The Threat Of Boko Haram Essay

Intrastate conflict has historically been savage and chaotic; nowhere have these descriptors been more fitting than within African civil wars. A legacy of colonialism, ineffective governance, and regional conflict scars the continent, resulting in regular political instability within its territories. The Nigerian civil war of the late 1960s cost the lives of an estimated three-million people- the majority of whom were civilians who succumbed to starvation (NWE 2015). This conflict has traditionally been understood to have been caused by ethnic tensions within the state, and justifiably so (Falola 1999, 125). The ethnic cleansing of the Igbo that occurred throughout September and October of 1966 in northern Nigeria undoubtedly played a

Terrorism is a major threat to national and global security that encompasses more than violent means by foreigners and Islamic extremists. This is mainly because most of the recent terror acts in America have been carried out by single-issue individuals and special-interest extremists with the intention of protecting the environment and animals based on their beliefs. Actually, terrorism is described as the illegitimate use of extreme violence and force with the intention of coercing a

Throughout the 21st Century, the September 11 terrorist attacks have often been described as “the most devastating terrorist attacks in history”(). However, while the scale of death and destruction that resulted from these attacks was “indeed staggering”(), the millions of people killed by government acts of terror continues to go unnoticed by orthodox terrorism research(). In this case, there is a need to examine the repressive state practices that critical scholars describe as the “single greatest threat to human and societal security”(). While there has been a large number of human rights groups that have contributed to the wide body of literature on political violence(), the overall neglect on the subject is due to “politically biased research”() that rejects the concept of ‘state terrorism’. For instance,

This essay will endeavour to give an historical analysis of contemporary terrorism and its changing nature by focusing on three specific terrorist campaigns over the last thirty years. The essay will begin by first presenting a definition of terrorism and will move on to provide a brief account of the geographical shift in terrorism by discussing the movement from territorial based terrorism to more ideological focused campaigns. In addition, it will give a concise discussion on the theory of globalisation in relation to terrorism and the impact it has had on the growth of international

The challenges experienced at the international level with regard to arriving at a consensus about the definition of terrorism are based on the fact that the term raises political and emotional tensions. However, the international community through the United Nations has embraced various sectorial conventions that describe and criminalize several types of terrorist activities. Moreover, the general assembly of the UN has spoken against terrorist activities through diverse political definitions of terrorism. They have been described as criminal activities geared or measured

As a preliminary to assess the appropriate place of terrorism in our politics of security, this essay therefore deems it necessary to account for the theoretical approach underlying the forthcoming arguments. Scholars belonging to orthodox terrorism studies have long been striving to agree upon an objective definition of terrorism, what which they consider an indispensable prerequisite for dealing with the issue as such (Ganor, 2002:287). Depending on the author in question, the definition of terrorism can range from including political violence to domestic violence and child abuse (Lum et.al, 2006:11). Though more narrowly defining terrorism can be considered beneficial in terms of making research and strategy development more straight-forward, the inherent value-based notion in such definitions results in it being seemingly impossible to reach consensus. Additionally, the tendency of attempting to reach a definition of terrorism based on single case studies leads orthodox terrorism studies to neglect the historical and contextual processes that can lead to terrorism (Jackson, Gunning & Smyth, 2007:7). This essay seeks to adopt a critical approach so as to place greater focus on which measures states can take in order to avoid the creation of conditions where terrorism can occur. Though one might argue that the term terrorism is

In addition, the complexities of terrorism further encompass the discordances of defining terrorist groups. Not dissimilar to the disparities of defining terrorism, terrorist groups are identified through their predisposed choice of tactics and are labelled as non-state actors (Ramsey, 2015, p.220). Additional literatures (Arena and Arrigo, 2006; Sutton and Vertigans, 2006 Welch, 2006;) highlight the characteristics of whom is deemed to be a terrorist and/or who are the terrorist groups by state definition. The consensus here implies that those who commit acts which are not legitimised by the state become defined as a terrorist organisation. Significantly, in most recent years, the methods or weapons of choice are not dissimilar to

There has been difficulty in defining terrorism in international law due to "changes in terrorist methodology and the lack of any precise definition of the term 'terrorism’” . The United Nations General Assembly also condemned acts of terrorism without defining it. Therefore a functional approach had been adopted through treaties dealing with the forms of terrorism considered to be unacceptable. Although, it is agreed upon in international law that terrorism is unlawful, it is not addressed whether it is a casus belli, an unlawful act that justifies a military response. There is a general duty for states to act thoroughly to avert the performance of violent and terrorist acts within its territory. However, this duty is breached when governments support terrorism or fails to apprehend terrorists.

In the current 21st century, Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO’s) have arisen in abundance throughout the world. These organizations do not only wreak havoc in their own region, but they proceed to terrorize the lives of civilians and political figures in foreign nations as well. An organization that the United States could consider a terroristic threat may not be considered a threat to another nation; this international dilemma generally correlates with the nation in questions definition of terrorism, based off of the social context and the social construct (the way people view reality) in that particular nations region at the time. A social context can be described as “the historical, political and criminological circumstances at a

Consequently, we have more than a hundred definitions for terrorism. (Laquer) A famous terrorist expert summarized it as “a problem in the problem definition.” (H. H. A. Cooper) The problem of defining terrorism is that it fluctuates between terrorism and variants of freedom fighting – essentially the definition depends on who is labelling who. A significant contribution to our understanding of terrorism, however, has been by David Rapoport and his “four waves” of international terrorism. He describes waves as “a cycle of activity in a given time period,” one that is “characterized by expansion and contraction phases,” and its chief feature is its international character, where the activities in the several afflicted countries are “driven by a common predominant energy that shapes the participating groups’ characteristics and mutual relationships.” Having traced through history the direction of modern terrorism dating as far back as 1880, Rapaport lists four distinct waves of terrorism: anarchism, anti-colonialism, communism/socialism, and religious fundamentalism; the names of which reflecting the energy that individually shape them. (Rapaport 47) Rapaport’s wave theory has been crucial to our understanding of the global spread of

Humans feel uncomfortable when they see people who are different; people with different races, cultures, religions, and personalities. There may be specific reasons for their dislike; whether a group of people are supposedly the cause for economic crisis, or they are associated with terrorists. People learn to accept differences and work together, but in extreme cases where the tensions are high things may get out of control. A current group who is on track for genocide, Boko Haram, looks to put a “ban on all things Western” ("The Deadly Mission Of Boko Haram."). This is a terror group that will stop at nothing to get what it covets.

Intimidation is a strategy aimed at convincing the population that the government is too weak to stop them and thus, forces the populous to comply as the terrorist organization wishes. This strategy has been utilized to aide recruitment. Boko Haram began to receive attention in 2003 when it launched attacks against police stations. The organization continued to attack police stations for a few years, primarily to steal arms and ammunition, but also because they understood that these were targets with high success rates. Not only did these targets provide weapons for Boko Haram, but it also increased their recruitment, due to the government 's inability to suppress the attacks. This strategy proved that the group was strong enough to repress the government and work towards achieving a goal of a traditional Muslim society (Elkaim).

Boko Haram has been terrorizing Nigeria and surrounding countries for years, with noticeable increases in power over the last five years. Best estimates indicate that the Boko Haram insurgency rose to power in the 2000s with the goal of promoting strict adherence to Islamic Shari’a Law throughout Nigeria (Bussey, Chasse, Martin, 2016). The group found footing quickly; frustrations with the faulty political system and lack of economic and social development in northern Nigeria allowed the group to recruit large numbers of members and gain momentum. In 2009, the groups leader, Muhammed Yusuf was murdered. This, coupled with increasing economic and social tensions across Nigeria caused the group to become increasingly aggressive. The group executed a prison break of over 700 prisoners in 2010 and performed the well-known kidnapping of over 200 school girls in 2014. This kidnapping truly brought global attention to the acts of terror the group was committing for the first time (Onouha, 2012). United State’s Citizens became increasingly involved, leading to the spread of the “Bring Back our Girls” movement. As United States interest in Boko Haram increased, the hostility of the group increased. In 2014, according to the Global Terrorism Index, deaths attributed to Boko Haram rose by 314%, attributing to the groups ranking as the most dangerous terrorist group in the world (Institute for Economics and Peace, 2015).

1.) Problem Statement: Boko Haram has become a rapidly increasing threat to Northern Africa and the surrounding areas. There radical Islamic ideology has made them a serious threat to many North African nations who share similar ideologies, as well as a serious threat to the South African nations who are predominantly Christian.

A depth interview was carried out with a final year political student at the University of Lagos who studied Boko haram insurgent as a course in school, he explained to me how the crisis impacted negatively the economy of Nigeria and the safety of the inhabitant. He explained “western influence on Islamic society is viewed as a