Terrorism

Terrorism is the use of violence, including hijacking, political assassination, kidnapping and urban bombings to achieve a political purpose.

There are three categories of terrorist crimes:

First is the use and threat of violence to create public fear. Such crimes are directed at innocent people. The deliberate killing of civilians to intimidate the civilian population or government is one of the worst features of contemporary terrorism.

A second category of terrorist crime is actual rule by terror. It is common practice for leaders of terrorist organizations who come to power, to enforce obedience and discipline by terrorizing their own members.

Third, crimes are committed by terrorist organizations in order to gain the means for their own support. Bank robbery, kidnapping for ransom, extortion, illegal arms dealing, and drug trafficking are among the principal crimes of this nature.

Features of Modern Terrorism

One important feature of modern terrorism is its quest for spectacular horror effects in order to attract media coverage. The choice of New York City’s World Center as a target of a terrorist bomb was made for symbolic reasons.

Another feature of modern terrorism is its international character. That means the ability of terrorists to slip across national frontiers; and the support given to certain terrorist groups by a few countries.

International efforts to combat terrorism have led to the following international conventions:

- the Tokyo and Montreal Conventions (1963 and 1971) on hijacking and sabotage of civilian aircraft;

- the Hague Convention of 1979 on hostage taking;

- the 1973 Convention on crimes against diplomats.

These Conventions establish categories of international crimes that are punishable by any state regardless of the nationality of criminals or victims or locality of the offence.

In 1987 seven industrial democratic countries pledged themselves to take joint action against terrorism. These nations are the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, France and Japan. They promised:

- to deny terrorist suspects entry into their countries;

- to provide close cooperation between police and security forces in their countries;

- to place strict restrictions on diplomatic missions suspected of being involved in terrorism;

- to cooperate in other ways.

Nowadays, the emphasis in fighting terrorism has shifted from deterrence to prevention. Today, the most effective means of frustrating terrorist activity is through detailed intelligence.

The united nations organisation

The United Nations Organization was founded in 1945 by the victorious countries of the Second World War. Today, nearly every nation in the world belongs to the UN.

When states become members of the United Nations, they agree to accept the obligations of the UN Charter. According to the Charter, the UN has the following purposes:

- to maintain international peace and security;

- to develop friendly relations among nations;

- to cooperate in solving international problems

- to promote respect for human rights;

The United Nations is not a world government, but a conference of the world’s existing governments. It does not make laws. It provides means to help resolve international conflicts. All the member states – large and small, rich and poor, with different political views and social systems – have a voice in the process.

The United Nations’ main bodies are: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Secretariat which are based in New York, and the International Court of Justice, which is located at the Hague, the Netherlands.

The General Assembly is also known as ‘parliament of nations’. All member states are represented in the General Assembly and each state has one vote. The Assembly cannot force any state to do anything, but it can give recommendations. The official languages in the General Assembly are: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

The Security Council is responsible for maintaining world peace and security. There are 15 members in the Security Council. Five of these – China, Russia, France, the United Kingdom and the United States - are permanent members. Under the Charter, all member states are bound to carry out the Council's decisions. The Council can take measures to enforce its decisions. It can impose economic sanctions or, on rare occasions, to use ‘all necessary means’, including collective military action, to see that its decisions are carried out.

The Economic and Social Council coordinates the economic and social work of the United Nations. It meets throughout a year and holds a major session in July, during which a special meeting of Ministers discusses major economic, social and humanitarian issues.

The Secretariat carries out the administrative work of the United Nations and consists of numerous departments and offices. At its head is the Secretary General, who provides overall administrative guidance.

The International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, is the main judicial body of the UN. It consists of 15 judges and decides disputes between countries. Participation by states in a proceeding is voluntary, but if a state agrees to participate, it is obliged to comply with the Court’s decision. The Court also provides advisory opinions to the General Assembly and the Security Council on request.

One of the greatest achievements of the United Nations is the creation of a comprehensive body of human rights law. However, today it needs a serious reform to obtain more enforcement powers.

Secretary General ?