Effects Of Terrorism On Economic Performance

Threat of Islamic State

Discuss about the Effects of Terrorism on Economic Performance.

International relations can be defined as the manner in which two or more countries behave, interact and regard each other in terms of cultural, political and economic relationships. It is an academic discipline that focuses on the interactions between states giving deep cultural understanding. International relation is necessary to ensure safety in the world. As the world is becoming smaller due to advancement in globalization and technology, peace between the nations is becoming extremely important (Ryder, 2016). In the current world, thousands of nuclear weapons exist where there are attacks without warnings, it is important to know about the importance of international relations. Positive international relations between nations shall boost prosperity, peace, harmony and economy. However, poor international relations between countries may lead to horrific consequences (Khan, & Ruiz Estrada, 2015). For example, World War I was a consequence of poor international relations and the most destructive wars could have been prevented in Germany, England and France if the relations were good. This essay aims at analyzing the relations of the Islamic State with the US and other Western countries including Australia. The Islamic State has become a terror group destroying peace in the world (Siniver, & Lucas, 2016). The essay argues if the threat posed by Islamic State is justified or overrated.

The Islamic State, also known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or ISIS, is the name of the group after it conquered Western Iraq, Libya and Eastern Syria. The government of the Islamic state are based on the application of Sharia, which is the Islamic law for maintenance of justice, law and order. The Islamic State was originated after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 when the Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi aligned his militant group, Jama’at al-Tawhid w’al-Jihad, with al-Qaeda, making it al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) (Siniver, & Lucas, 2016). It is argued that the threat of Islamic State is increasing the challenge to international peace and security. According to the third report of the Secretary general Jeffrey Feltman, the United Efforts is putting significant efforts to counter the threats posed by the Islamic state to international peace and security. The sole aim of ISIS is to weaken the efforts of the United Nations in achieving international peace and security (Ryder, 2016).

ISIS is considered a significant threat to the US and their allies including Australia. Their desire to establish a modern caliphate is hindered by the US. The ISIS considers that attacking US can add to the advantage of establishing a caliphate. The Islamic State has resources such as finance, oil reserves, medium and heavy weapons from Iraqi and Syrian militaries and infrastructure (Hashim, 2014). Not only this, but ISIS has access to deployment of conventional and unconventional weapons. Islamic State is not only a terrorist group, but they are a successful movement with nihilistic philosophy (Lawson, 2015). Their social media postings on YouTube and Twitter show that their main target audience is the West. Their territorial control allows them to have access to adequate cash by selling electricity, exporting oil and running an extensive extortion racket (Khan, & Ruiz Estrada, 2015).

US and Western Allies Under Threat

According to Munoz (2016), the White House’s counterterrorism official stated that the threat faced by the US and its European allies are increasing significantly after the September 11 attacks (Munoz, 2016). The Islamic State is on a rise and has the ability to expand across the globe and is more powerful than Al Qaeda after the attacks in 2001 in the World Trade Center (Munoz, 2016). As stated by Mr. Rasmussen, the National Counterterrorism Center Chief, the Islamic State has decentralized and diverse nature that allow them to move quickly without much warning that proves to be more dangerous than any other terrorist groups. The Islamic State is dependent on the ‘lone-wolf’ attackers, who are inspired by the jihad ideology (Munoz, 2016). In case of Al Qaeda, individual operatives were planted inside US as sleeper cells adding to the definite linkage (Lawson, 2015). However, Islamic State lacks such linkages that make US susceptible to radicalization (Munoz, 2016). According to the US intelligence agencies, there is high risk of failure as the type of attacks such as 9/11 takes immense amount of finance, communication and coordination (Munoz, 2016). The US intelligence officials are still struggling to handle the conflict in Yemen, where Al Qaeda establishes a major threshold due to the civil war (Munoz, 2016).

It is argued that South Korea is increasing security measures to prevent a potential attack from the Islamic State in the US military and Korea. Donald Trump, the US President called for suspension of immigrants from the places where the terrorists operate (Padden, 2016). The supporters of ISIS threatened to attack Heathrow Airport in 2016 (Dearden, 2016). According to the Intelligence Group, a device would be placed either in New York Airport, Los Angeles International Airport or Heathrow when the Americans were about to celebrate Independence Day. These are the busiest airports in US and stringent security measures were taken (Dearden, 2016). Not only US, but Islamic State threatens the Western countries such as Russia, France, Australia and others (Khan, & Ruiz Estrada, 2015).

The Australian Government is taking steps to counter terrorism threats. According to Gillman (2016), a terrorizing video was released by ISIS that encouraged terror among the Australians. The footage included bloody executions, mangled bodies and missile attacks showing multiple possibilities of attacks in Melbourne. Melbourne’s cricket ground and city centre were shown in the video captured by the drone. The footage also captured St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Qantas passenger plane at the Melbourne Airport. The current terror threat level of Australia is considered ‘probable’ (Gillman, 2016).

Effects on Economic Performance

ISIS has evolved with its own judiciary, army, and administration. They are the most heavily-armed group in the history as they have captured abundant military weapons and equipments in Iran and Syria. According to Gillman (2016), ISIS is considered as the richest terrorist group. The group has looted more than five banks in Iraq. Mosul’s Central Bank alone yielded more than $400 million dollars in Iraqi currency and gold. ISIS also controls the oil field in Iraq and Syria and generates money from ransoms given by the family of hostages (Rochester, 2013). Every inch on the ground won by ISIS inflates their power and to be the leader of Sunni Muslims (Siniver, & Lucas, 2016).

The Western allies were determined for a tough fight against ISIS after an attack was called against them. France, a Western ally of the US is also targeted by ISIS. According to the information gathered, the ISIS were planning to attack Europe during the Christmas holiday season and related events. Therefore, the people were asked to be alert as it was predicted that the terrorist group might attack with little or no warning. According to the investigation conducted by CNN, the terrorist link was operating inside Syria. Suspects aged 29 and 37 were arrested as they were considered a part of the operation (Cruickshank, 2016). According to Yan and Levs (2014), the French Interior Minister stated that the terrorists had planned for execution of hostages and mass slaughters. According to the Australian Prime Minister, the government is taking security measures to keep the Australians as safe as possible. The US took measures to ensure safety of its citizens. The leader of ISIS called for lone-wolf attacks in France and United States as they were conducting airstrikes in Iraq against Islamic State. The ISIS spokesman also said that they shall kill any disbeliever, be it American, French or any of their allies. The spokesman added that the Americans and Europeans started a war against them and they shall have to pay a huge price for it. The ISIS threatened to make the worldly life into fear and fire by exploding the world, attacking bases, cutting off people’s heads, remove the family from their homes and blow up their homes. However, France is not afraid of such threats as they have been attacked before on the values for humanism and tolerance. They have security and strategies to respond to such threats (Yan, & Levs, 2014).

However, it is argued that Islamic State threat is overstated. According to a press conference held in Argentina, the ex-President Obama stated that the Islamic State cannot destroy US. They are not an existential threat and are simply murders that have perverted as the Muslim religion. They only intend to encourage fear by killing innocent lives and disrupting the normal lives in the society. ISIS is dangerous and is capable of conducting acts of terrorism, but the terrorists may succeed if the United States believes that they cannot stand against them (Benen, 2016). According to Engelhardt (2016), the Islamic State has generated a stream of revenues through oil sales black market, ransacking the heritage of the region, ransoms from kidnapping and looting the banks. However, it is a self-limited movement that is only capable of expanding if more regions are laid to waste. The Islamic State is so deeply sectarian that it shall never gain the support of Christian, Shia, Alawite or Yazidi. Also, the practices followed by them are too religious and political that cannot be followed by the Sunnis. It is also argued that it shall take decades and cost around $200 billion that is thrice the Gross Domestic product of Syria to rebuild the nation (Engelhardt, 2016).

Again, it is argued that ISIS is not a threat to the US. ISIS is considered as an example of a group of extremists making themselves larger and maintaining their institutional power. More than the attacks, panic prevails among the people due to regular fear infusions. According to Daoud (2014), the US and its allies are turning to Iran for help. Iran is a sober and calculating foe with global reach; the discipline of its loyal cadres and its quest for nuclear weapons make ISIS pale in comparison. Iran is making diplomatic gains in the crisis represented by the ISIS. Therefore, ISIS may be a distraction from the potential threat that can be caused by Iran. America has also given concessions to Iran as they are assisting the nation (Khan, & Ruiz Estrada, 2015). The Western countries may lack extensive understanding of the nature of Iranian regime. Iran does not want regional stability, but is looking for power and influence. It is easier for Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. Currently, Iran may be viewed as a lesser threat than ISIS, but it is possible that ISIS is overrated (Daoud, 2014).

Conclusively, the United Nations plays an important role in maintaining international peace and security. International relation is necessary to ensure safety in the world. In the current world, thousands of nuclear weapons exist where there are attacks without warnings, it is important to know about the importance of international relations. The Islamic State has become a terror group destroying peace in the world. The government of the Islamic state are based on the application of Sharia, which is the Islamic law for maintenance of justice, law and order. The sole aim of ISIS is to weaken the efforts of the United Nations in achieving international peace and security. Their social media postings on YouTube and Twitter show that their main target audience is the West. The Islamic State is dependent on the ‘lone-wolf’ attackers, who are inspired by the jihad ideology. Every inch on the ground won by ISIS inflates their power and to be the leader of Sunni Muslims. They only intend to encourage fear by killing innocent lives and disrupting the normal lives in the society. However, it is a self-limited movement that is only capable of expanding if more regions are laid to waste. Also, ISIS may be a distraction from the potential threat that can be caused by Iran.

References

Benen, S. (2016). Obama on ISIS: ‘They’re not an existential threat to us’. MSNBC. Retrieved 3 May 2017, from https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/obama-isis-theyre-not-existential-threat-us

Cruickshank, P. (2016). US issues Europe travel alert after France foils ISIS-linked plot. CNN. Retrieved 3 May 2017, from https://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/21/us/us-europe-travel-alert-isis/

Daoud, D. (2014). Is ISIS Distracting Us from a More Serious Iranian Threat?. The Tower. Retrieved 3 May 2017, from https://www.thetower.org/article/is-isis-distracting-us-from-a-more-serious-threat/

Dearden, L. (2016). Isis supporters threaten attacks on Heathrow and US airports. The Independent. Retrieved 3 May 2017, from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/isis-islamic-state-threat-attacks-heathrow-us-airports-lax-jfk-fourth-of-july-weekend-independence-a7115296.html

Engelhardt, T. (2016). America has grown cowardly: ISIS is no threat to our existence whatsoever. Salon. Retrieved 3 May 2017, from https://www.salon.com/2016/01/10/in_the_shadow_of_the_iron_curtain_why_isis_is_the_minor_leagues_of_terror_partner/

Gillman, O. (2016). New ISIS video encourages homegrown terror attacks in Australia. Mail Online. Retrieved 3 May 2017, from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3945290/ISIS-propaganda-video-encourages-homegrown-terror-attacks-Australia-lists-Melbourne-Airport-St-Paul-s-Cathedral-targets.html

Hashim, A. (2014). The Islamic State: From al-Qaeda Affiliate to Caliphate. Middle East Policy, 21(4), 69-83. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mepo.12096

Khan, A., & Ruiz Estrada, M. (2015). The effects of terrorism on economic performance: the case of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Quality & Quantity, 50(4), 1645-1661. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11135-015-0226-9

Lawson, S. (2015). Theories of international relations (1st ed.). UK: Polity Press.

Munoz, C. (2016). ISIS makes terrorism threat facing U.S. gravest since 9/11 attacks. The Washington Times. Retrieved 3 May 2017, from https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/sep/7/isis-makes-terrorism-threat-facing-us-gravest-sinc/

Padden, B. (2016). South Korea Warns of Islamic State Threat Against US Bases. VOA. Retrieved 3 May 2017, from https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korea-warns-of-islamic-state-threat-against-us-military-bases/3383500.html

Rochester, J. (2013). The fundamental principles of international relations (1st ed.). New York: Westview Press.

Ryder, N. (2016). Out with the Old and … In with the Old? A Critical Review of the Financial War on Terrorism on the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant. Studies In Conflict & Terrorism, 1-17. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1057610x.2016.1249780

Siniver, A., & Lucas, S. (2016). The Islamic State lexical battleground: US foreign policy and the abstraction of threat. International Affairs, 92(1), 63-79. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1468-2346.12507

Yan, H., & Levs, J. (2014). ISIS calls for attacks in U.S. and allies – CNN.com. CNN. Retrieved 3 May 2017, from https://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/22/world/meast/isis-threatens-west/