Long-term Impact of Elite Units

Long-term Impact of Elite Units

Terrorism is a threat that goes beyond national borders. Following the 9/11 terrorist attack in the U.S., security measures have been beefed up not only in the U.S. but globally. The department of Homeland Security, in this regard, is responsible for ensuring safety within the U.S. borders. Al Qaeda is a well known organized terrorist group that has inflicted terror in various countries. The level of organization and funding means that the group smoothly operates across International borders==. Security translates to installing security measures at a national level. Adequate national security would ultimately lead to cross border security. It thus means that international security would have a minimum outcome without national security. Cross border terrorism would be better handled at the national level.==

Nations that have stringent and workable security measures make the fight against terrorism achievable. Terrorism involves funding and resources that include but are not limited to weapons and recruits. It is impossible to deal with terror when and if the country associated with terrorist actions is not able to deal with its criminal activities. Afghanistan, for example, has been known to harbor and recruit terrorists at both local and international levels. Global mediation and intervention measures, even though being involved in the killing of Osama, have not dealt with terrorism. Intervention that includes the use of drones by the U.S., for example, has resulted in retaliatory attacks. It is an indication that the global response in this regard has failed (Brooks, 2015).

Fighting through the elimination of corruption, power greed, poverty, and illiteracy would yield better results at national levels. It is important to note that countries involved in terrorist activities have political strife. Afghanistan and Iraq are such countries, for example. It is thus not surprising that the two countries are deemed to have had links in enabling Al Qaeda activities (Katzman, 2008, p4). Strife in Syria over the past few years only increases terrorism activities. Nations should fight issues ailing them since they understand them better. A better understanding would ultimately lead to better and more appropriate ways of dealing with terror. Global terror security measures may not have the same effect since issues of personal gain come into place at the expense of the aggrieved nations. Bombing and drone attacks used by the U.S. have not worked (Sedney, 2015), indicating that global intervention is yet to realize intended results.

A nation’s effort against criminal activities such as terrorism can have a significant effect on the crime rate. The intervention by the Columbian military and police significantly reduced the FARC membership and, by extension, FARC criminal activities (“Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – FARC”, n.d.). It is an example of the impact national security measures can have on terrorism globally. If every country were to deal with terrorism on a national level, terrorism would ultimately reduce on a global scale.

It is important to note that terrorism is an ideology; hence dealing with it takes more than global military action. Ideology thinking is deeply embedded in culture; therefore, dealing with it has to be a national effort. Treaties such as NATO hence may not work in countries that hold different ideologies than those penned out in the agreement. It thus means that even though such regulations exist to deal with crime, the implementation may be hampered by a difference in ideologies. It is equally important to note that not all nations are part of international regulations and treaties, which determines the level of implementation or lack thereof. Such restrictions translate to resulting in solutions at the national level as opposed to a global scale.

Reference

Brooks, R. (2015). U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy Is the Definition of Insanity. Retrieved 3

February 2020, from https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/06/24/u-s-counterterrorism-strategy-is-the-definition-of-insanity/

Katzman, K. (2008). Al Qaeda in Iraq: Assessment and Outside Links. Retrieved 3 February

2020, from https://fas.org/sgp/crs/terror/RL32217.pdf

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia –

FARC. Retrieved 3 February 2020, from https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/farc.htm

Sedney, D. (2015). America’s Counterterrorism Policy Is Failing. Retrieved 3 February 2020,

from https://time.com/3676321/americas-counter-terrorism-policy-is-failing/