FORUM: SECURITY COUNCIL ISSUE: TRANSNATIONAL TERRORIST GROUPS SACHA SALPHATI INTRODUCTION http://thedailyjournalist.com/the-­‐strategist/changing-­‐terrorist-­‐trend-­‐global-­‐to-­‐local/ The definition of terrorism as stated in the Oxford dictionary is: «The unofficial or unauthorized use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.». According to Merriam-­‐Webster, transnational is: «operating in or involving more than one country». In many cases the reasons for terrorism are not only political but also religious or ideological. The spread of terrorism has recently significantly increased. In 2007, terrorism reached a peak, causing the death of 22 719 people. In 2013, 17 891 deaths were related to terrorism. It has been estimated that on average 420 people are killed and another 1249 are injured each year from transnational terrorist attacks (2008). The increase in terrorist attacks is due to the growth of organisations such as the IRA, FARC, Boko Haram, Lashkar-­‐e-­‐Tayyiba, Al-­‐Qaeda, Taliban, and ISIS. Examples of transnational terrorist attacks are numerous: the Mumbai Train bombings, Baghdad bombings, Al Hillah bombings, Yazidi community bombings, etc. The biggest terrorist attack was on 9/11 in New York, where more than 3000 people died. Most recent terrorist attacks are transnational, demonstrating the worldwide spread of terrorism. Questions of debate would include: What qualifies an attack as terrorism? What kinds of methods and sanctions would work to reduce the number of people joining terrorist groups? How can nations work together to suppress these groups? How can we fight terrorism without inflaming the situation? Should we negotiate with terrorists? How can we moderate the violence associated with a difference of ideologies? How can these groups be encouraged to use political and civil activism rather than violence? What are the sources or causes of terrorism? DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS Transnational: As defined by the Merriam-­‐Webster transnational is «operating in or involving more than one country». In this specific issue, transnational involves the movement and the spread of terrorism throughout the world, the traveling of the terrorists themselves and the international locations of their actions. For example al-­‐
Qaeda’s attacks on 9/11 in New York, their bombing of a Bali nightclub and a U.S. warship are transnational attacks. Transnational terrorist attacks tend to create stronger impacts at a global level. Terrorism: Terrorism is «The unofficial or unauthorized use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.» as defined by the Oxford dictionary. Governments have varying definitions of terrorism, depending on their political views and national interests. Jihad: Jihad is: «a war fought by Muslims to defend or spread their beliefs» by the Merriam Webster. The word «Jihad» means striving but can also mean a spiritual struggle against sin. The ideal of jihad has been spreading worldwide leading to numerous terrorist attacks. Some compare the Jihad to the crusades of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages or a Great Holy War for many other religions. The number of foreigners joining the Jihad increases daily which could lead to future transnational terrorist attacks in the country of origin of these foreigners. Sanctions: Sanction is «an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not allowing economic aid for that country, etc.». Sanctions are often seen as a solution to transnational terrorism. They can be economical, judiciary or political sanctions. An example of an economic sanction is the control or blocking of bank transactions and accounts. For example, the U.S tries to put sanctions on people or nations that buy oil from ISIS as the profits fund ISIS with approximately $1 million per day. Ideology: Ideology is «the set of ideas and beliefs of a group or political party» defined by the Merriam-­‐Webster. Ideology is often spread by propaganda and leads to a desire to change political , economic and social situations. To counter transnational terrorist groups, it is important to understand their ideologies. Terrorist groups such al-­‐Qaeda often have both religious ideologies (Jihad) and political ideologies. Other example includes Anders Behring Breivik, the culprit of the 2011 Norway massacre, who held a politically far-­‐right ideology. TIMELINE OF EVENTS -­‐1972, Munich Olympics, the death of 11 Israeli athletes (Black September). -­‐January 1973, installation of metal detectors in airports to decrease skyjackings. -­‐23 October 1983, Hezbollah’s suicide bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut. -­‐23 June 1985, Hindu extremists downing of Air India flight 182 -­‐21 December 1988, downing of Pan Am flight at Locherbee -­‐26 February 1993, Truck bombing of of the World Trade Center in NY. -­‐11 September 2001, attack on Twin towers in NY. 2013: -­‐16-­19 January 2013, Al-­‐Qaeda militants tade 800 hostages from Algeria, 69 people die. -­‐21 February 2013, Car bombing in Damascus kills 83 people, the main group suspected is Al-­‐Nusra Front. -­‐18 March 2013, Attack by Boko Haram kills 41 people in Nigeria. -­‐15 April 2013, bomb attack in Boston, United States, kills 5 people. -­‐15-­21 May 2013, Makhachkala in Russia is attacked by Islamic group (Shariat Jamaat); 4 people killed and 52 wounded. -­‐7 June 2013, Boko Haram kills 21 people in Maiduguri, Nigeria. -­‐25 July 2013, Jewish man is killed in Russia by an extreme Islamic group. -­‐10-­11 August 2013, Missile attack on Eilat, Israel; launched by Mujahideen Shura Council. -­‐23 September 2013, Attack in the Philippines kills 10 people. This hostage-­‐taking is done by Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. -­‐28 October 2013, The East Turkestan Islamic Movement launches a terrorist car attack in Beijing, killing 5 people and wounding 38. -­‐19 November 2013, A suicide bombing in Beirut, Lebanon kills 23 people. The group Abdullah Azzam Brigades claims responsibility. -­‐5 December 2013, a suicide bombing in Yemen, 56 people are killed by the group al-­‐
Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. http://www.eworldpost.com/wp-­‐content/uploads/2010/09/9-­‐11-­‐september-­‐11-­‐2001-­‐
photo-­‐7.jpg 2014: Al Qaeda and its affiliates are responsible for more than 80% of the terrorist incidents. The fatalities have occurred mainly in Iraq/Syria (ISIS) and in Nigeria (Boko Haram). Other countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia have recorded fatalities linked to other al Qaeda transnational terrorism organizations. The most important terrorist events (fatalities) in 2014 are as follows ( source: United Nations and Wikipedia) -­‐January 2014, 85 people from Kawuri village killed on January 26. Boko Haram was also responsible (suicide bombing) for 30 fatalities in the heavily populated center of Maiduguri. In Iraq, series of car bombings were perpetrated in Baghdad, killing 40 people. -­‐February 15 and 25, 2014, Boko Haram is suspected of killing 165 people (murdered, bombing). In Iraq and Syria, respectively on February 5 and 14, 64 people die from suicide bombing. Most of the victims of terrorism are from Syria, Iraq and Nigeria. -­‐March 2014, on the 15th, armed suicide attackers die trying to free Jihadists from a Nigerian Prison. On March 9, 45 people die in a bus bombing attack in Iraq. -­‐April 14, 2014, Boko Haram is responsible for the death of 71 people at a bus station (bombing) -­‐May 2014, on May 20, 118 people died in a bombing attack at the market and hospital at Sana'a. On the 23, in China, 31 people died from car attacks into a shopper market in Ürümqi. It is also important to note that some ISIS terrorist fighting in Syria and Iraq are returning into their home country to perpetuate attack (Lonewolf)such in Belgium were 4 people were murdered at the Jewish museum on May 30. -­‐June 2014, on June 15, approximately 60 people died victims from a terrorist attack perpetrated by Al-­‐Shabaab ( al Qaeda, affiliated). In Syria, the Islamic front killed 34 people in a truck bombing. -­‐October 2014, On October 9, two attacks (suicide bombings) were perpetrated in Kenya killings 70 people. PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS TO SOLVE THE ISSUE http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=46048 There have been several recent resolutions made by the UN Security Council. The delegates are encouraged to research each in depth. Resolution 1267/1989 Resolution 1566 Resolution 1373 CTC 2008 report A UN Convention (1999) called upon national governments to suppress the financing of terrorism which was being done through open, front, cover and sympathetic organizations of terrorist groups operating on their soil. Secretary General UN document on Terrorism MAJOR COUNTRIES AND ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED The United States. With its strength in military power, the USA has demonstrated a strong focus in suppressing terrorism around the world. An example of this is the death of Osama bin Laden in May 2011, killed by the US navy SEALs of the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group. During this historic moment, the pride felt by Americans in the fight against terrorism. The US has spent more than $1.35 billion for eradicating ISIS, and $800 billion on security after 9/11. Russia has the longest borders in the world explaining its difficulty in controlling terrorism inside the country. ISIS has been a very recent threat since Russia’s borders are very close to Islamic countries such as Iran. The country spent more than $25 000 million on military defence in 2005. The nation has a good relationship with countries in the Middle East and helps Iran to develop its nuclear energy. “Russian military exports to Tehran are estimated to total $4 billion, including the $900 million sale of 30 TOR M-­‐1 antiaircraft missiles. Russia also supplies the nuclear fuel for operation of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which Russian specialists aided in the construction” source: http://web.mit.edu/cis/fpi_russia.html. These policies have not only allowed Russia to profit but have also protected the nation from attacks by transnational terrorist groups. However, attacks by local or national terrorist groups are frequent in Russia and have been a cause of numerous wars, for example the Second Chechen War in 1999-­‐2000. The main terrorist groups in Russia are local political groups or anarchists. In 2013 there were 31 terrorist attacks in Russia which killed 40 people.The latest attacks two suicide attacks in Volgograd in December which killed a total of 34 people. Islamic terrorism is considered a growing threat in Russia especially in Chechnya and Dagestan (in the south of Russia). Since the original nationalist goals of the Chechnya were crushed after the war, the Jihad has taken over and is looking to exterminate any non-­‐Muslim population. Al-­‐Qaeda has managed to settle there although it is officially banned. China has never really been deeply affected by terrorism. The main reason for this is the strict control of the people entering and leaving the country. China has recently become less strict with its borders which could be one of the reasons why the number of terrorist attacks has increased (see table below). Internal conflicts in the country is often caused by the political and social changes the country is experiencing. The number of deaths caused by terrorist attacks was approximatively 130 in 2013 yet the number is increasing. The biggest transnational terrorist group attack in China was the Xinjiang raid on the 5th of January 2007 in which 18 people died and on the 4th of August 2008, 16 people were killed by the ETIM. China has recently decided to ban the ramadan fasting in the Xinjian region, a region with a high number of Muslims. This is an article discussing China’s current fight against terrorism both within the country and around the world: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-­‐
news/china-­‐mulls-­‐n ew-­‐law-­‐to-­‐deploy-­‐counter-­‐terrorism-­‐troops-­‐abroad/articleshow/45274623.cms. Recent examples of terrorist groups: During the Cold War occidental governments were worried that groups such as West Germany’s Red Army Faction were collaborating with European and Middle Eastern terrorist groups, and were cultivating support from other states. The Provisional Irish Republican Army PIRA, was offered weapons from Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya throughout the 1970s and 1980s. The goal of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). is to overthrow the legitimate government of Colombia. To do so, it created a Marxist guerrilla force of 30,000 people. They are involved in armed conflicts, terrorism, and criminal activities. Their territory is situated in a region where cocaine production is the largest. They also stimulate their funds through the cultivation of coca, opium poppy, and cannabis. FARC members also commit kidnappings and are engaged in the trafficking of small arms. Al-­Qaeda is considered a transnational terrorist group because it is composed of various nationalities, and it conducts its operations throughout the world. It is believed they have networks or “cells” in over 70 nations. They aim to influence countries to adopt Al-­‐Qaeda’s values. They target countries that have political systems, religions, ethnic compositions, and national interests that differ from Al-­‐Qaeda’s views. The group was established as the Soviet forces were leaving Afghanistan in 1989. The group gained support as it travelled between Sudan and Afghanistan during the beginning of the 1990s. Al Qaeda claimed responsability for the the 9/11 attacks in the USA in 2001. They have been responsible for numerous attacks and worked to deteriorate security in Yemen, Mali, the Sahel region and around the Horn of Africa. They attacked American embassies in East Africa (1998) and the USS Cole (2000). Lashkar-­e-­Tayyiba, (or the Army of the Righteous) is also another terrorist group. These are militant groups based in Kashmir assembled in the 1990s by the Markaz-­‐ud-­‐Dawa-­‐wal-­‐Irshad. The latter is an Islamic fundamentalist missionary organisation based in Pakistan in the 1980s. Lashkar-­‐e-­‐Tayyiba’s aims were to go against the Soviets in Afghanistan. Starting in 1993, attacks against Indian troops and civilians in the Jammu and Kashmir state, as well as several high-­‐profile attacks inside India occurred. The United States and United Nations have declared Lashkar-­‐e-­‐Tayyiba an international terrorist organization. The Pakistani Government banned it and froze its assets in 2002. The Taliban, also known as the Students of Islamic Knowledge Movement controlled Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001. They rose to power during Afghanistan's civil war and eventually held 90% of the Afghanistan’s land. The Taliban was pulled from power in December 2001 by the US military and Afghan forces as retaliation for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the USA. Nigeria's militant Islamist group Boko Haram is based in Africa's most populous country. It has disrupted the country with bombings, assassinations and abductions. It is fighting to overthrow the legitimate government and create an Islamic state. It abducted more than 200 schoolgirls during the Chibok raid, to treat them as slaves and marry them off. In reaction, the international movement “Bring our girls back” was created. Finally, a fairly new group, ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has gained power and caused havoc in Iraq, Syria and the surrounding countries. This group is very actively engaged in recent transnational terrorist attacks. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS “One must ask whether this war is important enough to warrant abandoning established principles of statehood and foreign policy. However, a critical question is: Can we win the war?” -­‐Terrell E.Arnold, a retired senior foreign service officer of the U.S. Department of State (http://www.rense.com/general31/waron.htm). Delegates should consider how to increase security of locations at risk of terrorist attacks (airplanes, public buildings, government buildings, cultural sites, etc.). Sharing of sensitive and/or secretive information between nations and criminal investigation agencies, agreements on restricting the sale and transport of weapons and international cooperation regarding the flow of money to terrorist organizations should also be considered. Delegates might also think about possible UN intervention in certain regions of the world where terrorists are harbored and where their training grounds exist as well as the restriction of propaganda which takes advantage of the weakness of the poor population to create idealist images of what it is like to be a terrorist in order to recruit. Raising the standards of living in certain regions, improving infrastructures and encouraging better social services could help the situation. Finally, education is extremely important if one is looking for a terrorist free future. Educational programs should teach tolerance and international mindedness. BIBLIOGRAPHY http://www.un.org/press/en/2014/sc11580.doc.htm http://www.bbc.com/news/world-­‐africa-­‐13809501 http://www.nctc.gov/site/groups/let.html http://www.infoplease.com/spot/taliban.html#ixzz3JMTXQdWm http://www.isn.ethz.ch/Digital-­‐Library/Articles/Special-­‐
Feature/Detail/?lng=en&id=152868&contextid774=152868&contextid775=152863&ta
bid=1453320103 http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/index.shtml (interesting videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7Jd5jmoytg and TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1iPcO27zJo)