How Video Can Be a Tool to Help Stop Terrorism
Terrorism, and its underlying causes, has been a much-discussed topic for several decades, as it is a problem that seems to have no end. And it’s global: acts of political violence and terrorism can affect communities all over the world.
So, what is terrorism?
There are consistently different requirements for what constitutes “terrorism,” but it can include: revolutionaries, nationalists, separatists, anarchists, and reactionaries. These definitions don’t include other types of political violence that don’t qualify as terrorism under any definition, but are just as important to consider when discussing how to prevent this violence from occurring.
Why do people join terrorist organizations?
First, we need to understand why they are created in the first place. Terrorism happens globally, so a country’s GDP or education levels cannot be a determinant for terrorism.
At the country level, some some circumstances make it “more likely” terrorist organizations will form, such as:
Ethnic diversity
Number of political parties in the government
Presence of extremist parties (Piazza 172).
For the individuals, education levels vary as do their ages. Factors for joining a group may include:
A personal experience, a catalyzing event that pushes someone towards terrorism
Peer pressure or influence, where those around them are a part of an organization, so they join too. The ideology that corresponds to the organization can often be developed over time, after joining (Lynch).
Social services some organizations provide. Groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon provide health, educational, and other social services to its members, while the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) provides social services by controlling the NGOs that operate within its area (Flanigan).
Whether it be Montoneros in Argentina or the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Turkey, it is common for groups and organizations to provide some type of perk, whether it be in education, health, or something else (TIOS Database). In most places, individuals don’t have access to social services by other means due to dysfunctional government, so it’s a big incentive. They need to provide these social services because there is an absence of them otherwise.
So how can information be used to change the behavior of terrorists?
Many people and organizations have dedicated their lives to trying to stop terrorism. One of the most important methods is through information-sharing.
Paper Leaflets
There have been many stories in recent years of people escaping terrorist organizations and militant groups with the help of some vital information. One of these stories came out of Africa, where the UN and partner organization Invisible Children had been leaving small flyers and leaflets in the jungle, giving instruction on how to escape, where to go, and promising acceptance once they were free of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). With the information provided, young people that had been abducted and forced to be a part of the group were able to escape to safety.
Radio
Many areas in the developing world have already adjusted to using technology in new ways to cope with the aftermath of political violence. Political violence in West and Central Africa has targeted schools in recent years leading to difficulties in providing education (Brazier). The use of radio has become increasingly common as a tool to educate children that can no longer physically attend school. Radio allows information to be relayed to children over large areas. Similar strategies were implemented when the UN was trying to target soldiers in the LRA. The messages left on the flyers were also relayed via radio.
Video
Although video is not yet a commonly used method to communicate with members of terrorist organizations or perpetrators of political violence, it has the potential to be a great tool to be used in these circumstances. It has the ability to transmit more information than flyers or radio and could be even more influential in stopping the spread of terrorism.
Video shown in poverty-stricken areas on the brink of conflict can persuade people that there are ways out of the conflict besides violence. In addition, it has the ability to arm those fighting for education in conflict-strewn areas with more information, such as in Grace’s story above.
illuminAid has been at the forefront of knowledge transfer through video for 13 years, and we look forward to many more decades of fighting for hope and peace.
Works Cited
Accessed November 23, 2020. https://www.unicef.org.uk/unicef-education-innovates/.
Flanigan, Shawn Teresa. 2008. “Nonprofit Service Provision by Insurgent Organizations: The Cases of Hizballah and the Tamil Tigers.” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 31 (6): 499–519. https://doi.org/10.1080/10576100802065103.
Lynch, Orla. 2018. “What Motivates People to Join a Terrorist Organisation?,” May. https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2018/0529/966842-what-motivates-people-to-join-a-terrorist-organisation/.
Piazza, James A. 2006. “Rooted in Poverty?: Terrorism, Poor Economic Development, and Social Cleavages 1.” Terrorism and Political Violence 18 (1): 159–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/095465590944578.
“Terrorist and Insurgent Organization Social Services (TIOS) Dataset.” OEF Research. Accessed November 23, 2020. https://oefresearch.org/datasets/tios.