Violence and Terrorism in the World Today
TRANSCEND MEMBERS, 22 Apr 2024
Dr. Ravi P. Bhatia – TRANSCEND Media Service
15 Apr 2024 – There is large scale violence that we observe today in the world. No country or region is free from the curse of violence. It can be of different types. Some common forms of violence occurs by guns, rifles, and even sticks and daggers in some small regions of any country including India.
In addition, we see stone throwing that reflects animosity and suspicion between two regions within a country. It does not cause too much harm or large scale killing of people — it usually results in dominating a backward region by a more powerful region of a country and ends fairly soon by the weaker region accepting the dominance of the more powerful region. The cause of conflict between such regions may be due to religious, trade or economic factors.
Of course there is more aggressive violence that causes killings of people and breaking down of buildings and infrastructure like industries, Hotels, shops etc. This type of aggression and violence has limited scope and ends relatively soon — maybe within a week or ten days.
Political violence also occurs fairly frequently in the world today. This is caused by aggression of one country over another and believing that one’s approach is sound. It can also be due to efforts by a rich and powerful country for domination over a relatively weaker one for trade purposes or for allowing short passage through the weak region.
These days, political and economic factors cause continuing tensions and suspicion between countries like Israel and Iran. Occasionally long drawn talks take place between such countries to reduce conflict due to political, economic factors or due to past historical, social or religious differences between countries, without much success. There are also limited military acts between them like striking some markets or buildings by gun fire or by drones but also by clandestine means.
Often, not only two countries are in conflict, there are more powerful countries like USA, Russia, China that support economically and militarily the countries in conflict. In West Asia today, Iran issues threats of strikes and gunfire against Israel due to religious and historical factors. The conflict is made worse by the threat of military strikes by Iran over Israel. Russia urges restraint between the two countries whereas USA says they are committed to the security of Israel militarily and economically as required.
In addition to open conflict and warfare between two countries or regions, there is underground terrorist intervention that may continue for long without signs of ending of such operations. Conflict — religious, economic, historical between India and Pakistan continues even today that started when India was divided into two nations in 1947 at the time of independence of India from England. Although India is much more powerful than Pakistan economically, militarily and has a strong democracy, it is constrained by the fact that Pakistan also has nuclear power.
There is another form of violence — institutional or structural violence that is caused by how institutions operate and create injustice on people as a result of the laws and policies of the government . For example, farmers often suffer floods, indebtedness and feel that the government is not doing enough to alleviate their problems. But the government is constrained by its several social and economic laws and practices.
Countries and people often suffer from indirect or passive violence. It does not result from any overt or visible form of violence from the State . For example, a child becoming an orphan due to the death of his parents. A person suffering from trauma when seeing a close relation — child, brother or sister being killed or drowned. Passive violence is like passive smoking that results from being near a person who is smoking and inhaling polluted air.
In addition, we see indiscriminate violence when a group of a few gun toting terrorists enter a hall where a meeting is taking place and start firing at the people. There is often no valid reason for such shooting except perhaps for the shooters to demonstrate and practice their shooting skills. They sometimes act in this way to demonstrate their military power and also to provide information about where they stand on certain social or religious issues by taking actions .
While we have written about various forms of violence and their causes, there are also efforts by some world organisations to reduce if not totally remove violence. In India we know that Mahatma Gandhi tried to reduce and remove bitterness and violence by his approach of promoting peace, justice and harmony. He would often go without food to demonstrate and promote truth justice and well being. But he insisted that one should go on a fast only after failing to achieve peace by conventional means of dialogue and give and take approach. Gandhi often said that violence is the law of the jungle, but ahimsa (non violence) is the law of humanity. He also believed in right means to achieve one’s goals. Man’s dignity comes from spirituality and truth .
Unfortunately, certain people and their followers opposed his spiritual and peaceful approach. He was assassinated by a man named Nathu Ram Godse who was close to such groups, on 30 January 1948 in the Birla House in Delhi .
Although Gandhi is no longer on the scene there are some other peace loving individuals who practice and promote justice, well being and harmony. They also try to reduce environmental pollution by their efforts of not wasting resources and trying to live within reasonable constraints. There are some rural women who practice Chipko Andolan to promote a healthy environment for protection of trees that are necessary for people’s lives.
The world is a complex union of various countries and follows various means of achieving and maintaining peace and harmony. When some unusual problems arise, many peace loving people and governments come together to follow dynamic principles of peace justice and harmony by overcoming economic or religious constraints.
Let us all follow this approach in our lives for promoting peace and happiness.
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Dr Ravi P Bhatia is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment, an educationist, Gandhian scholar and peace researcher. Retired professor, Delhi University. His new book, A Garland of Ideas—Gandhian, Religious, Educational, Environmental was published recently in Delhi. ravipbhatia@gmail.com
Tags: Direct violence, Staged Terrorism, State Terrorism, Structural violence, Terrorism, War of Terror
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 22 Apr 2024.
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