The tragic events of 9/11 at the heartland of the current world system of economics politics and values came as a shock to a dormant global society. Political analysts, academics and prominent political figures along side with a rather naïve and ill informed international society were suddenly shaken, rather than awakened, by the explosions and subsequent collapse of the Twin Towers in Manhattan. An event that was undoubtedly without precedent, and was only imaginable to a very little and marginalized fraction of warmongers and hawks residing mainly in the United States, was to scar the beginning of the 21st century. Soon after, an almost historical cloud of deja vu reminiscent of medieval times seemed to cover the new millennium and the minds of the most powerful and influential world leaders. Manichaeism and notions of good and evil, us versus them, the axis of evil that came out of nowhere to challenge an almost idealistic world of prosperity and progress, became the leading rhetorical trends. Since then, the bombings in Spain and the London underground have further aggravated the witch hunt, proving that unfortunately, economic and technological progress does not always presuppose intellectual progress. The crusade against “wind mills” is ongoing, against an enemy without a face, an enemy that is just there but really that they know so little about. The terrorist attacks in New York, Madrid and London created panic and distress and unfortunately disabled Western leaders from asking themselves some crucial questions about the rising phenomenon of international terrorism. There was no pause to ponder upon the purpose of such terrible acts and no real effort to examine the “why” behind international terrorism. Only ill based assumptions funded on a rationale of inherent superiority stemming from the glorification and exceptionalism of Western values and a Gesellschaft-like society. It is time now for real questions to be answered, questions that if approached in a self-critical manner might help deal with terrorism more effectively and from the root.
The purpose of this article is to address such issues and in particular focus on the question of what a terrorist is trying to achieve. Analysing the aforementioned question, and thus determining what fuels terrorism may serve to interpret the hidden message behind these terrible acts. In fact, this paper will contend that what a terrorist is trying to achieve, amongst other things, is to publicise to a wider audience a message of grievance, alienation and injustice through symbolic actions. Terrorism is an endemic phenomenon of the modern globalised system and therefore it should be treated as such and not regarded as an alien force trying to end the world as we know it. Hence, instead of planning new military operations we should listen to the real message of terrorism and tackle the problem from there.

What is a terrorist trying to achieve?

As a whole, the phenomenon of terrorism that is currently posing a challenge to the international status quo can be regarded as a bi-product of the globalised political, cultural and economic system that defines the international system today. Terrorism in other words, is a reactionary movement to the aforementioned phenomenon by those who feel that have been marginalized and treated unfairly. It can be viewed as a response to an almost omnipresent structural violence that is being exercised upon certain areas of the world by the leading actors of the international arena and the globalised system itself. A reaction to an aggressive and expanding Gesellschaft-like international society that if not embraced will unavoidably lead to alienation, marginalisation and whatever follows from this. Moreover, it has been argued that given the fact that globalisation involves the integration into a web of economic transactions; local authority and the sense of place are being threatened. Thus, a terrorist and terrorism as a whole, aims at making their grievances heard through symbolic acts since they lack the capacities of defending themselves otherwise from the global forces of cultural and economic change. It follows from this, that a terrorist’s aim cannot be regarded as serving a purely functional role in the short run, but rather, a symbolic one. In particular, a terrorist or a terrorist act is primarily concentrated in advertising, provoking, dissuading, disorientating and to an extent to recruit new blood within their network. With regards to the latter, it is evident how the attacks on the Twin Towers, a Western and in particular American iconic landmark, has galvanized a wide spectrum of Islamist groups and led to the formation of several new ones.

Thus, it could be safely argued that terrorist violence aims at communicating a political message and hence the ends go beyond inflicting damage on material resources; rather, the aim is to attract the attention of a larger human audience and publicise a given cause. With regards to provoking, the terrorist is seeking a counter reaction from the target in an effort to lead the given state to demonstrate its more aggressive and repressive face, this in turn will not only galvanize further the networks of terrorism, but at the same time will create mild sympathisers on the opposite “camps”. To be more precise here are some examples; since the military counter terrorist interventions of the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq, there has been a wave of protests originating from the West condemning the uncontrolled use of violence inflicted upon the targets and mere civilians. The establishment of terrorist detention centres in Abou Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, and the appalling human rights abuses that take place within them has also led to the condemnation of these practices by the international community and civil society. Moreover, the recent allegations of secret detention centres used by the CIA within EU territory has exacerbated transatlantic relations.

A terrorist therefore, through an act of violence is merely attempting to communicate a message to both the people he represents and the “other side”. The message is political in nature and its delivery symbolic. It serves the need of publicising a given cause, raising awareness and provoking a reaction that may lead gradually to a much-needed change. Unfortunately the Western powers have so far been unable to read between the lines of a terrorist act and until then the crusade against “windmills” is bound to persist.


What can be done about terrorism?


Bearing in mind the reasons behind the rise of terrorism, and most importantly considering the purpose of their acts as defined in the previous section, one can only conclude that the solution to the problem cannot be found within the current policies employed by the major powers, which merely scrape the surface of the problem and to an extent serve only to further exacerbate it. The current approach to the problem of terrorism is therefore fundamentally flawed; it may lead to the annihilation of particular groups in the short run through the use of heavy military force, but the phenomenon of terrorism will remain untouched and feed itself from the acts of violence inflicted by the West. Terrorism in other words, is not a unitary or material entity, rather it is an idea, a movement of protest, and it has to be dealt with as such.

Going back to the current approach of tackling terrorism that is followed by the Western powers and in particular the United States, one could argue that its flaws are twofold. Firstly, although the use of military power may indeed reduce the immediate threat, it also leads to the compartmentalisation of the terrorist cells making them harder to detect and thus giving them more time and incentives to plan the next attack. On the other hand, such strategy may also lead to self-inflicted negative effects for the Western world. In particular, in an effort to increase security Western governments have already taken actions that affect negatively the civil liberties and values of its own citizens. Western states are gradually transforming themselves into societies of control, where the individual’s privacy is under constant threat. To make the case, according to a study, London has 200,000 CCTV cameras, and more than 4 million cameras have been deployed throughout the country. Moreover, it is estimated that there is one camera for every 14 people. The average Briton is seen by 300 cameras per day according to estimates. From the above, we can safely deduct that the current aggressive and repressive strategy employed against the phenomenon of terrorism is not only inefficient but also hazardous. A new strategy needs to be employed, one that requires insight and self-criticism on the side of the Western world, in other words one that tackles the problem from its roots.

A starting point would be the toning down of structural violence that characterizes the international system today. In fact, terrorism can be considered as a reaction to this phenomenon by people that are being deprived of the possibility to act as others do. The current economic globalization with its foundations on the logic of pure capitalism does not favor social justice, in other words it causes inequality among states leaving a considerable segment of the population of the world dissatisfied. What is suggested here is not the dismantling of this system, in fact this would classify this proposition as a mere utopia, but its gradual “democratization” and reconsideration of the economic realities of the global South. This would involve the formation of institutional structures with a more balanced outlook, that reflect both human values and needs alongside those of the global market. Moreover, rather than alienating or merely dictating, institutional structures should focus on the enhancement of participation and solidarity, thus becoming more legitimate and fair. By shifting towards a more democratic international system, one that is more inclusive, with its foundations in justice and solidarity; factors such as alienation, the feeling of injustice and even exploitation that harness international terrorism will gradually retreat.

The above could be considered as a long-term strategy since it would take a long time to reform the international system in such a manner. However, one could detect solutions to the problem of terrorism in the short-term as well. As we know, a number of unresolved conflicts around the world, especially those in the Muslim dominated areas, are providing a steady pool of recruits and support for violent Islamists. Hence, the international community, in an effort to fight terrorism, should develop capabilities to facilitate negotiations and aid in the resolution of these conflicts. Amongst these conflicts one could include the Arab-Israeli dispute, Chechnya and Kashmir. In an interview, the European Council’s Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Mr. Gijs de Vries argued on the matter that the lack of progress in the Middle East peace process fuels the phenomenon of terrorism and thus its solution should be a priority of the international community including the United States.


The list of particular policies that could be employed seems to be more than vast; the issue however is for the leading global actors to grasp the essence of terrorism and what it really represents. As long as the refusal to fight the iconic, socioeconomic and political drivers of terrorism, as well as a refusal to change the reality on the ground persists, terrorism will not retreat. The real solution to the problem can only be reached if the few passengers of the fast train of economic and cultural globalization look through its rear window, see who is left behind covered in its dust, and extend their arms to reach for them.