Analysis on Future of Terrorism1

Abstract. The manner in which the US has led the war against terror has not only failed in denying political space to the terrorists, it has created more space for them. In order to examine this assertion, this paper begins with an examination of the conduct of the war. An analysis is offered of what constitutes terrorism, and attention is drawn to the OIC’s distinction between terrorism and struggles against colonial rule, alien occupation and racist regimes. In concentrating on the international dimension of terrorism, the world community should not overlook the other trends: local and state terrorism. In the future the threat will continue to come, not primarily from the Muslim World, but from within Western societies, as migrant communities feel targeted and/or marginalized. To speak of “Islamic terrorism ” is offensive. In a section entitled “The Linkage between Globalization and Terrorism”, this paper analyses economic, cultural, and political globalization. The process has to proceed in a manner in which groups and states feel less marginalized, where all have “a level playing field”. Finally, the paper addresses the question of what should be done to counter the multi-faceted terrorist threat, and a model for breaking the cycle of violence is presented. The paper appeals for a study of the root causes of the problem, for example, on the political level, the issues of Palestine and Kashmir