that the terrorists used encrypted messenger applications to communicate for a period of time before the attacks and with each other during the attacks. FBI director, James Comey, revealed that one of the terrorists in the Garland, Texas attack had exchanged 109 encrypted messages with sources in an overseas terrorist location ahead of the attack. European and United States (US) law enforcement and intelligence agencies have not been able to break those encrypted messages. The contents and metadata of those encrypted messages may never be known because the commercial companies who developed those applications purposely designed it so that the companies themselves would not have the encryption key to decrypt messages. Having such secure communications gives terrorists an advantage because European and US law enforcement and intelligence agencies are unable to monitor messages before an attack and hence are unable to prevent it. Those same agencies are also foiled from exploiting valuable intelligence about the terrorists’ networks and support systems from their commercially available communication devices recovered from the attack.
Another benefit of globalization is its interconnected transportation system. Airplanes, ships, trains, and highways offer the means for international travel. Multinational corporations are not the only ones importing and exporting via the global transportation system. Aspiring foreign fighters are being recruited and persuaded to join Islamist terrorists in Syria and Iraq. 85 percent of the 250-plus Americans who have joined or attempted to join extremists in Syria and Iraq have been successful in getting to the conflict zone. A common method for getting to the conflict zone is to fly into Turkey, a NATO ally, and then smuggle one’s way into Syria from one of Turkey’s border towns. According to officials in Intelligence, about 40 American foreign fighters have returned from Syria after engaging with or pledging fealty with extremist groups. Authorities have arrested around 10 percent of those returning fighters. One of those Americans arrested was planning a terrorist attack against a US military base. Just like McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken establishing their franchises around the world, terrorists are using the same global transportation system to export and set up their “terrorist franchises”.
The global transportation system not only facilitates the export of terrorism, but it also provides itself as an easy target for terrorists to attack. Evidence of that can be seen in the March 2004 terrorist attack on four Spanish commuter trains, which killed 199 and injured almost 1,500. In July 2005, terrorists targeted the subway and bus transportation in London, which resulted in 52 killed, and over 700 injured. The global aviation industry is also a primary target for terrorists as evidenced by the November 2015 bombing of a Russian Metrojet passenger plane that killed 224 people. Terrorists attacked the merchant ship, Cosco Asia, using rocket propelled grenades while it was transiting the Suez Canal in September 2013.
Terrorists have a multi-prong strategy in targeting the global transportation system. Terrorists understand that attacks on airplanes, trains, subways, and ships will have great effect or “bang-for-the-buck”. It is not just the death toll that the terrorists are going for, but they want the fear and sensationalism generated by the media coverage of the event. Several common terrorist goals are to disrupt consumer and business confidence in their government and to cause economic and political harm to their adversaries. The 2004 Madrid train bombings and the 2005 London bombings had negative effects on their country’s economies as those incidents drove down their stock markets. The Charlie Hebdo attacks resulted in widespread cancellations of reservations at hotels, restaurants, and bars located in Paris. Every time there is an aviation bombing, even more pressure is placed on government leaders to invest money into aviation security.
Another concept terrorists understand and capitalize on is the interconnectedness of the world brought on by globalization. Terrorist leaders analyze and select targets to attack for their maximum value for their cause. Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda organization specifically selected the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon, AKA the headquarters of the US Defense Department because they are two shining symbols of America’s globalization might. The Pentagon and the World Trade Centers made excellent political, military, and economic targets for terrorists. Al Qaeda spent approximately $400,000 to $500,000 for the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington DC. The New York Times estimates that the cost to the US has been $3.3 trillion. The $3.3 trillion takes into account money spent on replacing destroyed and damaged property, the economic impact of lost revenue, increases in spending across the government for homeland security and intelligence, war funding related costs, and estimates of future war funding and the cost of US Veteran care over the next 40 years. Osama bin Laden’s goal of inflicting economic harm on the US and “bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy” can be declared a partial success. If the 9/11 attacks had not transpired, then that $3.3 trillion cost to the US could have been spent on other things. For example, money could have been allocated to counter other longer-range threats to American national security. Secondly, money could have been spent on rebuilding the broken American education system or to decrease our national debt. Another area where money could have been well spent is on programs to combat the youth bulge problem in the Middle East Maghreb area.
Another aspect that links globalization and terrorism is that globalization can cause a clash of cultures due to the easy dissemination of foreign ideas and foreign cultures into one’s own world. The clash arises from a fear for the loss of one’s indigenous religious and societal customs. The culture shock that a native might experience when comparing and contrasting the differences in cultural values between a developing world and a developed world can be overwhelming. Globalization has brought together a conflict between Western culture and traditional Muslim culture. This clash of culture or civilizations is being used by Muslim extremists as an excuse for terrorism against non-Muslims.
One distinct difference between Western culture in relation with tradition Muslim culture can be seen in the US. An extensive survey by the Pew Research Center reveals that the percentage of adults who say they believe in God, pray daily, and regularly go to church services has, in recent years, declined modestly. The survey also revealed that in many ways, younger Americans are less religious than older Americans. The numbers of Americans unaffiliated with religion have grown in size and they are also becoming less religious as time passes on. To sum it up, the survey shows that commitment to religion has declined in men and women, college graduates and non-college graduates, married and single respondents, people all over the US and people of various race and ethnicity. That type of commitment to religion flies in the face of devout Muslim belief. Devout Muslims believe that religion should be the paramount force that drives all the phases of a Muslim’s life.
Many Muslims consider American culture to be morally depraved. For example, the traditional American family used to be comprised of a man and woman who got married first and then had children. The man was the breadwinner and the woman took care of the house and children. That tradition in America has changed. Now it is normal for adults, both male and female, to have sexual relationships and illegitimate children with each other without being married. Take a look at what is on America’s cable television channels. The debauchery prevalent on many of the most-watched shows showcase and promote vices incompatible with Islamic traditions. Current American culture believes in openness. Americans desire lifestyle options and new experiences. Americans want maximum freedom to express their individualism and uniqueness. Americans are intently focused on materialism and acquiring more of it. The net effect is that Americans eschew having any limitations on the individual.
The prophet Muhammad would be rolling over in his grave if Muslims in a globalized society had to accept and live with the televised displays of homosexual men and lesbian women exchanging marriage vows in San Francisco. The separation of church and state in America is also in conflict with Islamic belief. There is no such secular belief from Muslims because Islam as a way of life is pervasive in all aspects of traditional Muslim culture. Muslim extremists view the corrupting influence of Western culture as an attack on Islamic culture therefore terrorism is acceptable in defense of Islam.
Robert Kaplan says that urbanization is one of the biggest elements of globalization. The Middle East was rural 50 years ago and cities like Tunis and Casablanca each only had 200,000 to 400,000 people. Today, Tunis has close to two million inhabitants and Casablanca has over 3.5 million inhabitants. A more ideological form of Islam emerged to manage the urbanization in the Middle East. When people used to live in mostly rural areas, religion was a daily routine of life. But now religion as a central part of one’s life is competing with the demands of earning a living in a globalization influenced economy. The underlying concern for Islamic society when talking about globalization is how to protect that Islamic society from foreign pressure. Muslims want to preserve their religious traditions and their social institutions in the vortex of globalization. Radical Islamist extremists can quote the Koran and say that complete submission to Allah is the ultimate priority for all Muslims. Terrorists can say that Western globalization is trying to dominate and control Islam and thus it is every Muslim’s duty to fight Westernization and maintain Islam’s longevity and power in the world.
Migration and Terrorism
In addition to the complicated paradox that exists between globalization and terrorism, another such convoluted connection exists between migration and terrorism. Large numbers of refugees migrating from Islamic countries to Western countries due to the fighting in Syria and Iraq are bringing together two different cultures. The result of this clashing of cultures due to migration is that the violence from terrorism can be used to usher in change or to right a perceived wrong.
Terrorism is often used to counter the migration of foreign ideas into one’s society. Some extremists may view the migration of large numbers of people of different cultures and religions into their country as an invasion. An example of an extremist who took terrorist action against that kind of invasion is Anders Behring Breivik. In Norway on July 22, 2011, a massacre occurred that was perpetrated by Breivik. Breivik targeted and killed over 90 young children from Norway’s socialist elite who were attending a youth camp. Breivik is anti-Muslim and his terrorist attack was his opening crusade against the creeping Islamification of Western Europe, which he called “demographic Jihad”.
Terrorists can also use the liberal migration policies of foreign nations for their nefarious terrorist purposes. Investigations after the Paris terror attacks reveal that at least one of the terrorist killers had infiltrated Europe amongst the current refugee crisis. The terrorist was allowed entry into Greece in October 2015. He then made his way through Macedonia, Serbia, and Croatia before eventually making it to Paris. He was one of three suicide bombers who blew themselves up at the Stade de France in the November 2015 Paris attacks.
An Islamic State operative spoke to a reporter and confirmed that the Islamic State planned to infiltrate Western countries by hiding jihadi extremists amongst the tidal wave of innocent refugees. The operative stated that over 4,000 ISIS gunmen have been smuggled into Western nations. The operative said that the gunmen would be utilized to conduct attacks in the West in retaliation for US-led coalition airstrikes against ISIS.
From 1945 to 1946, terrorism was a tactical weapon used for strategic purpose by Jewish underground groups who were fighting an insurgency campaign against the British in Palestine. Jewish terrorists frustrated the British security forces and eroded their ability to control Palestine. “The Jewish insurgent groups targeted British troops and police, military bases and police stations, oil refineries, trains, bridges, and banks.” The Jewish insurgent groups carried out 364 attacks and casualty totals for the two year period exceeded 1,000. The Jewish terrorists eventually persuaded Britain to “beat feet” from Palestine. Ultimately, the withdrawal of the British created the favorable conditions that led to the founding of Israel.
Summary
Another definition for globalization is that it is the elimination of trade barriers, communication barriers, and cultural exchange barriers. The definition for globalization sounds grandiose but the concept is not new. Globalization has been going on for thousands of years, just ask the Chinese historians about the famous Silk Road that stretched across central Asia and connected China and Europe. It can be argued that globalization is beneficial because it has helped countries from around the world grow the size of their national economies. But, it can also be argued that globalization has made the rich richer while making the poor poorer. Migration can be viewed in the same fashion. For example, many European countries are welcoming the influx of refugees as a means to combat the demographic crisis in their countries from falling birthrates. The downside to such a huge influx of immigrants is that brings two different cultures into conflict with each other. There exists a dichotomy between globalization and terrorism. Some extremists believe that globalization is a harmful influence to them and their communities culturally. Some of these extremists will resort to terrorism and use the tools of globalization in order to stop the spread of Western culture’s corrupting effect on their culture. The after effects of migration can destabilize both Western and Islamic cultures. Muslim extremist migrants unhappy with the vices and corruption of their new location can utilize terrorism to affect change.