Islamic Threat Rising

Are we in the midst of the beginning of a potential genocide? In the Middle East, the Islamic fundamentalists are steadily rising. A Fundamentalist is "a political individual" in search of a "more original Islam." Islamic fundamentalism has replaced communism as the today’s enemy. Their mission is to kill all "infidels" in defense of Islam. The fundamentalists will stop at nothing to accomplish their goals. An increase in funding and personnel can lead to larger and more destructive terrorist acts. If they gain more followers what will the world be facing? Some scholars argue that the United States must shift its focus from trying to crush radical Islamic movements militarily to pursing policies that discourage their development. Other scholars concur that U.S. policy is aggravating rather than minimizing conflict with Islamic extremism. Across the board it is agreed that something must be done about this rising threat.

Justice At Last

Although it is quite rare to see powerful dictators actually put on trial after their regime loses power of whatever region they were oppressing, it does happen occasionally and Monday Cambodia received the justice it's been hoping for since the late 1970s when the brutal regime of the Khmer Rouge brutalized its' citizens. On Monday Leng Sary, the brother in law of famed dictator Pol Pot and his wife were arrested and delivered to a special tribunal of Cambodian and foreign judges initiated to punnish former Khmer Rouge members for the atrocities they commited against the Cambodian people. Although it's taken years to finally happen, it's never too late for justice and responsibility.

What is a Terrorist?

How do u define a terrorist? One man’s terrorist is another mans freedom fighter. For example, Al Qaeda attacked America because they feel America is trying to destroy Islam so they feel like they are acting in self-defense. However we just see it as terrorism. In the movie, paradise now we saw how the other side views terrorist acts. The friends viewed there killing as “God’s Will” and a way to fight against oppression they felt. Their goal was of more than just killing people they wanted to send a message. This movie gave me some insight into how a terrorist thinks. Terrorist organizations aren’t brutal men only out to kill. They are doing what they believe is the only way to fight against oppression.

A Different Type of Victim

It is hard enough to try to get the average citizen interested in helping citizens of other countries living in poverty or worse, but the struggle takes on an entirely new meaning when something along the lines of what the article Losing Faith in Charity: Is There Any Hope For NGO's talks about. In the region of Chad, where the tragedy struck, even major organizations such as UNICEF, and the Red Cross were unable to prevent such an event from taking place. Although this is a region that is plagued with much worse, the events that took place this week that left these children used and abandoned is nothing to be made light of and deserves our careful consideration as we consder what kind of world we live in where this is not the worse possible situation for a child.

Diffusion and dispalcement of responsibility

The diffusion and displacement of responsibility for actions is what has been plaguing us, and also, is responsible for countless deaths.

Soldiers are puppets to the higher authoritative powers. They are voiceless and follow orders no matter how repulsive they maybe. The system is set up in such a way that soldiers, even if they are against their orders, can do nothing about its. The punishments range from court marshals to even death, depending on the country. So they follow the orders and commit heinous acts no matter what. The only way to justify their actions is to say that some higher power commanded them to do so. The higher power has the authority to say that some even higher power ordered him to do so. So, the blame and responsibility is diffused till it no longer exists.

The lack of responsibility by its displacement even leads to an increase in inhumane acts as people simply follow what they are told to do. This is where the group mentality comes into play. They are a part of a group and the group is responsible for their actions. The group, in turn is commanded by higher ranking officials, and so forth. So, responsibility is simply diffused and people don’t get the sense of personal involvement.

Define terrorism - Easier said than done

The first chapter of "Understanding Terrorism" discusses the definition of terrorism. Much like genocide, it is difficult to draw the line of terrorism. But what makes it so difficult? Each nation or group has a different history of terrorism. Past events that are considered acts of terrorism pose as pictures and models for the future. Also, each group or nation has a very different culture from another on the other side of the world. In the United States, we consider suicide unacceptable. Some cultures use suicide as a weapon. They are brought up to believe that this is an acceptable and worth while act. One person's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter.

Enemy

Enemy. One who feels hatred toward, intends injury to, or opposes the interests of another. In times of war, it is easier to think of the enemy as a faceless group instead of a person just like us. This is made easier through the use of political cartoons. Artists play into the harshest stereotypes, which makes it easier for us to accept these clichés. These stereotypes only further divide nations. Instead of trying to hate the opposition we should work towards understanding each other.