Terrorism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Terrorism - Research Paper Example d political fractions), motivation is based upon global jihad, its goals are based on political and religious supremacy of Islam, threat is related to the rapid spread of religious fundamentalism and terrorism, and anti-terrorism policies can save Somalia from the negative influence of this terrorist organization. First of all, the origin of the jihadist group, named as Al-Shabaab, is indebted to the military aims of political Islam in Somalia. To be specific, Al-Shabaab originated as a military subsidiary of the Islamic Courts Union or ICU. When the ICU lost influence and support during its clash with Transitional Federal Government in Somalia (TFG), Al-Shabaab gained momentum and began to exert its influence in Africa. Besides, this terrorist organization was formed in the year 2006. One can see that the origin of this terrorist group is deeply rooted in the Islamic concept of jihad. For instance, the masterminds behind the origin of this terrorist group served in Afghanistan during late 70s. Hansen (2013) states that, â€Å"A proper exploration of the history of Al-Shabaab should start with the origins of this network, which are amongst the Somalis travelling to Afghanistan in the wake of the Soviet intervention, during the Afghan war of 1979-89† (pp.19-20). To be specific, those wh o (say, Somalis) served during this time returned to Somalia and helped the ICU while fighting against the TFG. The defeat of ICU by the TFG resulted in the fragmentation of ICU into different groups. During this time, Al-Shabaab (say, one among these fragmented groups) declared its aim, i.e., the leadership of jihadists in Africa or the fight against the foes of political Islam. One can see that Al-Shabaab amalgamated the idea of political Islam to the core of religious fundamentalism. To be specific, the leaders of this jihadist group gained the confidence of the mass by proclaiming their ultimate aim, the superiority of religion beyond the government. As pointed out, Al-Shabaab

Locate an image of the future that was developed before 1990 Essay

Locate an image of the future that was developed before 1990 - Essay Example Orwell’s vision, written in 1948, originally pertained to some future indeterminate time, but the publishers thought to use a more catchy title and reversed the last two digits of the year of writing. The vision truly conformed with the two postulates proposed by James Dator: first, that ‘the future cannot be studied, because the future does not exist’; and second, that ‘any useful idea about the future should appear to be ridiculous from today’s point of view.’ (NRC, 2010, p.31). That a see-all-know-all government did not exist in 1948 was apparent because the enabling technology was not yet available. It was also considered extremely unlikely, even outright ridiculous in the post-war Western democracies, since 1984 was considered little more than ‘a [part of the] mythology of our culture’ (Chatfield, 1975, p.947). I interviewed my high school literature teacher, who at 77 years could recall the exuberance of the post-war era. After we won the war, he said, there was a fierce pride in our freedoms as inalienable and incontestable, so the thought that people will tolerate a â€Å"Big Brother† was ludicrous. It was possible, though, that 1984’s image of a totalitarian society was suggested by the rise of socialist states and the threat of communism. Unlike my teacher, I feel Orwell’s society is possible, since the technology is already available and the governments of the world are already encroaching on human rights. Images of 1984 as construed in the fifties, and the updated counterpart images evoking the same are shown below. Orwell’s vision is, as Dator’s theory states, just one of many possible ‘futures’ – pertaining to the possibility that the threat of communism shall triumph over America’s status quo; it is at best a ‘what-if,’ allowing for a ‘what-if-not.’ How the choice made among alternatives is therefore crucial. The perceived alternative futures may possibly turn into