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Jami's blog: "Jami's Shit"

created on 12/29/2006  |  http://fubar.com/jami-s-shit/b38855  |  2 followers
Terrorism is a global threat with global effects; ... its consequences affect every aspect of the United Nations agenda from development to peace to human rights and the rule of law. By its very nature, terrorism is an assault on the fundamental principles of law, order, human rights, and the peaceful settlement of disputes upon which the United Nations is established. The United Nations has an indispensable role to play in providing the legal and organizational framework within which the international campaign against terrorism can unfold – Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General, 4 October 2002. Terrorism is not a recent development and in 1937, the League of Nations constituted the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of Terrorism. This was a precursor to the United Nations initiative which dealt with terrorism from a legal and political perspective. Several legal instruments have been developed since 1963 in order to prevent and suppress international terrorism, including the recent, International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. The world that we live in has become increasingly susceptible to terrorists attacks. These attacks are random and do not have any specific target. Almost any structure or person can be made the target and the terrorist weapon can be a bomb, a gun, an exploding vehicle or even a fuel filled airplane. Airplanes are especially vulnerable to such attacks, as firearms cannot be used against hijackers while the airplane is flying. Moreover, the amount of highly explosive fuel on board makes it a very vulnerable object. The least expensive, quickest and easiest way to put into practice and the best safety method, which would deter aviation terrorists, is to ensure that airplane cockpits are made less vulnerable (McCrie, 2001). The 1960s were witness to an abnormal increase in the incidence of airplane hijackings in the United States. These hijackings were conducted mainly by Cuban exiles, the mentally ill, criminals escaping from the US and extortionists. All this changed for the worse in 1968 with the advent of political terrorists that resorted to hijackings in order to gain publicity for their causes, to obtain special considerations from governments or to secure freedom for their imprisoned associates. Since, 1973 the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) initiated passenger and baggage checking at major airports. Other countries also followed suit resulting in significant mitigation in the number of hijacking incidents. Moreover, certain countries started counter attacking very strongly. In June 1976 an Air France plane was hijacked by Palestinian and West German terrorists and taken to Entebbe, Uganda. Idi Amin the then dictator of Uganda was a tacit supporter of this event, but the Israeli commandos in an operation lasting 90 minutes – immortalized in the book and film 90 minutes at Entebbe – secured the release of nearly 100 hostages (Stevenson, 1976). This trend was reversed in the mid-1980s, which saw an increase in the number of hijackings. In 1985 a Trans World Airlines plane was hijacked from Athens to Lebanon and it took more than seven days to secure the release of these hostages. To counter this trend several countries started additional security measures. In Israel, the El Al airlines commenced the systematic questioning of suspicious passengers as part of the profiling technique in order to identify terrorists and hijackers (Tran World Airlines Hijacking Incident, 2006). By the beginning of the 21st century such hijackings had reduced significantly. However, on the 11th of September, 2001, the al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jets in the United States. These jets were crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and into the Pentagon building. The death toll due to this was 2,600 people at the World Trade Center; 125 at the Pentagon and 256 on the four planes. The hijackers were 19 young Arabs obeying the orders of the al Qaeda, whose headquarters was located in Afghanistan. These hijackers had wielded knives and box-cutters to intimidate the crew and passengers. Some of these hijackers had obtained basic pilot training and this helped them to fly these planes into their targets (The 9/11 Commission Report, 2004). The result of these attacks was that aviation security procedures in the United States were transformed very quickly. This led to the recognition of the fact that airplanes would be used as weapons in suicide attacks. The result was that the previous airline policy that had required passengers and crew to extend complete cooperation to the hijackers was replaced with an exhortation to forcibly resist any hijacking attempt. Moreover, pilots were directed to keep the cockpit doors locked in order to prevent entry. Before embarkation, further security measures were instituted, which included very stringent identification checks of passengers and the checking and screening of baggage (Hoffman, 2006). After years of very intense search operations conducted by the U.S and its allies in terrorism, the al Qaeda leaders, Osama bin Laden and his deputy al Zawahiri have not been apprehended. Nevertheless, a large number of al Qaeda’s senior leaders have either been captured or killed. Laden and Zawahiri are sporadically releasing videotapes in which they directly address and threaten the US public, stating that further terrorists attacks are in the offing. The merger of the terrorist groups like the Abu Mus`ab al-Zarqawi's organization with al Qaeda indicates the latter is attempting to increase its potential and resources in respect of “regional networks and affiliates -- a trend that al-Qaeda could also use to try to support new attacks in the United States and abroad” (Global Jihad, 2004). The U.S governmental institutions were caught on the wrong foot when confronted by Al Qaeda's new brand of terrorism. The reason was that this type of terrorism was not only novel but also difficult to tackle. In order to deal with this new type of terrorism, a resolution was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council. This resolution, which was in response to the attacks of 11 September 2001, states that: “... acts, methods and practices of terrorism are contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations ". It called upon Member States to "become parties as soon as possible to the relevant international conventions and protocols" and "to increase cooperation and fully implement the relevant international conventions and protocols” (Resolution 1373, 2001). The following is a list of the main aviation terrorism conventions. 1. Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed On Board Aircraft. This convention is applicable to acts affecting in-flight safety and requires the contracting states to apprehend the terrorists and at the same time to return the aircraft to the lawful commander (Tokyo Convention, 1963). 2. Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft. This convention makes it an offense for any person on board an aircraft in flight to “unlawfully, by force or threat thereof, or any other form of intimidation, [to] seize or exercise control of that aircraft" or make such an attempt. Moreover, it requires the parties to the convention to award severe punishments to hijackers (Hague Convention, 1970). 3. Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation. This convention makes it an offense for any person to unlawfully and intentionally indulge in an act of violence if such an act is likely to endanger the safety of that aircraft (Montreal Convention, 1972). 4. Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts of Violence at Airports Serving International Civil Aviation, supplementary to the convention for the suppression of unlawful acts against the safety of civil aviation. It extends the provisions available under the Montreal Convention discussed above. This was agreed upon on the 24th of February 1988 and includes in its ambit terrorist acts at airports serving international civil aviation. The different aviation terrorists groups are described in the sequel. 1. Abu Nidal Organization or the ANO. This organization was formed by Sabri Al Banna, who had separated from the PLO, in 1974. It committed acts of terrorism in the US, UK, France, Israel, the PLO and certain Arab countries. In 1985 it attacked the airports of Rome and Vienna. It hijacked a Pan Am flight in Karachi in 1986. It is inactive since the 80s. 2. The Hizballah was formed in 1982 in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Its ideology is based on the teachings of the late Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran. It is a close ally of Iran and has committed several acts of aviation terrorism. For instance, the 1985 hijacking of a TWA flight. 3. The Al Qaeda was founded by Osama bin Ladin in 1988. Initially it comprised of Arabs who had fought the standing USSR army in Afghanistan. On September 11, 2001, its operatives hijacked four airplanes and crashed them into US targets causing severe damage to life and property. Its ideology is that it considers the US to be the devil, which must be annihilated at any cost. The conclusion to be drawn is that these groups are all fundamentalist Muslims. They believe that non – Muslims do not have the right to live. It is their belief that the killing or murder of a non – Muslim will guarantee them a place in heaven. They will not listen to reason. They are ruthless and merciless. Their aim is to subjugate the world and make all women the property of men. In the developed countries, there is intellectual freedom; women are treated as human beings, etc. These are all very much to the dislike of these terrorists. Hence, the developed and free world is their target as it negates their ideology. This frustration is expressed in the terrible and inhuman attacks that these people make on the free world. Works Cited Convention on Offences and Certain other Acts committed on board Aircraft. Tokyo Convention 1963. Effective from 4 December 1969. Convention for the suppression of unlawful seizure of aircraft. Hague Convention. 16 December 1970. Convention for the suppression of unlawful acts against the safety of civil aviation. Montreal Convention. 23 September 1972. Global Jihad: Evolving and Adapting. 2004. Jewish Virtual Library. < http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Terrorism/globaljihad.html> Hoffman, Bruce. "Hijacking." Microsoft® Encarta® 2006 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2005. McCrie, Robert D. “The critical failure: Inadequate domestic aviation security.” Security Letter. 16 September 2001: Vol. 31, Issue 15; Part 1. p 2. Stevenson, Williams. 90 Minutes At Entebbe The Full Inside Story Of Operation Thunderbolt. Bantam Books. 1976. The 9/11 Commission Report. 20 September 2004. < http://www.9- 11commission.gov/report/911Report_Exec.htm>. Trans World Airlines Hijacking Incident. 23 June, 1985. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/RR6_23_85.html. UN Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001). 28 September (2001). http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2001/sc7158.doc.htm.
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