12 Nov 2006

Global Terrorism: India's Concerns
Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, India
Supplied note: "The latest paper of the Institute For Topical Studies, A-2/3, Bharathi Dasan Colony, K.K.Nagar, Chennai---600078, India, on the above subject is now available at the web site of the South Asia Analysis Group (SAAG), New Delhi, at [the URL below] - br."
Self-description: "The writer delivered a keynote address on "Global Terrorism:India's Concerns" at a seminar on terrorism organised by the Assam Police at Guwahati on November 7 and 8,2006. He also moderated a discussion on "New Terrorism". This article is based on the salient points in his keynote address and his observations during the panel discussions on "New Terrorism". The Assam Police had organised the seminar in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Govt. of India and the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) of the Govt. of India."
Extract: "By global terrorism, one generally refers to the activities of Al Qaeda and other jihadi terrorist organisations of different countries associated with it in the International Islamic Front (IIF) for Jihad Against the Crusaders and the Jewish People. The IIF, which was formed by Osama bin Laden in February 1998, is a united front of like-minded pan-Islamic jihadi terrorist organisations. 2. None of the organisations, which joined Al Qaeda in forming the IIF, owed their existence to bin Laden or Al Qaeda. They were in existence before bin Laden arrived in Afghanistan from Sudan in July, 1996 [...] [...] 20. The most lethal weapons used by the global jihadi terrorists are explosives, the mobile telephones and the Internet. To be able to counter their use of these innovations and to enable the police and other counter-terrorism agencies to use them even better than the terrorists, it is important to enlist the services of our S&T community. There cannot be effective counter-terrorism in future without the active involvement of our scientists and technologists. 21. There is a need for new intellectual tools to counter terrorism. Possible examples of such tools: Reverse analysis, that is, analysing a situation not only as a counter-terrorism expert would do, but also as a terrorist would do; scenario visualisation; counter-terrorism games similar to war games in respect of State adversaries; and preparation of terrorism-indicators to assist the intelligence agencies and the police stations similar to the war indicators prepared in respect of State adversaries. 22. The oxygen for jihadi terrorism in India comes from Pakistan and Bangladesh. Their intelligence agencies and armed forces are actively, but clandestinely involved in keeping the capabilities of the jihadi terrorist organisations sustained so that they continue to bleed us and keep large parts of the country destabilised. [...]." - b.raman
[The author of the paper, Mr B. Raman, is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India. - ed.]
URL http://www.saag.org/papers21/paper2021.html
Internet Archive (www.archive.org) - the paper was not archived at the time of this abstract. However, in a few weeks time it will be available at web.archive.org/web/*/www.saag.org - ed.
Link reported by: B. Raman (corde--at--vsnl.com)
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