SS Notes 4: Terrorism

Impact of terrorism

Factors: Economic, social and political

Format: XXXX factor is an important impact of terrorism

Economic: Terrorism has tremendous economic impact, especially after a terrorist act has occurred
in a country or region. Such acts cause a loss of faith and confidence of consumers and prospective
investors. This causes economic loss to the country or region. In addition, tourism suffers as tourists
avoid areas that have been recently attacked by terrorists. An example is the aftermath of the
September 11 attacks. The airline industry lost a lot of revenue as consumer confidence was shaken
by the attacks. The government had to step in to provide economic help to the airline industry to
prevent airline companies from closing down. Thus, economic impact is an important impact of
terrorism.

Social: Acts of terrorism can create feelings of animosity and suspicion among the various ethnicities
and religious groups living in a country or region. This causes social conflict and may lead to
explosive race riots. This threat is particularly pervasive in a multi-ethnic country like Singapore. In
addition frequent terrorist attacks cause inhabitants of a country or region to feel threatened and
traumatized. An example of this is Israel, which has experienced frequent terrorist attacks. A public
opinion poll carried out by the National Security Studies Centre at the University of Haifa, found that
in October 2000, 80 percent of Israeli Jews polled declared that they feared terrorist attacks against
themselves or close family members. Although this far from an objective indicator of anything, it
gives a general sense of how the public feels and provides an insight into the societal psyche of
Israelis. The trauma caused to the populace has a detrimental effect on the country. Thus, social
impact is an important impact of terrorism.

Political: Governments have a responsibility to keep citizens safe from terrorists. Much pressure is
often placed on governments to prevent terrorist acts as well as relieve the hardships caused by
terrorism. For example, the Indonesian government faced pressure to relieve the economic
hardships faced by the people in Bali after the 2002 attack. Also, airport security is tightened in order
to prevent terrorism. Critics argue that these measures and laws infringe on individual freedom and
personal privacy. Thus, governments face pressure from both sides which may cause a shift in power
in certain countries. Thus, political impact is an important impact of terrorism.

BOC

Social impact>all other factors: Social impact is the most important factor as it is the root cause of
the other impacts. The purpose of terrorism is not to mutilate or murder but to attack the social
cohesion of a country and to strike fear within the populace with the hopes of promoting chaos and
confusion. The fear that terrorism creates translates to both economic and political impacts. The loss
of consumer confidence is a reason for economic problems faced by countries after a terrorist
attack. The widespread fear and panic caused by acts of terrorism breeds a desire to halt it, leading
to almost paranoid measures and laws imposed at border security. Thus social impact causes both
economic and political impact. Thus social impact is the most important factor.
Management of terrorism

Factors: ASEAN, International, Nurturing environment

Format: XXXX factor is an important way of managing terrorism

ASEAN: ASEAN leaders view terrorism as a major threat to international peace. As such, ASEAN
governments have pledged their determination to cooperate against transnational terrorists through
joint police and intelligence measures. For example, ASEAN has pledged to enhance information and
intelligence exchange on terrorists and terrorist activities. This has helped member countries to
disrupt terrorist activities on their soil. For example, in January 2002, the Philippine authorities
arrested JI bomb-maker Fathur Rohman Al-Ghozi based on information provided to them by
Singapore. Fathur had been involved in the bombing of the Light Railway Train in Manila in
December 2000. The member countries have also used the ASEAN Regional Forum as a platform to
discuss transnational terrorism issues. Thus ASEAN’s efforts are an important way of managing
terrorism.

International: The audacity and scale of the September 11 attacks mobilised the international
community into action. The UN passed a series of resolutions in a bid to stop terrorism. Member
countries pledged joint cooperation through these resolutions to disrupt terrorist activities and to
share information and cooperate in criminal prosecution. The UN also set up the CTC to monitor
member countries’ adherence to the resolutions as well as provide technical assistance to countries
that require help in implementing the resolutions. Since the resolutions were passed, member
countries have managed to freeze more than US$200 million in terrorist funding. In addition, more
than 4000 terrorist suspects have been arrested. Thus international efforts are an important way of
managing terrorism.

Environment: All members of society have a role to play in countering the threat of terrorism.
Terrorist groups preach a message of hate and enmity, glorify the use of violence and falsely
sanction a person to commit violent acts. There must therefore be no ambiguity in society’s stand
against these ideas. Every individual has a role to play to deny the terrorists space in society. Thus
nurturing an environment that censures terrorism is an important way of managing terrorism.

BOC

Environment>all other factors: Nurturing an environment that censures terrorism is the most
important way of managing terrorism as it is the most effective. Today’s terrorism cannot be dealt
with just by arresting terrorist operatives. Terrorists are able to recruit new operatives to replace
those who have been arrested or killed if the society does not actively and unequivocally reject the
ideas propagated by terrorists. It is therefore more crucial to ensure that society plays its part to
counter radical and extremist influences purveyed by terrorists. Thus nurturing an environment that
censures terrorism is the most important way of managing terrorism.