Reasons Behind the Rise of International Terrorism

There has been a gradual increase in international terrorism. Prejudiced individuals claim it is because of Islam and state that the religion is by nature extremist. This bigoted and simplistic perspective  ignores the complex social, political, and economic realities. The Middle East does not have a monopoly on terrorism; many nations attack others on a daily basis. Aggressive war has become America's strategy for solving international disputes. This policy has caused damaging repercussions. The only option left for some is to take up arms in response to US hegemony. The alternatives are limited in terms of organizing. Arab nationalism was a major force, that faded after Nasser's death. It was completely killed with the fall of Qaddafi. The attacks will continue as long as the current foreign policies are in place. The problem is rooted in the Cold War. During this period the United States supported Islamist in the Middle East as a counter to Nasserism. Saudi Arabia was also a large contributor to a large Islamist faction through the development of the World Muslim League. The United States would then arm Islamist groups in Afghanistan with assistance from Saudi Arabia as well as Pakistan. Even after the with draw of Soviet forces, the US continued to support these armed groups. What also gave rise to international terrorism was internal discontent within Arab and North African countries. The Islamist rejected modernism and cultural influence from the West. They believed their way of life was being destroyed by decadent and unsavory elements. Another issue that arose was the discord with authoritarian regimes supported by the US and its European allies. What also exacerbated the situation was an unquestioned alliance with Israel. This continues to be a source of major contention in the Middle East. The economic dynamic drove many to join extremist groups. The financial reward seemed worth it in some countries, seeing as unemployment was high and growth was non-existent. US imperialism, continued support for Israel,  internal resistance to modernity, authoritarian regimes, and military strikes are reasons behind the spike international terrorism around the world.
       US imperialism has been masked in a fraudulent cause of protecting freedom and human rights across the globe. During the Cold War the excuse used for rapid expansion was to stop the spread of communism. The United States realized that the Middle East was of significant geopolitical importance. The Eisenhower administration developed a policy of favoring Saudi Arabia as force against Egypt. Gamal Nasser challenged western imperialism by having solidarity with anti-colonial movements and taking control of the Suez Canal. The Suez crisis may have been a military defeat for Egypt, but it was a political victory. Arab nationalism was a major movement in the Middle East and threatened US Cold War policy in the region. Direct invasion would be too precarious. Nasser was not a communist, so that excuse would lack cogency in international public opinion.The option that was used to harass Egypt was a combination of sabotage and arming of hostile countries. The element of sabotage involved arming religious fundamentalists. This experiment was done in Iran when the CIA and MI5 contributed to the overthrow of Mohamud Mossadeq. Prime Minister Mossadeq was going to nationalize the oil industry which would effect American and British access. The British did provide support to the Muslim Brotherhood. This was prior to the 1952 free officers coup that removed the monarchy of King Farouk. Support for the Muslim Brotherhood by the British was designed to halt the Arab nationalist movement. Even when the British supported monarchy collapsed, the Muslim Brotherhood remained active. Sunni Muslim extremist groups were being financed and armed by Saudi Arabia. The turning point came with the establishment of the World Muslim League. King Faisal established this not only to fight communism, but Nassarism and anti-colonial movements. This was the point in which radical political Islamism became an ally of the US .Religious fundamentalists reactionaries would be natural anti-communists, because they believed atheism was an evil.The US was not fighting communism, but imposing its will on developing nations. This meant becoming involved in the internal affairs of various nations around the world. When the US became intertwined with the internal affairs of the Middle East the effects were devastating.
        The major foreign policy error was the support for Israel. This has caused much rage in the Middle East. Israel's continued discrimination and murder of the Palestinians has made it a general pariah internationally. The United States continues to defend the country, even when it commits acts violence and human rights abuse. Radical political Islamists  use this fact as a recruitment tool. The Palestinians who have no other legal options to combat oppression may turn to Islamist groups. Islamic Jihad becomes attractive to some due to the fact Arab leaders no longer challenge Israel. Syria, Iraq, and Libya were the few states that continued resistance. The Gulf monarchies are western aligned and opted for peace. Egypt under Anwar Sadat recognized Israel in exchange for the return of the Sinai peninsula. Egypt had abandoned the pan-Arab vision, leaving a  political power void in the region. It was only a matter of time that the populace would turn to another political ideology. The loss of territories to Israel in the Six Day War in 1967, but the Middle East in a major state of disrepair.

Egypt lost the Sinai peninsula and Syria had the Golan Heights seized. The West Bank and Gaza Strip were occupied. It seemed as if Arab nationalism was defeated. The death of Nasser was the final blow. Islamism was gradually becoming the new political movement popular in the Middle East. Israel continues to be a symbol of colonialism and an entity that seeks to harm Arabs. While it cannot be denied that Zionists and Islamist basically want theocracy, their versions differ. One seeks the rule of Islam, while the other wants the rule of Judaism. Zionists already seem to be ahead in their theocratic project . The peculiar amalgamation of groups known as ISIS want to establish a caliphate . Iran is a theocracy, but has no need for expansion. it already has allies like Syria and Hezbollah which can contribute to its regional goals. Iran has been accused of Israel and the US of supporting terrorism, but this claim is questionable. The majority of  terrorist groups are Sunni Muslim extremist and would not accept Shia Muslim financing or support. The reality is that the US and Israel have armed a multitude of groups for the purpose of destabilization. Jundallah has been active in Iran and allegedly has assistance from the US and its allies in the region. This combination of destabilization and aggressive Israeli expansion increase support for terrorist organizations. The people that join terrorist  see it as an effective method to resist the West and oppression from Israel. 

       The resistance  to modernity is by no means a unique issue to the Middle East. Across the globe reactionaries are organizing themselves to return to a "better time." Relevant to the Middle East, there are groups that want to see Islam practiced in what they believe to be "its purest form." Islam is a religion that has a long history of intricate thought. This pure form that anti-modernists want to go back to never existed. The motivation becomes clear when examining the objectives. The main objective of the Islamist movement is political transformation, not theological or philosophical exploration. Their goals are to transform Middle Eastern society into what they believe should be model Islamic states. These are extreme conservative values which include the subordination of women, an extreme version of Shariah law, and intolerance of opposing theological perspectives. Modern societies are becoming more secular and pluralistic. Globalization has allowed certain ideas and values to spread faster than ever before. Conservative Islamists want to keep these ideas from spreading, because they are convinced it will damage society.Transformations are already happening. Saudi Arabia is allowing women to participate in government. Women were allowed to vote in  Kuwait in 2007 for the first time. The conservative elements realize that the restrictive legal barriers are being removed and will respond with violence. People with extremist view points will join terrorist organizations, because of the feeling something is being taken from them. Change is the wave of the future. There are individuals who are either resistant or hostile to change and react violently. Religious societies will struggle to survive in the modern world. The West is not free from this conflict either. Religion continues to divide countries like the United States were social conservatives and liberal progressives are polarized. The Middle East is going through its own culture war. It has now escalated to the point of armed conflict. 

         Another catalyst for the increase in international terrorism is the existence of authoritarian regimes. The citizens living in the Gulf monarchies either despise their leaders or consider them Western clients. The leaders who were not puppets or aligned with the West were either killed or deposed by military force. Bashar Al-Assad's Syria is targeted because of its independent foreign policy. Muammar Qaddafi was never compliant with the West and was attacked. These leaders maintained high popularity due to their populist and nationalist ideology that wanted to maintain national sovereignty at all costs. Saudi Arabia is more oppressive than the other "rogue states" in the region. There is no political party or opposition group that can challenge the Saudi monarchy. The only organized groups are radical political Islamist ones. Religion is a great organizing  force and it can unite people from various ethnic, social, and political backgrounds.Saudi Arabia was founded on the basis of an extreme religious movement  of Sunni Islam known as Wahabbism. It was promoted to keep the kingdom together and control the more extremist elements of society. The Saudi monarchy then wanted to spread this religious movement around the world. Afghanistan and Pakistan became perfect places to do so. During the 1980s King Fahd established madrassas in both countries in order to spread the Wahabbist version of Islam. These were the ideological foundations of  terrorist organizations. Ideas are major motivators for actions and behaviors. Sayyid Qutb initially articulated early radical political Islamist ideas in Egypt in the 1950s and 1960s. Before Qutb, there was Hassan Al-Bana who in many ways was the harbinger of the radical political Islamist movement. He would go on to establish the Muslim Brotherhood.  

While different movements were emerging in numerous countries and independent of one another it was Saudi Arabia that wanted to unify it under its leadership. That is why it used its vast wealth to fund extremist Wahabbi madrassas internationally. The Soviet-Afghan War was the perfect opportunity for this, but had an unintended consequence. Like the United States, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations experienced blowback. The fighters that were known as the Arab Afghans came back to their home countries with the intent to overthrow both secular and monarchical governments. Saudi Arabia currently is at a cross roads attempting to fight the same extremists that it has armed. It still continues to arm groups active in the Syrian Civil War. The portion that it lost control of now is its biggest challenge internally and externally. Bahrain could face a similar problem if it does not allow reform. Young people frustrated by the level of oppression could be pushed into the arms of terrorists groups, because there is no political alternative. The emergent terrorist groups state their opposition to monarchy, secular regimes, and Western aligned governments. While citizens of various countries dislike their government this message becomes a voice of hope. People are drawn to terrorist groups due to inability to have representation in government. This is further exacerbated by economic decline in certain countries. Employment is low for youth, brain drain occurs, and there is limited opportunity for advancement. The real reason for the Arab Spring was not genuine revolutionary fervor, but economic challenges. Tunisia being the birth place of these uprisings demonstrated a government incapable of serving its citizens. Zine El Abindine Ben Ali chose to favor IMF reforms at the expense of the population. The result was the increase in youth unemployment and smaller businesses struggling to compete with international markets. Hosni Mubarack  followed similar policies in Egypt, which only created more support for the Muslim Brotherhood. Across North Africa and the Middle East Islamist parties were coming to power and were becoming like their former oppressors. Former President Morsi was deposed in Egypt due to the fact reforms were not implemented fast enough. He underestimated the political power of the army. Now terrorism has increased in the Sinai peninsula to resist the Al-Sisisi presidency. Authoritarian regimes now use the excuse they are fighting terrorism to continue oppressive policies. King Salman uses this excuse to pursue war in Yemen and continue to back Syrian rebels. The real irony is that the terrorists and authoritarians need each other to continue their agendas.  

        US military intervention has caused the increase of international terrorism to astronomical levels .  After the September 11th Attacks, the US embarked on a world conquering mission known as the War on Terror. This flawed concept wanted to declare war on a military tactic. Iraq, Libya, and now Syria are subject to military interventions. These strikes only make people want to join terrorist groups as a means of resistance. This becomes a powerful tool of recruitment, because everywhere the US invaded nothing positive occurred. Before 2001, the US was involved in Afghanistan for decades. It was the Jimmy Carter administration that began instigating uprisings in Afghanistan. Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Carter's  National Security Advisor  formulated this policy with intent of creating a Vietnam scenario for the Soviet Union. Once again, the US armed religious fundamentalists to destabilize a Middle Eastern government. The Nur Muhammad Taraki presidency in Afghanistan was weak. Taraki would fall from power being killed in the process. Hafizullah Amin would not hold on to the presidency long. Babrak Karmal would come to power in 1979, but needed Soviet assistance to stabilize his government. The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan would not have held on to power without Soviet help. Around 1979, the Soviet Union sent forces into the country to keep the government intact. More aid came including weapons to the growing mujahideen forces. Afghanistan was falling into a state of civil war. The Ronald Reagan administration continued the policy of arming extremists to a far greater extent. Muhammad Zia-ul Haq the military dictator of Pakistan contributed to the development of the Taliban in the war against the Soviets. The ISI was critical in their growth and still continue to support sections of the group. All these armed groups would later break away to form Al-qaeda in 1988. Osama Bin Laden, Abdullah Azzam, and Ayman al-Zawahiri  were its founders. After the Soviet withdraw, many of the fighters returned to their home countries with the desire to overthrow governments by violent means. Algeria, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, and Tunisia were experiencing challenges with terrorism. This would not have been possible without US involvement in the Soviet-Afghan War. This parallels the current situation with the rise of ISIS. The invasion of Iraq and the subsequent removal of Saddam Hussein allowed for a power void to form. Iraqis tired with occupation, corrupt government, and Sunni Muslims frustrated with discrimination joined the group, because it appeared to be a vehicle for  change. The reality is that it is a monstrous creation of US military strikes. The consequences have been horrific, with a growing number of refugees fleeing to Europe. There is now a situation in which people born in Europe are going to Iraq and Syria to join ISIS. If Iraq and Libya were never invaded ISIS would not even exist. If the Baathist government of Syria falls it will on make them more powerful. 

       International terrorism differs in the respect that perpetrators view everything from a global rather than a local perspective. If one country invades another Muslim country, they will go there to fight. They attempt to use the language of anti-colonial freedom struggle, but only talk about Muslim nations that suffer oppression. There are many countries that face hostility from the West that are not Muslim and they do not seem willing to fight for them. It is important to understand that one ethnic group or religion does not have a monopoly on terrorism. The US for half a century has terrorized countries that were no threat to it. Vietnam was subject to worst forms of US terrorism through bombing. More Arabs and Muslims have died than the people who perished in the September 11th attacks. That is the real tragedy. Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism has reach astronomical heights in Europe and the US. These racist convictions are influencing foreign policy and public opinion. It makes it easier for the public to accept aggressive war against Middle Eastern nations. It also enables Israel to continue to violate basic human rights and international law. As long as unpopular Western supported regimes remain in place, support for Israel continues, and imperialism remains a credible foreign policy terrorism will spread. Another problem that must be addressed is the question of religion in modern society. This is not just a problem of Islam, but religion in general. If religion wants to survive it must learn to adapt to modern society. Many are gradually thinking that it is no longer compatible. This is a question Muslims must confront by  themselves. The West must learn that the era of total domination is over. People will not longer accept subjugation by military force. If these issues can be solved international terrorism can be reduced, if not defeated.