Globalization and Terror
by Helena Norberg-Hodge
For people in the modern world, there may be nothing more difficult
to comprehend than the group calling itself the Islamic State, or ISIS.
The beheadings, rapes, and other acts of cruelty seem beyond
understanding, as does the wanton destruction of priceless ancient
monuments. Perhaps most mystifying of all is the way ISIS has been able
to recruit young men — and even some young women — from the
industralized West, particularly Europe: the conventional wisdom is that
the cure for ethnic and religious violence is “development,” education,
and the opportunities provided by free markets. This seems not to be
the case.
Because of the mainstream media’s narrow and often misplaced focus, it’s not surprising that most Westerners believe that religious
extremism is primarily a problem of Islam. But the fighting in Syria and
Iraq is not the only ethnic or religious conflict underway. There has
been violence between Sinhalese and Tamils in Sri Lanka, Buddhists and
Hindus in Bhutan, Hindus and Sikhs in Punjab, Eritreans and Ethiopians
in the Horn of Africa, Hutu and Tutsi in Rwanda, ethnic Russians and
Ukrainians in the former Soviet Union, and many more. The fact is,
fanaticism, fundamentalism, and ethnic conflict have been growing for
many decades—and not just in the Islamic world.
Failure to recognize this trend can lead to the belief that terrorism
is a product of nothing more than religious extremism and will end when
secular market-based democracies are established throughout the world.
Unfortunately the reality is far more complex, and unless we address the
underlying causes of conflict and terrorism, a more peaceful and secure
future will remain elusive.
