INTRODUCTION:
International terrorism is a form of politically motivated violence that transcends national borders. Over the past half-century, however, terrorism has come to mean the use of violence by small groups aiming to achieve political change.[1] It is perpetrated by individuals or groups whose actions affect multiple jurisdictions, often aiming to influence government policies and shape public opinion through targeted or indiscriminate acts of violence.
The September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon—commonly referred to as 9/11—were a turning point in the global understanding of terrorism. These coordinated attacks not only claimed thousands of lives in the United States but also sent shockwaves around the world, exposing the far-reaching capabilities of transnational terrorist networks. In the aftermath, 9/11 reshaped international legal frameworks, redefined traditional notions of sovereignty, and sparked ongoing debates about the balance between civil liberties and national security on a global level.
GLOBALIZATION AS A CATALYST FOR TRANSNATIONAL TERRORISM:
Globalization refers to the increasing interconnectedness of the world through economic, technological, and social integration.[2] While often seen as a positive force, it has also unintentionally facilitated the growth of terrorism. Defining the exact extent of this influence is difficult due to the complex nature of both phenomena. However, technologies associated with globalization—like the internet, global finance, and air travel—have allowed terrorist groups to operate in ways that are more coordinated, lethal, and harder to counter.
Historically, terrorists relied on simple tools like revolvers and dynamite to instill fear. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, acts like bombings and assassinations were largely limited in scope and rarely impacted audiences beyond national borders. The emergence of transnational terrorism after 1968 was driven by new global conditions—particularly the rise of commercial air travel, which provided for easy access across borders due to security measures to the extent of none, and the widespread reach of televised news, which gave terrorist acts global visibility and psychological impact.[3]
After 9/11, attacks like the 2001 Indian Parliament Attack, where Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed attacked the Indian Parliament in New Delhi, the Mumbai Train Bombings of 2006, the 26/11 Mumbai Attacks, the 7/7 London Bombings (2005), Paris Attacks (2015), etc., clarify the connection between Globalization and Terrorism.
Globalization has also led to an increase in religious fundamentalists or religious extremism on a large scale due to easy communication networks and social media platforms. This also helps the extremists to connect to global network chains. This has led to the emergence of a new kind of terrorism known as religious terrorism. Thirty years ago, there was not a single religious cult or religious terrorist movement in the world. As recently as 1980, only two of the world’s 64 known terrorist groups were animated by religious belief.[4]
GLOBALIZATION AND STATE-SPONSORED TERRORISM:
One of the most dangerous and most troubling results of globalization is state-sponsored terrorism, where governments themselves promote terrorism through funds and other support needed either openly or behind the scenes. These countries are either those that share ideological or religious ties with these extremist groups or who that use this violence as a tool to hold on to power or to gain influence. These States see terrorism not just as a threat but as a strategy to destabilize rivals, silence dissent, or extend their political reach.
The interconnectedness brought about by globalization through international financial systems, communication networks, and geopolitical networks makes it easier for such. Nations to support and promote terrorism while avoiding direct accountability.
IMPACT OF TERRORISM:
- Loss of life: Terrorism, as defined, is discriminated or indiscriminate violence against civilians. Hence, the most immediate and devastating impacts of terrorism are the loss of innocent lives. Since today, terrorists often target public places, the danger to lives of people remains the main concern. Example: thousands of people lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks. 2,9474 people lost their lives when hijacked planes crashed into the North and South Towers. 4,343 people have died from 9/11-related health conditions.[5]
- Psychological Impacts: terrorism is evoked mainly to spread fear. Beyond the fatalities, countless individuals suffer life-altering injuries and psychological trauma. Survivors, families of the dead and survivors and even the witnesses of the event have psychological effects. Witnessing such incidents triggers helplessness, fear, and horror.[6] Hence, terrorism doesn’t just claim lives—it aims to instill fear, weaken morale, and challenge the sense of safety and stability that every human being deserves. Hence, their social life is affected significantly.
- Economic Impacts: Generally, the main aim of terrorist groups is to cause fear, but it also causes significant economic disruption, both immediately and in the long term, which is not what much wanted by these groups want. Example: the economic impact of 9/11 is estimated between USD 25-60 billion.[7] It also affects the investment due to the loss of trust amongst investors. Terrorism significantly affects tourism, and hence, terrorist attacks negatively affect the region of the terrorists attack. For example: after the recent Pahalgam attack, the tourism of Kashmir was nearly reduced to none, leading loss of income for the local population.
- Political instability: terrorism often leads to significant political instability, as governments struggle to maintain control, ensure public safety, and respond to national fear. Due to such attacks, the government may face crises of public confidence, especially if the government is perceived as unprepared or ineffective in preventing violence. Also, terrorists may polarize societies, fuel ethnic or religious tensions, and create divisions among political parties, hence leading to the rise of extremist political movements. This may also lead to authoritarianism and erosion of democratic freedoms.
- Fear of xenophobia: Xenophobia generally means a fear or hatred of foreign people and cultures. Terrorist attacks, when linked to specific ethnic or religious groups, often lead to xenophobia. It may also lead to harsher immigration laws, profiling, and civil rights restrictions targeting specific groups, which may lead to a vicious cycle of fear and mistrust with exploitation by the government.
CHALLENGES IN COMBATING GLOBAL TERRORISM:
- Technology: Globalization has brought many good things, but technology is being used significantly to fuel terrorism and execute the planned terrorist attacks. The improved transport system and communication made it easier for the terrorist groups to work on a large scale, even without physical meetings. The technology of encryption, and use of dead emails, and the creation of IP addresses have facilitated the terrorist groups significantly.
- Jurisdictional issues: Terrorism is now transnational and involves multiple countries. Hence, deciding which country has jurisdiction to prosecute these terrorists becomes difficult. Usually, a country can only deal with crimes that happen within its borders. Some countries claim the right to prosecute their citizens for crimes they commit abroad, called active nationality, or to take action if their citizens are the victims of crimes in another country, called passive nationality.[8] These ideas can make it tricky to figure out who has the right to take legal action in international terrorism cases.
- Balancing security and liberty: Frequent terrorist attacks may lead to stricter laws. Such laws may disturb the foundation of democratic principles and lead to authoritarian government while curbing the civil rights of the citizens. For example, the Patriot Act of 2001[9] was passed in response to the September 11th attacks, which expanded surveillance, enhanced investigative tools, and reduced the power of the judiciary noticeably.
- Inadequate international cooperation: Countries have different laws, priorities, and definitions of terrorism, which can make cooperation difficult. Intelligence sharing between nations is often limited by trust issues, political tensions, or concerns over national security. As a result, critical information may not be shared in time to prevent attacks. Terrorist groups take advantage of these loopholes and execute the attacks.
CONCLUSION:
After 9/11, terrorism became more decentralized, digitally coordinated, and global. Attacks often used soft targets, including public spaces, transport, and entertainment venues. Globalization has acted as a for making terrorism a global phenomenon from a local one. Cross-border terrorism has brought more significant negative impacts to multiple jurisdictions. This has made it more complicated to combat terrorism. The United Nations is continuously working for the cause of erosion of terrorism. However, meaningful progress is not possible without strong and unified support from its member states. Hence, it is necessary to strengthen the political and economic support for the UN. Additionally, the nations themselves must work at the domestic level by addressing internal terrorism of the extremist groups, while the UN is working internationally to curb transnational terrorism. Nations must enter into bilateral and multilateral agreements, especially with the nations that have common active terrorist groups or with whom they share borders, which can make it easy for them to trace the activities of these groups and even anticipate their potential attacks.
Only through a coordinated, multi-layered approach—combining local efforts with international frameworks—can the world hope to effectively counter the evolving threat of terrorism.
Author(s) Name: Divya V. Meshram (Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj Nagpur University’s Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar College of Law (Main Branch))
References:
[1] John Baylis, Steve Smith and Patricia Owens (eds), The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to InternationalRElation (8th edn, OUP 2020) 450
[2] What is ‘Globalization’, The Economic Times https://m.economictimes.com/definition/globalization accessed 11 June 2025
[3] John Baylis, Steve Smith and Patricia Owens (eds), The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to InternationalRElation (8th edn, OUP 2020) 452
[4] Christopher Coker, Globalisationand Terrorism (Paper presented at a seminar on ‘The Prospects for the Canadian Summit’, Tokyo, 10 June 2002) accessed 11 June 2025
[5] Karen Selby, ‘20 Years Later: The Lingering Health Effects of 9/11’ (Asbestos.com, 24 Feaburary 2025) https://www.asbestos.com/featured-stories/9-11-lingering-health-effects/ accessed 11 June 2025
[6] Institute of Medicine, ‘Understanding the Psychological Consequences of Traumatic Events, Disasters, and Terrorism’ in Adrienne Stith Butler, Allison M Panzer and Lewis R Goldfrank (eds), Preparing for the Psychological Consequences of Terrorism: A Public Health Strategy (National Academies Press 2003) ch 2.
[7] UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee, ‘Draft Report on Negative Effects of Terrorism on the Enjoyment of Human Rights’ (A/HRC/AC/21/CRP.2, 23 July 2018)
[8] UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), ‘Criminal‑Justice Responses’ in Counter‑Terrorism Module 4: Key Issues (UNODC e4j, undated) https://www.unodc.org/e4j/en/terrorism/module-4/key-issues/criminal-justice-responses.html accessed 11 June 2025
[9] USA PATRIOT Act, Public Law 107-56, 115 Stat. 272 (2001)
