Combating+international+terrorism

=Combating International Terrorism=

At the outset, it is important to state that there is no current U.N. definition of the term “terrorism”, which can make it very hard to create and pass related international law ( [|There is no U.N. definition of terrorism] ). However, over the course of history, it is generally accepted that acts that people have labeled “terrorism” are often violent actions by groups of people or persons in order to draw attention to an ideal, generally a political view. Thus, with this definition one can understand that politically based acts of violence are not a new event and have been a feature of the international landscape for many years.

The major reason why no U.N. definition has been passed is because The Organization of the Islamic Conference, The Arab Terrorism Convention and the Terrorism Convention of the Organization of the Islamic Conference all agree that terrorism should not include righteous acts against foreign occupation ( [|There is no U.N. definition of terrorism] ). This is an issue directly related to these organizations, as Palestinian Arabs in Israel believe that they are under foreign occupation, and attacks that could be called terrorism have occurred from the actions of both sides in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The delegate of Kazakhstan has been quoted as saying “(there is a need) to make a distinction between terrorism and the struggle for the rights of self-determination by people under foreign occupation," ( [|There is no U.N. definition of terrorism] ). To this day, the deadlock continues and there is no Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism present in the U.N. because of this delay (  [|There is no U.N. definition of terrorism] ). Some people distinguish between “old terrorism” and “new terrorism” ( [|Zalman] [|. "Causes of Terrorism Are (Still) Political: A Few Myths about the "New Terrorism]" ). Supposedly, although previously terrorists usually acted on the basis of politics, they are now more religiously focused and even more intent on destruction than under “old terrorism” ( [|Zalman] [|. "Causes of Terrorism Are (Still) Political: A Few Myths about the "New Terrorism]  " ). One should be aware that there really is no such thing as “old” or “new” terrorism. The terrorists today only seem to be religiously based purely due to the widespread reputation of al-Qaeda and also because it is easy to use a religious context to justify actions undertaken, or to use religion as a way to go against societal norms, which is chiefly the terrorist’s aim. (  [|Zalman] [|. "Causes of Terrorism Are (Still) Political: A Few Myths about the "New Terrorism]  " ).

Terrorist groups chiefly need weapons in order to fulfill their objectives. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that terrorists do not get their hands on weapons of any sort, whether they are nuclear or biological weapons, or any other weapons of mass destruction. Since terrorists usually aim to spread fear into society at large instead of targeting just a few individuals, they may require weapons of mass destruction in order to get their point across. There have been international agreements on such weapons, such as the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, the Biological Weapons Convention, and the Chemical Weapons Convention ( [|"At Issue: Weapons of Mass Destruction."] [|)]. All of these treaties and conventions generally have the aim of reduction, or the cessation of production of such weapons for the benefit of global peace( [|"Biological Weapons Convention."], [|"Chemical Weapons Convention."] , [|"Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty."]  ). This reduction would also have the added benefit of ensuring that procuring such weapons would prove difficult for terrorist organizations. Importantly however, not all nations have signed all these agreements, making it hard to determine what, if anything can really be done about the problem of weapons of mass destruction( [|"Biological Weapons Convention."], [|"Chemical Weapons Convention."] , [|"Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty."]  ). There need to be strong regulations in place to ensure that terrorists cannot gain access to these weapons.

It is not only Islamic terrorist groups, such as al-Qaeda or Hamas Islamic Resistance Movement, that exist in the world, despite what some people may have been led to believe. There are many other groups in the world identified by different countries as being terrorist groups that also require discussion and research, such as the Irish Republican Army or Basque Fatherland and Liberty (commonly known as the ETA) ( [|"Topic Overview: Terrorism."] ). There also have been instances where nationals of a country have performed acts of terrorism directed towards the governments of their own countries. Consideration of these “domestic terrorists” should come into a resolution as well as consideration of more prominent terrorist groups.

Finally, despite the global need to fight terrorism, delegates should also take heed and review international law or declarations of human rights in order to be sure that any resolutions they draft are not against any of these. For instance, the practice of extraordinary rendition, or the moving of people suspected of terrorism to third-world countries in order to interrogate them, possibly with the utilization of torture, is in itself against international law, which condemns torture under any circumstances ( [|Zalman. "Extraordinary Rendition."] ).

=Key Terms= Domestic Terrorists: Terrorists who are nationals of the country in which they perform so-called acts of terrorism. War on Terror: a program launched by former President George W. Bush primarily because of the September 11 attack. ( [|"At Issue: War on Terror."] ) Extraordinary Rendition: The transport of people suspected of terrorism to third world countries for detainment and information-gathering ( [|Zalman. "Extraordinary Rendition."] ). Because the prevention of the use of torture is less well enforced in these countries, this leaves authorities free to use torture to extract information from these suspects ( [|Zalman. "Extraordinary Rendition."] ). Bioterrorism: The release of disease-causing micro-organisms into an area by terrorists. These diseases are usually hard to detect in the near term and can spread very rapidly through water, air or food. ( [| "At Issue: Bioterrorism."] [|)] Weapons of Mass Destruction: Chemical, biological or nuclear weapons with the capacity to wipe out millions of people. ( [|"At Issue: Weapons of Mass Destruction."] [|)]
 * //Former CIA agent Robert Baer: "If you want a serious interrogation, you send a prisoner to Jordan. If you want them to be tortured, you send them to Syria. If you want someone to disappear -- never to see them again -- you send them to Egypt."//** ( [|Zalman. "Extraordinary Rendition."] )

Some Countries Involved
The United States: The United States established the War on Terrorism, the Patriot Act and the Department of Homeland Security in order to combat terrorism in and outside their own nation, thus putting this nation at the forefront of anti-terrorism. ( [|"Topic Overview: Terrorism."] )

Israel/ Palestine: Palestinian Arabs, who occupy what most of the world considers Israel, believe they are under foreign occupation by the Israelis, and thus consider that some of their so-called acts of terrorism are justifiable, making them part of the reason why there is no U.N. definition of terrorism.
 * These are two of the major countries involved in terrorism at the moment, though there are many others, as every country has experienced turmoil and has some experience or perspective on terrorism as it has become more prevalent around the world.**

Possible Solutions*
- Implementing a definition of terrorism. ( [|There is no U.N. definition of terrorism] ) - Some measure of enforcing national security in order to identify potential terrorists entering the nation and to protect civilians from attacks. -Some way to safeguard nuclear and biological weapons from the black market as well as running intensive background checks on people working around said weapons. - Stronger controls over the weapons industry and efforts to stop illegal trafficking of weapons, which may provide terrorists with the arms they need. - Another possible but very unlikely solution would be worldwide ban on nuclear weapons, however it is important to consider how this ban would be enforced and if all countries would support it. ( [| "At Issue: Nuclear Weapons."] )


 * Some of these may have already been implemented in some member states.

Works Cited/Bibliography "At Issue: Bioterrorism." //ProQuest LLC//. 2012: n.pag. //SIRS Issues Researcher.// Web. 17 Mar 2012.

"At Issue: Nuclear Weapons." //ProQuest LLC//. 2012: n.pag. //SIRS Issues Researcher.// Web. 17 Mar 2012.

"At Issue: War on Terror." //ProQuest LLC//. 2012: n.pag. //SIRS Issues Researcher.// Web. 17 Mar 2012.

"At Issue: Weapons of Mass Destruction." //ProQuest LLC//. 2012: n.pag. //SIRS Issues Researcher.// Web. 17 Mar 2012.

"Biological Weapons Convention." Wikipedia.org. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. Mar. 2012. . "Chemical Weapons Convention." Wikipedia.org. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. Mar. 2012. . "Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty." Wikipedia.org. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. Mar. 2012. .

"Topic Overview: Terrorism." //ProQuest LLC//. 2012: n.pag. //SIRS Issues Researcher.// Web. 17 Mar 2012.


 * terrorism**." //Encyclopædia Britannica//. //Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition//.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. < http://www.school.ebonline.com/eb/article-9071797>.

“There Is No UN Definition of Terrorism." //Eyeontheun.org//. Web. Mar. 2012. .
 * USA PATRIOT Act.**" //Encyclopædia Britannica//. //Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition//. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2012.< http://www.school.ebonline.com/eb/article-9544494>.

"**United Nations.**" //Encyclopædia Britannica//. //Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition//. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. < http://www.school.ebonline.com/eb/article-222381>.

"**United Nations.**" //Encyclopædia Britannica//. //Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition//. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2012.< http://www.school.ebonline.com/eb/article-228524>.

Zalman, Amy. "Causes of Terrorism Are (Still) Political: A Few Myths about the "New Terrorism" //Terrorism.about.com//. 19 Jan. 2009. Web. Mar. 2012. .

Zalman, Amy. "Extraordinary Rendition." //Terrorism.about.com//. Web. Mar. 2012. . Zalman, Amy. "The Causes of Terrorism." //Terrorism.about.com//. Web. Mar. 2012. . Zalman, Amy. "The History of Terrorism." //Terrorism.about.com//. Web. Mar. 2012. .