Since the incident of September 11th, 2001, the world has been asking if Democracy is going to help curb terrorism. Even the governments have been asking themselves the same question how democracy is going to be a tool to finish terrorism in the word. The terrorist attack changed how the society views and perceives issues, and since then the fight for terrorism has been the number one priority of the government.
The first response by the United States was to invade Afghanistan because they owned weapons of mass destruction. But after invading Iraq, they never found such weapons. Currently, the war on terrorism includes introducing democracy to such countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan even if the civilians pose the challenges of resistance since most of them are Muslims and are not ready to adopt democracy in their culture. The widely promoted theory is that if the aristocrats can be changed to Democrats terrorism will be curbed. But the public has created a new perspective of the situation. They believe that the fight against terrorism is a war against terror 1 .
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This view of democracy has created more tension among the civilians since those who have already accepted democracy are seen to be deserters by those who have not yet subscribed to the principles of democracy. This tension creates a risk of an outbreak of a civil war between the subscribers and those who are not for democracy. The presence of the United States Army in Iraq has stirred tension among critics who argue that their presence is interfering with the cultures of the Muslim society. President George W. Bush argued that democracy is the only solution to counter terrorist activities in countries that have not yet enjoyed Democracy 2 .
This paper will be trying to establish the relationship between democracy and terrorism and how democracy can be used to curb terrorism. And if there is a link between terrorism and democracy, how strong it is. The paper will also review the effect Democracy will have on a society that has not yet experienced Democracy before 3 .
Many scholars have advocated for the development of democracy in the world to curb terrorism. Such scholars have given out different definitions of the two disciplines and the theories on how democracy can be used to curb terrorism in the world and eventually vanish it.
According to Enders and Sanders, terrorism is the when a group of individuals exploits the public through violence or threats to bring violence to the society so as to achieve political changes. Such exploitations are directed towards the civilians that make a broad audience.
Another scholar Crenshaw defines Terrorism in a more direct manner. She describes terrorism as a case when a group of people induces fear and anxiety in the civilians with the aim of directing them. Garr also gives out a definition of terrorism as the system in which political violence such as mutinies, assassinations and attempts to overthrow governments. Hoffman also defines terrorism as a move to build fear in the public by violent activities or giving out threats in a bid for changes in governance and politics 4 . Another scholar, Newland, defines terrorism as an activity that involves deliberate killing of innocent people so as to send a message to the government or targeted group. All these definitions try to give out an explanation by many as an activity practiced by labels and involves violence. This terrorist groups typically refer themselves as freedom fighters or such heroic names.
Democracy also does not have a precise definition. It has been defined by scholars such as Lipset who defines it as the ability of the government to supply the public with stable opportunities to elect new government officials according to the constitution.
Another scholar also describes democracy as a case where people are willing to treat each other with equality in a political ground. He argued that it follows the following procedure to ensure everybody feels that he or she has been treated with equality. Equal participation in policy formulation. Equal opportunity to be part of elections for the election of government officials.
Policies are open to change anytime members feel there is need to change, each member to have equal opportunities to learn and study policies that are relevant to their system and lastly permanent residents should have the full rights of citizenship. Dahl argues that political rights are the fundamental components of democracy. In trying to use democracy to curb terrorism, the core principles of democracy should not be changed or otherwise it will no longer be democratization 5 .
Dahl defines democracy as the process of being able to have a free and fair elections, governmental departments, civil liberties and equal opportunities for organization and formulation of public policies through voting. Lipset also suggests that for a democratic entity to feel the democratic conditions, freedom of the press and the government departments associated with checks and balances should be exercised.
Causes of Terrorism
Since we have known what is being referred to terrorism, we will now try to determine why it occurs and what motivates individuals to involve themselves in terrorist activities. Crenshaw argues out that the primary cause and motivation of terrorist activities in a country is the presence of a failed government. This gives encouragement to the Radical groups to undertake terrorist activities since they know they will get away with it since the government in place is not stable enough to curb their operations. Advancement in technology also has in one way or the other facilitated terrorism activities. For example, the development of missiles that can be controlled remotely can motivate one to commit a terrorist activity 6 . People who decide to involve themselves with terrorist activities are most often the minority groups that are disregarded in the community. They mostly feel that they have been neglected by the government this person who is discriminated comes together and forms a group with a primary objective of fighting for their rights. Therefore this people resolve to violence and other extreme measures to convey their grievances or pressure for a change (Turker 2013).
Crenshaw categorizes the factors that motivate one into terrorism as structural, psychological and rational choice. Crenshaw argues that there is no particular method to quantify psychological aspects that drive one into committing terrorist activities but still it can be considered as a factor that motivates one into committing terrorist activities and the decision they make after that.
Crenshaw also emphasizes that not everybody who is discriminated resorts to terrorism or violate activities so as to pass his or her message. Otherwise, terrorists view the government as the primary cause of their discrimination and inequities. She continues and says that inequities play a significant role in stirring up radical groups and consequently terrorist activities. Like for Example in case the government does not allow all its citizens to take part in elections. This will create a filling of discontent in this group of people. This feeling and desire for change will drive this neglected group into violence or terrorist activities just in a bid to remove the existing government from power.
Also if the government calls for reforms in the constitution that restrain protests by use of extra force, the majority part of the population may join the radical groups to fight back such changes despite the fact that they don’t support the extremists. Rational choices refer to the reasons the terrorist groups give to recruits to make them join their course. Many scholars seem to have a common view of what causes terrorism. Enders and Sanders (1999) highlights the reasons for terrorism as economic iniquities, fight for religious freedoms, discrimination, separatism, and nihilism.
Wilkinson and Bell also highlighted the real cause of terrorism. Political injustices, inequalities in both social and economic amenities, existence of a weak counter-terrorism mechanisms and emergency of ideologies that motivate terrorism. Kruger also suggested that political biases are the main causes of terrorism activities. The degree of modernization and the geographical location also can be direct causes of terrorist activities. They are perceived to affect the scope and the frequency of terrorist activities in a particular country or region 7 . Presence of cheap weapons in the black market, weak terrorist control systems, existence of other forms of unrest like civil wars, and social-cultural factors can also be direct causes of terrorist activities
Although we have noted several causes of terrorism, many people still argue and believe that the primary cause of terrorism is the Islamic religion. Historical review of the background development of terrorism and how it is involved with Islam claim that the Islamic faith is just tool used by the terrorist and cannot be considered a direct cause of terrorism. Muslims scholars argue that Islamic religion is more concerned with peace and each person reading the Quran may not interpret it the same way as another person. Therefore in the case of a terrorist, he or she may know and pull out some verses from the Quran and use them in his context to justify his actions.
Therefore we can’t take Islam religion as a cause of terrorist activities; it is just a justification by the radical groups who try to make themselves look clean and heroic.
In a case where a terrorist group’s primary objective is religion then they are referred to as religious terrorist groups. This kind of terrorists see themselves as holy as the core reason for their actions is self-gratification or purification. Scholars have argued that recently there has been a shift in the terrorist activities to religious based terrorism. The change is traced to the structural change in causalities after attack of the U.S embassy in Tehran 8 .
Americas struggle to democratize the countries of the Far East have been faced with some challenges. Political leaders from both the region and outside only appear to be part of the struggle, but they are not supporting them that much. Both President Obama and his predecessor have both been struggling to promote democracy in a region known to be the most undemocratic in the world.
The theory of democratization of countries to curb terrorism has been in the minds of scholars for a long time. They have even gone a step further into constructing models to establish the relationship between democracy and terrorism and how democracy can be used as a tool to curb terrorism. And in their study, most of them have reached the conclusion that democracy is really the only remedy to manage terrorism in the world. Thus some methods have been explained by scholars on how democracy can be used to curb terrorism both in the short-run and the long run.
The first method is the one that was already applied by the United States after the September 11th tragedy. Enactment of policies that deal with the suspects of terror like the Patriotic Act of the U.S
After the 9/11 tragedy in America that led to death of almost 3000 innocent souls, the American Congress reacted by enacting the U.S.A Patriot Act so as to counter such attacks in the future.
The Act has proofed to be successful since then as it has helped prevent terrorist activities in the United States in so many ways. It first revised the laws that existed on antiterrorist activities and criminal legislation to match the existing modern technologies. The act stipulated the fines and punishments that should be imposed on those who are found guilty of committing terrorist activities. The intelligence community was also equipped with proper tools to help them break down the barriers preventing them from exchanging information with the law enforcement department and any other group that might be having information relevant to terrorist activities.
The Republicans have been arguing that the Act is in one way or the other interfering with the Civil Liberties of the American citizens but After a long public debate, the United States Congress have provided a bill to reauthorize the provisions of the Act. Concerns have been raised about they acts impact on citizens’ civil liberties, but those claims have not been verified all this time the Act has been in action. Furthermore, the bill has added safeguards to enhance protection of citizens’ rights and privacy. The bill ads specifically require that if one receives a national security letter, he or she is free to file a case in court challenging the request. The whole process requires the department of justice to sign before investigators are allowed to ask for any documents that may in any way violate the individual's democratic rights 9 .
It has not been that easy for the American government to put the Patriot Act into practice.
It has faced so much opposition from those who advocate for the Republicans. They argue that the Act is violating the democratic principles that are there to safeguard the rights and freedoms of the American citizens. But in the Act has protected the American citizens from another terrorist attack like the one in the 9/11. It’s evident that the occurrence of the 9/11 tragedy could
have been prevented if there was such an Act in place by then. The government departments lacked coordination before the 9/11 a factor that compromised the ability of the investigators to connect the bits of information of what the terrorists were planning. The Act has helped remove that barrier and departments can now exchange information and intelligence, therefore being able to stop terrorist activities before they happen. Essentially the Patriotic Act has helped fight terrorism in four main ways. It has helped remove barriers that were there in investigating terrorism, the criminal law against convicts of terror has been strengthened, the act has also enhanced free exchange of information and intelligence between the federal government and the central government. Finally, the Act has revived the laws to suit the existing technology.
The Patriot Act has observed all the Democratic principles in helping to fight terror. The tools it offers to investigators are always court approved and have proved to be successful for many years in curbing other crimes such as drugs, and organized crimes. Therefore the Patriot Act is one way a democracy can be used to control terrorism activities without affecting the core principles of democracy.
Another case where terrorism has been controlled successfully is the West Germany. The Red Army faction operating mostly in the West Germany was responsible for terrorist activities in the 1970s and 80s. The group was mostly targeting Germany leaders and the United States holdings. The Germany government responded in so many fashions before reaching the best method to curb terrorism. At first, they devised a policy that required all civil servants to take an oath of allegiance. But that move received a lot of criticism with a core argument that it is interfering with people’s private lives. Eventually, the policy was scrapped off 10 .
Germany resolved into establishment of an organization that could look into investigations that will help in curbing terrorism in the country. The Germany law was amended
with court approvals to give police more power like conducting searches in houses of suspected terrorists. The police were also given the jurisdiction to establish checkpoints which helped in identification of travelers.
In their struggle to end terrorism, West Germany also reduced the boundaries that inhibited exchange of information within its intelligence departments thus expanding its data sources. They came up with a highly trained group that could respond to terrorist information within one hour anywhere in the country.
By the dawn of 1980, West Germany had successfully managed to curb terrorism. Most of the Red Army members were either in prison or dead. This success to control terrorism in a country that was living in terror threats is because of a real democratic system that was observed to the latter. Creation of intelligence departments and increasing police power without necessarily interfering with citizens civil liberties.
Italy also experienced terrorist activities during the 1970s that were most led by students who felt that they were exploited by their capitalist masters. Therefore this group that called themselves the Red Brigades started to commit terrorist activities around the country like kidnapping, bombing and even assassination of political leaders. The group had become so notorious in Italy in the 70s until the government finally decided to increase police authority conduct searches and detain any terrorist suspect. The Italian government also passed a bill that anybody found organizing or promoting any faction whose aim is to create violence will be convicted and judged 11 .
One of the most successful democratic tactic used by the Italian government is to reduce the punishment to anybody who shares any information relating to the terrorist group. Thus the
youths who had already been judged and thrown into prison choose to cooperate and gave the government the information they wanted to bring down the Red Brigades. By the dawn of 1981 terrorism was nearing history in Italy. The Italian government also succeeded in finishing terrorism and still observed democratic principles throughout the whole process. The civil liberties of ordinary citizens were never disrupted by the government’s tactics to curb terrorism.
Also in another setting, Ireland was in religious terrorists in the 1920s.This was after British granted independence to the island colonies that formed the Irish Republic. The religious blocks in the region specifically the Catholics and the Protestants resolved to seek political power in the country. The Catholics advocated for the unification of the independent Ireland with the Northern Ireland. The Protestants supported for the Northern Ireland to remain part of the Great Britain. This differences created a rift, and that led to the formation of terrorist groups that further fueled the divide. Ireland had been suffering from terror attacks until 1978 when the British government passed an act that gave police and the army significant powers to conduct searches and make arrests without warrants under certain circumstances. The police also were given powers to detain suspects up to a period of 72hours before taking them to court. The Act also abolished the jury trials since their department had been infiltrated by the terrorists. Also, the security of witnesses was safeguarded as judges could present evidence in the form of affidavits instead of the witness testifying in person a factor that may compromise his or her security 12 .
Unlike the two cases above, West Germany and Italy, Ireland has not entirely managed to curb terrorism. This is because the radical groups are protected by the religious blocks that exist in Ireland that is the Protestants and the Catholics in the Northern Ireland. Brokered by the United States, negotiations have proofed to help the country curb terrorism significantly. The
country has even signed a peace treaty between the two blocks. The British government gave the citizens of both Northern Ireland and the Irish Republican opportunity to vote in the Agreement thus promoting cohesion and peace within the two blocks 13 . The Republican army has already turned in their weapons as per the conditions of the pact thus order is being restored in Ireland with Northern Ireland as an independent state.
Israel is another country that has applied democracy in restoring peace within her territories. It receives too much opposition to its policies against the Palestine community. Over the years Israel has been fighting with attacks by the Palestine groups that want to establish a Muslim community in place of Israel. The Israelite government has reacted to this attacks by keeping in place a reliable intelligence systems and security departments to counter this attacks. Like the Mossad of Israel are known in the world to be the best-equipped intelligence service in the world and keeps extensive records on terrorist activities. Therefore Israel has managed to curb terrorism activities by a great deal just by upgrading its security without affecting the civil liberties of its citizens 14 .
Conclusively, we can comfortably say that democracy can be used to curb or even finish terrorism and acts of terror. The examples that have been explained above are enough to proof that the only tool that has proofed to work in the fight against terrorism is democracy. There happens to be challenges along the way and sometimes the procedures involved can in one way or the other conflict the democratic principles. But in most cases, it has proofed to work without affecting the democratic principles in any way. Therefore, Democratization of countries may help make the world a free and safe place for everybody.
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