One of the most important challenges affecting the world today is not just the rise of extremism, but also the pace at which international security is declining. Over the past decade, the world has seen the proliferation of extremist organizations that have proven to be a significant threat to the world. Popular terrorist organizations include, but are not limited to, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and al-Shabab. Furthermore, for global stability and order to prevail, both countries must work together to combat international terrorism. Terror has been portrayed in a number of forms. However, one characteristic that stands out among all the definitions is that the act intends to inflict pain, harm or even kill civilians (Fisher, 23). Although violence has been in existence for so long, terrorism appears to be a new form of violence threatening international security. For instance, ISIS, a group believed to be terrorist organization is not older than twenty years but continue to threaten international security from many angles. Thus, it is important to discuss the meaning of international terrorism, ISIS, its rise, and the influence or rather the impact that the group has on international security. In addition to that, the essay intends to look at the meaning of those key words, what they imply, especially, to the world as far as international security is concerned and lastly, the aspects that are credited for the rise of ISIS.
ISIS
This is a militant group that has been branded as a terrorist organization and traces its origin in 1990 in Jordan. The group is based on religious ideology and believes that it is conducting a holy war to wipe out elements that are in disagreement with their doctrine. Additionally, it started with a similar rhetoric as those of Al-Qaeda. However, ISIS began by attacking fellow Muslims, in particular, the Shiite. Although Osama bin Laden also condemned the Shiite, his group did not direct assault against them. ISIS became known to the world after launching attacks on northern Iraq, something that enabled them to seize quite a large area, including major towns (Laub and Masters, 12). Although Iraqi provisional government tried to resist, there was so little they could do in defense of the attacks. As a response to those attacks, the then Iraqi leader appealed to the international community to step in and help them in stopping the advancement of Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham also referred to as ISIS.
According to the group, ISIS is a moniker for their movement because their main objective is to form a Sunni Islamic caliphate which will be governed strictly by the Sharia law. Additionally, the group is precise where it wants to govern, that is, the land of Syria and northern Iraq. Before coming to Iraq to try and destabilize the provisional government, they had been concentrating their effort in Syria trying to fight the Syrian army in a bid to secure land for establishing their Islamic State. One of the distinctive features of the group is earning a reputation of being brutal against civilians, in particular, Shiites and Christians (Laub and Masters, 41). Additionally, they have earned a reputation for following a strict interpretation of Islam, and adherence to the same teaching which includes but is not limited to total abstinence from taking alcohol, listening to music and smoking.
International Terrorism
Although there is no conventional definition of international terrorism, according to the US, they define it as acts of violence against civilians and involve property or citizens of more than one country. On the other hand, the word terrorism denotes the use of violence, which is politically motivated against noncombatant targets and is usually carried out by clandestine agents or in other times subnational groups. Although terrorism has largely been considered a group affair, it is not prudent to ignore individual terrorists. In this category of individual terrorism, there is cyber terrorism. In the past, terrorism has been politically motivated, however, recent analysis demonstrate that religion is acting as a motivating factor for terrorist activities (Laub and Masters, 56). For instance, Al Qaeda is a terrorist organization driven by Islamic ideologies. For instance, former Al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden stated in 1998, that all the Muslims that believe in Allah and his prophet Mohamed ought to take as a personal responsibility to kill all Americans. In modern world, countries are faced with these realities, and as such, there is need to combat terrorism, locally and internationally. However, there are two main challenges that countries face in their effort to fight terrorism, which is, acting as a provider of security against terrorist deeds, and making sure that individual human rights are not tampered with in any way (Williamson, 61). Additionally, there is the problem of identification, that is, it is challenging to identify terrorists and the people behind terrorism which include but are not limited to the funders, trainers and supporters.
On the other hand, concerns have been raised on the reasons behind the continued growth of terrorist activities, and in this case, international terrorism. It brings the question of the factors that tend to facilitate the emergence of international terrorism. As far as international terrorism is concerned, the emergence of terrorist groups is a result of countries not having stable governments; this makes it easier for terrorism to thrive. For instance, Somalia as a state lacks a stable government, and as such, this has made it possible for Al-Shabab, a terrorist organization, to not only live there but also thrive as a potential threat to international peace if its attacks on Kenya are anything to go by. In addition to that, one may credit the emergence and successful rise of ISIS to the political instability created by the America invasion of Iraq. Lastly, Osama bin Laden spent some years in Sudan, at a time when the country was in turmoil, in a bid to reorganize his terrorist group (Gambhir, 79). Lastly, formation and rise of Hamas have been made possible thanks to Israel-Palestinian conflict. Thus, lack of stable governments and political instability can be a catalyst for the formation and growth of terrorist groups.
To combat international terrorism, there are approaches that different countries can employ. Firstly, is the use of diplomacy, although not regarded as the best method, it has the potential to lower down the conflict. Another effective method is the use of covert action, which involves intelligence gathering, either passively or actively. In cases where there is hostage crisis, then, an active form is the most appropriate. However, a passive approach can help in determining capabilities and terrorist plans (Williamson, 41). Other methods include rewarding informants, economic sanctions to countries supporting terrorists and use of military force.
The Rise of ISIS
ISIS is one of the terrorist groups that have taken the world by surprise, due to their brutal way of dealing with the people they consider enemies. The question that scholars have tried to answer is the rise of this group. There is a series of events that has facilitated the rise of ISIS. Firstly, is that most countries ignored the movement and did not put a lot of consideration of the potential danger that the group posed or have as far as international terrorism is concerned. For instance, the US put one hundred thousand as bounty for anyone with information that could help for the capture of the then leader of the group. The amount is so small and signifies the degree with which the US and other countries considered the movement. Thus, this is the factor that made it possible for the group to reorganize itself and rise to become one of the greatest ambassadors of international terrorism. Its rise dates back when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi took the leadership of the movement, the Chief, would later be killed by US forces in a military operation (Stern and Berger, 76). The group formation is attributed to two events, that is, the US invasion of Iraq and the training of Osama bin Laden. In addition to that, it is worth noting that the group accomplished its resurgence by use of single-minded means. That is, making sure that they control a territory and commit unspeakable atrocities.
In addition to that, the group has emblems, which are, severed head and a black flag. On the other hand, political instability in both Iraq and Syria facilitated and continue to facilitate its rise. Abu Musab Zarqawi was the founding leader of the organization, and just like Al-Qaeda, he rejected western secular culture. Before forming the group, Zarqawi was a member of Al-Qaeda where he received terrorism training. Additionally, he was a man of great strategic thinking, and by that, he was able to build sleeper cells to use for attacking invaders as a response to his presumption that there was going to be an invasion of US on Iraq. It is during the invasion of Iraq that he came up with an insurgency that was responsible for bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Iraq’s capital. Although the group he formed shared the same ideas with other terrorist groups in the region, the brutal way of handling their enemies attracted even some members of Al-Qaeda to criticize the group. It is in 2006 that the US troops killed the leader and his successor declared formation of Islamic State of Iraq four months later (Stern and Berger, 21). Although there were other competing groups that were underrating ISIS at the beginning of its creation, the group would later initiate serious attacks to them. Additionally, ISIS members appeared unfit for the organization, for instance, they often posted statements on social media complaining about not able to find Nutella in their residence.
Some of the early achievements that the group was able to count on include the establishment of a semblance state, however, the group implemented the harshest rules in the region. The group was able to self-finance itself through dubious means such as kidnapping and also, by selling oil. Lastly, the rise of the group reached its apex when it successfully conquered Iraq’s second biggest town, Mosul. In so doing, they were able to establish their base along the border of Syria and Iraq, an achievement that saw their leader making a formal announcement (Stern and Berger, 13). To secure their place as undisputed terrorist organization, they have outsmarted and defeated Al-Qaeda, though behind the scenes, who wanted the group to be under their instructions.
The threat of ISIS to international security
The existence of ISIS is a threat of international magnitude and if it is not properly checked, people will find it so unsafe to live. The thing that makes it so important to monitor the activities of ISIS as a potential threat to international security is the fact that they possess weapons and have successfully conquered a sizeable portion of Iraq and Syria. Thus, this makes them so powerful that they can launch attacks against the people they consider enemies. In addition to that, the group is killing thousands of people in both Iraq and Syria. Although other terrorists groups with Islamic ideology tend to kill non-Muslims, ISIS is an exception and threatens both Muslims and non-Muslims. The terrorist group has declared itself a leader of all people that consider themselves Muslims in the world. It should be noted that they consider themselves as such something that makes it more likely for the group to start spreading their terrorist activities all over the world (Morgan, 34). Another thing that makes the group powerful and a threat to international security is the fact that they possess oil which they use for funding their activities. Therefore, the group is promising to play on the global stage in the near future.
Statistics show that the group has already killed close to six thousand people and cause displacement of over one million people. The number is likely to increase if the world does not come in and initiate the fight against this terrorist group. Moreover, the group is causing mayhem and untold suffering in the Middle East. Although there are other terrorist organizations, such as the Hamas and Al-Qaeda, it is ISIS that is responsible for the many mass murder, kidnapping and sexual violence. In this regard, the group is threatening peace and stability in the middle-east. The 9/11 bombing of America was carried out by a small group that was trying to make a statement on the global arena. Al-Qaeda is not a large organization compared to ISIS, this begs the question that, if such a small group can carry out such a heavy mission on the most powerful country in the world, what about ISIS that is well organized with land and oil. Additionally, there are allegations that western countries at one point supplied the terrorist group with modern weapons. It is worrying that the group has such great potential of carrying out terrorist activities and no aggressive mission has been put in place to eliminate them. Lastly, ISIS threatens to take control of both Syria and Iraq and ultimately bring down the two regimes. In the last decade, the group has been conquering one town after another and should this trend continue, their expansion will be inevitable (Morgan, 42). As this is a terrorist group, expanding and acquiring more resources will make them more lethal and can take their activities at greater level and regions. Although the threat to global peace is real, not all countries are willing to join hands in fighting ISIS, the same case happened with Al-Qaeda, and as such, other countries may be sympathetic to the group, however, radical it might be.
Conclusion
Therefore, it is clear that international terrorism poses a real threat to the world and the only way to combat it is for all countries to work together in a bid to stop the spread of its activities. Regarding international terrorism, several factors make its formation and establishment possible. They include but are limited to political instability and availability of resources to fund terrorist organizations. ISIS is one of the deadliest and most powerful terrorist organizations creating a big problem in the world today. The rise of the group has been facilitated by political instability in Iraq and availability of oil to fund its activities. Additionally, it was able to conquer Mosul, one of the largest towns in Iraq, and this has helped the group to control its affairs in an organized manner. ISIS as a terrorist organization pose serious threats to the world, and these threats include but are not limited to harming civilians, creating fear and destabilizing governments. It is therefore essential that their spread and even existence is monitored lest the world risk putting itself in a very delicate situation.
Works Cited
Fisher, Ian. "In rise of ISIS, no single missed key but many strands of blame." The New York Times 18 (2015).
Gambhir, Harleen K. "Dabiq: The strategic messaging of the Islamic State." Institute for the Study of War 15 (2014).
Laub, Zachary, and Jonathan Masters. "The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria." Council on Foreign Relations 14 (2014).
Laub, Zachary, and Jonathan Masters. "The Islamic State." Council on Foreign Relations 10 (2016).
Morgan, Robin. The demon lover: The roots of terrorism. Open Road Media, 2014.
Stern, Jessica, and John M. Berger. ISIS: The state of terror. Harper Collins, 2015.
Williamson, Myra. Terrorism, war and international law: the legality of the use of force against Afghanistan in 2001. Routledge, 2016.
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