Terrorism Upsc Mains Questions
Rashawn Devegowda
The events of September 11, 2001 changed the way the world viewed terrorism. Canada played a leading role in the international community's efforts to assist Afghanistan to counter the terrorist threat, to promote global peace and security, and to ensure terrorism does not threaten Canadian interests. But even before that, Canada witnessed the devastating tragedy of the Air India bombing that killed 329 people, most of them Canadians. Canada's capacity to counter terrorist threats on all fronts has increased significantly. The threat persists, however, and recent events in Norway remind us that threats can come from different directions, and that we cannot afford complacency in the face of a complex and evolving threat.
I am pleased to present this Strategy, Building Resilience Against Terrorism, which sets out Canada's approach to tackling this global and domestic threat. The Strategy reflects the ongoing and multifaceted activities of government departments and agencies that are involved in counter-terrorism. For the first time it sets out, in a coherent and unified format, how these activities contribute to the Government's Strategy for countering terrorism.
The Strategy enshrines the Government of Canada's existing approach to countering terrorism. In conjunction with commitments made in the December 2010 Government of Canada Response to the Commission of Inquiry into the Investigation of the Bombing of Air India Flight 182, it will help to organize and prioritize counter-terrorism initiatives and investments and ensure that Government activities address the risks we face.
The first priority of the Government of Canada is to protect Canada and the safety and security of Canadians at home and abroad. Building Resilience Against Terrorism, Canada's first Counter-terrorism Strategy, assesses the nature and scale of the threat, and sets out basic principles and elements that underpin the Government's counter-terrorism activities. Together, these principles and elements serve as a means of prioritizing and evaluating the Government's efforts against terrorism. The overarching goal of the Strategy is: to counter domestic and international terrorism in order to protect Canada, Canadians and Canadian interests.
Building resilience is the Strategy's core principle. The ultimate goal is a Canada where individuals and communities are able to withstand violent extremist ideologies, and where society is resilient to a terrorist attack, if one occurs. Counter-terrorism activities are also guided by the principles of respect for human rights and the rule of law, the treatment of terrorism as a crime, proportionality and adaptability. Working through partnerships is central to the success of the Strategy. It would include collaboration with Canada's international partners, security intelligence and federal, provincial and municipal law enforcement agencies, all levels of government and civil society. In particular, the relationship between security intelligence and law enforcement communities has strengthened over time. This seamless cooperation continues to be critical to addressing the terrorist threat.
The Strategy will serve to guide the Government's efforts in countering terrorism. Built into the Strategy are mechanisms for monitoring the Government's efforts and for reporting to Canadians on the Strategy's progress, including an annual report to Canadians on the evolving threat environment.
For the first time, Building Resilience Against Terrorism clearly sets out Canada's integrated approach to dealing with terrorist threats, both at home and abroad. It explains how Canada's local, national and international efforts support each other to protect Canadians and Canadian interests.
The aim of the Strategy is: to counter domestic and international terrorism in order to protect Canada, Canadians and Canadian interests. By clearly articulating the Government of Canada's approach, the Strategy:
Reflected throughout the Strategy is the fundamental belief that countering terrorism requires partnerships. Achieving the Government's counter-terrorism goals will require an integrated approach not only by the Government of Canada, but by all levels of government, law enforcement agencies, the private sector and citizens, in collaboration with international partners and key allies, such as the United States (U.S.).
To succeed, the Government's counter-terrorism efforts cannot be limited to operations directed at groups or individuals already involved in terrorist activities. They must also be reinforced by preventive measures, aimed at keeping vulnerable individuals from being drawn into terrorism. These measures call for a focus on individual motivations, and other factors contributing to recruitment into terrorist activities.
It will never be possible to stop all terrorist attacks. Nevertheless, Canadians can expect that their Government will take every reasonable step to prevent individuals from turning to terrorism, to detect terrorists and their activities, to deny terrorists the means and opportunities to attack and, when attacks do occur, to respond expertly, rapidly and proportionately.
Terrorism is not a new tactic. In the past few decades, several hundred Canadian civilians have been killed or injured in terrorist incidents. The current iteration of al Qaida inspired terrorism is only one example of the terrorist threats facing Canada. Other nationalist, politico-religious, or multi-issue groups continue to employ terrorist tactics in support of their aims. As a result, terrorism can be seen as a tactic whose use is connected to the drivers of political violence that exist at a given time, and the existence of individuals and groups who are willing to use violence to achieve specific goals.
In Canada, the definition of terrorist activity includes an act or omission undertaken, inside or outside Canada, for a political, religious or ideological purpose that is intended to intimidate the public with respect to its security, including its economic security, or to compel a person, government or organization (whether inside or outside Canada) from doing or refraining from doing any act, and that intentionally causes one of a number of specified forms of serious harm.
Recurring instances of violence linked to Sunni Islamist extremism have punctuated the development of the terrorist threat since at least the 1970s. Today, violence driven by Sunni Islamist extremism is the leading threat to Canada's national security. Despite having been under intense pressure for the past decade, foreign-based Sunni Islamist extremism has proven to be both adaptable and resilient. Several extremist groups have explicitly identified Canada as a legitimate target for attacks or have taken actions that threaten Canada's international interests.
Two of these groups in particular, al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and al Shabaab, illustrate the diffusion of the Sunni Islamist terrorist threat. These groups and others like them may share some common cause with al Qaida, but largely remain operationally independent. The Yemen-based al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula have pursued efforts to destabilize the Arabian Peninsula, but they have also pursued international attacks that may have affected Canada, such as their failed December 2009 bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 in Canadian airspace. Al Shabaab is predominantly a threat in Somalia, but they have conducted attacks elsewhere in East Africa. Several Canadians are believed to have left Canada to join the group. These examples highlight that efforts to counter the terrorist threat to Canada must consider both al Qaida itself and the threat posed by several other different groups within the spectrum of Sunni Islamist extremism.
In 2006, 18 individuals were arrested in Ontario for participating in a terrorist group whose intent was to bomb a number of symbolic Canadian institutions. Of these individuals, 11 were later convicted. Another Canadian, Mohammed Momin Khawaja, was found guilty in 2008 as a result of his involvement in a failed terrorist plot in the United Kingdom. Canadians and other individuals suspected of a variety of activities related to Islamist extremism remain active across the country. Some of these individuals are spreading violent propaganda, raising money to support terrorism, helping individuals travel to foreign conflict zones, and establishing connections with likeminded extremists in Canada and abroad. Only a small number of individuals may have the intent to engage in terrorism, but homegrown extremists will pose a terrorist threat within Canada for the foreseeable future.
Since some international terrorists are completely focused on conducting violence abroad, Canadian concerns are not solely limited to preventing attacks in Canada, but include the prevention of violent global extremism. Threats are also posed by Canadians who support violent conflicts abroad, or by foreigners in Canada interested in using this country for refuge, financing, recruitment or other forms of support. These threats can be further complicated when foreign states sponsor certain terrorist groups as a means of furthering their own violent objectives. Canadian interests are threatened be it a direct attack against Canada or its allies, or the use of Canada to support terrorism elsewhere in the world.
For these reasons, Canada must actively monitor the full spectrum of terrorist threats. Canada has listed under the Criminal Code more than 40 terrorist entities that are considered a threat, having either knowingly engaged in or facilitated international terrorism. These entities include the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam LTTE?, the Euskadi ta Askatasuna (ETA), the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), Hamas and Hizballah.
Some international terrorist groups have more explicit Canadian connections than others. Although the civil war in Sri Lanka has ended, it is important that any surviving elements of the LTTE are not allowed to rebuild in Canada in order to engage in terrorist activities. In May 2010, for example, Prapaharan Thambithurai, an LTTE fundraiser, was convicted of terrorist financing in Canada.
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