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Who wants to become a Terrorist, or a Politico or a member of the "Underworld"?Shenali WadugeIt has often puzzled me why anyone should take to a path of destruction whatever warped ideology they are said to possess. It has also puzzled me why these men & women should choose to end up hidden from society living in thick jungles or similar environments & take joy in destructive surprises upon innocent men, women & children? What mostly surprises me is the knowledge that they too are living in "fear" - fear for their own lives so much so to even doubt their own cohorts in crime. But then, given that they have a choice, why do they continue to remain as terrorists? It's the same question I would ask of the politicos .... Constantly having to live in fear surrounding themselves in the high security zones...flanked by security personnel who make it difficult for them to even see around them...unable to even go to a movie or even do some window shopping...or even surprise a friend or relation by a surprise visit.....even a stroll down one's road...Who would want to choose such a life & why? There could be only one reason & one word to describe their desire - their irresistibility for POWER. Somewhere in between these two forces come the organized crime network better known as the "underworld" those nefarious & lethal combinations of men & women coming from different social ranking, ethnic groups, and religions but with a desire more for MONEY though the element of POWER follows their very existence. Mafia, mobsters, pathala lokaya are some of the names associated with them. Allegiance depends on the monetary transaction which makes it easier to understand how easy it becomes for politicos & even terrorists to use them on demand. Educational qualifications to quality for either of the three entities ...none whatsoever....trotting quickly behind & associated with all the three is another word CORRUPTION. Both terrorists & politicos thrive on the power they possess over people & while one remains happy with the power they yield in surprise attacks, ability to keep a Government & even foreign Governments on tenterhooks & be spoken of with awe & shock & become the darling of the media they prefer to live in the wilderness & shy away from public attention while the other thrives in the glory of stage performances, their "acting" abilities, the garland welcomes, the Ahs & Ohs no sooner they enter a public arena, the bowed heads of acknowledgements, the "Yes sirs" & red carpets that greet their entry. Can we then maybe empathize with them & understand why they would not want to give up their threshold? The terrorist The word "terrorist" is being used randomly even computer hackers have been termed as "terrorists" under the UK terrorism act. Are terrorists "made" or "born" - lest anyone should conclude hyperactive children to be future terrorists, there is no individual-level universal terrorist profile to date. All terrorists groups however gather through cult-like modes & are able to transform normal individuals into remorseless killers. Sometimes even turning into "on-call" killers (contract killers). This is where their links with the "underworld" takes place. Much is spent on eradicating global terrorism but very little is being
done to deal with training camps that the "conditioning" takes
place in. What we need to remember however is that most terrorists are not initially psychopaths nor are they mentally ill. Generally, researchers of terrorists conclude that many come from broken homes, estranged father or mother, one parent absent from the family, facing economical hardships, inferiority complexes, while some are loners who find it difficult to belong to any group - in the workplace, at school or even at home. Yet, we are also aware that many terrorists are in fact well educated, parents professionally acclaimed, coming from middle class homes & here too a case of some loners have been detected. It would then be no surprise how these "loners" become easy targets of charismatic terrorist leaders who are able to verbally seduce these young minds & practically appear like a "father-figure" to this "loner". We can now begin to understand how these minds can become "conditioned" into cult-like thinking later to be converted to remorseless killers. What about this "charismatic" leader - he is obviously someone
that stands out either through his physique, expertise & experience,
education, speech, intelligence .... a man able to clearly articulate
himself & his mission so much so that he is able to leave a lasting
emotional impression that they have finally "found" their
"savior" upon the "soon to be terrorist". Once the
mental commitment is established all the toils of leading a hard life
away from society, from comfortable living & once preferred eating
habits soon become a thing of the past. All associations, friendships
& ties cease to exist for such individuals. The desire of all terrorists is to change the "status quo"
of things existing through an ideology they forcefully want the world
to embrace. All those not conforming to their line of thinking become the "enemies" & to prove their "cause" they don't hesitate to take actions that turn them into serial murderers & committers of arson. Thus if their "enemy" becomes a woman or even a child...killing them becomes necessary & even honorable for their "cause". Bearing in mind the emotional effect that the "leader" of
terrorist movements have on their "members" studies have revealed
that removing the "leader" nullifies the movement itself or
sets about a slow death to it unless an equally charismatic leader can
emerge instantaneously. We are aware that most of the terrorist groups today shroud themselves round religious fanaticism - they misinterpret the religion to "dehumanize" their followers. The closeness that a religion can affect an individual makes it all the more easier to attract & bind these followers who are likely to be "conditioned" according to the likes of the leader. Conditioning alone is not enough to sustain a terrorist group - money is needed, not only to purchase the armory but also to feed its members. A significant portion of money is also needed to create the propaganda & stage it on an international platform as well as to even "buy" the allegiance of individuals not necessarily accepting the ideology of the terrorist group but those who are ready to sell their "soul" & become their "face" in society. Thus, it has become practice for terrorists to "buy" academia, politicos, even members of foreign governments to "speak on their behalf". It is no surprise that we are unable to create a stereotype because terrorists have been able to intricately weave through all accepted strata of society & use them to justify their cause. Thus, given the influence the terrorist leader has on individuals it calls for attention to remove the "venom" of the snake as well as to disrupt the training camps as far as possible. The Underworld Organized crimes as they are better known they deal in extortion, intimidation
& violence, drug trafficking, prostitution & even arms trafficking
making their link to terrorist movement significant. They are not averse
to working with anyone individual or group so long as the other party
(s) uphold their monetary pledge. Which aligns them with disreputable
business interests across business entities globally as well as secure
political connections for intimidation etc that may be required? Thus
their "strong-arm" tactics & cases of extreme violence
& even killings have made them as feared as the terrorists themselves. They have no problem with who joins so far as their objective is met thus religion, ethnicity or cultural background poses no criterion for joining. However, there is another type of underworld also in existence often working as shadow "employees' of governments to carry out acts that also involve intimidation & even international assassination. A good example is the conspiracy theory that surrounds the CIA using the LTTE to assassinate the former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Once again we can see how terrorist elements, the underworld become interlinked in their operatives. The Politicians Corruption, bad governance, lies, bribery, commissions, nepotism, cronyism, embezzlement, kickbacks, broken promises are some of thoughts entering anyone's mind no sooner the word politician is mentioned. Some of the names coming to mind are Marshal Mobutu Sese Seko (dictator of DR Congo which he named Zaire), General Sani Abacha (defacto leader of Nigeria) while the examples of corruption include the scores of political scandals in the USA, corruptions in Ghana, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Oil for Food program & the officials of US, UN linked to same etc. There are many organizations set up to monitor the governance & movements of Governments & officials as well, yet ironically these units too are seeing skeletons themselves as officials linked to these organizations have shown weaknesses for scandals themselves. Why is there so much mistrust of politicians amongst all of us? The BBC World Service carried out a survey in 68 countries involving 1.3billion people & not surprisingly discovered that people have little or no confidence in their governments & politicians were seen as the least trusted occupation. This trend in mistrust has come about largely following the late 1960's & the cases of corruption, mismanagement & bad governance doesn't seem to be seeing any decline either. There have been excellent Parliamentarians of the past whose memories are still treasured for their high levels of integrity. Today, the words integrity & good governance are elusive words.
Parliamentary systems in existence today make the race to the throne
of governance a difficult ride as is evident in the US Presidential
Election. The race amongst securing the Democractic nomination is as
heated as the Presidential Election itself, so much so that the candidate
is under severe pressure to please everyone watching or listening to
him/her. Thus, all candidates end up having to "act" lest
they should be at the receiving end of the media which is constantly
scrutinizing their every move....from the manner they shake hands, speak
to another .....all the time the candidates are under a critical eye. What we all need to remember is that a politician does not land up
where he is without the support of a team of people running his campaign. However, of late we have seen politicians deciding to take short cuts to securing election victories. Rigging of polls, intimidation of voters are some of the things that quickly come to mind above efforts taken to show their policy or vision for the country. It is during these times that candidates become bait for people who are likely to have sinister motives for assisting a candidate to come into power. We recently saw Hillary Clinton returning funds given to her by a LTTE backed organization following various objections. So, once in power it becomes an obligation by the candidate to "thank" those helping him/her enter Parliament. This is not at all a healthy scenario but one that has become an established norm. It is a scenario that we can well understand in the Sri Lankan context as well. No sooner they end up in Parliament all politicians tend to forget that it was the people that sent them there. However, they soon begin to realize that they have to sing for their
supper at least by way of performances to showcase their popularity
& while in the bygone era the public have been privy to great speeches
& debates....unfortunately we see verbal abuse, fights & even
on a few rare occasions a few chairs flying across the floor. Would
anyone then dispute Parliamentary ethics are seeing a decline? No sooner
the need to establish one's "power" comes into light there
emerges the need to have a shadow set of men to carry out intimidations
etc... this is where the links with the underworld comes about. Those
who show weakness in their integrity & ethics are soon prey to even
the "terrorists". We recognize that governing a country is
no easy chore which is why it beckons the need for men & women of
high standing to run for election. Education requires to become a prerequisite though today especially
in the Asian context some of the most unsuited candidates end up running
for elections & even winning. It is also poignant to note the role
of the "advisors" the "consultants" & the men
that make up the "round table" that assist Parliamentarians
to make their decisions. While it is easy for us to frown down upon
the Parliamentarian we should also remember that it may be perhaps the
wrong "advice" "information" etc that has led to
the fallacies. In most cases it is these "advisors" who It seems ironical & tragic that those whose very conduct become questionable vis a vis links to underworld, terrorists, prostitution (as in the case of New York Governor who resigned) & most of the ills in society, should be those who draft policies that apply to a nation & its people. Sadly enough, it is bad politicians who end up providing oxygen to the evils that prevail globally & give it a life line that ends up an incurable cancer upon the entire society & the world at large. It is no surprise when Henry Kissinger once said "90% of the politicians give the other 10% a bad reputation". Let us next look at a few areas that terrorists & the underworld generate income from. Drug trafficking is an area that not only terrorists but the underworld
thrive upon. While it becomes easier for the terrorists networks to
transport through illegal means drugs into a country, the delivery aspect
to society is often undertaken by members of the underworld often supported
or rather protected by certain politicos with vested interests. In the
US alone there are approximately 13million illegal drug takers &
14,000 Americans die annually from illegal use of drugs. Bribery, intimidation, threats & even murder are directed against all those who question their existence even if they be journalists, law enforcement officers or even members of the judiciary. Wherever drugs exist the ill effects are seen to rise alongside drug related crimes, violence leading to social decay & finally if not dealt with even the stability of the nation itself. Arms trafficking is another area that has risen in great proportions globally. A significant number of deaths result globally from the use of small arms smuggled into nations. The global arms trade has been traditionally dominated by independent brokers but Russian & Italian crime groups have tapped into this area & are presently seen gaining immense profit from it. In South America & the Caribbean, drug trafficking groups are major customers for illicit arms. Human smuggling is another area that terrorists use to generate income. It is estimated that there are 5million illegal immigrants (smuggled into the US, illegally entered on their own, those staying illegally having overstayed their visas) in the US (2% of the total US population). Contraband smuggling is another area that the underworld & terrorists make use of - currency, cigarettes, alcohol, stolen cars, firearms etc fall into this category. Such smuggling is usually to evade import-export taxes & they are able to reap significant profits ending up undercutting legitimate businesses. Money laundering operations have been a popular means to prevent governments & law enforcement agencies from identifying the source of illicit proceeds so much so that they are unable to trace the funding or even freeze or seize the criminal's financial assets. It is estimated that money laundered internationally is between $300billion & $500 billion annually. Latvia's largest commercial bank collapsed in 1995 because the bank had been controlled by a criminal group & used the bank to make bad loans to its front companies & defrauded the banks accounts upto $40million. It resulted in Latvia having to seek assistance from the IMP. Cyber crime has escalated due to technological developments globally.With the new electronic payment schemes cyber currency becomes vulnerable to criminal minds. Global hacking is linked to such crimes. Counterfeiting is another area that draws significant amount of money into the hands of terrorist groups. Using inkjet color copies, 39% of counterfeit currency was produced in the US in 1998. Thus we can see how easy it is for illicit proceeds from criminal activities to be used as investment capital in legitimate businesses enabling criminals to influence or even control critical sectors of the national economy. Taking Italy as an example a study recently revealed that organized crime groups controlled 20% of construction firms, nearly 20% of retail outlets, 25% of farm wholesalers, 50% of finance companies in Italy. This is something to be alarmed about. Weapons of mass destruction is perhaps the newest entry into international criminal activity & the incidents involving smuggling of uranium & plutonium are seen to be rising. Criminal groups as well as terrorists groups are involved in this area. There are unfortunately some countries that offer such criminals impunity & with the existence of "safe havens" as their transit points it is unlikely that the "wars" not only on terrorism but any of the other illegal crimes are likely to cease. Thus one can understand how a trend has been created wherein a set of "international criminals" use intimidation, corruption & economic influences to wield power over Governments to protect their illicit interests & safeguard their illicit operations. This poses far more of a threat than terrorists themselves as these "international criminals" have no identity. They are likely to have false passports, travel extensively & work in different aliases. It becomes important for any effort to curtail all of the above to be a concerted & effectively planned global effort. But given the "invisibility" with which these criminals presently function, it is extremely difficult to distinguish & identify who is batting with a straight bat. The world population as of March 2008 is said to be 6.70 billion people in the world. There are also 195 countries around the world of which 192 are UN member states (Taiwan, Vatican City & of late Kosovo) are Non UN member states. If we take into consideration the total strength of the Governments of each of these countries that total figure will still seem a poultry number when considering the total world population. Let us also assume that there are likely to be good men & women in these Governments though we believe the majority of them to be corrupt in some form or the other & associated with most of the above ills we have identified. It is then extremely tragic that the public who are presently living & working without malice or hatred against one another should be treated as pawns in a very disruptive practice that politicians have adopted to create divisions amongst us. Looking back at the modern day conflicts we can clearly assume that most of these have been calculated & planned by Governments to disrupt & disturb other Governments. This trend has become more sophisticated with the uses of modern arms in warfare & the sufferers usually end up the people all round the world.
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