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International Terrorism is the use of criminal violence across the globe to threaten people or force a government to change its policy. It can be based on political or ideological philosophies. For example, the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center complex in New York City in 2001, infamous as the 9/11 attacks, is the deadliest terrorist attack to date, killing more than 3000 people. This article will discuss the meaning, types, and reasons for terrorism. We will also discuss the steps that have been taken to combat international terrorism.

Definition of Terrorism 

There is no concrete definition of terrorism as per international law. According to the United Nations Security Council, terrorist acts are those criminal actions committed against people with the intent to cause death or severe injury. These actions aim to create a state of terror in the general public or compel the government to do or abstain from taking certain steps. 

According to the European Union, terrorist offences are those criminal offences whose nature is such that they may adversely affect a country or an international organization. These actions are committed to intimidate the population or unduly compel a government or international organization. These actions may destabilize or harm the political, economic, or social structures of a country. 

In India, terrorism is defined in the 8th report on terrorism published in 2008. According to the report, terrorism is an act of terror that includes any intentional act of violence that causes death or damage to property and induces fear in any group of people.

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Types of Terrorism 

• Political Terrorism: It refers to terrorism that is primarily used to create fear in the community or a section of society for political purposes.

• Religious Terrorism: It refers to terrorist activities undertaken in the name of faith and religion against those who propagate some other religion. 

• Non-Political Terrorism: It refers to terrorism designed for individual or collective gain instead of having a political objective.

• Quasi-Terrorism: It refers to activities that are similar in form and method to terrorism but are not intended to induce terror in the community. 

• State-Sponsored Terrorism: It refers to terrorist activities carried out by the government to fulfill their political purposes against a particular section of the community or foreign nation. 

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Reasons of Terrorism 

The main reasons for terrorism are the following:

1. Ideological Reasons: Terrorists engage in terrorism based on their beliefs, values, and principles, which may be based on religion or politics—for example, the Irish Republican Army, Al-Qaida, etc. 
2. Psychological Reasons: Some engage in terrorism only for personal reasons based on their psychological state. These people are motivated by hate or desire for power. 
3. Strategic Reasons: Individuals may cause terrorist activities to fulfill strategic reasons, such as compelling a government to take or abstain from taking certain steps. In such cases, people resort to violence to change their plight. 

Steps Taken Internationally

The United Nations General Assembly has an essential role in developing international cooperation and ensuring that governments work together against terrorism.  

All UN member nations adopted the ‘United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy’ to take steps individually and collectively on the national and international level to counter-terrorism. The Counter-Terrorism Strategy is based on four principles:

• Addressing the conditions that lead to the spread of terrorism 
• Preventing and combating terrorism 
• Building capacity to prevent and combat terrorism as well as strengthening the role of the UN 
• Ensuring respect for human rights and establishing the rule of law

Furthermore, the UN Security Council has established three Committees, namely: Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee, the Counter-Terrorism Committee (the “CTC”), and the 1540 Committee, to implement the specific resolutions relating to terrorism. 

According to UN Security Council resolution 1456 (2003), all nations must comply with 

international law while countering terrorism and respect international human rights and humanitarian law. Countries should strive to improve conversation and understanding across civilizations and settle unsolved regional issues to avoid targeting other religions and cultures. 

Several other international conventions also lay down principles of combatting international terrorism. These conventions regulate mutual assistance and cooperation among states to combat terrorism. These are:

• European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism, 27 January 1977.
• Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism, adopted in May 2005 and entered into force on 1 June 2007.
• International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 15 December 1997 and entered into force on 23 May 2001.
• International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 9 December 1999 and entered into force on 10 April 2002. 
• International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 13 April 2005 and entered into force on 7 July 2007). 
• Organization of the African Union Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism, adopted in Algiers, Algeria, on 14 July 1999 (it entered into force on 6 December 2002). 

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Conclusion

International terrorism is a significant threat to global security that needs to be resolved at the earliest. Combatting terrorism requires cooperation among international states and international intelligence agencies to increase efficiency. We must adopt security measures that are highly resilient to deal with terrorism and at the same time comply with international law.